Backup vs. Synchronization - the differences

There is a difference between backup and synchronization, which unfortunately cannot be explained by itself. We'll show you what the two terms mean.

Synchronization - what does that mean?

During synchronization, data is compared between two or more devices and brought up to date.
Such a synchronization happens more and more often via certain cloud services. Devices and applications can also be synchronized using software on the PC.
An example: You use your calendar on your smartphone as well as on your computer. So that you don't have to make every change on each device individually, synchronize the respective calendars with each other. Depending on the type of synchronization, this can be done differently.
If you create a new appointment on the smartphone, it is transferred to the calendar on the PC using an online function. Alternatively, the changes are only transferred if you connect your smartphone to the PC and manually synchronize the calendar using software.

In the case of a backup, the data are not updated as with the synchronization between two devices, but only backed up on one device.
A backup is traditionally used to back up your data in the event of loss or damage. Backups can be created from both smartphones and computers and save all your personal files. This means that a backup can quickly grow to several GB.
An example: If you connect your smartphone to the computer, you can back up your data with the associated software using a backup for Android or iOS. If your cell phone is lost or has to be reinstalled due to damage, you can then restore the backup.
The backup includes all of your personal files and settings. If you play the backup, your smartphone is back to the date when you made the last backup.

In the next practical tip, we will show you how to backup iTunes.