Malware or software bugs are among the common culprits to various types of device issues, particularly the ones associated with mobile operating system. The thing is, you don’t know when and how these bugs strike or infiltrate. This is one of the main reasons as to why it is highly recommended to back up your device regularly. If you own a device like the Apple iPhone 7, then most likely you already have used it for storing files and critical data as you would opt to use it as portable storage with its bulky storage capacity.
For safekeeping, you should keep it part of your maintenance routine to back up these data. To do so, you are given the option to backup to iCloud or use iTunes on a computer. But what if you don’t have a computer available and your iPhone 7 won’t backup to iCloud? Of course, you don’t want to let it be that way and do nothing. But if ever you really don’t know what to do, then this post might be able to help you. Read on to learn how to deal with this issue and get your iPhone 7 to backup to iCloud as intended.
Why is your iPhone 7 unable to back up to iCloud?
Before we answer this question, let us first tackle the key requisites to back up your iPhone to iCloud.
An active and stable connection to Wi-Fi is necessary for your iOS device to access the Apple Server and use iCloud service. If your device has no access to the Internet through Wi-Fi, then that is the main reason why your iPhone won’t backup to iCloud. This therefore denotes the need for you to fix your Wi-Fi problem first so you can proceed with creating backup to iCloud. If you see an alert message or error message, while attempting to create an iCloud backup of your device, read and review the message to find out what happens and what needs to be done in order to proceed.
Sometimes, the Apple servers also experience downtimes. When this happens, some Apple services including iCloud may not be available. Server downtimes can be due regular server maintenance or unexpected technical problems on the side of Apple.
Insufficient iCloud storage is also among the possible causes. With insufficient storage space left in your iCloud account, it may no longer be able to allocate more data including backup files.
When you run out of iCloud storage, your device won’t be able to backup to iCloud, new photos and videos won’t upload to iCloud Photo Library. Other iCloud apps and iCloud Drive also won’t update across your device. And you also won’t be able to send or receive messages with your iCloud email address.
If you’ve already reached or exceeded your iCloud storage limit, then you really have to manage it so as to free up some space. Otherwise, you can purchase more iCloud storage instead. Contact your carrier for more information on how to buy more iCloud storage.
How to fix your iPhone 7 that won’t backup to iCloud?
Now that you already have an idea about the possible causes, let’s move on to the possible fixes. The following are applicable workarounds you can try and see if doing any of them is able to give you some remedies.
Check your iCloud storage and clear up some space
Make sure that you have enough iCloud storage to allocate more backup files in the first place.
- To check and see how much iCloud storage you have, go to Settings-> [your name]-> iCloud-> iCloud Storage or Manage Storage.
If it shows that you already have exceeded, try to make more space by deleting old unnecessary backups, photos and videos, files, and mails that are no longer useful. If you want you can also archive or create copies of the information you stored in iCloud before deleting them.
You can also manage your device to set which apps to backup automatically to iCloud. Several apps automatically back up to iCloud after installation so the more apps you installed the faster your iCloud storage can become full. To change this setting on your iPhone 7, follow these steps:
- Tap Settings from the Home screen.
- Then tap iCloud.
- Tap Manage Storage-> Backup.
- Tap the name of your iOS device that is linked to your account.
- Navigate to Choose Data to Back Up section, then turn off any apps that you don’t want to back up automatically.
- Select the option to Turn Off & Delete.
Reducing the size of your iCloud Photo Library, deleting some files you stored in iCloud Drive, and iCloud email messages that you no longer need are also among other options for you to consider when attempting to free up some space on your iCloud storage.
Check your Internet connection (Wi-Fi)
If you are currently going through some problems connecting to the Internet through Wi-Fi on your iPhone, then try to fix it first before using iCloud again. Also make sure that the Apple servers are up and that iCloud service is currently available or active. You can check the status of Apple services on the Apple Support site or contact Apple Support hotline. If ever your Internet connection is not stable, try to reboot the network equipment (modem/wireless router) you have, then restart your iPhone 7. After the restart, see if the Internet connection is working fine already. Also make sure that Wi-Fi is enabled on your iPhone.
If the network problem persists, then you can try performing a network settings reset on your device instead. Once you’ve got your Wi-Fi working fine, try to backup your iPhone 7 to iCloud again with these steps:
- Tap Settings.
- Tap your Apple ID at the top of the screen.
- Tap iCloud.
- Tap iCloud Backup.
- Tap the iCloud Backup switch to enable it.
- Tap OK to confirm .
iCloud will usually attempt to create a backup of your data every 24 hours for as long as your device is connected to Wi-Fi and has enough power.
- If it doesn’t, then you can manually create a backup to iCloud instead by going to your iPhone Settings-> enter your Apple ID-> tap iCloud-> select iCloud Backup-> then tap Back Up Now.
Sign out of iCloud and then sign in again
Some account-related issues can be rectified by signing out and in again. If you wish to try it, then here’s what you should do:
- Tap Settings on your Home screen.
- Scroll to then tap iCloud.
- Tap Sign Out to sign out of your iCloud account.
- If prompted, confirm that you want to erase all settings. Doing so will log you out from your iCloud account and then be redirected to an iCloud sign in page.
- Enter your iCloud login credentials then follow the onscreen instructions to sign in again completely.
After signing into your iCloud account, try to backup your iPhone 7 to iCloud again then see if you are now able to do so.
If your device still won’t backup to iCloud, then your last resort to consider is a DFU mode restore on your iPhone 7. It’s a deepest type of iOS restore that is used to erase both the hardware and software settings on your device. So any bugs causing complex software issues on the device can likewise be eradicated in the process. If you can use a computer with the latest iTunes software installed, then you may take your chances from a DFU mode restore on your iPhone 7. Below are the steps on how to perform a DFU mode restore on your iPhone 7, should you wish to give it a try if possible. Otherwise, seek further assistance.
How a DFU mode restore is done on your iPhone 7?
Backing up of all critical data stored on your device is highly recommended before you proceed with the following steps:
- Plug your iPhone into the computer using the supplied USB cable or Lightning cable.
- Open iTunes on the computer. Your iPhone can be turned on or off.
- On your iPhone 7, press and hold the Sleep/Wake button and the Volume Down button simultaneously for 8 seconds.
- After the elapsed time, release the Sleep/Wake button but keep holding down the Volume Down button until you will see the message saying that “iTunes has detected an iPhone in recovery mode.”
- Release the Volume Down button when you see the aforesaid message.
- If you’ve done it right, your iPhone’s screen will then become completely black. This means that you have successfully entered DFU mode. If not, try again from the very start. Timing is a key to entering DFU mode.
- When you have successfully entered DFU mode, follow the steps to restore your iPhone 7 using iTunes.
After the iOS is restored, setup and connect your iPhone to Wi-Fi or sign into iCloud if necessary, then try to backup your iPhone 7 to iCloud again. Considering that the underlying cause was a system glitch, everything should work properly again after the DFU mode restore.
Seek More Help
Contact your carrier’s customer care or Apple Support if you still cannot backup your iPhone 7 to iCloud. Doing so will help you find some other options and recommendations from them on that matter.