It is important to make sure that your iPhone is backing up its data to iCloud. If this is not happening, you can use any of the methods as described below to fix the problem of iPhone not backing up to iCloud.
iPhone Not Backing Up to iCloud
When iCloud Backups are setup on an iPhone, it should automatically back up its data to iCloud, whenever it is plugged in for charging and the iPhone is connected to a WiFi network.
If this is not happening and your iPhone is not Backing Up to iCloud, the problem could be due to a lack of storage space on iCloud, Network connectivity issues and software glitches, preventing iPhone from backing up to iCloud.
However, the problem in most cases is easy to fix and one of the methods as provided below should help you fix the problem of iPhone not backing up to iCloud.
1. Make Sure iPhone is Connected To WiFi Network
By default iCloud backups can only happen over a WiFi network, and this setup is designed to prevent your iPhone from eating up expensive cellular data on your iPhone.
Hence, follow the steps below to make sure that your iPhone is connected to a WiFi Network.
1. Open Settings > tap on WiFi > Make sure that iPhone is connected to your WiFi Network.
If iPhone is not connected to WiFi Network, tap on the WiFi network that you want to connect and enter the password for the WiFi network that you want to connect to.
2. Make Sure You Have Enough iCloud Storage Space
A common reason for iPhone not backing up to iCloud is due to a lack of storage space in your iCloud account. Follow the steps below to check the status of iCloud Storage Space on your iPhone.
1. Open Settings > Tap on iCloud
2. On the iCloud screen, you will be able to see a summary of used and available storage in your iCloud Storage Account. Tap on Manage Storage option to see more details.
3. On iCloud storage screen, you will see details of the storage space taken up by iPhone Backup and other Apps on iCloud. In case you want to get more iCloud Storage, tap on Change Storage Plan.
4. On the next screen, tap on the storage plan that suits your requirements.
In case you do not want to upgrade storage, you can try to Free up iCloud Storage Space by following the steps mentioned in this article: How to Manage and Free Up iCloud Storage Space
Once you have enough iCloud Storage space, see if you can make a manual iCloud Backup using steps as provided below.
3. Perform Manual iCloud Backup
After confirming that your iPhone is connected to WiFi Network and that there is enough Storage space on iCloud, see if you can perform a manual iCloud Backup of your iPhone.
1. Open Settings > tap on your Apple ID.
2. On Apple ID screen, tap on iCloud.
3. On the iCloud screen, scroll down and tap on iCloud Backup.
4. On the Backup screen, make sure the switch next to iCloud Backup is turned ON and tap on Back Up Now to start the process of Backing up your iPhone to iCloud.
4. Sign-Out and Sign-In to Your iCloud Account
Sometimes the problem of iPhone not backing up to iCloud is related to your iCloud account not being recognized and other unexplained iCloud glitches.
1. Open Settings > tap on your Apple ID.
2. On the Apple ID screen, scroll down to the bottom of the screen and tap on Sign Out.
3. On the pop-up that appears, enter your Apple ID password and tap on Turn OFF.
4. You will be prompted whether you want to keep a copy of your data on iPhone. You can select the type of data to keep on your iPhone and tap on Sign Out.
As you can see in the image above, Data removed from iPhone will still be available in iCloud. This means that you won’t be losing any data, even if you sign out of iCloud without keeping a copy of your data on iPhone.
All the data will be downloaded back to your iPhone, once you sign back into your Apple ID.
5. After signing out of Apple ID, sign back into your Apple ID by tapping on Settings > Sign in to your iPhone link.
After signing into your Apple ID, see if you can make a manual backup of your iPhone using steps as listed above.
5. Reset All Settings
Follow the steps below to Reset All Settings on your iPhone or iPad to factory default settings.
1. Open Settings > tap on General > Reset > Reset All Settings.
This will Erase all the Settings on your iPhone and set them back to Factory Default Settings. Hopefully, this should help fix the problem of iPhone not backing up to iCloud.
After your iPhone restarts, see if you can make a manual backup of your iPhone.
Note: You may be prompted to enter your Restrictions Passcode in case you had placed restrictions on making major changes on your iPhone.
6. Backup iPhone and Try DFU Restore
In case none of the solutions as provided above are helping, you may have to restore your iPhone using DFU restore process.
DFU restore erases both Hardware and Software settings on iPhone, which can often help in clearing stuck files, stuck processes and minor software bugs, which might be preventing your iPhone from backing up to iCloud.
Since DFU mode restore erases the entire data on iPhone, you may first want to first make a backup of iPhone using iTunes and then perform a DFU restore.