Apps Not Showing in iCloud Backup: 9 Methods to Fix It

Apps not showing in iCloud backup? This guide will tell you how to fix apps not backing up to iCloud. Besides, an easy alternative to backup iPhone is also included.

Kathy by Kathy Updated September 14, 2024
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Why aren't my apps in my icloud backup?

I have roughly 200 apps on my phone and only 20 or so are showing in my icloud backup. I have 2tb icloud+ plan with more than enough space. Why aren't all of my apps in my icloud backup?

- Question from Reddit

Why are apps not showing in iCloud backup?

When it comes to how to backup iPhone, plenty of iPhone users tend to use Apple's built-in feature - iCloud to backup iPhone. Once you enable iCloud Backup on your iPhone, it will automatically backup iPhone data to iCloud. 

iCloud

However, many users have complained that some apps don't show up in iCloud Backup frequently. There are multiple factors that can cause apps backup to fail, and here we list some common reasons why apps not showing in iCloud backup.

iCloud storage space is full.

Typically, iCloud only provides 5GB of free storage space. If you don't pay for the extra space, you won't be able to back up any iPhone data once your iCloud storage space is full.

Unstable network connection.

iCloud backup only works properly in a stable WiFi network environment. If you accidentally disconnect from the network, the backup will stop immediately.

Use a different Apple ID.

Normally, iCloud can only support the same Apple ID to backup. If you use different Apple IDs, iPhone apps, photos, and videos will not be shown in iCloud backups.

Apps are currently not available in iCloud.

If purchased apps are refunded or unavailable in the App store, they will not be backed up to iCloud. In addition, for some third-party apps, you may need to download the relevant data from the app provider again.

If you are desperately looking for this effective solution, keep calm and read this article where we will introduce the best iCloud alternative to back up iPhone or you can use 9 possible ways to fix the app not showing in iCloud.

Best alternative way to fix iPhone not backing up

Don't want to pay extra for more storage space? Worried that iCloud backup is too slow? Here comes a better alternative to a backup iPhone without iCloud.

FoneTool is a powerful free iOS backup software developed by an established team focusing on data security with more than a decade of experience.

Features:
· It can back up iPhone data at a super fast speed and high success rate to save time.
· During the whole backup process, it won't delete any original data of the source iPhone.
· With the help of this user-friendly phone tool. It only needs 3 simple steps to perform backup operations.
· You can selectively back up photos, videos, etc. or fully back up important data on your iPhone.
· It supports all iOS devices including the latest iPhone 16/15, iPad, iPod and is perfectly compatible with iOS 18/17.

To start with, download and install FoneTool for free. Connect your iPhone to the computer and click Trust on your iPhone. Let’s check how to backup iPhone.

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Part 1. How to back up my iPhone selectively

From this part, you can learn how to selectively back up photos, videos, music, contacts and messages on iPhone.

Step 1. Run FoneTool. Go to Phone Backup > Selective Backup > Click Get Started.

selective backup

Step 2. Click the add icon to preview and select what you want and click OK.

Select Photos

Step 3. Click Backup Storage Path to choose a storage path, and click Start Backup.

Start Backup

Part 2. How to backup iPhone apps completely

With this feature, you can back up all iPhone data, including settings, all apps, etc.

Step 1. Go to Phone Backup > Full Backup  > Click Get Started.

full Backup

Step 2. You can enable Backup Encryption to backup personal data > Select a storage path from the Backup Storage Path option to save the backup and click Start Backup.

begin full backup

Once the process, you can go to My Backups page to view, locate or restore your iPhone backups.

How to fix apps not showing in iCloud backup

You are not alone, It is indeed an annoying thing about this issue of “why are my apps not showing up on iCloud?” for many people. Thankfully, this next section will be of great help to you. Continue reading to get more detailed information.

Method 1. Check the network connection

A stable network connection is essential for backing up your iPhone using iCloud. When iCloud backup not showing all apps, the first thing you should do is to check if your device is connected to a stable network (either Wi-Fi or cellular data). Because any network error may occur iCloud backup failed.

If necessary, you may need to reset the network settings to avoid the appearance of iCloud not showing all apps. It will reset the network to its default settings, and remove the Wi-Fi password and Bluetooth connection from the device.

On your iPhone, go to Settings > General > Tap Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Network Settings > Enter your password to confirm.

Reset Network Settings

Method 2. View and manage iCloud storage

Of course, you can check to see if your iCloud storage has run out of space. If iCloud storage space is not enough, apps may not be included in iCloud backups. Typically you would need to pay for a higher plan to work out how to add apps to iCloud backup, but this is not a promising idea in the long term. Instead, you can look at what's taking up iCloud storage space and then delete the unimportant content to free up space.

Step 1. Go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Manage Storage to view space usage on your iPhone.

Manage Storage

Step 2. You can delete data you no longer need to free up iCloud storage space.              

Or you can use FoneTool mentioned above to manage your iCloud data on PC. With its powerful feature, you can easily delete iCloud and iCloud Drive data. (My iCloud > Log in with your Apple ID > Manage iCloud)     

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manage iCloud

Method 3. Check Apple System Status

If there is a problem with the iCloud service, you may also experience that apps not syncing between devices. Since sometimes Apple performs routine maintenance on specific iCloud services, you can go to the System Status page to see if the service is working.

If you can see the green light symbol next to the iCloud service, go to the next solution. If not, then the iCloud service is malfunctioning and you can wait for Apple developers to fix this issue to resolve it.

System Status

Method 4. View your iCloud settings

Viewing iCloud setting is also a good solution to fix “How do I know if my apps are backed up on iCloud?”. If you want to know how to include apps in iCloud backup, you need to manually enable iCloud for them to sync information on your iPhone.

On your iPhone: Go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud. Find the app you want to back up to iCloud and turn on the button on the right. 

iCloud Enable Messages

 Method 5. Use other cloud storage services to sync apps

Some people may wonder: are all my apps backed up to iCloud? It is the truth that not all apps show in iCloud. Some apps may not support backup to iCloud, You first figure out this issue of what apps could I backup on iCloud. 

However, we all know what happens if you don't back up an app on iCloud, and there is always a risk of losing some important data. Therefore, you could know how to put apps in the cloud. You can take full use of Google or Microsoft cloud services.

Cloud Storage Services

Method 6. Sign out & in iCloud account to get app data

Alternatively, you can try to sign out of your iCloud account and sign in again. When you sign out of iCloud, iPhone will ask you if you left a copy of certain data on your iPhone, but you can't be sure which data can be saved. If you don't mind, you can go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > scroll down the screen and click Sign Out > Enter your password to confirm.

Sign Out

Then sign in to iCloud again and follow the steps on how to include apps in iCloud backup. Once you're done, you'll be able to get iCloud app data.

Method 7. Force restart iPhone

If none of the above methods work, it is also possible that there is something wrong with your iPhone. It can refresh your iPhone to avoid system troubles. When apps are not in iCloud, you can fix the problem by restarting your iPhone.

● iPhone 8 or later: Press the volume+ button and then quickly release. Press the volume- button and then quickly release. Press the power button for seconds, you will see the Apple logo.
● iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus: Press both the power button and volume- button for seconds.

Force restart iPhone

Method 8. Update the latest iOS and app version

Since iOS and apps are always being updated to fix bugs, you can also upgrade iOS and apps to the latest version.

To update iOS: Go to Settings > Tap General > Tap Software Update and see if there is a new version. If there is a new version, tap Download and Install and follow the on-screen prompts to install the latest iOS version.            

iOS Software Update

To upgrade apps: Check the App Store to see if there is a new version of apps, and if so, tap Update.

Method 9. Get help from the Apple support team

If you have tried the above methods and still don’t solve the problem of “how do I see my apps in iCloud?”, you can contact the professional Apple support team for help. Describe your problem in as much detail as possible so that the staff can better help you out of this trouble.

Wrapping up

This article mainly introduces 9 proven solutions to fix apps not showing in iCloud backup. You should already know how to see backed-up apps on iCloud. As we have mentioned, there are various limitations to backup an iPhone with iCloud. For example, internet connection, storage space, backup speed and so on.

In order to give users a better iPhone backup experience, we share a free and professional iOS backup tool - FoneTool. It enables users to backup iPhone data easily without any limitations. Come and try it out to explore more great features.

FoneTool - All-in-one iPhone Data Manager

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  • Full/Selective Backup iPhone
  • Transfer between iPhone and PC
  • 1-Click Transfer iPhone to iPhone
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  • Fully compatible with iOS 18
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