Well, that’s always the first thing a user needs to do with their new Apple device. It’s essential to set up your backup. It’s not a difficult thing at all - but there does need to be a certain amount if minimal action on the user’s part to start it off. I can’t undo the situation if it wasn’t set up in the first place, unfortunately.
Secondly, any user of portable devices needs to understand that the device itself can NEVER be the only place that their data resides. It’s the same thing on computers. That computer CANNOT be the only place that data resides. That’s ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL. Backups off the device (computer or portable) are mandatory.
There’s an old saying that there’s two kinds of computer users - those who have lost data and those who haven’t lost data yet (paraphrased somewhat).
Now, on loading an upgrade to your device - there’s a procedure that one should use to be as safe as possible.
FIRST ... run the cloud backup that Apple has. If you have non-iTunes music, run your iTunes program backup on your computer - which will preserve that.
SECOND ... quit all your running applications, then do a hard rest of your device.
LASTLY ... do the upgrade.
Everything should run smoothly. If it doesn’t, do a restore from your backup - either “cloud” or iTunes.
You might even do a complete reset to “factory condition” and then upgrade and/or restore.
Apple “systems” are very very good - but the user must also do a little interacting here, like with all computer systems and protecting data.
I appreciate the advice. I had my backup on my computer: I don’t trust putting my data on a cloud. And my iTunes has always run poorly, slow loading and response. I just don’t care to use a machine that I can’t control my options like choice of browsers and addons.