Most everyday electronic consumers overlook the importance of data backups, which is unfortunately a huge oversight.
If you are concerned about the loss of highly valuable data, such as messages, contacts, or media files, a well-thought-out backup procedure can save you considerable pain.
Luckily, Apple has simplified the process of backing up data for all of its iPhone users and all of its other Apple products.
It has been observed that iTunes has encountered issues when backing up data. These issues can be experienced during both the creation and restoration of backups.
My experience has shown me how frustrating it can be when a process on your phone does not go smoothly, especially one as essential as creating a data backup.
The purpose of this article is to gather my findings on the experience of being unable to back up iPhone data on iTunes, as well as other iPhone backup-related questions that you may have.
My iPhone cannot be backed up to iTunes
There are a number of reasons why your iPhone cannot be successfully backed up to iTunes, including corrupted backups, network problems, and misconfigured hardware. It should be noted that in fairness to iPhones and iTunes, problems in the backup process may sometimes be caused by user errors, and not necessarily by the hardware or software of the device.
It is frustrating when a backup to iTunes does not work as intended, just as with other situations where your iPhone may not function as expected.
In addition to being frustrating, a failed data backup process can also be dangerous, and this must be taken into account.
Backups that have been damaged
From what I could gather, the most common reason your iPhone fails to backup to iTunes is that the backups are incompatible or corrupted.
Many users who have encountered incompatibility or data corruption errors have attempted to back up their iPhone data on their local machine using iTunes.
It is usually the user’s fault when an iTunes backup fails due to a corrupted backup or setup incompatibility.
In terms of perspective, the user’s fault is often unintentional actions such as renaming or deleting a folder without realizing it.
As a result, iTunes is unable to determine the problem in your PC causing the backup to fail and you must manually troubleshoot the issue.
Connection problems with the network
A seemingly impossible problem can sometimes be solved by the simplest approach and one that seems too good to be true.
If your internet connection is unstable, a cloud backup may not be able to be completed.
When a fault in the internet connection occurs, most network-dependent processes, including cloud backups, are set to retry only a set number of times.
Whenever you perform a cloud data backup over an unreliable connection, the backup process often fails and you must restart it.
If you want to avoid the frustration of failed cloud data backup processes, always verify that you have access to a reliable and trustworthy internet connection.
Errors in the configuration of the iPhone
This is another common and easy-to-fix issue that leads to failed iTunes backups. It is often the user’s fault.
iPhones have many configuration options that give the user the ability to choose when and how their smartphone performs whatever function they desire.
A data backup process can be disabled or enabled on iPhones as one of many possible configuration options.
Unknowingly, you may have disabled the ability to perform local or cloud backups on your iPhone, preventing both from working.
When your iPhone does not backup to iTunes, what options are available to you?
For whatever reason, you may not be able to back up the data on your iPhone through iTunes.
I have compiled a list of different methods that I’ve come across online that may help fix whatever is preventing you from backing up your iPhone on iTunes.
Restart your computer or electronic device
When your local or Cloud backup is not performing as intended, a simple restart of your devices may be all that is required. Along with the iPhone, you should also consider restarting the network router or access point that you are connected to.
For local backups, it may be necessary to restart the PC to which you are trying to save your data.
Whenever a device restart is suggested as a solution, the problem is typically caused by one or more background processes denying the backup process essential resources.
All background processes will be stopped following a restart and you will have the option to allocate resources to the backup.
Your PC’s storage capacity should be checked
It is common for backups to fail because the backup destination does not have sufficient storage space.
Backing up data from your iPhone to a local PC requires you to make sure that the PC has enough free space to accommodate the size of the data that will be backed up.
Install the latest software
It’s possible that outdated software contributes to backup failures, especially in the case of local backups.
If the iPhone and PC are incompatible with one another, the backup process may not begin at all.
Check for software updates which may include system-wide updates if you encounter backup failures on both your iPhone and your PC.
Consult a technical support specialist
The next best thing to do if all else fails is to contact Apple support.
You can manually backup your iPhone to iTunes by following these steps
Here are the steps you can take if your iPhone does not automatically back up your data.
- Connect your iPhone to your PC using a USB cable or Wi-Fi connection.
- Open the iTunes application on your PC and click the device icon in the upper left-hand corner.
- Select Encrypt backup then click Backup Now. Upon completing this process, your backup will be encrypted.
If you do not back up your iPhone, you risk losing the following information
If you do not back up your iPhone, then you stand to lose everything.
The purpose of backups is to act as a means of restoring and rebuilding data if the local data is damaged.
It is possible to lose or damage local data stored on an iPhone in a number of ways, including if the phone is stolen or irreparably damaged.
It is easier to return to your normal life if you have a backup in place.
iCloud vs. iTunes Backup: What’s the Difference?
iTunes and iCloud are both proprietary Apple services designed to back up user data.
These services are used for backing up the same types of data, such as music, documents, and images.
In its name, iCloud is a cloud-based data backup service that enables users to create backup copies of their data on cloud storage.
Alternatively, iTunes is a management application that facilitates the synchronization and organization of data between iOS devices.
It is possible to create a localized backup setup for iTunes, which is centered around your local devices.
When a backup is taking place, am I able to use my iPhone?
While your iPhone is performing a backup, you can continue to use it.
As soon as you start the backup manually, you can exit the screen and carry on with your routine operations, since the backup is carried out in the background.
Is it more convenient to back up my iPhone on a local machine or in the cloud?
The decision as to whether to back up your iPhone on a local computer or in iCloud is entirely up to you.
You should be aware, however, that the ability to select a backup option should not blind you to possible flaws that may arise as a result of a local backup.
Cloud storage offers greater security and peace of mind than backing up your iPhone locally.
Summary
It is important to note that the relatively rare obstacles that may arise when backing up your iPhone to iTunes should not discourage you from backing up your information.
As discussed in the article, having a backup of your iPhone may prove to be your only lifeline when disaster strikes.
Because of this, you should always make sure that your iPhone backup situation is always in check, since you never know when you will need to access the backup.
