My Cloud OS 5, My Cloud Home and ibi Mobile App Auto Backups for iOS and Android

Introduction and Best Practices

First Backup Best Practices

The first backup will take a long time to complete if there is a large amount of content on the phone.

• Do the first backup overnight with the mobile phone plugged into power.
• Phone should be as close to the router as possible.
• Charge the phone and keep the battery above 50% to ensure the best auto backup performance.
• Connect to a WiFi network. Backing up over a cellular network may have slower performance.
• Reduce network traffic while performing large auto backups.
• Reboot the network router if backup stalls or hangs.
• Newly added content will be backed up each time the app is opened.
   
  • Android
    files are added to the My Camera Roll Backup folder on the NAS.
  
  
  • iOS
    files are added to the iPhone Camera Roll Backup folder on the NAS.

Files deleted on the phone will not delete content from the NAS. Files deleted on the NAS will be added again if the same content is on the phone and auto backup is on. Files added to the NAS will use the date the file was added when viewed in Windows Explorer or macOS Finder.

Camera Roll Backup Folder Limits

• Renaming the backup folder during the backup is not supported.


• A new folder with the same name will be created if the original folder is renamed.
  The folder rename will force the backup of all content like a new backup.

Same Account on Different Phones

• Auto Backup folder on the NAS will be created based on the profile name of the phone.

  EXAMPLE:

  • Samuel's iPhone 12 Camera Roll Backup
  • Samuel's iPhone 14 Camera Roll Backup
  • Samuel's iPhone 15 Camera Roll Backup


• The same backup folder will be used if the profile name of each phone is identical.

Corrupted Data

• Backups can fail if the photo or video is corrupted.
• Remove corrupted files from the phone.


 

Phone Names With Special Characters

• Special characters like a / (forward slash) are not supported.
• Remove special characters from the phone name.

Version Support

Auto backup supports iOS and Android phones.

How It Works

Turn Off and On

• On will enable backups over WiFi.
  Cellular data backup is Off by default.
  Cellular data rates may apply.


• Off will pause backups.


• On will resume backups were it was paused.


• Remove and Add the app will force the backup of all content like a new backup.



• Critical: All progress and backup history is lost if the app is removed.

Viewing Auto Backup Content on Web and Mobile App

• File and Folder view shows the date the file was added to the NAS.
  The date shown is the Modification Date and not the Created Date.


• Photo and Video Tab view shows the picture on a timeline if GPS and or EXIF data is present.
  The date shown in the Photo and Video Tab presents the files in chronological order using the Creation Date.

iOS Backups

• The backup of photos and videos in the Camera Roll is supported.


• Apps, documents and settings are not supported.


• Photos and videos from third party apps are not supported.


• Content in iCloud will be backed up if iCloud backup is enabled and signed in on the phone.


• Data transfer during the backup process may stall when copying large videos.
  DO NOT delete the app from the phone.
  Allow the backup to progress.

Android Backups

• The backup of photos and videos in the Gallery Roll is supported.


• The backup data that is stored in the DCIM, Download and Pictures folder is supported.


• Android OTG (On The Go) devices are not supported.


• Apps, documents and settings are not supported.


• Photos and videos from third party apps are not supported.


• Android battery saving mode can stop the backup from completing.
  It will resume once the phone is in an active state.

Android Backups

For Android auto backups:

• Android OTG (On The Go) devices are not supported.


• Apps, documents and settings are not supported by the Auto Backup feature.


• Battery saving mode within the Android OS can stop the auto backup from completing. It will resume once the device is in an active state.
• Auto backup for Android devices only backs up data that is stored in the DCIM folder.


• Photos or videos from third party apps are not backed up.

Enable Auto Backups

1. Download the mobile app.
    
   • My Cloud OS 5:
     My Cloud OS 5 for iOS
     My Cloud OS 5 for Android
   
   
   • My Cloud Home:
     My Cloud Home for iOS
     My Cloud Home for Android
   
   
   • ibi:
     ibi for iOS
     ibi for Android


2. Sign into the mobile app.


3. Tap the 3-line Settings menu.
   It is located in the upper left corner of the app.
   


4. Tap Settings.


5. Tap Auto backup.
   Auto Backup is off when the grayed out.
   
    

   

   
   
   IMPORTANT:

   Cellular Data Backup is Off by default.
   Turn it On to backup when not connected to Wifi.
   Cellular data rates may apply.
    

   

• Android (My Cloud OS 5, My Cloud Home and ibi)

  Select other folders to backup on Android.
  
  

   





 
•  
• My Cloud OS 5 (iOS and Android)

  Select a share to put the backups.
  Click Continue.
  
  





 
•  

• A Preparing backup message will show.
  The app will start indexing the files.
   

  

  



• The Photos backed up to My Cloud Home message will show when completed.
   

  




 
•  

Disable Auto Backup

1. Open the mobile app.


2. Tap the 3-line Settings menu.
   It's found in the upper left corner of the app.
   


3. Tap App settings.
   


4. Tap Auto backup to disable.
   
   

Solutions Auto Backup for iOS

Clear App Cache

Clear cache to improve app response time and performance.

1. Sign into the mobile app.


2. Tap the 3-line Menu icon.


3. Tap App Settings.


4. Tap Manage Settings.


5. Tap About.


6. Tap Clear Cache.



 

iOS 16 Backups

A new folder is created to backup the content.
App version 4.19.3 and later uses the original folder.

Need more help?
Answer ID 35013: My Cloud OS 5, WD Cloud OS 5, My Cloud Home & ibi: iOS 16 Auto Backups

iOS Photos

Panorama and Edited photos are NOT SUPPORTED.
These Photos must be manually added to My Cloud OS 5, My Cloud Home and ibi.

Background App Refresh

Auto backup will process file while the app is running in the background.
Turn on Background App Refresh.

1. Tap Settings.
    

   



2. Tap General.
    

   



3. Tap Background App Refresh to turn it on.
    

   

Enable Location Services

Location Services is neded to enable auto backups when the app is not in the foreground on iOS 16 and below.
It is also needed when the screen is locked.

1. Tap Settings.
    

   

2. Tap mobile app.
    

   

3. Tap Location.
    

   

4. Tap Always.
    

   

Solutions for Android

Clear App Cache

Clear cache to improve app response time and performance.

1. Sign into the mobile app.


2. Tap the 3-line Menu icon.


3. Tap Settings.


4. Tap Manage Settings.


5. Tap Storage.


6. Tap Clear Cache.



 

Battery Usage

App Battery Usage must be set to Unrestricted.
This will allow auto backup to run in the background on Android 12 and higher.

1. Open the Settings Menu on the Android device.


2. Tap Apps.


3. Tap See all apps.


4. Tap Unrestricted.
   
   

Videos May Not Transfer on Android 13 and Higher

Update permissions to allow media transfer.

1. Download the mobile app.


2. Sign into the mobile app.


3. Tap Settings.


4. Tap Manage settings.


5. Tap Permissions.


6. Tap Photos & Videos.


7. Select Don’t Allow.


8. Navigate back to Permissions.


9. Tap on Photos & Videos.


10. Select Allow.


11. Navigate back to Permissions page.


12. Navigate back to App.