Backing up your phone before a trip: what to save, and what a backup will not save
Run a full backup at home on Wi-Fi a few days before you leave, then back up WhatsApp separately, because its chats live in their own backup tied to your number. Make sure your authenticator codes are synced to an account rather than stored only on the phone. And write down what no backup keeps: your operator details, because a restore does not bring back the phone line.
See data packsThe full backup, done at home
On an iPhone, Apple's steps are: connect to Wi-Fi, open Settings, tap your name, then iCloud, iCloud Backup and Back Up Now, and stay on Wi-Fi until it finishes. The date and time of the last successful backup appear under Back Up Now, which is the one thing to check the evening before you fly. Automatic backups run when the phone is on Wi-Fi, charging and locked, so a phone that never charges overnight at home may be further behind than you think.
On Android, Google's path is Settings, Google, All services, then under Backup and restore, Backup and Back up now. It covers apps and their data, call history, contacts, device settings and text messages, while photos and videos go through Google Photos. Google gives 15 GB of free storage and says a backup can take up to 24 hours, another reason to start days before the trip. Keeping backups from eating your travel data is covered in stop photo backups using mobile data.
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Will it work on my phone?
On iPhone: Settings → General → About, and scroll to EID. If there is an EID, your phone takes eSIMs. Every iPhone from the XS (2018) onwards does.
On Android: Settings → About phone → Status, and look for EID. If there is an EID, your phone takes eSIMs. Most Galaxy S20, Pixel 3 and later do.
It also has to be carrier-unlocked. If you bought it outright or your contract is over, it almost certainly is.
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How it works
- 1Choose and payCard, Apple Pay or Google Pay. No account.
- 2Install it at homeThe QR arrives by email. Scan it on wifi in a minute.
- 3Connect when you landTurn on data roaming for the eSIM and you are online.
WhatsApp needs its own backup
WhatsApp keeps its own chat backup, separate from the phone's, under Settings, Chats, Chat backup, where you can back up now and choose whether to include videos. On Android it goes to your Google account and on iPhone to iCloud, where WhatsApp says you need at least 2.05 times the size of the backup free. WhatsApp recommends Wi-Fi, because the file can be large.
Two details matter on a trip. Only one backup is kept, and each new one replaces the last, so there is no older copy to fall back on. And a backup can only be restored with the same phone number and the same Google or Apple account that created it. If the phone is lost, getting your chats back depends on getting your number back, which is why the replacement SIM from your operator comes first in what to do if your phone is lost abroad.
Give WhatsApp a way back in that is not a text message
WhatsApp lets you add an email address to your account, under Settings, Account, Email address, and sends a code to confirm it. Once it is verified, WhatsApp says you can use that email to get back into your account if you have to register your number again, and that a re-registration code can be sent by email if you added the address earlier. That matters abroad, where an SMS to your usual number may arrive late or not at all.
Two-step verification, which adds a PIN or password to your WhatsApp account, works best with that email in place. WhatsApp says reinstalling the app does not clear the PIN, and that when you register again it can be reset by email or by a code sent by SMS; if neither is possible, you have to wait 7 days. Set both up at home, where the SMS still arrives without trouble, and test that the email reaches you.
Authenticator codes are the easiest thing to lose
Codes in an authenticator app are often stored only on the phone, and a device backup may not bring them back. Google Authenticator lets you sign in to your Google Account in the app so that your codes are synced and appear automatically on a new phone. If you chose Use without an account, Google warns that the codes will not be available on your other devices, and you can only move them by exporting a QR code from the old phone.
If the phone is lost with unsynced codes, Google's advice is to visit every site where you set up Authenticator, remove the old codes and link the new device, which means getting into each account some other way first. Sync the app or export the codes before you leave. Backup codes, trusted numbers and sign-in prompts are covered in two-factor authentication while travelling.
What a backup does not bring back: your lines
A backup restores apps, settings and data, not your mobile line. Apple warns that if you erase an iPhone, or restore it from a backup and delete the eSIM by accident, the phone can lose its cellular connection and you will need to contact your provider. For that call, Apple lists what to have ready: your phone number, your carrier account password or PIN, and the iPhone's IMEI or EID. Write those down before you go and keep them away from the phone; EID, ICCID and IMEI explains where to find each one.
A travel eSIM is not part of any backup either. With Snoozim, the eSIM stays on the phone it was installed on, so if that phone is lost, a replacement phone needs a new one. Keep the order email, which is the account of what you bought.
Five minutes the night before
- Check the date of the last iCloud or Google backup.
- Run a WhatsApp backup and confirm the time it shows.
- Make sure the authenticator app is synced to an account.
- Add an email to WhatsApp and turn on two-step verification.
- Write down your operator's number, account PIN and the phone's IMEI on paper.
None of this needs to happen on the trip, and none of it should: backups are large, and a travel data plan is the wrong place for them. Do it at home on Wi-Fi, with the phone on its charger. If you are setting up a travel eSIM as well, install it in the same session; it only starts counting at the first connection at the destination, and our pre-flight checklist covers the rest.
Should I back up my phone before travelling?
Yes, at home on Wi-Fi, a few days before. Google says a backup can take up to 24 hours, and Apple's automatic backups only run when the phone is charging, locked and on Wi-Fi.
How do I back up WhatsApp before a trip?
In WhatsApp, go to Settings, Chats, Chat backup and back up now, on Wi-Fi. The backup can only be restored with the same phone number and the same Google or Apple account.
Is my eSIM saved in a backup?
No. Apple warns that a restore can remove the eSIM and that you then need to contact your provider. A travel eSIM stays on the phone it was installed on.
How do I keep my authenticator codes if I lose my phone?
In Google Authenticator, sign in to your Google Account so the codes sync. If you use it without an account, export the codes before travelling.
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