Difference between Sync and Backup?

I know this is all a little bit confusing. A backup basically saves an exact copy of your device, minus the apps, only to be used if the device needs to be restored at a later date.

Syncing will make sure your iTunes library is the same on the PC and the phone, that's it. In fact, it will not put newly purchased items on the device onto the PC. That is what transfer purchases are for.

So basically if you are an avid user of iTunes on the computer, you would benefit from syncing, that way when you download a song or movie from iTunes on your PC, you will have it on your device, other wise it is pretty useless. There is a lot more to this but that is just the basics. I highly recommend backing up an IPhone on a weekly basis, since most of us rely on this device to live our lives.

I hope this clears tings up. And most of you are right, the "Geniuses" at apple sometimes get it wrong or do not clearly explain it.

Wow, this is kind of funny reading all these different interpitations of backing up and syncing. I'm glad I'm not alone. So I'll take a shot at it..... So syncing is basically for "current", "real-time", "present moment", updating, thus which can/will only apply or be effective on any given application that is already on there in the first place (backed-up). So just because your synicing i.e. photo vault doesn't meant it will sync if its not first backed up and on the in the first place. Is this true? So if there were no such thing as syncing, then in order for you to feel safe with your all your data , you would basically have to back up every single time you added or altered any kind of information, right? A least if you wanted it current up to that very moment in time.

So tell me if I'm kind getting it.......is it basically like a network at let's say a place of employment where all the employees may have the same program and they all input various bits of information throughout the day yet without being on a network where they are linked (synced) they would never know what the other has added or altered until they backed up at the end of the day. Is this true? Please let me know if I'm on the right track before my brain gets too comfortable with this idea. Cause I might be getting it I hope. Wait though.....what about iCloud syncing, ICloud syncs to right? See I'm lost again. Cause the two will only syncing certain yet sometimes different things, there is another place I'm lost again. Help, help, help

So, I may know the answer to this question already, but here goes:

I tried to restore my wife's iphone5 from a backup dated 2/2/13. I have plugged her phone into iTunes several times since then, but apparently it has never backed up again since that date. I did the back up, but now have lost all messages, notes, etc. for all Feb. - April! Does this mean, since the iphone never backed up since 2/2/13, and I already restored her phone to that date, that there is no way to get the newest messages and notes back??? Please say it isn't so! Is there any way to get it back to a couple days ago? Please help! Thanks.

If you press "Restore Backup...", under Manually Back Up and Restore, do you get a popup box with a list of choices?

If so, do any of the choices for your wife's phone have a backup date of yesterday?

Another thing you can do is go to that backup folder and move every other backup elsewhere for a minute (like your desktop, so you remember to put them back!). That way when you press restore, the only option you should have is the one you want 🙂

If you're paranoid like me, you may also want to make a copy of that backup you want on your desktop... worth the extra disk space usage for a few minutes just to make sure that it doesn't disappear on ya.

The pop up box does come up, however, the last date is 2/2/13. I found the snapshot of the other day in the 'application folder' you led me to, however, I do not know how to get that folder to the iTunes? I tried dragging the folder over, but did nothing. Also saved that folder to an external hard drive, and tried dragging over to her phone in iTunes, it had the " + " sign like it would add it, but did nothing either. So, I am stuck with what to do to get that folder as the 'restore' folder? I couldn't find any way to browse for which folder to restore from. It only led to the ones on the iTunes, which was the old date in Feb. Thx

iTunes will only notice the backup folders that are directly in that MobileSync -> Backup folder that you found. You'll want to move/copy the backup there for iTunes to notice it.

Sounds like moving all of the other folders in Backup to the desktop for a moment is a good choice, so you can see if iTunes will offer you the snapshot folder.

Just to be sure - the snapshot folder has a bunch of files in it right? They should be ugly names too.

I agree - I am still confused.I hope replying to you is the right place to ask for further information. I have never synced my iphone 4 to my imac computer. I now need to back up my contacts, photos etc. before updating my iOS 4.1 to the latest iOS so that I can use recent apps on my phone.

I need to ENSURE that my contacts in particular are backed up in a way that is accessible. I did one manual backup and found the file through i-tunes, but of course I was unable to check whether my Contacts data was backed up as everything is in code.

Can you advise: Does a normal manual backup copy my Contacts addresses etc into the backup folder or not?

Then I read advice on one of the forums to check the Sync Contacts box under Info on my device; it implied that if I did not do this I would not get my Contact data backed up when I clicked Manual backup.

However, I am unclear whether 'syncing' will transfer data from my imac to my iphone and erase what is on my iphone.

I really need some expert, clear advice as to how to ensure my Contacts data, and my camera rolls, sms's with attached photos, voice memos etc will all be backed up by a 'manual back' up onto my imac.

Can anyone clarify this with certainty?

Oh by the way - second query about backup location - even though I can find the backup via Itunes - they dont seem to appear via my usual User Home page on my Finder. Is this usual?

Many thanks

Cate

It was a somewhat rehtorical question as I've provided links to such tools in the user tip I'd posted a little earlier in the thread. Recover your iTunes library from your iPad or iOS device.

Candice Archer

I have read many comments here, haven't read all.. But I hope my comment is simple and easy to understand for friends here...

Backup means to make a safe copy of something on your device(iPhone, iPad...) on your PC which is exactly same as the present data of your device at the time of backup.. Which can be restored exactly same at any time required..!

SYNC means to update the data in-between the two devices, like you have selected few songs on your iTunes and you want the same to be in your device if you sync it, it will be on your device, and same if you have clicked some new pics from your device and you want them to be on your PC you will sync it, without needing to transfer the other data, like previously synced pictures which are already there..

Further more if you have deleted an app on your iTunes and if you sync it to your device that app should get deleted in your device too...

Backup is unreadable state, where you cannot transfer a particular picture or particular contact, while as in sync you do that with particular data, like you have deleted a phone number from your phone and then you sync your device it would also be deleted from your synced data on your mac after your fresh sync..

Thank you..

Is the following correct?

Backup creates an image of your iPhone on the PC, Restore copies that image back to the IPhone.

Sync compares each indiviudal file in the iPhone with it's counterpart in iTunes and overwrites the older version on either device with the newest version on either device.

If so,|

Does this mean that if you sync your iPhone and then disconnect it, you can view your photos, videos etc on your PC even though the iPhone is disconnected?

Can you run the apps on your PC?

"Backup creates an image of your iPhone on the PC"

No. It is not imaged. Some of the data on the computer is backed up to the PC.

"Restore copies that image back to the IPhone."

Restore copies the data back.

"Sync compares each indiviudal file in the iPhone with it's counterpart in iTunes and overwrites the older version on either device with the newest version on either device."

Yes, though it compares the data, not necessary individual files.

"Does this mean that if you sync your iPhone and then disconnect it, you can view your photos, videos etc on your PC even though the iPhone is disconnected?"

Yes though photos are not sync'd from iPhone to computer using iTunes. They are copied same as a digital camera.

"Can you run the apps on your PC

No

Well this is ostensibly an iPad discussion, but the topic is generic for all iDevices, right?

"Some of the data on what computer is backed up to the PC"

Did you mean that some of the data on the iPhone is backed up to the PC?

Does Sync compares the data in the files, without regard to the date of last change? If so, that explains why it is so slow since it must compare a lot of data unnecessarily.

"photos are not sync'd from iPhone to computer using iTunes. They are copied same as a digital camera."

Looking in the DCIM directory on myiPhone (as I would on a digital camera) there are only about a dozen photos. But the 'Photos' app can access nearly 500 photos. Have you any idea what's up with that?

fredfighterapple wrote:

Did you mean that some of the data on the iPhone is backed up to the PC?

Yes. My mistake.

Does Sync compares the data in the files, without regard to the date of last change?

Don't know exactly but likely yes, it compares data.

Looking in the DCIM directory on myiPhone (as I would on a digital camera) there are only about a dozen photos. But the 'Photos' app can access nearly 500 photos. Have you any idea what's up with that?

The DCIM folder is photos you have taken with the iPhone or saved from a web page, email, etc.

The other photos are what was sync'd from your computer.

Well I tried to sync the iPhone. Here's the problem now:

Wit iTunes running I connect teh Iphone to the PC. A tab for the iPhone appears in the iTunes window AND a popup appears telling me up upgrade to IOS 7.1. I already know that I cannot upgrade to IOS 7.1 until I make more space on the iPhone. But if I cancel the upgrade, the tab for the iPhone disappears from iTunes so that I cannot sync the iPhone to delete the photos to make space for the upgrade.

***?

"The DCIM folder is photos you have taken with the iPhone or saved from a web page, email, etc.

The other photos are what was sync'd from your computer."

Some of the photos in the Photos app were copied over from my 3gs to my 5c. But after looking at them in detail and comparing with what I previously uploaded from the 5c DCIM directory it is clear that most of the photos in the Photos app were shot with the 5c, uploaded to my PC and deleted from the 5c DCIM directory. How they got into the Photos app, and where they are stored on the 5c, I do not know.

I also found that in the 5c Settings it MAY be possible to delete the Photos app. Once I am sure all the photos in it have been safely uploaded, I will try deleting the Photos app. That should prevent future problems.