There are several ways to keep an extra copy of your iPhone data, iCloud being the easiest. Having your contacts and photos in the cloud means you have less to worry about if something goes wrong. However, not all apps sync with iCloud.
This is why you need a proper backup. Besides syncing data like notes and contacts, iCloud can also create a full backup of your device, which happens automatically when this feature is enabled. To check if it is enabled, open Settingstap your name at the top, then choose iCloud > iCloud Backup. Make sure the Back up this iPhone the toggle is activated.
While this is ideal under normal circumstances, iCloud backups are not the best option for beta users because they are automatically updated from time to time. After you install the iOS beta on your iPhone, iCloud will eventually save a new backup based on that beta. And if you need to downgrade for some reason, your newly made beta backup will not work with the old stable version of iOS.
Instead, before installing a beta, you must archive a backup using a computer. First, connect your iPhone to your computer, where you may be asked to enter your iPhone password to establish a reliable connection between them. On a Mac, find your device name in the left sidebar of Finder. On Windows, use the Apple Devices app.
On either platform, open the General after clicking on your phone name. Select the Back up all your iPhone data to this Mac/computer button. Check Encrypt local backup to include sensitive information such as saved passwords, Apple Health data, and Wi-Fi settings. You will need to enter a password to protect this encrypted backup; keep it in a safe place because you cannot restore the backup without it.
Once done, choose Back up now. The more data you have on your iPhone, the longer the process will take. Once the backup is complete, select Manage backupsright-click the latest backup in the list and select Archive.
This will leave that specific backup intact, even if you create a new backup later. You will now have a copy of everything that was on your iPhone before you installed the beta, which will work if you roll back to the previous iOS version.
