Your iPhone is so much more than just a screen for texting. Smartphones are how we get work done, stay on top of the crazy news cycle, rock out, keep in touch with friends and family, and capture life’s most important moments. Carrying all of that information in our pockets is incredibly powerful, and it makes getting through our days a little easier. It also means that your most important data can get lost when you forget your phone on the train or have an unfortunate spat with the sidewalk.

If you want to avoid frantically trying to recover the best shots from a friend’s wedding, you must back up your iPhone. It’s an especially good idea if you plan on updating to a new iPhone. There are a few ways to do this, depending on your needs and habits. After you’re all backed up, check out our guide to choosing the best iPhone.

Updated September 2024: We verified the steps for the latest version of iOS and added more information about backups.

Backing Up to iCloud

Your easiest option, and Apple’s first recommendation, is to back up your iPhone to iCloud.

The process is pretty simple:

1. Connect to Wi-Fi.
2. Go into Settings and tap on your name, then iCloud.
3. On the iCloud page, scroll down and tap on iCloud Backup. Make sure the switch is toggled on so you’ll get automatic backups every 24 hours when your iPhone is charging, locked, and connected to Wi-Fi. Then tap Back Up Now to force a backup.
4. Check things like Photos that you want iCloud to back up (you can uncheck other categories).

Apple gives you 5 GB of iCloud storage for free, but that’s probably not enough to cover all of your data. You can always buy more iCloud storage, though that will draw you deeper into Apple’s ecosystem. Luckily, in iOS 15 Apple introduced a temporary way to back up your data to iCloud, even if you are out of storage, to allow you to switch iPhones. If you prefer not to use the cloud, there is another way.

Backing Up to Your Mac

If your phone is loaded with pictures, songs, apps, and years of text messages, you might want to make a local backup. If you have a computer with some gigs to spare, you can plug in your iPhone and click a few buttons to make sure all your phone’s data is safely tucked away. But the exact method depends on your version of MacOS.

If you’re not sure which Apple operating system you have, click the little Apple icon in the top left corner of your Mac desktop and select About This Mac. Another window will pop up, telling you what version you’re running.

Backing Up to MacOS Catalina 10.15 or later

The upgrade to MacOS Catalina (2019) did away with iTunes, replacing it with three separate apps for music, podcasts, and TV. The backup option is now located in Finder, where you can search folders and other drives. The steps to back up your iPhone are almost the same as with iTunes:

1. Connect your iPhone to your computer with a cable.
2. Open Finder and select your iPhone under Locations in the sidebar.
3. Click on General and choose Back up all of the data on your iPhone to this Mac.
4. If you want to encrypt your data and password protect it, select Encrypt local backup.
5. Click Back Up Now.

“Besides price, most buyers ask me what makes one bike so much more expensive than another bike,” says Kevin Lau. “My typical answer is the type of drive/motor system and the components on the bike.” High-end bikes are vehicles, the same as high-end cars and motorcycles. They have more expensive components, with lighter, more durable materials, made with tighter tolerances and more precise machining.

$2,000 is about what we’d expect to spend on a durable, high-quality electric bike. However, if you don’t want to spend that much just to see if you can fit an electric bike into your lifestyle, we do have a selection of electric bikes for under $2,000.

Can You Lift an Ebike?

Photograph: SixThreeZero Bike Co.

If you’ve never ridden an ebike, it’s important to know that some ebikes are really heavy, like upwards of 50 pounds. “I’ve had so many people walk through the door who spend $3,000 or $4,000 for an e-bike and they aren’t strong enough to walk it up their apartment stairs or maneuver it around their garage,” says Oseland.

“For some customers, lifting the bike into a car or on a car rack may be a factor,” adds Lau. “Some bike racks aren’t strong enough to hold an e-bike.” Before Oseland will sell a customer an e-bike, he makes sure that they have a way to safely transport it. “If you have to lay your bike down in the car, you can wreck it.” With that said, electric bikes can be a safer way for many people with limited mobility to get around, and older riders can see enormous benefits from more exercise. We have selections for electric bikes for elderly riders here.

How Far Are You Planning to Ride?

The next major priority is addressing customer’s “range anxiety.” Range anxiety is the fear that the bike will run out of battery before the ride is over. Every bike has a stated range, but there are many factors that can increase or decrease it, says Lau, including the terrain, the air temperature, the rider’s weight, the smoothness of the tires, how much assistance the rider uses (most ebikes have at least three levels of assistance), and how large the battery is. When all these factors are considered, a typical ebike range can be anywhere from approximately 30 to 65 miles, Lau says.

Bosch, a premier ebike systems manufacturer, has an online ebike range calculator. Before any ride, cyclists can enter their weight, cadence, average speed, mileage, terrain, wind speed, and other factors to find out a near-exact approximation of how long their Bosch battery will last. Many electric bikes also have the option to add a double battery. This will double your range, but also increase the bike’s weight.

How Are You Going to Charge and Store the Battery?

Photograph: Adrienne So

In 2023, ebike battery fires resulted in 268 incidents, causing 150 injuries and 18 deaths, in New York City. In the early days of ebike manufacturing, many batteries were made overseas and the US did not have strict UL certification requirements. (UL certification is considered the safety gold standard; a third-party organization has independently verified that the battery meets local and federal safety standards.)