recovering backed-up data on an iphone that is now lost

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recovering backed-up data on an iphone that is now lost

In early September of 2018, I backed up my iphone 7. I then lost the phone itself in late September. I began using an iphone 4, which seems to have recovered some photos but not all photos from the iphone 7. The iphone 4 cannot run the new ios.

So: I now have an iphone 6 and I'm trying get the photos and back from that early September 2018 back up.

I see the Sep. 3, 2018 back up in my options.

My iphone 4 cannot be restored to take that Sep. 3 2018 back up, because it cannot use the new ios.

If I restore the iphone 6 I now use with the Sep. 3 2018 back-up, I'm concerned about losing everything created and used on the two iphones (4 and 6) that I've used since I lost the iphone 7.

The iphone 6 obviously has the up to date ios, but if erase everything on it and restore it to Sep. 3, 2018, that will not be ideal.

Thoughts? Thanks!

iPhone 6, iOS 12

Posted on Jun 8, 2019 7:50 PM

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Answer 1

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ChrisJ4203

Level 10

230,389 points

Jun 8, 2019 8:26 PM in response to palindromeemordnilap

Restoring a backup is all or none. You cannot be selective. The only difference in photos is if you were using iCloud photos. If you restore the iPhone 6 to the backup of the iPhone 7, it will mirror the iPhone 7 at the time of the backup before your loss. What was done on the iPhone 4 is not in the backup you have from the 7. If you wish to save anything from that phone, you are going to have to find some other way to save it, since a backup of that device is not what was on the iPhone 7, and if you restore the iPhone 6 to the backup of the iPhone 4, it will only have that content on it, and if you try to restore the iPhone 7 backup, it will erase any content from the iPhone 4. One or the other, you cannot have both.

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Answer 2

Jun 9, 2019 8:37 AM in response to ChrisJ4203

Thank you very much. If you have a second, what about the following scenario?

I'm about to retire my daughter's iphone 5. I think it runs the latest ios. So:

What if I back it up to iTunes and erase it? This iphone 5 back up from June 2019 would be in the system. The iphone 5 itself would now be empty.

Then I restore the Sep. 3, 2018 data from the iphone 7 to my daughter's now erased iphone 5.

I get the photos etc. that I need/want from the iphone 5 device, which now holds that iphone 7 back up material from Sep. 3, 2018. I transfer that info to my desktop.

I then erase that iphone 5 and let it bet or restore it with a different back up or what have you.

The daughter's new iphone (generation 6 or higher) would then be restored with the back up of the iphone 5 from June 2019.

Is this plausible? Thanks again!

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Answer 3

Jun 9, 2019 9:02 AM in response to Michael Black

Thank you! I should have confirmed daughter's iphone generation. It is an iPhone SE and somewhat future proof, not an iPhone 5 as I first stated. If you have a second, any thoughts on the scenario, given that info? Appreciatively, p

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Answer 4

Jun 9, 2019 9:17 AM in response to palindromeemordnilap

Yes, if you can restore that backup to the SE you can then transfer photos (not via a backup) to a computer and even add them to your iCloud library if you use iCloud photos.

If there are texts in that backup you want as well, you will need third party software for your computer, such as PhoneView for Mac, or iExplorer, to pull those texts and save them to the computer.

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Answer 5

Jun 9, 2019 8:57 AM in response to palindromeemordnilap

An iphone 5 cannot be updated to iOS 12 - it cannot be updated beyond iOS 10.3.3. So your iPhone 7 backup cannot be restored to it.

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Answer 6

Jun 9, 2019 9:00 AM in response to palindromeemordnilap

Sorry, to clarify: the daughter about-to-be-retired iphone is an iPhone SE (not a 5).

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Answer 7

Jun 9, 2019 9:26 AM in response to Michael Black

Thanks so much, I'll look to do that!!

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recovering backed-up data on an iphone that is now lost

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