iCloud Backup and Restore
iCloud automatically backs up the most important data on your iOS 5 device. Once you have enabled Backup on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch in Settings > iCloud > Backup & Storage, it will run on a daily basis as long as your device:
- is connected to Internet over Wi-Fi
- is connected to a power source
- has the screen locked
What is backed up ?
You get unlimited free storage for:
Purchased music, movies, TV shows, apps, and books
Notes: Backup of purchased music is not available in all countries. Backups of purchased movies and TV shows are U.S. only. Previous purchases may not be restored if they are no longer in the iTunes Store, App Store, or iBookstore.
Some previously purchased movies may not be available in iTunes in the Cloud. These movies will indicate that they are not available in iTunes in the Cloud on their product details page in the iTunes Store. Previous purchases may be unavailable if they have been refunded or are no longer available in the iTunes Store, App Store, or iBookstore.
You get 5GB of free iCloud storage for:
- Photos and videos in the Camera Roll
- Device settings (for example: Phone Favorites, Wallpaper, and Mail, Contacts, Calendar accounts)
- App data
- Home screen and app organization
- Messages (iMessage, SMS, and MMS)
- Ringtones
You can select which applications back up their data and see how much storage space each application is using:
- On your Home Screen, tap Settings
- Tap iCloud
- Tap Storage & Backup
- Tap Manage Storage
- Select the device you want to manage
The following items are not backed up to iCloud. You can sync these items with a computer using iTunes:
- Music, movies and TV shows not purchased from the iTunes Store
- Podcasts and audio books
- Photos that were originally synced from your computer
How content is restored to a new device
When you go through Setup Assistant on a new iOS 5 device, choose "Restore from iCloud Backup" and enter your iCloud account and password. You will see the three most recent backups for each of the devices on which you enabled Backup. Choose which backup to restore from.
After your device restarts, your settings and accounts are restored and Backup starts downloading your purchased music, movies, TV shows, apps, books, Camera Roll, and other content.
Note: You may be prompted to enter the passwords for all accounts enabled on your device. You may also be prompted to enter the password for for any iTunes, iBookstore and App Store accounts for which iCloud Backup is attempting to restore content.
A progress bar will appear underneath the apps that are being downloaded. To prioritize the restore of a specific app, tap its icon. Restore will attempt to download the same version of the app that you had installed previously. If that version is no longer available, the latest version of the app will be restored.
If you are using iTunes Match (U.S. only), you can download any of your songs, albums, or playlist from iCloud after the restore is complete.
To check if the restore is complete, go to Settings > iCloud > Storage & Backup.
