There's also a manual backup option, with options to stop the backup process if your battery level falls below a specified amount or if a WiFi connection is not available. When backing up manually the app must, due to Windows Phone API restrictions, remain in the foreground, but there is a useful progress indicator, which shows how photos have been backed up (and how many remain to be backed up).
We would recommend, if you decide to use the app, doing an initial backup of photos using the manual option and then switching on the automatic backup process. That way you can ensure that your precious photos are safe and sound in Nero's cloud.
BackItUp for Windows Phone is going to be most attractive to those who are already using the service to backup their desktop PC, laptop or other devices, but the offer an offer of unlimited storage for £50 per year may prove tempting to first time users too. You can choose to run BackItUp along side the default SkyDrive backup functionality, but do bear in mind that this will double your data usage.
The background process that enables BackItUp's automatic background upload feature is Windows Phone's ResourceIntensiveTask API. This means that the upload process will only be started if a certain set of condition is met (WiFi connection present, phone plugged in, and battery level above 90%).
There are a number of other third party apps that use the same set of APIs to provide similar functionality for other cloud and photo storage services. These include CameraSync DropBox, CameraSync Box.com, CameraSync Copy (Copy.com), 2flicka (Flickr), SkyPath (ImageShack), FileBox (DropBox), Flickr Central, Shutterfly, PicasaSync, and Storegate. These apps, when active, are listed under the apps heading of the auto upload section of the photos+camera Settings app module (Settings->Applications->photos+camera).
Windows Phone Store description:
Don’t lose your photos ever again! Nero BackItUp mobile app is a photo backup solution for all your Windows Phone 8 devices. You can now easily backup photos to Nero BackItUp online storage in just a few taps. Not only does Nero BackItUp offer you intuitive free backup software, it also gives you FREE 5GB online storage to backup, stream, browse and share your files with your friends and family anytime anywhere.
Features:
- Free 5 GB Nero BackItUp online storage
- Easy backup in just a few taps
- Backup all your photos to Nero BackItUp online storage
- Automatically backup your photos whenever your Windows Phone is plugged-in and on Wi-Fi
BackItUp is a free download from the Windows Phone Store. Every Nero BackItUp account comes with 5GB of free storage, but you can optionally upgrade to a 25GB (£29.99 per year) or unlimited (£49.99 per year) quota. The service can also be used to back up other devices (PC, tablets, smartphones).