How to guide: How to properly back up the files on your mobile device

Although we often forget, it is very important to back up the files on our mobile devices. Your phone could break down at any moment, data could be deleted because of a bug or malware, or, in the worst case, it could be stolen, leaving you with no way to recover your files.

So start with the most important thing: your passwords. Make sure you sync the passwords on your phone with the web browser you use, so that they are saved across all your devices.

Backup on Adroid

Android devices have a dedicated backup service. Make sure it is working properly by going to «Settings» and then «Backup». There, check that data backups and automatic restore are enabled.

If you also want to keep your sms messages and call logs, there are several free apps on PlayStore that let you preserve your communication history even if you change devices. You can also find apps on PlayStore that back up the data from the apps installed on your phone. They can even back up previous versions, so if an update causes problems, you can easily revert to an earlier version.

Backup on iPhone

There are several ways to back up Apple devices using Apple's services, through iTunes or iCloud.

To back up to iCloud, follow this path: Settings > iCloud > iCloud Backup > Back Up Now.

To back up to iTunes on a Windows computer, connect your phone to your computer using a cable, select your device in iTunes, click «Summary» and then select «Back Up Now». If you have MacOS, simply select your device in iTunes and choose «Back Up Now».

Another way to transfer your data is the traditional manual method: moving it from your phone to your computer using a USB flash drive, so you can save it to a hard drive. If you have a MacOS desktop but an Android device, you will also need Android File Transfer, which comes with very simple installation and usage instructions.

Finally, remember that there are plenty of cloud services that let you save your files in real time and access them from whichever device you are using. Some of the best known are Google Drive, iCloud, OneDrive and Dropbox.