How to Back Up an iPhone or Android Phone (and Check That It Worked)

By Web Asset House Studio · October 29, 2026

Note: Some future links on this site may be affiliate links. We never claim hands-on testing; guides are researched from the public sources listed in each article.

How we wrote this: A summary of Apple Support and Google's Android Help pages on backups (linked below), checked October 29, 2026. Menu names change between software versions, so follow the official page for your device if a step looks different.

For many people, the phone holds more irreplaceable data than the computer: photos, two-factor apps, client texts, notes. Phones also get dropped, lost and stolen more often. A backup turns a bad day into a minor one, and it's what lets you move everything to a new phone in one step.

If you already follow the 3-2-1 backup rule for your computer, this is the phone half of the plan.

iPhone and iPad

Apple's backup methods page says you can back up to iCloud, to your computer, or both.

Option 1: iCloud Backup (automatic)

From Apple's iCloud backup instructions:

Open Settings, tap your name, then tap iCloud.
Tap iCloud Backup and make sure Back Up This iPhone is on.
Backups then run automatically when the phone is connected to power, locked and on Wi-Fi. Overnight charging usually covers this.

To back up right now, tap Back Up Now on the same screen and stay on Wi-Fi until it finishes. The date and time of the last backup appear under the button. If you get an alert about storage, iCloud doesn't have room; Apple's page explains the options.

Apple says iCloud backups are always encrypted. They don't include things that already sync to iCloud, such as iCloud Photos (if turned on), notes stored in iCloud, and messages if you sync Messages with iCloud, because those are already stored there.

Option 2: Back up to a Mac or Windows PC

From Apple's computer backup steps:

On a Mac, open Finder. On a Windows PC, open the Apple Devices app (or iTunes if you don't have it).
Connect the phone with a cable and tap Trust This Computer if asked.
Select the device, then click General (Apple Devices or Finder) or Summary (iTunes).
Select Encrypt local backup and set a password if you want to keep Health, Activity and saved passwords (Keychain) data. Apple notes that this data is only included in encrypted computer backups.
Click Back Up Now.

Write down that password. Apple says there's no way to recover an encrypted backup without it.

Android phones

Google's Android backup help page explains that you can back up content, data and settings to your Google Account and restore them to the same phone or another Android phone.

To check or turn it on:

Open the Settings app.
Go to Google, then All services, and find Backup. (On some phones, it's under a "Backup and restore" heading in Settings.)
Choose what to include: photos and videos, device data, or both.
Tap Back up now to start one immediately.

Things to know, from Google's page:

Free storage is 15 GB per Google Account. More is available through Google One.
Use a PIN, pattern or password as your screen lock, not swipe or Smart Lock. Some backed-up data is end-to-end encrypted with your screen lock.
Not every app backs up everything. If an app matters to you, check with its developer.
A backup can take up to 24 hours to finish.
Restoring needs the same or a newer Android version. You can't restore a backup from a newer Android version onto a phone running an older one.
Work profiles aren't covered. You can't use backup on a company-owned device or a work-only setup.

Don't forget the hard-to-replace apps

Some data doesn't come back from a normal backup. Before you switch phones or wipe one:

Authenticator apps. Check whether yours offers its own backup or transfer feature, and save your accounts' recovery codes somewhere safe. Our passkeys guide explains how passkeys sync.
Messaging apps with their own backups, such as chat apps that back up to a separate cloud account.
Business files stored only on the phone. Move them to your business's shared storage.

Check it worked

A backup you've never looked at may not exist. Once a month:

iPhone: check the date under Back Up Now in iCloud Backup, or the latest backup listed in Finder or Apple Devices.
Android: open the Backup screen in Settings. Google's page says "On" appears under the data types you selected once your data is saved.

Pair this with Find My or Find Hub, so you can lock or erase a lost phone knowing your data is safe elsewhere.