Many people have noticed a message saying “Uploading to iCloud Paused” while using the Messages app. When the issue appears, iPhone prompts the users to connect to a power outlet and charge the battery. However, even if they leave the phone for charging overnight, the upload process pauses again when they disconnect the device.
If you find yourself in the same situation, don’t panic. Listed below are a couple of solutions that have helped many people who got the same problem, and you can expect the same for yourself too.
How to Fix “Uploading to iCloud Paused”
As mentioned above, the problem persists even if you keep your phone charging for several hours. Nonetheless, because the error is not related to any faulty hardware, it can be resolved merely by changing some settings or making some adjustments to your smartphone. Some proven remedies to get rid of the ‘Uploading to iCloud Paused’ issue are as follows.
Solution 1: Try a Different Wi-Fi Network
Although highly unlikely, even if your wireless connection is stable, sometimes iPhone refuses to communicate with Apple servers. As a result, any task that involves the Internet or interaction with the vendor halts or fails to proceed altogether. When this happens, your best bet is to switch to a different Wi-Fi network. The process is given below:
- Go to Settings > Wi-Fi.
- Tap to select the SSID (Service Set Identifier) of a wireless connection other than the one you’re currently connected to.
- Enter the password when the phone prompts.
- Tap Join from the top-right corner.
- Retry and see if the problem is fixed.
Solution 2: Reset Network Settings
The uploading to iCloud is paused even if there is some problem with the network settings. If you come from a technical background, it should be easy for you to identify the culprit configuration. On the other hand, if you don’t know much about it, the easiest resolution would be to reset all the network settings to their defaults. You can learn this by following the instructions explained below:
- Go to Settings > General.
- Scroll down to the bottom and tap Transfer or Reset iPhone.
- Tap Reset from the bottom of the next screen.
- Tap Reset Network Settings.
- Enter the passcode for your phone.
- Tap Reset Network Settings.
- Wait while your iPhone restarts with the network settings reverted to their defaults.
- After this, go to Settings > Wi-Fi.
- Tap to select the SSID of the wireless connection you want to join.
- Enter the password.
- Tap Join from the top-right.
- See if the issue is gone.
Solution 3: Disable Low Power Mode
Low Power Mode, when enabled, suspends all optional tasks, especially those that use the Internet. iPhone does this to extend the battery life so you can use it for a longer period, i.e., until you find a suitable place for charging.
If your battery is sufficiently charged, you can turn off Low Power Mode to fix the Uploading to iCloud Paused message. You can follow the procedure given below to get this done:
- Go to Settings.
- Tap Battery this time.
- Tap to turn off the Low Power Mode switch if it’s turned on.
- Note: If the Low Power Mode switch is already off, you can turn it on, wait for 10 to 15 seconds, and then turn it back off.
- See if the error is resolved.
Solution 4: Keep Your Device Connected to the Power
As informed earlier, the Uploading to iCloud Paused issue appears again as soon as the iPhone is disconnected from the power outlet. If none of the above solutions work and you see the error message reappear when you unplug the phone, for urgent tasks, you can keep it connected and complete the pending work.
In addition, sometimes even a faulty adapter or cable is also a culprit. Therefore, it would be wise if you use a different charger and the Lightning Cable for charging. In any case, always make sure to use Apple’s original products, be it the cable or adapter.
Also, if using different peripherals fails to fix the problem, you can try a wireless charger to charge your smartphone and see if it does the trick.
Solution 5: Turn Off All Other Devices Sharing Common iMessage Credentials
Another reason for the ‘Uploading to iCloud Paused’ error message could be the conflicts between redundant upload requests sent to iCloud. If you have more than one device that uses the same iMessage account, any time you attempt to send an iMessage, your iPhone automatically synchronizes with all other devices. This creates multiple concurrent uploading sessions from the same ID, thus confusing the server which further makes challenging for it to identify the originating device that initiated the process.
If the above information is too technical for you, you can skip that part and remember that all you need to do is, turn off all the devices such as iPad, MacBook Pro, iMac, etc. that share common iMessage credentials.
Once this is done, you can restart your iPhone by following the instructions below to see if the problem is resolved:
To Restart Your iPhone:
- Go to Settings > General.
- Scroll down to the bottom of the General screen.
- Tap Shut Down.
- Swipe the slide to power off slider to the right to shut down your iPhone.
- Now, wait for 30 to 60 seconds.
- Long-press the Sleep/Wake button, a.k.a. Side Button to turn your phone back on.
- Check if you can upload to iCloud after this.
The above guide is a common method that works for all iPhone models. To be faster, you can google to know which buttons to press to restart your device.
Solution 6: Update iPhone Software
Apple is pretty notorious for its behavior of compelling users to update their device(s) as soon as the latest iOS version rolls out, and the iDevices’ performance deteriorates significantly if that prompt is ignored. This usually happens because Apple servers are configured to accept and entertain service requests only from the gears with the latest operating system, and they automatically reject any incoming messages from devices with the obsolete OS.
Therefore, you are strongly suggested to check and install the latest software update on your iPhone to fix the Uploading to iCloud Paused problem. The method of doing so is explained below:
- Ensure that your iPhone is at least 50% charged and connected to the power supply.
- Go to Settings > General.
- Tap Software Update.
- Wait while your phone checks for any newer version of iOS available for your device.
- Tap Download and Install.
- Wait while the new iOS is downloaded and installed on your iPhone, and the phone restarts.
- Check if the problem is gone.
Conclusion
All the solutions suggested above are helpful depending on the root cause of the issue. If you are unsure about the problematic configuration or flaw, you can try these methods in sequence to see if any of them does the trick, and the Uploading to iCloud Paused error message is gone.
