How to back up your iPhone before an iOS update

BACKING up your iPhone a must-do before a big iOS update, otherwise Apple customers risk losing old text messages and photos.

Apple is set to roll out its new iOS 17 in the coming weeks, its biggest update in 12 months.

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There's a number of things iPhone owners should do before installing a new iOS - and backing up their device is one of the most important.

In the past, people have complained that they lost data like old messages, photos and videos following an update.

Fortunately, there are a two ways to back up your iPhone prior to an iOS update: iCloud or iTunes.

Doing so can also help free up extra storage space to make way for the new operating system.

How to back up your iPhone with iCloud

The simplest way to back up your iPhone is wirelessly over Wi-Fi with iCloud.

To do so, just follow these steps:

• Connect your iPhone to a Wi-Fi network
• Go to Settings > tap [your name] at the top, and tap iCloud. If you're using iOS 10.2 or earlier: go to Settings, scroll down and tap iCloud
• Tap iCloud Backup (or just "Backup" if you're using iOS 10.2 or earlier). Make sure that iCloud Backup is turned on.
• Tap Back Up Now. Stay connected to your Wi-Fi network until the process completes.

How to back up your iPhone with iTunes

If you'd rather hook up your iPhone to your laptop or PC and update with iTunes, that's just as straightforward.

• Open iTunes and connect your iPhone to your computer
• If a message pops up asking for your passcode or to Trust This Computer, follow the onscreen steps
• Select your iPhone when it appears in the iTunes sidebar
• Click Back Up Now
• When the process ends, iTunes will display the Latest Backup date and time.

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If you have iCloud always on, you may find that your back up is up to date, as it automatically starts the process daily.

But, because we regularly use our phones and cram up storage space with pics and videos, it's worth periodically checking - especially before you carry out an iOS update.

There's also a chance that something could go wrong during the update process, making it even more important to have a back up of your data.

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