I'm trying to delete and recreate my iPhone's iCloud backup because I thought recently installed apps were taking up a lot of backup space. Each time I try, I get the message: "Cannot delete backup. This backup cannot be deleted at this time." I've been trying on and off for about a month. I've restarted and updated my phone, tried deleting the backup from another Apple device, waited between attempts, turned off backups, and currently have around 20 GB of free iCloud storage. The backup is definitely for this iPhone. Is there anything else I should try, and do app files actually get included in an iCloud device backup?
2 Answers
Try turning off iCloud Backup for this iPhone and leave it disabled for a couple of days before attempting the deletion again. Also double-check that you’re managing the backup belonging to this specific device. “Handset” just means your phone.
The apps themselves generally aren’t stored inside the iCloud device backup. The backup can contain information such as your Home Screen arrangement, folders, settings, and app data, while the apps are downloaded again from the App Store when the phone is restored. The app list shown in the backup settings is mainly letting you choose which apps’ data should be included, so turning off large or unnecessary apps there may reduce the backup size without deleting the entire backup. You can also follow Apple’s current instructions for removing a device backup, but deletion may fail temporarily if the account or device is still processing a backup.
That explains the app list I was seeing. I assumed the apps themselves were being saved, but it sounds like the setting is mostly controlling their associated data.
Thanks for clarifying. I had turned backups off, but I realized I hadn’t actually left them disabled for a couple of days yet, so I’m going to try that properly.