Should I backup my iPhone contacts to iCloud?

If you don't have a backup or copy of any kind and your phone is lost, stolen, dropped and broken, or has some other hardware failure, the contacts would be lost. That seems a lot risky to me. I backup my phone both to iCloud (and periodically manually via iTunes) Back up and restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch using iCloud or iTunes - Apple Support

I also have my phone set to automatically sync my contacts to iCloud (Settings > iCloud > Contacts on) and I periodically import photos to a computer Import photos and videos from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to your Mac or Windows PC - Apple Support

The following link has troubleshooting for iCloud Contacts: Get help using iCloud Contacts - Apple Support

Note that one of the steps is to turn it off and back on and that it gives a choice regarding whether you want to keep the contacts on your device:

Turn iCloud Contacts off and back on

1. Tap Settings > iCloud.
2. Turn Contacts off.
3. You can choose Delete from My [device] if your data exists at icloud.com/contacts and on one or more of your devices. Otherwise, choose Keep on My [device].
4. Wait a few minutes, then turn Contacts back on.

You are confusing iCloud backup and iCloud sync, and neither will result in your totally losing your contacts.

iCloud backup does not, in fact, back up Contacts.

Contacts are either sync'd via iCloud or sync'd via iTunes, depending on how you have them set up to sync.

Syncing with iCloud allows you to keep Contacts on all devices and computers that are signed onto the same iCloud account up to date with eachother as long as they are able to access the internet.

Syncing with iTunes will sync your Mac and device contacts so the latest entries in both will sync to the other.

If you are syncing via iCloud and you turn off your Contacts option in iCloud on your device, it will ask you if you want to keep them on the device. It will also ask you if you want to Merge them with your iCloud account if you turn them back on.

If you are having trouble with Contacts not syncing correctly, this troubleshooting article should be of help:

Get help using iCloud Contacts - Apple Support

Cheers,

GB

Most welcome! 🙂

Cheers,

GB

In my opinion, you don't have to backup your contacts to iCloud, but you should backup your iPhone contacts, no matter where you want to reserve them, computer or something like that. Because phone contacts is one of the most important data for users. Actually, it is easy to backup iPhone contacts to iCloud. Go to "Settings">"iCloud" and log in your Apple id. Once it is done, Toggle the "Contacts" slider ON. It will be green when enabled. This will automatically back up all of your iPhone contacts from your Contacts app to your iCloud storage.

The situation you are describing is not "backing up" the iCloud contacts, it is syncing them with iCloud. It is a live file on iCloud that can be updated via any device signed into the same iCloud account, or by going to iCloud.com.

Contacts do not back up to anything if you are syncing them to iCloud.

Cheers,

GB

iCloud backup only allows 5G storage and if you want more, you can buy more. Maybe to backup your iPhone Contacts to iCloud is risky, you can try iTunes to backup. This way can help you backup your iPhone contacts. But you must tick “Prevent iPods, iPhones and iPads from syncing automatically” on iTunes.

1.) Connect your iPhone to PC.

2.) Click "Info" .

3.) Choose the file you tend to sync.

4.) Click "Apply" so that you can backup your messages to iTunes.

I wish that can indeed help you backup contacts from iPhone successfully!

iCloud backup and the amount of iCloud Storage you have have no bearing on the syncing of Contacts via iCloud. They do not take up iCloud Storage - just like Photo Stream doesn't.

Your actual iCloud backup (which does not include Contacts, and does not include your Photo Stream, but which does include your Camera Roll), along with iCloud Photo Library, and iCloud Drive are the only iCloud things that actually use the iCloud Storage that you purchase.

GB