Most people don't think about backups until the day they need one. A phone slips into a puddle, a tablet gets stepped on, or a laptop won't start, and suddenly years of photos, contacts and documents are at risk. The holidays add even more to lose, with travel, gatherings and plenty of new pictures.
The good news is that backing up the whole household doesn't have to be complicated. Here's the simple plan we recommend at We Fix Phones N More.
Start by listing the devices in your home and what matters on each one. For most families, the important things are:
Apps themselves can usually be downloaded again. It's your personal data that can't be replaced.
Go to Settings, tap your name, then iCloud, then iCloud Backup, and make sure it's turned on. Your iPhone backs up automatically when it's charging, locked and on Wi-Fi. If your iCloud storage is full, backups quietly stop, so check how much space you have. You can also back up to a Mac or Windows computer with a cable.
Open Settings and search for Backup. Make sure backup to your Google account is turned on. Use Google Photos or your phone maker's gallery backup for pictures and videos, and check that it says your photos are backed up. Samsung Galaxy owners can also use Samsung's own cloud and Smart Switch.
Tablets often belong to kids and get overlooked. An iPad backs up to iCloud the same way an iPhone does. Android tablets use the same Google backup settings as Android phones. Check that each tablet is signed in to the right account, especially if it was handed down from another family member.
Computers need a little more attention because they often hold the family's most important documents.
Keep the external drive somewhere safe, and consider unplugging it between backups so a power surge or a computer virus can't reach it.
A common rule of thumb is to keep at least three copies of anything important, on at least two different kinds of storage, with one copy somewhere other than your home. In practice, that can mean the original on your phone or computer, a copy in the cloud and a copy on an external drive. If one fails, you still have another.
A backup you've never checked is only a hope. Every few months, take a few minutes to:
Pick an easy-to-remember time, like the start of each season or right before a trip, to check every device in the house. If someone is getting a new phone as a gift, a fresh backup also makes moving data to a new phone much easier.
If a device has stopped working and it wasn't backed up, don't give up. Turn it off, don't keep trying to force it on, and bring it in. Our data recovery team can often get photos and files off damaged phones, tablets, laptops and hard drives.
Have questions about setting up backups, or need help with a device that won't cooperate? Visit We Fix Phones N More at 801 County Line Rd in Horsham, or call 215-323-4750.
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