iCloud Photos Problems

If you observe two backups within iCloud, it suggests that iCloud has been utilized to back up two distinct devices. It's important to note that iCloud typically doesn't create multiple backups for a single device. Each backup instance within iCloud corresponds to a different device, emphasizing the platform's capability to seamlessly manage and safeguard data from multiple sources. This distinctive feature ensures that each device's data is individually preserved, maintaining the integrity and specificity of the backup process for enhanced data security and convenience.

You only have one backup for a device, unless you have taken an archive of the previous backups on iTunes. Every time you take a backup the data is overwritten (Added/Deleted) based on the data on the iPhone. This is true for both iCloud and iTunes.

• iCloud doesn't make multiple backups for the same device: It keeps only one recent backup per device.
• The two entries likely represent backups from different devices: This could be your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or even an older backup from a previous device you used with the same Apple ID.

Here's how to verify:

1. Go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Manage Storage > Backups on your iPhone/iPad.
2. You'll see a list of devices with iCloud backups associated with your Apple ID.
3. Each entry shows the device name, model, date, and size of the backup.

Watch the GIF below

When you take a backup of your device using iCloud or iTunes, the previous backup is overwritten with the new one each time. This means that the new backup replaces the existing backup, and you do not have multiple backups stored for the same device on iCloud or iTunes.

To understand this, let's take a closer look at iCloud and iTunes backups:

1. iCloud Backup: When you enable iCloud Backup on your iOS device (iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch), it automatically backs up your device's data to your iCloud storage. This includes your device settings, app data, photos, videos, messages, and more. Each time you initiate a backup, it replaces the previous backup stored on iCloud with the new one. This ensures that you have the most recent backup available in case you need to restore your device.
2. iTunes Backup: If you choose to back up your device using iTunes on your computer, a similar process occurs. Each time you perform an iTunes backup, it overwrites the previous backup with the latest data from your device. This ensures that the backup reflects the current state of your device's data and settings. You have an option here in iTunes to archive the old backup thus creating multiple backups for the same device. (See the GIF below at the end of this post to understand how multiple backups are created and stored.)

In both cases, whether you use iCloud or iTunes, the backup process replaces the previous backup entirely. This means that you cannot access multiple backups for the same device on iCloud or iTunes. The backup you have is a snapshot of your device's data at the time of the backup. If you need to restore your device from a backup, you will be restoring it to the state it was in when that specific backup was taken.

It's worth noting that you can manually initiate backups at any time to ensure you have the most up-to-date backup available. However, it's essential to understand that each new backup will overwrite the previous one, and you will not have multiple backups stored for a single device on iCloud or iTunes.

How to create Multiple Backups for the same device.

1. On iTunes Click on Manage Backups
2. Right Click on a Backup and Click Archive
3. Click Backup Now.
4. You will see a fresh backup will get created See the GIF below