An item of note before I explain the backup process: Apple has changed their iCloud storage tiers over time. You can see the current plans here, or by going to Settings → iCloud → Storage → Change Storage Plan. While I do wish 50 GB was the free plan, Apple has matched Dropbox on the 1 TB option and lowered the pricing elsewhere.
50 GB will cover the vast majority of people’s backup needs. With that said, here’s how to back your data up to iCloud. First, let’s determine what you want to include in (or exclude from) the backup. To do that, navigate to Settings → iCloud → Storage → Manage Storage → Choose your device under ‘Backups’.
Everything will be toggled on by default, so turn off any items you’d rather not back up. If you’ve upgraded to one of the new storage tiers listed above and space is no concern, then we recommend leaving everything on. Once you’ve determined what to back up, make sure the device is on a Wi-Fi network and, for best results, connected to a power source (this process can take a while). Now, navigate back to Settings → iCloud → Backup and ensure iCloud Backup is toggled on.
If it is, you’ll see a Back Up Now option. Just tap that button and wait for the process to complete. Also note that iCloud backups can happen automatically at night. Assuming your iOS device is plugged in and charging and is also connected to a Wi-Fi network, it will automatically back up to iCloud.
If you’ve been running the iOS 9 betas on your iPhone 6, be sure that it has a current backup before setting up your iPhone 6s. Some versions of the public beta had issues making iCloud backups. An iTunes backup is a great option if: (a) you need more space than the free/paid tier of iCloud storage you have allows; or (b) you want an extra layer of backup in addition to your iCloud backup. Plug your device into your Mac or PC. Open iTunes and select the iPhone icon in the upper-left corner.
Click the Summary tab and scroll down to the Backups section. Click the Back Up Now button and wait for the backup to complete. To verify that the backup worked, open iTunes Preferences and select the Devices tab. If the backup was successful, you’ll see it listed there. It’s not as slow as iCloud, but can still take a while if you’re not in the habit of regularly backing up your device. If you don’t keep local copies of your applications stored in iTunes, you’ll want to transfer purchases before trying to restore to a new phone.
You can do from File → Devices → Transfer Purchases. Once your new phone is restored and all your apps have been reloaded, you can delete the apps off your Mac to save space. If you store a lot of sensitive information on your device, you’ll be happy to know that Apple’s two-factor authentication feature was recently extended to cover iCloud backups. If you still haven’t activated two-factor authentication yet, you can do so from your Apple ID control panel.
We highly recommend it. On the plus side, encrypting such a backup allows you to transfer your keychain to a new device without having to re-enter all those passwords, a luxury that unencrypted backups do not enjoy. Though we would rather avoid having to wipe and restore a device altogether, a good backup eases the pain a bit. ] Backup. Choose whichever backup you made most recently. Note: If you accidentally set up the device as new when you wanted to use a backup, you’ll have to wipe it and start over again.
Erase All Content and Settings. Restore from Back Up. Again, choose the most recent backup you’ve made. On older versions of iTunes (10.7 and earlier), you can right-click your device from the sidebar list and choose Restore from Backup. We have a whole section of our site dedicated to doing easy backups of your computer. For more information on backups, check out our main Backups Page.
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