How do I back up my phone?

Concerns & risks

You were trying to switch phones, but realized you've never backed up your old one.

Lost phones mean lost photos.

Causes & evidence

Built-in cloud or computer backups are easy. Back up before updates. See software updates.

What to do

1. Turn on iCloud or Google backup in settings.
2. Or back up to a computer.
3. Check the last backup date.

Common mistakes: Common mistakes: assuming backup is on. Check settings and look for the last backup date. Make sure you have enough cloud storage. Back up messaging apps separately if they need it. Test restoring a photo to confirm. Keep at least one backup in a different place, like a computer or external drive. Set backups to run automatically on Wi-Fi while charging, so you never have to remember. Before a trade-in or repair, run one more manual backup and wait for it to finish. Remember that some things, like certain app data or downloaded files, may need their own export.

Speed Man tip: Back up before big updates.

Wrap-up: Turn on cloud backup. Or use computer. Check date.