WhatsApp, like most other instant messaging platforms, offers a great backup feature that lets you safeguard your personal chats and media to the cloud. You can then easily access and download this data when you need to use WhatsApp on a new phone.
But sometimes this backup feature stops working on iPhones because of issues like improper iCloud settings. Luckily, you can easily get your WhatsApp backups up and running. Here are some easy fixes to try when WhatsApp isn’t backing up to iCloud:
1. Check if WhatsApp Is Enabled for iCloud Backup
Screenshot by Ali Adnan – No attribution required
To ensure a seamless WhatsApp backup, make sure you have WhatsApp enabled on your iPhone as an app that can use iCloud. To do this, follow these steps:
2. Make Sure You Have Free Space Available
For iCloud backups to work correctly, your cloud must have at least twice the storage space as the actual size of the backup. So, if your WhatsApp isn’t backing up to iCloud, consider checking the size of the backup and comparing it to the space available on your cloud.
To check your available iCloud storage space:
3. Perform a Manual Backup on WhatsApp
Sometimes, the issue of failed WhatsApp backups can be resolved by manually backing up your chats through the app.
Here’s how you can do that:
While not necessary, consider keeping WhatsApp open during this manual backup. This means not swiping the WhatsApp page up in the app switcher. You may use other apps or put your iPhone to sleep during this time though.
4. Check the iCloud Server Status
Sometimes, the issue may not be with your device or with WhatsApp, but rather with iCloud services. Visit theApple System Statuspage to see whether iCloud servers are down or having server issues.
If the circle besideiCloud Backupisn’t green, consider backing up WhatsApp once it is working again.
5. Restart Your iPhone
Restarting your iPhone will fix a number of software-related issues, including those involving iCloud backups.
To restart your device:
6. Update Your iPhone and WhatsApp
Outdated software can also cause backup issues.
To update your iPhone, follow these steps:
WhatsApp also routinely updates its application to resolve bug fixes and system glitches. That’swhy you should never disable automatic updates on your phoneif you’re looking to use the best version of WhatsApp. To update the app, head on over to theApp Store,search WhatsApp, and check if an update is available.
7. Remove Videos From Your iCloud Backup
Large videos in particular can end up using a lot of iCloud storage space. So, if your iCloud backup keeps failing, consider removing these videos from iCloud backup.
To do this, follow these steps:
you’re able to always turn this switch back on to re-include WhatsApp videos in your iCloud backup.
8. Delete the Existing iCloud Backup
If none of the above fixes work, it’s likely your WhatsApp backup contains something broken. You can fix this by deleting your current iCloud backup:
Seamless WhatsApp Backups Can Give You Peace of Mind
It might be frustrating when WhatsApp keeps failing at successfully backing up your chats to iCloud. But there are some easy fixes that you may try to remedy this. Start with the basics, like double-checking your settings and making sure you have enough iCloud storage.
If these simple things don’t work, go on to more complex remedies like upgrading your iOS and deleting old backups. But in the off-chance that none of these solutions work, you should contact Apple Support or WhatsApp Support for tailored help.
