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Why Does It Say Your iPhone Has Never Been Backed up to iCloud
iTunes says iPhone has never been backed up to iCloud? This guide will tell you why does it say your iPhone has never been backed up to iCloud and what to do in that case.
By May / Updated on December 7, 2023
iTunes Says iPhone Has Never Been Backed Up to iCloud
I’ve backed up my iPhone 12 several times today from iTunes using the encrypted backup option, however, when I look at the iTunes backup page afterwards it is still saying "Your iPhone has never been backed up to iCloud".
- Question from Apple Community
Are you experiencing the same problem as this user? Trying to backup iPhone to iCloud using iTunes but it says your iPhone has never been backed up to iCloud, even after waiting a few hours. Don’t worry too much, this guide will tell you why your iPhone is never backed up to iCloud and what you can do to make the backup successful.
Why Does It Say My iPhone Has Never Been Backed Up to iCloud?
Usually, we can make an iCloud backup on iPhone directly. But maybe your computer's network is better than your phone's, so you’d like to backup iPhone to iCloud using iTunes. However, what does it mean when it says your iPhone has never been backed up to iCloud?
Well, this means that iTunes did not successfully back up your iPhone to iCloud. There are many reasons why your iPhone can't be backed up to iCloud. The backup may fail due to not enough space, poor Internet connection, problems with iTunes or iCloud services, etc. Keep reading to get the solution.
How Do You Backup an iPhone that Has Never Been Backed Up?
When iTunes says your iPhone has never been backed up to iCloud, you can try these methods below to solve the problem.
Tip 1. Check iCloud Storage Space
It is likely that the backup failed due to lack of iCloud space. Apple only provides 5 GB of free storage space to all users. Obviously, 5 GB is far from enough to backup all iPhone data, especially when there are many photos and videos.
You can go to Settings > [your account] > iCloud > Manage Storage to check what data has been saved to iCloud. Choose Change Storage Plan if you want to purchase more iCloud storage space. If you do not want to upgrade the storage plan, you can try to delete the data of certain apps to free up storage space.
Tip 2. Check Internet Connection
iCloud backups only work when the Internet is good. Please make sure that your computer has connected to a stable Wi-Fi. Open your browser and check to see if you can browse the web smoothly.
In addition, you can try to restart the Wi-Fi router and computer to refresh the Internet connection.
Tip 3. Backup iPhone via Settings
It's possible that an iTunes problem caused the backup failure, so you see the “Your iPhone has never been backed up to iCloud” message. Why not make an iCloud backup on iPhone directly?
Go to Settings > [your account] > iCloud > iCloud Backup to turn on iCloud Backup. You can tap Back Up Now to create an iCloud backup immediately.
When iCloud Backup option is turned on, it will automatically backup your iPhone if the following 3 conditions are met:
- iPhone is connected to a power source
- iPhone is connected to a Wi-Fi network
- The screen of iPhone is locked
Tip 4. Try Another Backup Way
If you don't have enough space to backup your iPhone to iCloud, then you can choose to backup iPhone without iCloud. iTunes is a good option to create a full backup of your iPhone. But there are better options, that’s FoneTool.
FoneTool is one professional iOS data backup tool for Windows users. It helps you to backup and restore important data easily in different situations.
- One-click to backup all iPhone content
- Backup important data instead of the entire iPhone
- Create incremental backups to save time and space
- Backup iPhone data to local folder, USB drive, external drive
- Check backup files in the backup package
- Restore backup files to the iPhone without deleting anything
iCloud backup is invisible while FoneTool lets you easily check the backup files in the backup package. In short, with FoneTool, you can take full control of your iPhone backup.
It’s only a matter of a few clicks to back up the iPhone with FoneTool. For example, if you want to backup all content and settings, only 3 steps are needed.
Step 1. You can click the download button below to get FoneTool and explore more by yourself!
Step 2. Launch FoneTool and plug in your iPhone > Click Phone Backup > Choose Full Backup.
Step 3. Enable backup encryption to backup private data > Select a path to store the backup > Finally, click Start Backup.
Bonus: Easily Optimize iCloud Storage by Managing Files on PC
If your iCloud is full of unwanted files, consider moving them to your computer or organizing them by deleting excess photos, videos, and more. FoneTool simplifies the process for you. Here is a step-by-step guide to do that:
Step 1: Launch FoneTool and head to My iCloud > Sign in with your Apple ID and click Manage iCloud.
Step 2: In the user-friendly interface, locate and click each icon to preview and select files for download or deletion.
Final Words
When iTunes says your iPhone has never been backed up to iCloud, you can check what caused the backup failure. If nothing works, you can use FoneTool to help you backup data first, and then contact Apple support for help when you have time.