SMS (and other files) Back location

Does anybody know the answer? I know contacts are backed up to Address Book, photos to iPhoto, music and apps to iTunes, calendars to iCal, and bookmarks come from Safari. Are any other files, like Notes, backed up to any location? Apple just replaced my new iPhone with another, and if my notes are stored somewhere it would be convenient to be able to access them (convenient but not vital).

Is there a way to back-up Notes and other things on the computer?

Thanks!

SMS forwarding is not possible on iPhone (no 3rd party solution, either).

You can submit feedback to Apple: http://www.apple.com/feedback/iphone.html.

Contacts are synced from Outlook or Windows Address Book, and are not "backed up". This linked kbase article describes what is and is not backed up - Backup information includes information such as mail settings, text messages, notes, call history, contact favorites, sound settings, widget settings, certain network settings, and other preferences. Applications and photos taken on the iPhone (Camera Roll) are also backed up.

The backup is stored in C:\USERNAME\Application Data\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup. Note that these aren't readily accessible files - the backup is actually a SQLite database; there are scripts out there to parse the database, but that sort of thing is not for the casual user.

Your reply sounds like you're using a PC. I don't have Outlook or Windows because I do all my work from an iMac. It seems that my contacts are backed up through Address Book. Whether I add a contact to my computer or my iPhone, the contact is transferred back and forth equally. On Leopard, my backups of some sort appear under Username\Library\Application Support\MobileSync\Backup\<gobbledy-gook>\filenames.mdbackup, but the suffix to all the files is mdbackup and the iMac didn't know which app to use to read those files (and I can't spend time at this minute searching). That must be the part about it being a SQLite database you talked about, of which I haven't any clue.

Will read the article you reference to see if I get more info.

Thanks!
Deanna

No, I use a Mac - check my profile below each post (MBP = MacBook Pro). But, notice that my reply was directed to the original poster - Viking1055, who lists Dell D63 Windows XP Pro in the profile. Thus, my answer was framed accordingly.

To answer your question, yes, Notes are backed up as part of the backup process (you have found the location of the backups, ~\Library\Application Support\MobileSync\). The backup process captures data that is _not synced_ (contacts, calendar, etc., are synced, and thus, not backed up by the backup process). But, as I stated, they are database files; they can be parsed using a python script run from the Terminal, but, as mentioned, that sort of thing is beyond the casual user. You can check out this blog for a few more details.

Thanks. I guess if I had restored my replacement iPhone it would have put all the notes onto the new phone from those backup files? I don't think I restored.

Thanks for your help! Sorry I can't flag your post as helpful.

Deanna

Hi,
there is an app at Micromat that allows you you download your sms from your iphone 3G and save to your mac. It does work but only seems to handle the English language correctly. I also receive sms's in German but it has problems with german grammar.

here is the link.

Rob

http://www.micromat.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=191&Itemid=61