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How to restore your iPhone from an iCloud backup
6 minute read
Whether you recently upgraded to a new iPhone, your handset was lost or stolen, or your last phone fell down the toilet, this guide has everything you need to use your iCloud to get your iPhone back up and running.
How to restore your iPhone from an iCloud backup: step-by-step guide
1. Back up your iPhone
You won’t be able to restore your phone if it isn’t backed up first. You can either back up your phone manually or set it to make automatic backups to iCloud. Backing up everything in one go using iCloud will also make things easier when you restore your iPhone, rather than having to go through the pain of backing things up and restoring them one by one.
To back up manually…
Firstly, you’ll need to make sure you’re connected to Wi-Fi. Then, go to Settings > Apple ID > iCloud > iCloud Backup
Once you tap Back Up Now, you’ll need to stay connected to Wi-Fi until the backup is complete. Then, under Back Up Now, you’ll see the date and time of your last backup, and how much storage space it used.
To back up automatically…
Backing up your phone automatically is probably the smartest idea. That way, you don’t have to remember to regularly back it up manually.
Go to Settings > Apple ID > iCloud > iCloud Backup and make sure Back Up This Phone is toggled on.
2. Set up your new phone
The first step to setting up your new phone is making sure all old data is erased from it.
If you’ve bought a brand-new phone, you won’t need to worry about this. But if you’ve bought a refurbished one, or someone you know has given you their old phone, there could still be data on it.
Just go to Settings > General > Reset and then tap Erase All Content and Settings. This will reset your iPhone to factory settings so you can get started.
After that, you’ll just need to follow the instructions on the screen to begin setting up your phone.
Top tip: Later models of iPhones are equipped with Quick Start. Bring your old device close to the new one and many of your settings, preferences and other important data will be automatically transferred.
3. Charge up, connect to Wi-Fi and update iOS
A couple of things before you get started. First, you’ll need to have enough battery life to complete the update fully. To be safe, it’s usually a good idea to have your phone plugged into the mains, especially if you’ve got a lot to back up.
Second, you’ll need to be connected to Wi-Fi to restore your backup. Once you’ve connected, log into your iCloud account to complete the next steps.
Apple recommends that you update to the latest version of iOS before restoring a backup, so if your phone isn’t already running on the latest version, make sure to update it.
4. Choose a backup
If you have multiple backups, you’ll be asked to pick which backup you’d like to restore. Restoring your most recent backup will give you all your latest data. However, if you don’t want some of your recent data, you can pick from any other of your backups.
Top tip: You’ll need to stay connected to Wi-Fi the entire time you’re restoring your iCloud backup.
5. Set up and complete the restore
Once you’ve chosen a backup to restore, you’ll need to choose which apps etc you want to restore data for. You can either select specific ones or just tap Continue to restore everything in the backup.
6. Wait for your apps to download
While you’re waiting for all your apps to download, make sure everything has appeared where it should be. If something is missing, you’ll have to manually download it from the app store.
Once everything is downloaded and where you want it to be, you’ll need to log in to some of your apps again. Social media, banking apps and anything else with a password may require you to log in again and, as you’re using a new device, may also ask you to confirm your identity.
FAQs
How to restore contacts from iCloud
There are two ways you can restore your contacts from iCloud.
- iCloud.com
You’ll be able to restore your contacts through iCloud.com very easily.
Firstly, you’ll need to log in to your iCloud account. Click on the profile icon in the top right and go to iCloud Settings. Go to Data Recovery > Restore Contacts > Restore. You’ll be asked to confirm by clicking Restore again.
Your backup will restore all your contacts to your phone. You’ll need to wait to update the contacts on your phone until the backup has finished restoring.
- Apple ID
Go into your Apple ID, which you’ll find at the top of your Settings page.
Then, go to iCloud > Apps Using iCloud. If the Contacts toggle is off, toggle it so it’s on. However, if it’s already switched on, toggle it off and make sure you tap Keep On My iPhone before toggling back on.
Tap Merge on the pop-up that appears to sync your contacts on your iCloud with your phone.
How to get iMessages from iCloud
Unfortunately, without a third-party app, it’s impossible to restore iMessages alone from an iCloud backup. Instead, you’d need to completely restore your iCloud backup.
How to restore WhatsApp messages
You can easily restore your WhatsApp messages within the app.
First, you’ll need to make sure you actually have a backup of your WhatsApp chat history. Go to Settings > Chats > Chat Backup to see when your last backup was.
Then, all you’ll need to do is delete and reinstall the app. Just follow the instructions and your chat history will be restored.
How to recover deleted voice memos
Recovering a deleted voice memo is easy.
Simply go into the app and tap the back button in the top left. Go into Recently Deleted > Edit. Select the voice memos you want to save and tap Recover. Your voice memos will be immediately restored to their previous folders.
How to back up photos on iCloud
Backing up your photos to iCloud is simple. All you have to do is switch on iCloud Photos. Go to Settings > Apple ID > iCloud. Tap Photos and toggle Sync this iPhone on.
Now, all your photos will sync with iCloud.
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