With the ever growing library of music on your iPhone, it becomes essential to backup your music collection. Your music library likely contains years worth of curated playlists, albums, artists and more. Losing all that music due to a damaged or lost device would be devastating. Thankfully, backing up your iPhone music library is easy with the right steps.
Why You Should Backup Your iPhone Music
Here are some key reasons why backing up your iPhone music library is important:
- Avoid losing your music if your iPhone is damaged, lost or stolen. A backup protects all your downloaded and purchased music.
- Easily transfer your music collection when upgrading to a new iPhone. Restore from your backup to transfer everything seamlessly.
- Free up storage space on your iPhone. Backing up your music lets you delete content from your iPhone when space is low.
- Have peace of mind knowing your music collection is safe. Accidents happen, so make sure your music is backed up.
Losing hundreds or even thousands of songs, albums, artists, playlists and more is a terrible situation. Be proactive and back up your iPhone music regularly.
How To Backup iPhone Music with iTunes
One of the simplest ways to backup your iPhone music library is by using iTunes. The Apple app provides full device backups and syncs with your music library automatically. Here is how to backup iPhone music with iTunes:
- Connect your iPhone to your computer using the included USB cable. Launch iTunes on your computer.
- Within iTunes, click on your connected iPhone icon. Go to the Summary page.
- Under Manually Back Up and Restore, click Back Up Now. This will backup your entire iPhone including music.
- The backup process may take awhile depending on how much content needs to be backed up. Let it complete fully.
- When finished, you will see a message that your iPhone has been successfully backed up. The date/time of latest backup will be shown.
- You can check the backup contents by going to Preferences > Devices and selecting your iPhone. You should see music is included.
Following those steps will securely backup all the music contained on your iPhone. iTunes will automatically sync any new music content added to your iPhone after you connect it again. This keeps your backup updated.
Benefits of Using iTunes Backups
There are several advantages to using iTunes for iPhone music backups:
- Simple and easy process using trusted Apple software.
- Backs up full iPhone contents, not just music.
- Encrypted backups provide added security.
- Music purchases are stored in your iTunes account.
- Sync keeps music backup updated with iTunes library.
Downsides of iTunes Backups
There are a few downsides to be aware of with iTunes backups:
- Need a computer with iTunes to perform the backup.
- Large backups take time and storage space on your computer.
- Manually connecting iPhone and remembering to backup is required.
- Not optimized specifically for music content.
Overall, iTunes provides a solid music backup solution. But there are other options if you want an iPhone music only backup.
Using iCloud to Backup iPhone Music
Apple’s iCloud service lets you backup your iPhone content over WiFi automatically. This includes backing up your music library seamlessly.
To backup music using iCloud:
- On your iPhone, go to Settings > Your Name > iCloud.
- Make sure iCloud Backup is toggled on. Tap on iCloud Backup.
- On the iCloud Backup screen, confirm that Music is included in the backup. Tap Back Up Now.
- Your iPhone music will now backup to iCloud. Check progress under Settings > Your Name > iCloud > Storage > Manage Storage.
- Your music backup to iCloud will occur daily as long as your phone is connected to WiFi, plugged in and with the screen locked.
Benefits of iCloud Music Backup
Key advantages of using iCloud to backup your music include:
- Backups automatically over WiFi – no cables required.
- Specific music only backup option.
- Stores backup securely online, saving space on computer.
- Easy restore process if you lose your music.
Downsides of iCloud Music Backup
Some drawbacks to note with iCloud iPhone music backups:
- Counts against your online iCloud storage quota.
- Initial backup can take time if you have lots of music.
- Requires reliable WiFi connection for best operation.
- Apple ID login required.
Overall, iCloud provides a very convenient way to auto backup your iPhone music library.
Using Third Party Apps to Backup Music
Beyond iTunes and iCloud, there are also third party apps you can use to backup your iPhone music library.
Some top options include:
| App | Key Features |
|---|---|
| iMazing | Optimized to backup iOS devices including music. Provides full device backups and specific music only backups. Easy to use interface and recovery options. |
| AnyTrans | Manage, download and backup iPhone music libraries. Selectively backup only music content. Supports MP3, M4A, FLAC, WAV and other formats. |
| iTunes Copy Trans | Designed to transfer iTunes and iPhone content across devices. Backs up music libraries, playlists, podcasts and more. Easy migration to new devices. |
These apps provide robust music backup and management capabilities tailored for iPhones beyond what iTunes offers.
Benefits of Third Party Music Backups
Here are some of the advantages of using third party iPhone music backup apps:
- Specialization for music content makes them very effective.
- Flexibility to backup media selectively or entire music library.
- Additional features like download music from iPhone to computer.
- Often easier interface than native Apple options.
Potential Downsides
Some possible downsides to note with third party iPhone music backups:
- Typically paid apps with upgrade costs.
- Require installing software beyond what Apple provides.
- Data practices may not be as transparent as Apple’s.
- Complex transfers can still be tricky.
Overall though, quality third party apps provide excellent alternatives for iPhone music backup capabilities.
Storing Backup Files
Once you have backed up your iPhone music library using one of the above techniques, best practice is to also create a secondary backup copy of the actual backup files.
For iTunes backups, copy the backup files from:
Mac: ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/
Windows: C:\Users\
For iCloud backups, you can download a copy of your content from iCloud Drive to your computer.
Store these backup copies on an external hard drive, USB drive, DVD or remote cloud storage. This provides an additional layer of protection from backup loss or corruption.
Choosing Backup File Storage
Consider the following when deciding where to store your iPhone music backup files:
- External hard drives – Great for backups with huge storage capacity. Chosen drive should have at least double your backup size.
- USB flash drives – Small and portable. Useful for small backups. Choose one with sturdy construction.
- DVDs – Cheap but slow option. Multiple discs may be required for large backups. Check disc capacity.
- Cloud storage – Services like Dropbox give you remote backup storage. Ensure enough free space for backups.
Rotate your backup files periodically to new media in case of device failure. Safely eject and disconnect drives after the copy completes.
How to Restore iPhone Music from Backup
If you lose the music on your iPhone due to a damaged, lost or upgraded device, you can restore the music library from your backup.
To restore music from an iTunes backup:
- Connect your new iPhone to the computer with the iTunes backup.
- In iTunes, click Restore Backup under your device icon.
- Select the appropriate music backup and click Restore to transfer the music to your iPhone.
To restore music from an iCloud backup:
- On your new iPhone, tap Settings > Your Name > iCloud > Manage Storage > Restore Data.
- Tap Music and any other content to restore. Tap Restore.
- Your iPhone music backup will be downloaded from iCloud and restored.
Be sure to authorize any DRM protected music purchases on your new iPhone as needed.
What is Restored from Backup
Your iPhone music library backup includes:
- Downloaded and purchased songs, albums, artists and playlists.
- Album artwork and metadata like song title, artist, etc.
- Play counts, ratings and playback settings.
- Synced music content from iTunes.
Be aware that any music added since the backup will not be restored. You will need to sync those new items.
Best Practices for iPhone Music Backups
Follow these tips for a fail-safe iPhone music backup plan:
- Backup regularly. Don’t just do it once. Monthly or weekly is recommended.
- Use both iTunes and iCloud for backup redundancy.
- Store physical copies of backup files externally.
- Check backups for errors and consistency.
- Encrypt backups for added data security.
- Document your backup process so you can easily repeat.
- Tag backup drives clearly and store safely.
Keeping your music backup process simple and consistent is key. Utilizing both iTunes and iCloud gives you multiple backup options if issues arise.
Backup Your Music Today!
Don’t wait until it’s too late – backup your iPhone music library today. Losing your music collection due to an accident or device issue would be devastating. Follow the techniques outlined in this article to securely backup your music now.
Backing up takes just a bit of time but provides total peace of mind. Set reminders to backup your iPhone music regularly. Your future self with thank you when disaster strikes but your music is safely backed up and recoverable.
Safeguard your music library with a solid backup plan. You’ve invested time and money building your music collection – make sure it’s properly protected!
