This feature will even come to the rescue should your iPhone get lost, damaged beyond repair or stop working altogether.īut what exactly is Apple’s data retention policy regarding iCloud backups? Specifically-are these things stored, like, forever on servers until deleted manually? And if not, for how long does Apple keep old backups stored in iCloud after you’ve stopped using them? Why Apple deletes unused backups?Ī support document on the Apple website mentions in passing that the last device backup is stored for 180 days after turning the feature off. The device is backed up once per day when plugged into the wall, connected to a Wi-Fi network, the screen is locked and there is enough available space in iCloud for the backup.Īlso, setting up a new device from scratch offers an iCloud restore option which lets you continue from that particular backup point on your new device. When on, this will upload a copy of your information and data stored on the device to iCloud.

4) Don’t rely on iCloud backups alone! What is iCloud Backup and how does it work?Īpple offers a convenient feature for backing up your iPhone or iPad to iCloud.ĭubbed iCloud Backup, it can be turned on in Settings → → iCloud → Backup.

Backup my mac to icloud