How-To Restore Your iPhone From iCloud

A progress bar appears with time remaining as iCloud restores your data.  Stay connected and wait for a progress bar to complete. Depending on the size of the backup and your network’s speed, this could take anywhere from a few minutes to an hour plus to complete. Disconnecting from Wi-Fi causes the progress to pause until you reconnect.

When complete, iCloud starts downloading your apps. Another progress bar indicates your apps download. If you want a specific app, tap its icon to move it ahead.

Once your apps start downloading, you are able to use your iDevice even as content (apps, photos, music, etc) continues to restore. Depending on the amount of information there is, downloading content takes place in the background for hours and possibly days. Follow best practice and connect your iDevice to Wi-Fi AND power to let the process complete.

To verify that the restore is finished, go to Settings> iCloud> Storage & Backup.

For more information on backing up your iDevices, check out our comprehensive guide to iOS Backing Up.

Set Automatic iCloud Backups

Once you restore your iPhone and other iDevice and verify that everything is working as expected, make sure you turn on automatic backups via iCloud.

1. Go to Settings > Apple ID Profile > iCloud > iCloud Backup
2. Connect your iDevice to power
3. Connect your iDevice to WiFi
4. Lock your iDevice screen
5. Verify that sufficient space is available in your iCloud account for the backup
6. If additional space is required, consider purchasing an iCloud storage plan or backup via iTunes

Perform a Manual iCloud Backup

You should always set your iCloud to backup automatically. However, there are certain times when you want to perform a backup to iCloud immediately. Fortunately, there are options for backing up NOW.

1. Go to Settings menu
2. Tap Settings > Apple ID Profile> iCloud Backup
3. Scroll down and tap Backup
4. Check that iCloud Backup is on
5. Tap Back Up Now

When the Back Up Now option is grayed out, check that you are connected to WiFi.  If connected via a public internet network, there may be restrictions in place that make iCloud Backup unavailable.  When possible, contact a system administrator or IT department for assistance.  If that’s not possible, try a different WiFi network or wait until you are connected to a known WiFi network (such as your home or office.)

Elizabeth Jones( Co-owner & Content Producer )

For most of her professional life, Amanda Elizabeth (Liz for short) trained all sorts of folks on how to use media as a tool to tell their own unique stories. She knows a thing or two about teaching others and creating how-to guides!

Her clients include Edutopia, Scribe Video Center, Third Path Institute, Bracket, The Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Big Picture Alliance.

Elizabeth received her Master of Fine Arts degree in media making from Temple University, where she also taught undergrads as an adjunct faculty member in their department of Film and Media Arts.