Unable to back up iPhone for 9 months

TH867 wrote:

I have a VPM but it is not turned on. Express VPN.

Apple OS has a VPN but I don't use that.

The iPhone is a 13 Pro. Thanks

If you have a VPN App or profiles installed, or a security/AV/firewall App such as Norton, these may be unexpectedly interfering with your iPad's network stack. System software updates can sometimes disrupt the existing stack - and associated network utilities may need to be reinstalled to restore normal functionality.

Where applicable, the resolution is usually simple; you may only need to temporarily remove the offending Security App and/or VPN. Having deleted the offending item, you should perform a restart before reinstalling the VPN App/profile or associated security App.

Force restart iPhone - Apple Support

If still no luck, reset your iPhone's network settings:

Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPad > Reset > Reset Network Settings

TH867 wrote:

I have a VPM but it is not turned on. Express VPN.

Apple OS has a VPN but I don't use that.

The iPhone is a 13 Pro. Thanks

Even if not used, a VPN just being installed on your iPhone can cause issues like you're experiencing. VPNs are simply NOT needed, unless required by your employer or school. If you aren't required to have a VPN, get rid of it completely, remove any associated apps, then restart your iPhone and you'll likely find you can do the backup.

Read this about VPNs --> VPN: What you need to know - Apple Community

You honestly couldn't pay me to use a VPN on any of my Apple devices. They DO NOT provide the security you've been led to believe. In fact, quite the opposite.

Have you subscribed to a 200GB or greater iCloud+ subscription? Along with other data that may be stored in iCloud, the 50GB plan will be insufficient to backup both your iPad and iPhone.

All AppleID accounts have a “free of charge” 5GB iCloud Storage quota - this being adequate for basic synchronisation tasks. If you need more iCloud space than your current quota allows, you can subscribe to a higher tier of iCloud storage. You can choose from:

• 5GB (free of charge)
• 50GB
• 200GB
• 2TB
• 6TB
• 12TB

Details of how to change your storage tier can be found here:

Upgrade your iCloud storage plan – Apple Support

The paid tiers have a monthly subscription - the cost of which differs by geographic region. More information can be found here:

iCloud storage plans and pricing – Apple Support

50GB is quite a lot. If you don't have a decent upstream bandwidth from your ISP, it can take a long time to upload.

What is your actual upload bandwidth? Your ISP may say it's supposed to to be 500, but it may not be.

You can go to https://speedtest.net or use the Speedtest App from Ookla available in the App Store to get the upstream bandwidth.

Alternatively, you can backup the iPhone to a computer instead of iCloud.

click here ➜ Back up iPhone - Apple Support

Just to ensure that all potential avenues are covered, have you updated your iPhone to the most recent supported version of iOS (unless I've missed it, I don't see a declared iPhone model or installed iOS version mentioned)?

Have you, during the period of difficulty, force-restarted your iPhone?

Force restart iPhone - Apple Support

What VPN have you installed?

TH867 wrote:

No VPN operational. Thanks

When you say operational, does that mean one is still possibly on the phone, used or not?