wsucoug95
Level 1 (0 points)

Q: iTunes asking for backup password???

I am upgrading my iphone 4 to iOS 5. I backed up my phone (via iTunes 10.5) and downloaded and installed iOS 5. I am now going through the setup process and it is at the "Restore from iTunes Backup" step. I connect to iTunes and iTunes is prompting me for a password to "unlock your iPhone backup file." No I did not encrypt the iPhone backup, nor is it or was it checked in iTunes. I have tried my iTunes password, my 4 digit unlock code for the iPhone, and several other passwords. When I did the backup an hour ago I was not asked for a password. I am at a loss as to what it is.

iPhone 4

Posted on Oct 12, 2011 1:11 PM

by wsucoug95,Solvedanswer
wsucoug95 wsucoug95
Level 1 (0 points)
A:

Well I finally got through with the correct password. For some reason it was the original iTunes password I had setup when I first got the iPhone 4 and iTunes 17 months ago. I had changed that password soon after creating it and have since changed it several times. Somehow it popped into my head and after trying hundreds (no I'm not kidding) of passwords, success!

 

It is important to point out:

 

  1. When I have performed previous upgrades to the iOS I have never been prompted for a password when restoring the data.
  2. I have never checked the box in iTunes to encrypt the iPhone backup.
  3. I still have no idea what made iTunes go back to an ancient password.

 

Good luck to all if you have to go through this because this has not been a fun few days.

 

Let me add a suggestion that I have come up with for storing passwords where you can access them from anywhere. Setup a Yahoo or Hotmail account with all fake information (Name, address, b-day, etc.) with a “handle/name/email address” that has nothing to do with you but you can recall. In other words, you are setting up an anonymous email account. In this email account, create an email to the same account and put your passwords in it but do not include the accounts/websites they are for. You could include hints (that only you could recognize/decipher) that would tell you which accounts/websites went with which passwords.

 

This will just be a list of passwords so at least you have a master list somewhere and not stored on your computer(s)/drive(s). Just an idea I wanted to share.

Posted on Oct 14, 2011 12:21 PM

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Q: iTunes asking for backup password???

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  • by Da3a,

    Da3a Da3a Jul 28, 2016 10:13 AM in response to wsucoug95
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Jul 28, 2016 10:13 AM in response to wsucoug95

    Hi all,

    Just had this issue on iPhone 6s, tried all suggestions but what worked was a password i use for a few websites and accounts that i have Never used for my apple ID.! No idea how or where itunes got this password but my suggestion is to try any password you use for other sites etc.. I tried many passwords and it didn't lock me out so keep guessing.

     

    Daz

  • by Lawrence Finch,

    Lawrence Finch Lawrence Finch Jul 28, 2016 2:10 PM in response to Da3a
    Level 8 (37,842 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jul 28, 2016 2:10 PM in response to Da3a

    Da3a wrote:

     

    No idea how or where itunes got this password but my suggestion is to try any password you use for other sites etc.. I tried many passwords and it didn't lock me out so keep guessing.

     

    iTunes doesn't "get" passwords from anywhere. If you think about it a bit passwords are not stored in unencrypted form in any specific place on your computer, so unless iTunes scanned your entire disk and knew which of the hundreds of millions of text strings on it were passwords and which weren't what you are suggesting is impossible. The only way iTunes will know a password for encrypting a backup is if you enter it in response to a prompt to enter it.

  • by Da3a,

    Da3a Da3a Jul 28, 2016 2:24 PM in response to Lawrence Finch
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Jul 28, 2016 2:24 PM in response to Lawrence Finch

    Thanks for the response but it wasn't really a question, I just wrote what happened in the hope it might help someone else, the password I used to load my backup (unencrypted and never ask to set a password on backup) was a password I've used but not for my apple account or my windows login. itunes must have "got" it from somewhere. No idea where, I made the back up minutes before attempting to restore it, never asked for a password when I backed up.

  • by rockmyplimsoul,

    rockmyplimsoul rockmyplimsoul Jul 28, 2016 2:34 PM in response to Da3a
    Level 5 (7,121 points)
    iTunes
    Jul 28, 2016 2:34 PM in response to Da3a

    Da3a wrote:

     

    itunes must have "got" it from somewhere.

    That's correct, it got it from whoever typed it in.

     

    Da3a wrote:

     

    I made the back up minutes before attempting to restore it, never asked for a password when I backed up.

    iTunes never asks for a password when backing up.  The password prompt is a separate, one-time step that you (or someone) initiated in iTunes.

  • by Csound1,

    Csound1 Csound1 Jul 28, 2016 3:36 PM in response to rockmyplimsoul
    Level 9 (50,228 points)
    Desktops
    Jul 28, 2016 3:36 PM in response to rockmyplimsoul

    So, this 'whoever' used one of your passwords? How did 'whoever' know one of your passwords?  Was it particularly simple.

  • by rockmyplimsoul,

    rockmyplimsoul rockmyplimsoul Jul 28, 2016 4:04 PM in response to Csound1
    Level 5 (7,121 points)
    iTunes
    Jul 28, 2016 4:04 PM in response to Csound1

    Csound1 wrote:

     

    How did 'whoever' know one of your passwords?  Was it particularly simple.

    My money's on "123456"

  • by Da3a,

    Da3a Da3a Jul 29, 2016 12:26 AM in response to rockmyplimsoul
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Jul 29, 2016 12:26 AM in response to rockmyplimsoul

    Not at all, just a password that contains upper case, lower case and numbers. If you don't know what we are talking about on here maybe you should stay out of the conversation?

    I backed up my phone as usual, itunes never asked for a password, it is not encrypted. Then after restoring the phone i tried to load the backup I had just made 5 mins ago and it asked for a password. 1234 did not work, 0000 did not work, windows login did not work and more importantly my Apple ID did not work.

  • by Lawrence Finch,

    Lawrence Finch Lawrence Finch Jul 29, 2016 4:55 AM in response to Da3a
    Level 8 (37,842 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jul 29, 2016 4:55 AM in response to Da3a

    WWhen you look at the Summary screen in iTunes is "Encrypt backup" checked? If it is either you checked it or you have a company MS Exchange account on your phone and your Administrator set a security policy requiring encrypted backups. The very first time you back up after this box is checked all future backups will be encrypted with the password you were prompted twice to enter. You will never be prompted again, but all backups will be encrypted. Even if you entered that password many months or years ago. The password is completely independent of any other password you may use unless you made it the same. So it won't be your Apple ID unless that is what you entered the first time you made an encrypted backup.

  • by Da3a,

    Da3a Da3a Jul 29, 2016 8:57 AM in response to Lawrence Finch
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Jul 29, 2016 8:57 AM in response to Lawrence Finch

    Thanks, someone being helpful.! I don't remember setting this password but like you say it much have been months maybe a year ago. I looked at my iTunes and the encrypt backup is checked which I also don't remember doing, I've never used this feature but that would make sense, I've checked it at some point in the past and set a password. Thanks for helping explain this. Daz.

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