How to back up your SIM Card: Contacts and Data

A backup acts as a fail-safe in any unsavory event. Especially for data that is subject to scrutiny. As we have seen over the last couple of years, SIM cards have become one of the new favorites of hackers. While hackers target SIM for more crucial data, the loss of contacts certainly adds to the injury as people are no longer in the practice of maintaining a phone diary. That’s why SIM card backup and restoration are a must to heed in these trying times. The following article deals with SIM backup, its necessity, and the various methods involved on both Android and iOS.

What is a SIM Backup? Why is it necessary?

SIM backup is a process where the data can get saved, stored, and retrieved from a remote location. As such, it can mitigate any uncertain or pertaining risk to the SIM card data. It is particularly helpful to those who tend to use different SIMs regularly or switch SIM cards periodically.

However, the SIM backup can also be used to guarantee data recovery in case of theft or loss. It is also prudent if the device itself is misplaced or damaged. One might argue that the SIM itself doesn’t hold anything of much value that would garner a need for backup. But what about contacts? Since the advent of the internet, the world has grown smaller as more and more people get access to faster communication.

As a result, a typical person might have over a thousand contacts in his phone book. And we know it to be an impossibility to remember such a vast amount of data. Hence, SIM backup can keep your contacts safe.

Note – The following article discussed the various methods that can aid users with SIM backup. While we have tried to incorporate more universal solutions, some of them are only applicable to a particular system/platform/OS.

Method 1. Use a third-party app to back up contacts

There are tons of apps available to both, Android and iOS users that can not only back up but also transfer data to another device for safekeeping. Sometimes these apps require a Wi-Fi connection for sharing data, while sometimes, they can simply use Bluetooth. These apps are also suitable when the user has to switch devices, as they can back up data from the older device and restore it on the newer one.

There are also third-party apps that use exclusive cloud servers to store the data. And some apps connect the smartphone to a PC or macOS device and make a backup there.

The typical steps involved, no matter your OS, are as such:

1. First, go to your App store and download any Data transfer app.
2. Also, download the app on the target device (be it a PC or another mobile).
3. Now connect to the target device using either a USB cable or Bluetooth or Wi-Fi as needed by the app.
4. Open the app on your smartphone and choose the data you want to back up.
5. Confirm your selection and wait for the backup to be created on the target device.
6. Now you can disconnect your device. You can restore your device by connecting to the target and using the same app.

Method 2. Back up your data on the Google Cloud, using a Google Account

Another solution, suitable for backups, is using cloud storage. Now, we are only talking about the Google Account and sync. There was a time when iPhone users only had the option of using the Apple account. But today, both Android and iOS users can use the Google service for data backup and restoration. Furthermore, Google offers 15 GB of free cloud storage, common across multiple web services.

Here are the relevant steps:

1. First, go to your device setting.
2. Scroll down and tap on Google.
3. Click on Back Up, and select Contacts.
4. Wait for the synchronization.

You can always use your Google account instead of your SIM card to download/restore your contacts. Although, iPhone users have to first sync their contacts to iCloud before using the Google account. We have covered iCloud backup in the next step.

Method 3. Sync your iOS device to your iTunes account

Next, we are going to consider yet another cloud service, namely iCloud, which is a counterpart of Google Drive. As such, iOS users can use iCloud to sync their devices to online cloud storage and then use iTunes on different platforms to restore data. However, for cross-platform transfers between Android and iOS, users have to use a device (PC) in between, as they can’t interact directly.

1. First, browse your iPhone’s settings.
2. Go to Contact and choose Import.
3. Then select iCloud and wait for the backup file to be uploaded.
4. Now, on the target device, launch iTunes and sync your account.
5. Finally, export the VCard from iCloud and store it on your PC.

Method 4. Use external storage to back up your data

The next method involves converting the data into a .vcf file which can be shared over an email, via SD card, uploaded to a cloud account, or even sent via Bluetooth. Hence, it is by far the simplest and most convenient method. As such, we recommend using this method to actively back up and store your SIM data. All you have to do is:

1. First, go to your device contact.
2. After that, access your phone book settings.
3. Then click on Export.
4. And after that, select the Export method.
5. Finally, tap on Export to SD card.
6. Now go to your External storage and choose the file.

You can leave the .vcf file as is or share it/store it in a different place, such as online cloud storage or another device.

Method 5. Use your device’s Bluetooth to share data with a backup device

And finally, we have Bluetooth that can be used to share contacts with another device. All you have to ensure is that the Bluetooth is working on both devices and connected to each other. After that, you can simply select the contacts and share them over Bluetooth.