What if your phone got locked due to a ransomware attack, was it stolen, damaged or destroyed? Will you lose everything on it or do you have a phone that is regularly backed up?
If you don't back up your data regularly, you should do it now. Since March 31 is World Backup Day, we'll cover how to back up your iOS and Android devices.
iOS Device Backup
When backing up data on your iPhone or any other iOS device, you have two main options to choose from. The first option is to store a backup of your device on your computer or on a connected storage device. If you have macOS Mojave or an earlier version of Windows, the process is the same, and you use iTunes. First, you'll need to install the Apple iTunes software on your computer, since you won't be able to manage your device without it (Macs have it installed by default). If you're using macOS Catalina, you'll find the option in Finder instead of iTunes.
To start the process, connect your device to your computer using the same data cable you normally use to charge your device.
You will receive a prompt to unlock your device using your preferred method (FaceID, TouchID, password). You may also be asked to choose Trust this computer so that your device can sync with it without any problem.
Then select your device from iTunes or Finder, depending on your operating system, and continue through the entire process. For an added layer of security, you can choose to encrypt your backup that will be stored locally on your computer. Now you just have to click on the Copy now button . At this point, you can also choose to back up your most important data to iCloud.
This brings us to the other option available, which is to back up your iPhone to iCloud directly from the device. Go to your device settings and select your name, then the iCloud button. Now toggle on the iCloud backup button to enable it and then hit the Back up now option .
During the backup, you must be connected to a reliable Wi-Fi network. You can set your iPhone to automatically back up your device to iCloud when you're connected to Wi-Fi. Depending on how much storage space you have in iCloud, the default is 5 GB, you can also change the apps that store data on it.
For example, photos can take up a lot of storage space, since depending on their quality, the size can vary between 1 MB and 10 MB, or even 100 MB if we talk about videos. Therefore, you may need to expand your storage space or alternatively move your media files to another storage space.
Android device backup
With Android, the situation is a bit different, as you don't need to install software packages on your computer to manage your Android devices or storage media. To back up your photos and other media files to your computer, simply connect it to your computer with a USB cable.
Your phone will then ask if you want to allow your computer to access the data on your phone, which you must agree to back up. Your phone will appear in File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (macOS), and you can browse for files on your device and copy or paste them to a folder of your choice.
We can simply say that your Android device can basically be used as an external storage device such as a USB stick or external drive. It's worth noting that some manufacturers have their own software, like Samsung's DeX app, but you don't have to use it.
Just like with iOS devices, there is a second option: you can back up to the cloud. Backup options here vary by brand, with many offering their own ways of archiving data; For simplicity, we're sticking with the Google version, as it should work on most Android devices.
The easiest way to do this is to go to Settings and scroll until you find Google Settings. After pressing this button, you should be redirected to the Google settings menu, where you will find the backup option (it may have a slightly different name depending on your OS version).
You can go to “Backup” option and click on “Backup Now” button, which will backup your data to Google Drive. There is also a separate option to back up your photos and videos in the Google Photos app.
And always remember...
Regardless of the type of device you have, the best precaution is to have multiple backups of your data, so if you lose your phone or no longer have access to one of your backups, have a safe alternative ready.
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