Why does iTunes backup for Iphone ask for password when I did not set up one?

Why iTunes backup asks for password when I did not set up one?

Well - it's the question I had after my Iphone replacement when I had to restore my backup.

Long story short, Apple replaced my Iphone XR because of issues with reception/antenna.

Before handing over my phone I backed it up on 26 July 2020, on my Windows 10 desktop.

iTunes did not ask me for a password or anything else, however I remember the encryption button was checked.

The next day I went to Apple Store and got the replacement phone (refurbished, not new).

Went back home and tried to restore.

Itunes asked for a backup password.

I tried many passwords despite knowing that I had not set up one the day before.

I went back to Apple and explained and the guy literally laughed in my face.

How did I resolve this?

Back in Feb 2020 Apple support helped me backup my Iphone remotely, while connected to a different Windows 10 desktop computer.

At that time I did set up an encryption password. No KeyChain involved since I was on windows pc.

You guessed it - the password of my new backup was the password of my first encrypted backup.

Lesson learned

Apple does not explain that every time one backs up a device, it uses the settings of the first backup.

In other words, if you ever set up a password for the encrypted backup, iTunes will continue to encrypt all other backups as default, unless you uncheck the encryption option.

To confuse things even more, if you use a different computer for you other backups, you will still have to use the password from your first backup (this makes sense after all).

The device, in my case the Iphone, remembers the setting and makes Itunes default with those settings.

Apple are very poor when it comes to explaining how encryption and backup work.

Worse is that Apple staff laughed without even trying to think through the situation.

They are called "Genius" for a reason but that certainly did not apply that day.

Advice

If you ever think you did not set up an encryption password, you are probably incorrect.

It is most probably the password that you set up when you first backed up your device, even if that can be some years back.

End result

With the correct password I started the restore process.

At the end I got this message:

"Itunes could not restore the Iphone because an error occured"

After all this hustle, this is what I got.

I used a 3rd party utility to extract my data eventually.

Very poor experience Apple Store London Westfield Stratford City Genius Bar Leader - Chris, Itunes and over the phone support.

encrypted backup Itunes password