- Upgrade Your iPhone or iPad to iOS 5
- Customize Notification Center
- Activate Twitter Integration with iOS 5 Apps
- Customize iCloud-Related Features
- Turn on iCloud So it Functions with iWork for iOS Apps
- Activate iCloud Backup
- Each iOS Device Needs to Have iCloud Functionality Turned On
- Make Sure Your Apps Are Up-to-Date
- Future iOS Updates
Activate iCloud Backup
Instead of creating a backup of your iOS device whenever you connect it to your primary computer using the iTunes Sync process, you can now set up iCloud to automatically perform a daily backup of your device using the iCloud Backup feature.
Keep in mind, when you use iTunes Sync to create a backup of your iOS device, the backup files are stored on your primary computer's hard drive.
To restore your device from a backup, it must then be connected to that computer via the supplied USB cable. Or the computer and device must be connected to the same home wireless network, and the Wireless iTunes Sync feature needs to be activated when using the iTunes software on your primary computer.
When you use iCloud Backup, however, you're PC Free, and iOS device's backup files get stored online. They can then be accessed from anywhere there's a Wi-Fi Internet connection. To use the iCloud Backup feature, the iOS device needs access to a Wi-Fi Internet connection and it must be plugged into an external power source.
To activate iCloud Backup so your iPhone or iPad will automatically create a daily backup, launch the Settings app, and from the main Settings menu, tap the iCloud option. Then, from the iCloud menu screen within Settings, scroll down to the bottom of the screen, and tap the Storage & Backup option.
When you access the Storage & Backup screen within Settings, tap the virtual on/off switch that is associated with the iCloud Backup option, and turn it to the On position. Once turned on, tap the Back Up Now icon that appears. This will create an initial backup of your device. You can manually activate this backup feature any time by tapping this Back Up Now icon.
The initial backup could take up to one hour to complete. However, in the future, when the device automatically creates a daily backup, only new or modified data gets updated, so the backup process takes just minutes.
At the very bottom of the Storage & Backup screen within Settings, the time and date of the last successful iCloud Backup is displayed.
In the future, if something goes wrong with your iOS device, when you restore the device, choose the Restore From iCloud option.