Backup

How to manually select what apps can be backed up in iCloud

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated October 25, 2022

If you use iCloud for backing up your iOS device, then almost all apps you install will have their settings automatically backed up in iCloud on a regular basis. This can be pretty handy in case you restore your iPhone or iPad from a backup because you won't have to set up all your app preferences again.

But what if you don't want certain apps to be backed up in iCloud automatically? As it turns out, it's pretty simple to handpick what apps can or cannot be backed up in iCloud. We will show you how.

How to fix “the last iCloud backup could not be completed” on iPhone

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 20, 2023

Yesterday I decided to look at when my new iPhone backed up to iCloud for the last time when I realized that it hadn't actually been backed up since September 25, which coincidentally was the first day I got this new device.

I imagined it was just a small hiccup in iCloud and proceeded to manually initiate an iCloud backup by tapping on "Back Up Now" in Settings. At first, it appeared to work fine as it would show the "Backing Up..." status with the usual "Estimating Time Remaining" message. But after a few seconds, the backup would stop, showing the following error message: "the last backup could not be completed."

No matter what I did, it kept telling me my iPhone backup couldn't be completed. The problem appeared to be a little more complex than a simple reboot, but I eventually figured it out.

In this post, I will highlight some of the steps you can take if you see a similar error. I'm pretty confident these steps could fix most problems related to iCloud.

How to only transfer Activity and Health app data to a new iPhone

Jim Gresham ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

Transitioning to a new iPhone is made simple by iCloud backups, iTunes, and a few clicks or taps. Apple ensures it is easy to move from a fully loaded and setup device to a completely fresh iPhone with the same information, using their backup options. Most laypeople, almost always choose to restore new iPhones from their backups; however, more technically inclined concerned people tend to start with a fresh iPhone and do not restore from backup to prevent carrying over any unwanted information.

Earlier this week Christian highlighted two methods for upgrading to a new device and retaining your Activity and Health data. Method #1: use a third-party app to import your Health data, but it lacks Activity logs. Method #2: backing up your old device to iCloud or iTunes and restoring from backup, as I've described above.

But, what if you want both your Activity and Health data, but a fresh setup too? Step inside to learn how to install both, yet only, your previous device's Activity and Health data on your new iPhone.

How to back up your Apple Watch

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated June 30, 2023

In this post, we'll explain how to back up your Apple Watch and restore it from a backup after erasing the device, unpairing it from the connected iPhone, or use the previous watch backup while setting up a new Apple Watch.

How to unlock the Apple Watch Activity app on iOS 8.2, no jailbreak required

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

A few days ago, we showed you a detailed walkthrough video of iOS 8.2's Activity App. Today, we'll show you how you can go hands-on with this brand new app.

In the tutorial that follows, we'll walk you through each step needed to get the iOS 8.2 Apple Watch Activity app running on your iPhone today, even though the Apple Watch is still weeks from releasing. No jailbreak required.

The Kodiak Power Bank will keep your iPhone charged in the rain, snow, or sand

Jim Gresham ∙ December 15, 2014

Samsung called us iPhone users wall huggers in their recent commercial attacks. Sure, we charge fairly frequently, but iPhone owners just like using their device more and do it more frequently. Right? Sometimes that leads to a low battery. Even with an iPhone 6 Plus touting about 10 usage hours before depleting, I sometimes find myself in scenarios where additional charge is critical.

There are loads of battery backups on the market. Just walking into a 7-11 convenient store will reveal small stick sized charging devices for a few bucks. But, a backup is one of those you-get-what-you-pay-for experiences. Take a look inside for details on Outdoor Tech's Kodiak Power Bank.

How to setup a new iPhone from an iTunes backup

IDB Staff ∙ Updated April 14, 2017

We previously wrote a guide on how to setup a new iPhone from an iCloud backup, but that is limited by the fact that Apple only gives you 5 GB of free storage. If you have more than 5 GB of music, apps and other data, and you do not wish to pay for additional iCloud storage, you will have to resort to an iTunes backup. Read ahead for step-by-step instructions on how to setup a new iPhone from an iTunes backup.

How to setup a new iPhone from an iCloud backup

IDB Staff ∙ Updated April 14, 2017

I know quite a few iPhone users that upgrade their smartphone once every few years, often coinciding with the two-year contract they locked into with AT&T or other carriers. For some reason, a lot of these people seem to think that transferring all of their content over to the new iPhone is a daunting task. In reality, the process is actually fairly simple. Read ahead for step-by-step instructions on how to restore an iCloud backup on a new iPhone.

How to prepare your iPhone and iPad for iOS 8

Cody Lee ∙ September 16, 2014

Last week, Apple announced that it would be releasing the latest version of its mobile operating system, iOS 8, on September 17th. Of course, developers have been testing the new software since June, but this is the first time it will be available to the public.

As such, we've been getting a lot of questions from readers who want to know what they need to do to prepare for tomorrow's release. Rather than answer each person individually, we created this quick guide on how to ensure your devices are ready for iOS 8.

How to delete old iPhone backups

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated December 24, 2018

Manually backing up your iPhone or iPad, or taking advantage of iCloud automatic backups, is the best way to guarantee that you will be able to get all your data back in the event something goes wrong.

Whether you choose to backup via iTunes or iCloud, you might want to delete this backup at some point. Maybe the backup file got corrupted, or maybe you're running out of storage space on your Mac or in iCloud. Or maybe you have an entirely different reason to delete your iPhone or iPad backup file.

Whatever the reason is, we've got you covered. In this post, we will learn how to delete an iPhone backup from a Mac and we'll also see how to delete a backup file from iCloud.

Microsoft updates OneDrive with camera backups in the background and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 25, 2014

The free OneDrive app for the iPhone and iPad (formerly SkyDrive) has just gotten a lot better with features like photo backups in the background and other perks that allow you to do more from your phone.

And thanks to proper support for Microsoft's mobile Office apps, getting your photos and videos into OneDrive to import them into your Office projects on the iPhone and iPad is a trivial affair now.

That's the gist of a blog post Microsoft somewhat hastily put together today to counter a Google Drive app update and a plethora of announcements that have been coming out of Google I/O since this morning...

Incipio boasts multiple backup power options

Jim Gresham ∙ Updated November 30, 2016

Right before leaving for CES, I received a survival pack from Incipio. CES survival is not necessarily about human survival, as much as it is about gadget survival. Opening the survival kit revealed an offGRID iPhone 5 Backup Battery Case and the offGRID Portable Backup Battery, both of which came in handy on my trip. An iPhone must eat too and at a large day-long event where signal is weak, battery juice drains like a leaking faucet.

Having portable power is essential when traveling or even if your older iPhone battery is not fit. Long plane rides are murder on an iOS device when chain smoking videos and Infinity Blade III sessions. Save yourself a dead device and take along a backup battery that is light and powerful...