I just backed up my new iphone. The backup is encrypted (i.e., the 'Encrypt local backup box is checked). How can I verify what password was used for that backup. Just want to ensure that if I have to use the backup I'll know the password.
iPhone XR
You can't. That's not how it works. When you select the encrypted backup option it asks you to set a password for it. This is the key to encrypt/de-crypt the backups in the future. Only you know what this password is. Its not tied to anything else and you are asked to enter it at that time.
After that, if there was a way to know the password, it would entirely defeat the purpose of having encrypted the backup. The password is so you cannot have access to the backup unless you know the password. If you can just view the password after the fact, then it makes the entire thing meaningless.
You can reset the password, and create a new encrypted backup using the new password, however the older backups will no longer be accessible. See here: About encrypted backups in iTunes - Apple Support
You can't. That's not how it works. When you select the encrypted backup option it asks you to set a password for it. This is the key to encrypt/de-crypt the backups in the future. Only you know what this password is. Its not tied to anything else and you are asked to enter it at that time.
After that, if there was a way to know the password, it would entirely defeat the purpose of having encrypted the backup. The password is so you cannot have access to the backup unless you know the password. If you can just view the password after the fact, then it makes the entire thing meaningless.
You can reset the password, and create a new encrypted backup using the new password, however the older backups will no longer be accessible. See here: About encrypted backups in iTunes - Apple Support
When you restore the encrypted backup, it will require you enter the password for it. You can enter it as many times as you want then. It will not lock you out.
And you may have not noticed, or thought it was asking for a password for something else, but when selecting the encrypted password option, it will inevitably ask to set one up. The Encryption option does not work without setting up a password first, since it uses the password as part of the encryption seed. It is required. Whatever was used, was something you had to enter yourself.
As explained in the support document linked to above:
3 - On the Summary screen, select "Encrypt [device] backup" in the Backups section.
4 - When asked, make a password. Create one that you'll remember or write it down and store it safely, because there's no way to use your iTunes backups without this password.
As said, you can remove the encryption and make a new encrypted backup and set the password again. But the old backups will not longer be accessible.
Yes, if encrypted backups was already selected for another device, then it will use that password for all encrypted backups for all devices after that. Specially if you used the encrypted backup to restore the current device.
All true but not useful in my situation. I had a previous iPhone and I used the backup for that old iPhone to initially populate my new iPhone. Then I backed up the new iPhone (with the encrypt option checked) but I wasn't asked for a password. So what password was used? I'm not asking for iTunes to reveal the password; I'm just asking for a means to test whether I know it (for example, I can test whether I know my password on my Apple Id by trying to log in).
Thanks, but ...
The backup I made this morning was the first backup for this phone which has a different name from previous phones and thus a unique backup. I was not asked for a password. The backup is encrypted. I suspect that the password is the same password used on the previous iPhone but I'd like to confirm that before it matters. Perhaps iTunes uses the same password for all backups but that isn't clear.
In any case, I can just redo the encryption as you mentioned. But that shouldn't be necessary.
verify iphone backup password
