iCloud is disappearing on these old iPhones and iPads, here’s how to back up your data

For two days, a page has been turning for certain iPhone and iPad users. Devices running iOS 8 or earlier can no longer back up their data to iCloud. This decision marks an important step for Apple as it pushes its users to adopt newer systems.

Apple regularly updates its services to meet security and compatibility needs. However, these improvements are sometimes accompanied by difficult decisions for users of older material. These devices, often left aside during technological developments, lose gradually access to certain functionalities. The recent cessation of backups iCloud for iPhones and iPads running iOS 8 illustrates this transition towards more modern solutions.

Since the December 18, 2024iPhones and iPads using iOS 8 or earlier versions can no longer save their data on iCloud. This measure, announced by Apple last November, also concerns the deletion of all existing backups for these devices. This means that users who have not yet migrated to a newer system are at risk of lose permanently their online backups.

iOS 8 devices need to be updated to keep iCloud backups

Pour avoid any loss of data, Apple recommends strongly to the affected users of to update their devices to iOS 9 or later newer version like the very recent iOS 18, if technically possible. This allows you to maintain access to iCloud backups and ensure better compatibility with current services. However, for devices that cannot, there is still a alternative : carry out manual backups. This can be done by connecting the device to a Mac or Windows PC, via software like iTunes.

This decision by Apple also comes in a context of enhanced security. Recently, a critical flaw affecting iCloud highlighted the risks of using outdated systems. Of the malicious applications could exploit this vulnerability to access users’ personal data, such as their photos or sensitive files. This incident, added to l’obsolescence of the iCloud system under iOS 8, reinforces the need to migrate to modern versions. With iOS 9 and its technologies like CloudKit, the company guarantees increased security by abandoning old systems that have become obsolete and vulnerable.