WhatsApp provides the option to automatically Back up all your WhatsApp Messages & Photos to the iCloud Account linked to your Apple Device. Hence, all that is required to Back up WhatsApp to iCloud on an iPhone or iPad is to enable the option to backup WhatsApp automatically to iCloud.
Once, automated iCloud Backups are enabled for WhatsApp on iPhone, you can expect your device to back up WhatsApp Messages to iCloud, whenever it is laying idle and connected to a good Wi-Fi network.
While the default setting in WhatsApp is to make use of your free Wi-Fi Network to backup Chats to iCloud, it also provides the option to make use of both Wi-Fi & Cellular data to carry out the backup process.
Backup WhatsApp to iCloud on iPhone
In general, it is a good practice to make use of the automated backup process in WhatsApp and setup iPhone to automatically backup WhatsApp to iCloud.
If required, you can also manually Back up WhatsApp to iCloud at any time on your iPhone, instead of waiting for an automated backup to become available.
1. Setup Automated WhatsApp Backup to iCloud on iPhone
You can follow the steps below to setup WhatsApp to automatically Backup its data to iCloud.
1. Open WhatsApp > tap on your Profile tab located in the bottom-menu.
2. From the Settings screen, go to Chats > Chat Backup and select the Auto Backup option.
3. On the next screen, select Daily, Weekly or Monthly Auto Backup option.
After completing above steps, you should find your iPhone automatically backing up WhatsApp messages and photos to iCloud, whenever it is connected to a Wi-Fi Network.
2. Manually Backup WhatsApp to iCloud on iPhone
You can manually save WhatsApp Chats to iCloud at any time on your iPhone by following the steps below.
1. Open WhatsApp > tap on your Profile tab located in the bottom-menu.
2. From the Settings screen, go to Chats > Chat Backup > tap on Back Up Now to start the process of Backing up WhatsApp to iCloud.
Note: If required, you can Enable Include Videos option. However, you need to be aware that videos can take up a large amount of storage space.
Is WhatsApp Data Included in an iCloud Backup
The System-wide iCloud Backup process on iPhone is designed to back up your entire device to iCloud and it can include WhatsApp data (if enabled).
However, iCloud Backup can only be used to restore your entire device and it cannot be used to selectively restore WhatsApp or restore your WhatsApp Account on another device.
If you are switching devices or restoring WhatsApp, it highly recommended that you make use of the In-App automated or manual backup process within WhatsApp, in order to avoid problems and achieve the best results.