What is the point of an iCloud backup?

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Level 1

4 points

What is the point of an iCloud backup?

I remember when iPhone backups were safes checkpoints, in which you could save and freeze that exact and precise situation of your device into your mac, to be safe and sound if something went wrong. Nowadays, we have backups that are literally useless, in some cases even dangerous.

I had 2 groups of 200 Safari tabs, collected during years and useful for my job and life in general. I made a backup of my iPhone on my macbook 2 weeks ago. My son accidentally deleted the two groups taking my phone. So I thought: “well, not a big deal, the backup will save me, as it has ever done”.

Well, this is no more true. At least for Apple.

After restoring my backup, the two groups of tabs were still gone. After searching a little bit on google, I found out that the current iPhones’ Backups (even those on a computer), only stores what it’s not on iCloud and, since my Safari app was linked to my iCloud account, it intentionally avoided to copy my groups of tabs into my backup.

So, the question is: what is the purpose of having a backup, if it doesn’t assure you anymore that, if you erase something, you could go back in time and erase that mistake? It should give you the possibility to make a mistake and go back to that moment, the moment when you “saved the game”.

Seriously, tell me the reason why I should keep taking my Safari (and other apps) linked to iCloud if this implies to not have them “saved” when I choose to. The reason is to “save space of my iPhone”? If this is the reason, I’d prefer to buy a 1Tb iPhone and reduce iCloud storage (that has a BIG cost montly, btw…).

Apple… what’s going on?

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

iPhone 13 Pro, iOS 17

Posted on Apr 12, 2024 2:59 PM

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Answer 1

Sirol-Darko Author

Level 1

4 points

Apr 12, 2024 4:30 PM in response to sberman

Nope, I think you’re wrong. The purpose of a backup should be EXACTLY this, to be safe that, if something happens, you can come back. I could have deleted the groups by mistake, exactly like I do when erasing a picture by mistake. The difference is that the erased picture is still in a bin, where you can recover it. Otherwise, the group of tab is something that, when it’s erased, it’s gone. So, I repeat, you’re totally missing the point of having a backup: to have a copy of your device that assure you to feel relaxed when you make a mistake, so you can come back to that exact moment. Well, at least this is the meaning of a backup for everything and everyone but Apple.

In the past, Apple’s iPhones’ backups were exactly like this. When you made mistakes, you had a backup that helped you to restore the things lost.

Otherwise, what’s the meaning of a backup? From the dictionary: “a copy of a file or other item of data made in case the original is lost or damaged.”

Following your way of thinking (the same of every Apple fan boy… and I should be one of them, since I purchase macs and iphones since their first models, but I’m too honest) you should not backing up anything in your macbook, since everything is in iCloud. Not the photos, not the videos, not the audios. The problem is that in the lasts few years, in which I have been very far from Apple, I realised that Apple has done everything linked to iCloud. I thing that’s something related to enchain the average customer to spend money each month on it.

Btw, I still confirm (and you didn’t debunked) that it’s better to not link an app like Safari to your iCloud, so if you erase a tab or a group of tabs by mistake, You still have the possibility to recover it via the latest backup you made on your macbook. 👌🏻

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Answer 2

sberman

Level 10

272,186 points

Apr 12, 2024 3:14 PM in response to Sirol-Darko

Sirol-Darko wrote:

since my Safari app was linked to my iCloud account, it intentionally avoided to copy my groups of tabs into my backup.

That is correct and makes perfect sense. By choosing to keep your Safari data in iCloud, you have removed the need to have it backed up as it is preserved there.

Keep your Safari bookmarks, Reading List, and tabs up to date with iCloud - Apple Support

So you clearly omitted a very important point in your description of the scenario leading to your loss of data. That omitted point sounds like you allowed your son to access your Apple ID, something that should never happen.

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Answer 3

Sirol-Darko Author

Level 1

4 points

Apr 12, 2024 4:36 PM in response to sberman

Moreover, my son didn’t access my Apple ID, my son just touched the screen of my iphone with safari opened for something like 0,5 seconds while I was putting him in the car seat and the thing happened, something that could happen to anyone and that could have happened even to me if I touched it in my pocket and I didn’t block it by mistake.

In your way of thinking, Apple should not allow anybody to have an Apple Care+, because you just have to pay attention to your devices.

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What is the point of an iCloud backup?

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