A backup is essentially a safety net for your devices. When a backup is created from an iPhone, a snapshot of that device's data is saved to somewhere other than the iPhone (a computer for example). This snapshot contains data such as Photos, Messages and Contacts, but does not contain certain information like data stored in iCloud, Apple Pay information, or Touch ID settings. Note that you'll need to use a third-party app such like TouchCopy to back up your music library from an iPhone to computer.

Introduction: iPhone Backups

Whether you are a tech newbie, or a seasoned Apple user, the safety and security of your device should always be on your mind. For some, the idea of backing up data, and keeping it backed up can feel like a daunting task; others may simply be looking for the best way to perform their backups.

Whatever your requirements, I'm sure you can take something away from this guide. We're going to cover what a backup actually is, why you need backups, and how to backup iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. Let's get started!

Quick jump to the three reviewed iPhone backup methods:

What is a backup?

Why should I back up my iPhone?

Backing up your iPhone is becoming increasingly important as more and more data is being stored on these devices. Just remember, as you take more photos on your iPhone, and send more messages, the more precious data you could potentially lose if anything was to happen to your device. If you make regular backups, however, if your iPhone was to break, or data was to get lost after an update on your phone, you would be able to safely recover your data using your iPhone backup!