iCloud Backup won't complete - iOS beta 4

Hi Carl,

As mentioned in my reply to your other post, iOS 9 Dev Beta 4 mistakenly perceives iOS 9 Dev Betas 2 & 3 backups as corrupt and so it refuses to use it as the basis for the current backup - instead it just stops. As discussed, on iTunes then there is a workaround to fix that by removing the one offending file, but you can't do that with the iCloud backup - the only solution is to delete it first.

You probably won't be able to do this from your iPhone itself - those who have tried reported errors. Instead delete the backup from your Mac's iCloud preference pane (System Preferences > iCloud > Manage). Once you've deleted your old backup, you should be able to manually start the iCloud backup on your iPhone.

Max

Max,

From my Mac, I opened the iCloud>Manage and the backup item shows no files there.

I've also logged out and back in to iCloud etc.

Is there anything else to try?

Thanks, Carl

Carl,

You mentioned that you have ~196GB of space available in iCloud. Others have had issues with invisible iCloud backups that were much more noticable for them because of having only 5GB iCloud capacity.

To establish if this is the case for you, which would explain what you're seeing, can you account for all the space that is used. I.e. does everything else in the Manage iCloud storage section of System Preferences add up to your full capacity less ~196GB?

Seperately to that, it would be a useful diagnostic if you could reproduce the failed backup from another network - the only relevant cause given by Apple's support page for the error you're receiving is that it is network related...

It is showing 199.2gb now. Still didn't work. There are a few pictures and other app data that add up to the 800k.

I'm traveling for a few days so will be able to check on other network. All other network tasks seem OK so not sure why that would cause.

Carl

tthis solution not working for me!

Max

Tried alternate network. Still same problem. "The last backup could not be completed".

Starts off and goes for a few minutes with "Estimating time for backup", but then does not complete.

I have seen it in the past give some time for the estimated backup and get further along for 10-20 min.

Is there any diagnostic log I could check to see where it might be having the issue?

Carl

Given that you iCloud storage is clear of backups and all accounted for, and that it isn't network related, I think the following will exhaust my suggestions:

Are you triggering the iCloud backup from the iPhone through Settings > iCloud > Backup > and toggling iCloud Backup off and then on again?

Or are you triggering it by connecting to the iPhone to your Mac and toggling iTunes > Summary > Backup > from iCloud to This Computer and back again?

Unless you've been trying both, try whichever you've not been trying.

To answer your question, you may be able to pull something from the iPhone's crash log:

1. Connect the iPad or iPhone to the Mac and sync it as usual
2. Hit Command+Shift+G and copy-paste in ~/Library/Logs/CrashReporter/MobileDevice/

Finally, if it still won't backup to iCloud, I'd wait to see if the likely imminent arrival of Beta 5 fixes the issue before submitting a bug report.

Max,

I tried both toggling iCloud backup on phone as well as in iTunes.

Backup in iTunes on PC is ok.

Just updated to Beta 5, and still has same error it cannot complete backup to iCloud.

On iPhone, in settings iCloud manage storage, it shows latest backup Never, and 0

bytes used. Shows "Next backup size: 99.8Mb". That seems a bit low if it is backing

up txt and photos.

Tried "Delete backup" and turning it off/on.

Then started backup.

Progress bar shows time of about 28min for backup.

Progress along the way:

Time left 25min at 10% progress.

45 min at 20%

28min at 25%

10min at 50%

16 min at 60%

2 min at 95%

Then hung there and says cannot complete backup.

Guess I'll submit a bug report as I can't seem to get this to work.

Carl

I'd have to say that's probably your best bet at this point 😐

Do you have an Apple Watch? There has been some suggestion recently that the backups iPhones make when un-syncing from them are not visible but are capable of causing issues...

No Apple watch. I did see that possibility of sync issues, but doesn't look like it would apply in my case.

If you're prepared to re-do your settings again, Settings > General > Reset > Reset all Settings, may fix the issue - yours seems to be a more persistent issue than others with similar symptoms, which makes me wonder if it wasn't compounded by some errant setting or suchlike.

Max,

Reset All settings. Got to 95% progress faster than previous,

but then hung there, and then had same message it could not

complete.

No backups showing in iCloud when I view on the Mac in

manage screen.

I've reset settings before, but thought maybe with the Beta 5 it

might help as you noted. Still hoping one of your ideas will work!

Carl

Well, I'm running out of them 😀.

It might be worth trying to delete backups from the iPhone too: Go to Settings > iCloud > Storage, then tap Manage Storage.

Others with iCloud storage issues sometimes found that this method was aware of phantom backups that Manage Strorage from the Mac was not. However, I think this was in relation to Watch backups again... but you never know 🙂

Did that before. Now it says cannot be deleted at this time, try again.

Waited a few min, then the delete worked.

Interesting also all apps say "no data" in the "next backup size"

to backup. Seems like many apps would have some background

data to backup. Maybe it toggled the data as already backed up

so no new data to back up? Tried turning off Photo Library

but that did not affect it.

iCloud photo library says I have 15 photos in iCloud. Not really

sure why those are there, as I have many photos in my iPhone

camera roll. I have iCloud Photo library off and just Photo Stream

on. Do you think these 15 iCloud photos could be causing any

interaction with backup? I would have thought they were independent.

Carl

I can imagine Apple attempting to save user's iCloud space and mobile data usage by not uploading what was already there in photos. Removing them from the equation is worth a shot I guess...