Is there a way to selectively restore a previously-made backup; also can you merge multiple backups into one?

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Is there a way to selectively restore a previously-made backup; also can you merge multiple backups into one?

Hi everyone,

My iphone needs to be repaired, which will take a few days. I will also need another phone during this time. I have an older iPhone and thought I would use that for these few days. I thought I would make a backup of the current phone and load it back onto the other device and continue using it as if nothing had happened. But my problem is that the other iPhone has a smaller storage space...

Is it possible to restore only a few necessary apps I need to the old device, and then when the phone repair is done, make another backup with those few apps, and then merge or sync the two backups somehow?

The point is that I should continue using some apps without any changes and I don't want to lose any data!

Hope you understand my problem, thanks in advance for any solutions!

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

iPhone 12 Pro Max

Posted on Aug 22, 2023 3:02 PM

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Answer 1

Aug 22, 2023 3:19 PM in response to milanapple

Nope. Apps are not stored in the backup, just their data. However you cannot select app data or speciifc items to restore. The backup is restored in its entirety.

You cannot then merge backups.

For repairs done through Apple, you will either get the iPhone back within an hour if its a simple repair like a screen or battery replacement, or you will just receive a replacement device on the spot if its some other type of damage than cannot be fixed while you wait. So you should not really be without an iPhone more than 1 hour or so.

Apple will never have you wait a few days for a repair.

If its a 3rd party company doing the repair, then yes you may need to wait.

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Answer 2

Aug 23, 2023 7:13 AM in response to milanapple

You cannot select what to restore. The backup will restore everything to the other iPhone including Photos and videos if contained in the backup. If it does not fit on the other iPhone, it will issue an error.

If you are using iCloud Photo Library, the backup will not contain photos or videos.

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Answer 3

milanapple Author

Level 1

12 points

Aug 22, 2023 5:27 PM in response to Phil0124

Thanks for the quick reply!

And is it possible to make a backup of the current device, then restore it on the old iPhone without photos and videos, use the device and make a backup at the end, then restore it on the repaired device and restore the photos and videos from icloud?

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Is there a way to selectively restore a previously-made backup; also can you merge multiple backups into one?

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