Backup Your iOS Device Over WiFi Automatically.
When the first iOS devices were released, customers were expected to also have a personal computer, such as a Windows PC or macOS PC. This may not have been the case with iPhones, but early iPad users couldn’t even start using their tablets without connecting the device to a PC.
IPad and iPhone are completely independent devices these days. In fact, to a certain extent, they are intended to replace other types of computers in everyday tasks. It’s doubtful that anyone with a modern iOS device would bother more about connecting it to a computer.
However, there is one good reason you might want to. This allows you to back up your device to your computer. Sure, iCloud is great, but Apple only provides 5GB of free iCloud storage and most people don’t want to pay extra.
So a free local device backup is a good alternative. Should you tie your device to your computer every day? Perhaps not, but this is not necessary either!
Latest versions of iOS and iTunes allow you to back up your iOS device with iTunes wirelessly. As long as both devices are on the same Wi-Fi network. Here’s how to do it.
Set up WiFi Backup in iTunes
Before we start, you should note that you cannot automatically make a local iTunes backup and an iCloud backup. You will need to select one or the other for automatic backups. This is true whether you are backing up over a wire or Wi-Fi.
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You can still back up to iCloud and manually create local backups, but you need to connect your device to your computer with a cable and click the “Back up now†button under “Back up and restore manuallyâ€.
It is assumed that iTunes is already installed and configured on your computer to complete these steps.
The first step, of course, is to connect your device to your computer using a cable. Your iOS device must be unlocked. You may be asked whether to trust the computer or to confirm certain things. Agree and confirm if necessary.
Now that you have an iOS device connected to iTunes, a small device icon should appear just below the menu bar. Click the device icon.
Now don’t forget to select “Summary” in the sidebar.
After that, you should see these settings.
As shown above, select this computer as the backup destination. This is your choice if you also want to encrypt it. If so, just be sure not to forget your password.
Now, under Options, select “Sync with this iPad over Wi-Fi.” This will ensure that your backups (and all syncing) are done over Wi-Fi. Be sure to click Finish to save your changes.
Get WiFi Backup to Work
Everything is ready to sync and back up your iOS device over local Wi-Fi, but several conditions must be met for it to work:
- Both devices must be on the same Wi-Fi network.
- iTunes must be open on your computer.
- The iOS device needs to be charged.
This means that the ideal time to back up is when you go to bed and charge your device overnight. Of course, you can manually start syncing at any time over Wi-Fi.
Just start syncing from iTunes as if it were connected to the network. After that, you can continue to use your iOS device as usual while the backup takes place in the background. No wires! Enjoy!
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