MacFormat UK – September 2019

macformat.com @macformat SEPTEMBER 2019 | MACFORMAT | 33

Because you can be sure a file is there

when it’s also somewhere else

Back up your

(iOS) devices

O

ne of iCloud’s best features

is one of the simplest to

use. On an iPhone, iPad or

iPod touch, open Settings,

tap your name, tap iCloud and scroll down

to iCloud Backup. Tap this, then turn on

the switch. Bingo! Once a day, when your

device is connected to Wi-Fi and not too

busy, it’ll back itself up to iCloud. When

you replace it (whether to upgrade or

because it got lost or broken), just opt to

Restore from iCloud Backup and it all

magically returns.

It’s even cleverer than that, because

the backup only copies data that Apple

doesn’t already have. Your apps and

iTunes Store purchases are omitted, then

re-downloaded from Apple’s services.

Data already synced to iCloud (see page

29) is omitted from backups, as are

photos in iCloud Photos and music in

iCloud Music Library. But they’re all

seamlessly fetched from their various

repositories when you restore. Essentials

arrive first, so you can use your device

while content materialises.

Save me

Although backups are minimised, they

can still mount up, especially if you have

several devices on one Apple ID. At the

top of the iCloud settings screen, you can

see how much; tap Manage Storage, then

Backups, to list backups and delete any

you no longer need. On the iCloud Backup

screen, you can see when this device was

last backed up, or tap Back Up Now.

Alternatively – or additionally – you

can back up devices to your Mac, via the

iTunes app (or, starting with macOS 10.15

Catalina, in the Finder). The differences

are explained at bit.ly/mfbupios.

Generally, though, unless you have

limited access to broadband, iCloud

Backup is easier and more foolproof.

>Did we mention that if you delete a

photo or file from iCloud on one device,

it’s deleted everywhere? It’s easy to

forget this, especially when your storage

is getting full. Fortunately, iCloud doesn’t

instantly erase files that you delete, but

keeps them for 30 days. Photos you’ve

trashed can be found in the Recently

Deleted album; choose Recover to bring

them back. Files deleted from iCloud

Drive or within apps can be recovered via

iCloud.com: go to iCloud Drive and click

Recently Deleted (bottom right), or go to

Settings and click Restore Files.

Recover

deleted items

Your iOS device backs itself up to iCloud when left

on, locked and connected to a power source.