I'm trying to delete and recreate my iPhone's iCloud backup without including some apps and their data, but I keep getting the message: "Cannot delete backup. This backup cannot be deleted at this time." I've been seeing this for about a month. I've restarted and updated my iPhone, tried deleting the backup from another Apple device, waited between backup attempts, and currently have around 20 GB of free iCloud storage. I also tried turning iCloud Backup off, although I may not have left it disabled for the recommended amount of time. The backup definitely belongs to this iPhone. What else can I try, and do the apps shown in the backup settings actually take up space in the backup?
2 Answers
The apps listed in the backup settings can be toggled because iCloud may be saving their app data and settings, not because the full app installers are stored in the backup. The apps themselves are normally downloaded again from the App Store when you restore the phone, while things such as app documents, preferences, and the Home Screen arrangement may be included. Turning off backup for apps that store a lot of local data can reduce the backup size without deleting the whole backup.
First, make sure iCloud Backup is turned off for this iPhone, then leave it disabled for at least a day or two before trying to remove the existing backup again. Also confirm that you’re managing the backup for the correct device under your Apple Account. Restarting, updating iOS, and having free storage usually won’t fix a backup that is still active or stuck. If it still cannot be deleted after that, Apple Support may need to clear the backup on their end.
That makes sense. I had thought I’d left backups disabled for several days, but I later realized it hadn’t actually been that long, so I’m going to try leaving it off properly before attempting the deletion again.
That’s why the backup details show individual apps. The list indicates which apps have data included; it doesn’t necessarily mean the complete apps are being copied into iCloud.