A backup routine is useful when you can recover the file. Start by opening an important assignment from somewhere other than the device where you created it.
A phone backup can help after loss or replacement, but check that it completed. Apple's iCloud Backup instructions show where to see the date and time of the last backup. That status check is more useful than remembering that you once turned backup on.
The project handover test
For your next assignment, create a folder with three clearly named items:
- The editable project or document.
- A finished export in the required submission format.
- A short note listing any extra files needed to edit it.
Keep a separate copy on storage you control. Then pretend your usual device is unavailable: can you find the folder, open the export and understand which version is final?
Do this while you still have time to fix missing fonts, media or attachments. Do not discover them at the submission desk.
Shared is not the same as backed up
A classmate's shared folder is useful for collaboration, but it is not automatically a copy you control. Agree who keeps the original and who can change it. Google's sharing guide distinguishes viewer, commenter and editor access.
For a group submission, write the final filename and submission owner in the chat. Avoid a trail of documents called “final-new-latest” with no clear handover.
Keep personal identity documents and unrelated photographs out of the shared project folder. The people who need your presentation rarely need the rest of your phone.
Name the separate copy with a date and version. If someone replaces the working file later, you should still be able to identify this copy. Clear handovers also help when building a work reputation.
Pick one important file today. Recover it from the second location. If that works, you have tested something real.