iPhone 12 Not Backing up to iCloud? Fix it here

Is your iPhone 12 not backing up to iCloud? You are not alone! Here’s how to fix the problem when your iPhone 12 won’t backup to iCloud.

It’s easy to back up your iPhone. So easy, in fact, that your iPhone normally backs up automatically, so you don’t have to do anything. However, this doesn’t always go according to plan; sometimes your iPhone 12 fails to back up.

Irrespective of the exact cause, you don’t have to do anything too complicated to get your iPhone 12 backing up to iCloud again. You just need to work out what the problem is first, and we’re here to help.

The tips discussed on this article applies to iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro max that won’t back up to iCloud. Let’s get started!

Why Is My iPhone 12 Not Backing up to iCloud

There are several reasons for your iPhone 12 not backing up in iCloud; these reasons include:

• No Wi-Fi Connection
• Backups Are Disabled
• Corrupted or Incompatible Backups
• Insufficient iCloud Storage Space.

Fix iPhone 12 not backing up to iCloud problem

Here is what to do when your iPhone 12 doesn’t back up to iCloud:

Solution #1: Check Your iCloud Settings

Checking iCloud settings is the first thing to do if your iPhone 12 won’t back up to iCloud. In order for your iPhone 12 to back up to iCloud, you first have to make sure you have the feature switched on. Because if you haven’t enabled it, automatic iCloud backups simply won’t happen. You’ll have to back up your iPhone using iTunes instead.

To switch on iCloud backups, follow the steps below:

1. Start the Settings app.
2. Tap your profile at the top of the screen to open your Apple ID settings.
3. Tap on iCloud.
4. Scroll down and tap iCloud Backup.
5. Hit the iCloud Backup slider so that it moves into the green “on” position.
6. Tap OK when prompted.

By doing this, you’ll switch automatic iCloud backups on. As such, you can now back up your iPhone simply by plugging it into a power source and connecting it to Wi-Fi. You also have to make sure that your iPhone is locked.

Solution #2: Check Your Wi-Fi Connection

Before you can back up your iPhone 12 to iCloud, you must have an active Wi-Fi connection. You can check whether your iPhone is connected to Wi-Fi by looking in the top-right corner of its screen. If you see the Wi-Fi symbol (which consists of four concentric lines radiating outward), you’re fine.

But if you don’t see the Wi-Fi symbol, don’t worry. You can connect your iPhone to Wi-Fi easily with these steps:

1. Start the Settings app.
2. Select Wi-Fi.
3. Press the Wi-Fi slider to move it into the green “on” position.
4. If your iPhone doesn’t automatically join a known network, select your Wi-Fi network and type in its password.
   You also need to make sure that your iPhone is close enough to your Wi-Fi router. If you’re too far away, the Wi-Fi signal might be too weak to complete the backup.

Solution #3: Connect to a Power Source

One of the most common iPhone 12 backup problems is, fortunately, also one of the easiest to fix. Your iPhone need to be charging to start a backup. In addition to a standard power outlet, you can connect it to a computer if you prefer.

When you plug in, you need to make sure that your cable works properly. You’ll see the battery icon in the top-right show a charging symbol and the screen confirms this. If your iPhone doesn’t charge, you should try using a different cable.

While you can use third-party cables to charge your iPhone, not all cables are created equal. Try using the official Apple cable and plug that came with your iPhone if you have trouble with others.

Solution #4: Make Sure You Have Enough iCloud Storage

For iPhone users who create a lot of videos or snap a lot of pictures at least, one of the biggest problems associated with backups is insufficient iCloud backup storage. Apple only provides users 5GB of free iCloud storage space, meaning you can run out of room pretty quickly. Luckily, it’s easy to manage your iCloud storage space.

Here’s how to check how much space you have left:

1. Start the Settings app.
2. Tap your profile at the top of the screen.
3. Press iCloud.
4. Select Manage Storage.
5. Once on the iCloud Storage page, you might see that you’ve used up all 5GB of your allotted space. If so, you’ll need to take one of two actions.

Making More iCloud Space

First, you could delete old backed-up data. This could be for your iPhone itself, or from one of your apps. Deleting your iPhone backup will likely free up the most space. However, if you delete it and then make a new backup, you’ll probably run into the same storage problems again. As such, it’s better to delete the backups of app-related data.

This is what you should do:

1. On the iCloud Storage page, tap the app you’d like to delete backed-up data for.
2. Press Delete Data. For some apps, you might instead see Delete Documents & Data, or Turn Off and Delete.
3. Select Delete to confirm.

Secondly, instead of deleting backups, you could upgrade your iCloud storage plan for a few dollars per month. In many cases, this small fee is worth it to avoid the hassle of juggling your space. To do this, you should tap Upgrade on the iCloud Storage page. We’ve looked at ways to use your iCloud storage if you wonder what to do with all that newfound space.

See also: How to fix iPhone 12 not accepting passcode

Solution #5: Check iCloud Status

Believe it or not, Apple’s iCloud servers can sometimes go down. This means that no matter what you do you won’t be able to back up your iPhone to iCloud.

If you suspect a problem, you can quickly check the status of the iCloud servers by going to Apple’s System Status page.

Here, look for iCloud Backup. If you see a green light next to it, everything is working as it should. In other words, your backup issue is due to a problem on your end.

Solution #6: Sign Out of iCloud

You can sometimes solve iPhone 12 backup issues by signing out of your iCloud account, then signing back in. This solves problems related to verification issues.

Here’s how to sign out and back in:

1. Start the Settings app.
2. Tap your profile at the top to open your Apple ID settings.
3. Scroll down and press Sign Out.
4. If prompted, enter your Apple ID password and
5. tap Turn Off to deactivate Find My iPhone.
6. Select Sign Out.
7. Tap Sign Out again when prompted.
8. To sign back in, you have to tap Sign in to your iPhone. From here, you should enter your Apple ID and password. If you have a Mac or other Apple device that’s connected to your Apple ID, you’ll get a verification code on it. You need to enter this on your iPhone, then input your iPhone’s passcode.

Once you’ve signed back in, you should try connecting your iPhone 12 to Wi-Fi and a power source. Hopefully, it will begin backing up to iCloud once locked. You can also try leaving it connected overnight, so that the backup has enough time to finish.

Solution #7: Restart Your iPhone

Solution #8: Reset all settings

If you find your iPhone 12 not backing up to iCloud after trying the above steps, you can try restarting your phone. This is a simple action, but it resets your iPhone’s temporary memory. By doing this, you can sometimes get your iPhone 12 to back up properly again.

You can restart your iPhone by doing the following:

1. Hold the Side button and either Volume button. Keep it held until the slide to power off slider appears.
2. Swipe right on the power off slider.
3. After shutdown, hold the Side button until the Apple logo appears to start up again.

If a restart doesn’t fix your iPhone 12 backup problems, you should try resetting all settings. This won’t erase your data, but it will erase preferences like your saved Wi-Fi passwords and all phone settings.

It’s a bit of a hassle to change all this back, but because something might interfere with the backup process, it’s worth trying at this point:

1. Start the Settings app.
2. Select General.
3. Select Reset.
4. Tap Reset all Settings.

Solution #9: Update iOS

iPhone 12 not backing up to iCloud may be due to some kind of software bug. Accordingly, you should make sure your iPhone is running the latest version of iOS.

Here’s how you can update:

Connect your iPhone 12 to a Wi-Fi network and power source.
Go to Settings.
Select General.
Tap Software Update.
If an update is available, tap Download and Install.
If prompted, enter your passcode.

Solution #10: DFU mode

If you are of the technically-inclined variety, you may want to proceed with a much more hardcore reset option – the Device Firmware Upgrade, or DFU. A DFU is the deepest, most thorough type of reset/restore you can perform on an iPhone. Keep in mind, though, that a DFU erases and restores EVERYTHING – both hardware and software code. So, only use this option as a last resort
Steps to Doing a DFU Restore

1. Make sure you have a valid backup in iTunes.
2. Using an USB cable, connect your iPhone to the PC with iTunes installed.
3. Press Volume up and release.
4. Press Volume down and release.
5. Press and continue holding the Side button for 10 seconds.
6. While still holding the side button, press and hold the Volume down button for 5 seconds.
7. Release the Side button and continue holding the Volume down button for an additional 10 seconds.

When you successfully enter DFU mode, your iPhone should remain on a black screen, (if not start the process again from the beginning.)

Use iTunes to restore the iPhone normally and then follow the prompts to restart the device.

iPhone 12 not backing up to iCloud: Fixed

As you can see, there are a number of reasons your iPhone 12 is not backing up to iCloud. Hopefully, one of the steps above should be enough to help you when your iPhone 12 won’t back up to iCloud. Make sure to share this article with friends and family to teach them what to do when their iPhone 12 won’t backup to iCloud. If you have any other iCloud issues on your iPhone 12, drop a comment and let us know!