How Long Does iCloud Backup Take – Updated Jan 2024
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For individuals using an iPhone, the significance of data backup to iCloud is likely well understood. iCloud backup is a practical and secure means to store essential information within the cloud, containing photos, contacts, messages, and more. Do you want to know “How much time does the iCloud backup process take?”
We are going to learn how long does iCloud backup take and the factors that can affect the period of an iCloud backup. Below are some essential tips to make your iCloud Backup faster.
What Does iCloud Back Up:
iCloud is a comprehensive backup solution for your iPhone, ensuring that various essential data and settings are securely stored.
Here’s what iCloud backs up:
- App Data: iCloud preserves the data associated with your apps, including settings and app-specific information.
- Photos and Videos: The iCloud backup contains all the pictures and videos in your camera roll, making it easy to restore them.
- Device Settings: One of the features available is iCloud restore – This feature allows you to get back your device settings, such as Wi-Fi passwords, wallpapers and display options, on a fresh or restored install.
- Home Screen and App Organisation: The iCloud backup preserves the preferred app organisation, providing a better layout for your device.
- iMessage, Text Messages, and MMS: iCloud backs up messages to ensure they save your conversations, allowing for restoration on another device.
- Purchase History: It also includes your app history and media purchases from the App Store and iTunes Store.
- Ringtones: As part of the iCloud backup, your custom ringtones that you have created or downloaded.
- Health Data: For users who use the Health app, iCloud includes health and fitness data, providing continuity across devices.
- HomeKit Configuration: If you have configured your smart home devices in the Home app, you do not need to worry since iCloud backs up all the home settings and customisation using this method.
- Visual Voicemail Password: If you have visual voicemail enabled, your password is in the iCloud backup program.
iCloud aims to offer a comprehensive backup solution containing a broad spectrum of data and settings. This effort aims to assist users in managing every aspect seamlessly, whether during the setup of a new device or the restoration of an existing one.
How Long Does iCloud Backup Take On iPhone/iPad?
How long does iCloud backup take iPhone. Therefore, several factors may affect your iCloud backup, like the speed of your internet connection, how much data you are transferring, and if you made any interruptions during the entire process.
Generally, the process takes around 15 minutes to 1 hour or even days altogether if you transfer large amounts of data, or your internet connection could be faster.
For this reason, it can be essential to turn on the iCloud backup option and make it run every week for the process to be faster. It can even be as quick as 10 minutes.
Why Is iCloud Backup Taking Forever?
If your iCloud backup is taking forever, then it can be attributed to some conditions, such as:
- Amount of data on your iOS device. If you have significant amounts of photos and video (more than 5000 items), you must wait days for the backup process to complete.
- Your Wi-Fi Internet connection is slow (the upload speed)
- Your iPhone or any other iOS device has hardware issues that may cause the data backup process to stop abruptly, such as little or no available storage space.
How long does iCloud backup take? Generally, if you encounter issues with your iCloud backup process taking forever, your best bet might be to contact the ISP first for a quick resolution or change your IP/TCP settings. You can confirm this by downloading a basic speed test APP to measure your upload bandwidth.
Solutions to Fix the "iPhone Backup Taking Forever" Issue:
If your iCloud backup process is going slower than usual, you may take the following ways to try and fix the speed:
- Using iTunes/iCloud alternatives to back up iPhone X/8/7/6: If iCloud backup takes too long, consider using alternative methods like iTunes for a faster backup.
- Back up your iPhone more frequently: Frequent backups ensure you transfer a manageable amount of data each time, preventing prolonged backup times.
- Remove unused apps or unwanted files from your iPhone: Clearing unnecessary data from your device can significantly reduce the backup duration.
- Disable large app and file backup: Optimise your backup by excluding large apps or files that are not crucial.
- Switch off useless backup: Disable backups for items you don’t need to be included in the backup process, streamlining the operation.
- Check your internet connection: Ensure you have a stable, high-speed internet connection for a smoother and quicker iCloud backup process.
Try the above methods to see if they work or not.
Why is iPhone iCloud backup taking so long?
If your iPhone iCloud backup takes too long, visit to see whether you use mobile data or Wi-Fi. Moreover, ensure that you are not backing up data because the more documents you have to back up, the more it takes.
How Do I Get My iCloud To Back Up Faster?
Try the following methods listed above in this article to make your iCloud backup data faster than before. Or you may use iTunes for data backup as an alternative.
Can I Use My iPhone While Backing Up?
You can use your iPhone when the backup is over a cloud service. However, if you are backing up data using a USB through external hard drives, keeping it still as a loose wire may interrupt the data backup process.
Conclusion
How long does iCloud backup take, and what do you do about it? Generally, you may have to check your internet connection, use the best Wi-Fi connection possible and try alternative cloud service platforms such as Google Drive and DropBox or use an external hard drive to back up your iPhone or any other iOS device-related data.
All our iCloud Backup and Restore articles.
