Phone storage
Why are my photos not backing up?
Photo backup usually pauses for a practical reason: no Wi-Fi, not enough cloud storage, low battery, wrong account, or a setting that is waiting for permission.
The short answer
Open the photo app's backup status, check Wi-Fi and cloud storage, plug the phone in, and confirm you are signed into the right account.
Try these first
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Now try it on your device
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Steps for iPhone
- 1Open Settings, your name, iCloud, then Photos.
- 2Confirm Sync this iPhone is on if you use iCloud Photos.
- 3Check iCloud storage. If iCloud is full, new photos may stop syncing.
- 4Connect to Wi-Fi, plug in the phone, and wait.
One safety note
Do not delete photos because backup says paused.
Before you change settings
What to know first
What this usually means
- Cloud storage is full.
- Backup is waiting for Wi-Fi.
- Battery saver is slowing background backup.
- The phone is signed into a different account than expected.
Do not do this yet
- Do not delete photos because backup says paused.
- Do not buy more cloud storage until you know whether device storage or cloud storage is full.
- Do not sign out of the account unless you know the password and recovery options.
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