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How can I back up my iPad if the screen is broken?

How is it that Apple thinks it's okay to not have a way to recover personal data? It's my hardware and my personal data. I shouldn't have to give it to you to store on your cloud in order to recover data on a device with a broken screen. For security reasons it makes sense to have to enter a code but to have a fragile touch screen as the only input method is a real poor design. It's like having a glass key to open your front door. Oh, but if my glass key gets broken, there is another way into my house but not into MY iPad.


How about a button sequences while connected to a PC running iTunes that has already been trusted? Hold the volume up and power for 10 seconds then press the volume down three times quickly. UNLOCKED to a trusted device! How about connecting to an external video source WITHOUT HAVING TO ENTER A CODE, because the screen is broken and you can't.


There are already types of button sequences that help with far less importance device issues. My data is important and I want it off a broken device. I know I'm not alone here and I can't see why Apple is not punished for holding my data hostage.


Terrible Platform!





[Re-Titled by Moderator]


iPad Pro, iPadOS 14

Posted on Sep 18, 2021 5:54 PM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Sep 19, 2021 7:49 AM

For these conditions Apple should allow a device that has already been trusted to a PC used to back it up retrieve data with having to use the broken screen. If it hasn’t been trusted, you don’t get in. Once trusted, I’m the only one that can retrieve the data. Data still protected if stolen. My device, trusted to my PC shouldn’t lock me out forever. Poor design. Plain and simple.

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10 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Sep 19, 2021 7:49 AM in response to TerriblePlatform

For these conditions Apple should allow a device that has already been trusted to a PC used to back it up retrieve data with having to use the broken screen. If it hasn’t been trusted, you don’t get in. Once trusted, I’m the only one that can retrieve the data. Data still protected if stolen. My device, trusted to my PC shouldn’t lock me out forever. Poor design. Plain and simple.

Sep 18, 2021 6:14 PM in response to TerriblePlatform

If you are making regular backups, then a broken screen will not cause you to lose data. You have the option to backup your data on a computer as well as iCloud. Once the screen is broken you cannot verify identity and the data is no longer accessible. This is what prevents someone that may steal a device from accessing data in that manner.

Sep 19, 2021 7:43 AM in response to Michael Black

I do have a backup but backups are not in real time. So even the most recent backup isn’t sufficient to retrieve all my data. Every device I have ever owned except Apple products my data has been recoverable unless the drive itself has failed. If the OS starts or the drive can be removed, my data can be recovered. Encrypted drives on a domain locked disk, corrupted flash drives, smashed Blackberry, Samsung Android phone all have methods to retrieve my data from a broken device. Apple has gone to great lengths to obscure personal files from the user. This is just another example of Apple owning my data.

Sep 24, 2021 2:38 PM in response to TerriblePlatform

Hello ~ Take a look here:


Product Feedback - Apple


As for *MichelPM* not being knowledgeable…that is completely and patently false. If I needed help with my Apple device…they would be one of the first I reached out to for help and ChrisJ4203 would be another another. These people help of their own volition every single day….and I know from experience…that’s why they are here…to help.


~Katana-San~

Sep 21, 2021 3:51 PM in response to TerriblePlatform

TerriblePlatform wrote:


As for you MichelPM, you are out of line with your comments and not very knowledgeable about how the prodcut actually works to be so disrespectful in your reply.

Right back atcha!

You can state/write whatever you like here with all sorts of irreverence and disrespect, but others here cannot?

No one here works for Apple

No one here represents Apple.

So, I will freely state here what I can state within the terms and conditions of use of these communities.

It was your rudeness and disrespect that started this whole thread and argument

As far as your comment comcering my level of technical expertise of Apple products, I will, respectfully, refrain from any comments about that!



Sep 18, 2021 6:23 PM in response to TerriblePlatform

The real answer, and solution to your post is that regular up to date backups are the only way to ensure data integrity with any computing device.


Backups with iCloud are simple, automatic and update every 24 hours. WiFi iTunes backups are also pretty simply to execute regularly.


You’re right it is your data and you should have access to it. But the only one who will ever be responsible for that is you. It’s your data, so if it matters to you, back it up. That goes for every computing device you own. Nobody else will ever assume responsibility for the integrity of your data on your devices. So it’s always up to device owners to safeguard their own data.


Forget about a broken screen. What if your device was lost, stolen, dropped in a lake, or whatever? Who would you blame then for your data loss since you didn’t make regular backups?

Sep 21, 2021 4:17 PM in response to TerriblePlatform

You appear to be unlucky with devices and drives that either get severely damaged, broken or fail and expect the data on these devices and the drives within them to always have recoverable data.

The day will come when THAT will NOT happen and your luck will run out!


What, exactly, does in mean that your backups are not in “real time”?

To me that means NO real recent data backup.

I only backup my iOS devices one a week or most times, once every 2-3 weeks.

So, if something happen, at least I acknowledge that my recent backup maybe 1-3 weeks old and is what it is.


I have redundant backup drives of my Mac and, at least one of these drives, over the time of a month, or so, always has the most recent data on it!

All my other drives get updated over a course of a month and the last of my backups drives are only about a week behind in updated data.


If your data is important to you, you need to be more proactive about backing up such data on a either a very regular basis or semi-regular basis.

I am a every 2-3 week backup kind of guy on all of my mobile devices and computers.

You do what you need to do to protect computing data that is important to you!

Not point blame at others for your inability to be more proactive.


[Edited by Moderator]

Sep 20, 2021 12:50 PM in response to TerriblePlatform

Using iCloud backup, the most data I would ever loose on a device is 24 hours, but given that the iCloud backup is done when I go to bed at night, the most I would lose is probably 12 hours, and I don't have that much in that period of time. I don't want my drive to be recoverable if removed from the device because a thief would be able to open the phone and remove the data. I appreciate that attempt to disassemble the phone results in the data being locked.

Sep 21, 2021 4:18 PM in response to ChrisJ4203

Thank you ChrisJ4203 for acknowledging that there is no way to recover the pictures I took at my daughters wedding just hours before my iPad screen was broken. I do regular backups and my iPad is trusted to my laptop specifically to back it up. I have taken the recommended steps to protect my data - regular backups, mandatory pass code and established a stored trust between my iPad and my lap. Apple is well aware that a broken screen is a very common repair item and to still require signing on to connect my iPad to my trusted laptop in order to back it up is very disappointing. While this maybe acceptable for kids and game players, it desn't meet my expectations for the price I paid for it. It's also not a product ready for Enterprise commercial use.


While this may be falling on deaf ears, Apple can remedy this condition that has affected many customers. The platform is capable of allowing trusted devices to communicate for backup while not signed on without compromising theft security.


My mistake for posting my problem and suggestion for product improvement where it will not be noticed by Apple.


[Edited by Moderator]

Sep 21, 2021 4:12 PM in response to TerriblePlatform

To be fair…you never made a suggestion. You went on a rant and declared it was a “terrible platform”. Unfortunately nothing said was going to change your situation. If you were using iCloud Photos you would have access to your photos on any Apple device that you use as well as icloud.com (doesn’t help you now of course if you weren’t using that) but unlike your full iCloud backups iCloud photo happens automatically and not just at night. Hopefully there were others taking pictures at the wedding or a professional photographer so it won’t sting as bad to lose what you had on the iPad as far as the pics. Unless you are relatively new to the Apple universe it should have been even loosely known what the risks are if your device is broken/lost/stolen…and if that was something below your expectations it might be something that would affect your decisions to use Apple products (not a dog…it’s a reality and many people choose to use or not use Apple or other brands based on the importance of a feature or lack there of). If you really do want to submit suggestions to Apple you would need to do so via there website form and not on the peer to peer forum. I’m sure none of this is what you want to hear though.

How can I back up my iPad if the screen is broken?

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