Phones getting lost, stolen or severely damaged is something that happens more than most of us realise. While it is frustrating to have no handset when this happens the worst thing is actually losing your data. Pictures can be priceless to their owners, and losing other data can be equally devastating if it was important to you. One thing we cannot stress enough to Fonehouse customers is the importance of ensuring they have set the phone to backup regularly. There are several ways you can do this so let’s take a look and make sure you are safeguarding the contents of your mobile should the worst happen.
To the Cloud
Apple offers iCloud as their preferred backup option, and often one of the first thing users do is disable it. They offer 5GB of storage free to all users, and to be fair, that is not much. This means the other common mistake people make is to ignore full storage warnings and leave the phone not adequately protected. When you buy a new iPhone, it will prompt you to setup iCloud as part of the new phone installation, however, if you need to access or change the settings simply navigate to Settings>iCloud>Backup (you will need to have activated your wifi settings). If you run out of storage, the price is actually very reasonable when compared to other cloud-based storage. There are several options from 50GB for 99c per month, 200GB for $2.99 per month and for a whopping 1TB it is $9.99. If this seems too expensive, then you have other options.
Use iTunes
Using iTunes to backup your iPhone effectively means you are using the space on your computer hard drive instead of paying. Again you will need to weigh up the overall storage you need against the space available on your computer. This does mean that the data is stored in one location, so you will need the computer to restore to a replacement handset, and of course, in the event of a burglary, both devices could be in the same location and both stolen. It is a personal preference and works for many users. When you connect your phone to your computer (via the cable) you will be able to navigate from file>devices>backup. Click the backup button, and you will see you are offered iCloud or your computer as storage locations.
Other Cloud-Based Storage
The iPhone can be set to backup to any of the online storage systems on offer. Most will offer some storage for free, but you will have to pay if you exceed this. Comparatively, prices vary, with iCloud possibly being one of the more expensive options so worth doing your research. You will need to check whether the storage you have chosen will request automatic backups, some move a new picture as soon as you take it for example whereas others wait for you to manual back up. Google Drive, Amazon Cloud, Dropbox and OneDrive are all examples of online storage systems.