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 BigTunaFisher,

    BigTunaFisher BigTunaFisher Oct 14, 2011 12:25 PM in response to tp1224
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 14, 2011 12:25 PM in response to tp1224

    Very first password ever used on the device is the one that seemed to work for me.

  • by casey1234,

    casey1234 casey1234 Oct 14, 2011 12:56 PM in response to wsucoug95
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 14, 2011 12:56 PM in response to wsucoug95

    I know what my password is.  Used it for years.  No luck.  Tried all the tips here as well.  This happened to me when I upgraded phones last year too.  Tired of this crap.  Great product, but spend too much time adjusting things.  Been an Iphone user from day one.  Think I will use it as an ipod and go get a droid.

  • by etothe,

    etothe etothe Oct 14, 2011 2:26 PM in response to mister369
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 14, 2011 2:26 PM in response to mister369

    This is the only thing that worked for me - my laptop has a unique password that i don't use for anything else - thank you

     

    Very frustrated and annoyed with Apple over this

  • by lissettefrommiami,

    lissettefrommiami lissettefrommiami Oct 14, 2011 3:57 PM in response to wsucoug95
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 14, 2011 3:57 PM in response to wsucoug95

    I HAVE TRIED EVERY PASSWORD!

     

    For starters I did not set a password up for my backup, Itunes fix this please. I have all my work numbers, my family and friends on back up. I do have any of their information now. This is the worst. FIX it.

  • by marcelafrommontreal,

    marcelafrommontreal marcelafrommontreal Oct 14, 2011 6:45 PM in response to wsucoug95
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Oct 14, 2011 6:45 PM in response to wsucoug95

    i've tried every single password..... i also read all this post and tried all the passwords provided here. What can i do?????

    Question. If i started from Cero and if i have all the info in my Mac (computer) can i just sync and that's it?

    Thanks

    Marce

  • by rsgl,

    rsgl rsgl Oct 14, 2011 6:50 PM in response to marcelafrommontreal
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 14, 2011 6:50 PM in response to marcelafrommontreal

    if you ever set a password, try that again.  in my case, it was the very first password I tried.  according to the apple rep i spoke with today, there have been "server issues" that have caused correct passwords to be rejected and passwords to be required when none were set.  this kinda' explains why my password worked today but didn't work the past two days....it also explains why some people were prompted for a password once but not on a later attempt.

     

    i know it *****, but try the most likely passwords again.  one of them will probably work now, even if it didn't the first, second, third, or twentieth time.  it did for me...

  • by marcelafrommontreal,

    marcelafrommontreal marcelafrommontreal Oct 14, 2011 6:51 PM in response to wsucoug95
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Oct 14, 2011 6:51 PM in response to wsucoug95

    again me (previous post) i tried the same freaking password and it finally worked!..... SAME ONE as i was trying 3 hours ago......

    Apple screw us big time here.....

     

    i hope your work guys! cheers!

    M

  • by Ryan from Sydney in OZ,

    Ryan from Sydney in OZ Ryan from Sydney in OZ Oct 14, 2011 7:00 PM in response to wsucoug95
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 14, 2011 7:00 PM in response to wsucoug95

    I worked the password issue out.... Well this worked for me anyway

     

    The password did turn out to be my usual password. I tried this password MANY times when trying to backup my new 4S from my old 3GS, but it was never accepted.

     

    So I tried to change the encrypted back password within iTunes. It asked me for my old password and to set a new one.

     

    THIS WORKED!!! Old password was accepted as was the new one I entered.

     

    I have now totally backed by my new 4S with my 3GS data!

     

    Though, did you know that XP is not supported with 4S, so your Mail details will not be restored. But all my contacts, messages, apps, phone call dats etc have been totally restored! Phew!

  • by adenlbc,

    adenlbc adenlbc Oct 14, 2011 7:55 PM in response to wsucoug95
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 14, 2011 7:55 PM in response to wsucoug95

    I have this same problem today, for some reason itunes doesnt change the password in the system if you change your own pw, so your very first pw used will be the one no matter how many times you change you itunes password, **** it took me forever to remember a password from 3 yrs ago.

  • by airborne76,

    airborne76 airborne76 Oct 14, 2011 9:07 PM in response to gev.iphone
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 14, 2011 9:07 PM in response to gev.iphone

    I had the same problem, i tried different passwords that I used for yahoo etc. one of the old password worked for me.......

  • by Jerociraptor,

    Jerociraptor Jerociraptor Oct 16, 2011 10:58 AM in response to wsucoug95
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 16, 2011 10:58 AM in response to wsucoug95

    Same problem after installing ios5 on my iPad1. Prompt with backup password I never set.

     

    What eventually worked for me is an old password from 3 years ago that I never used for Appled ID, 4 digit code, apps, email accounts, etc. I couldn't even have used this password for my iPad since it wasn't even out yet when I was using this password!

     

    I have a feeling somehow iTunes mysteriously took a password used for my iPhone 3G and applied it to my iPad backup. It's been too long to remember exactly, but it is possible I encrypted my 3G backups with this password.

     

    Best of luck to all of you...

  • by stumax,

    stumax stumax Oct 16, 2011 1:06 PM in response to wsucoug95
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 16, 2011 1:06 PM in response to wsucoug95

    I was having the same problem. Could not figure it out. None of the usual passwords worked and I had no iPhone backup in the Keychain. I finally remembered that I had previously synced the phone with a different computer. I logged in to that computer and checked the Keychain Access. Lo and behold, there were two iPhone backup entries and one of them had a password that worked to unlock the backup!

     

    This seems like a bug. I'd be curious to know whether others who have solved this problem also backed up their phones on more than one computer.

     

    Anyway, it's working now. Hope this is helpful to someone.

  • by francord,

    francord francord Oct 17, 2011 6:31 PM in response to wsucoug95
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 17, 2011 6:31 PM in response to wsucoug95

    SAME ISSUE!!!!  I have been pulling my hair out for 2 days as I lost all my photos and I was ready to trash my phone ..... I did some further searching on google out of desperation and found an anser - it was my gmail password as gmail is synced to my phone.  Backup restore now complete and everything is restored.  I now have the option of going in and changing the backup restore password.

  • by typewriter_on_LSD,

    typewriter_on_LSD typewriter_on_LSD Oct 17, 2011 8:23 PM in response to wsucoug95
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 17, 2011 8:23 PM in response to wsucoug95

    I HAVE A SOLOUTION!!!!!  iTunes is literally grabbing a password that it think only you would know, as in an email password or a Facebook/Twitter password (in my case it was Facebook ) but the key is that IT IS A PASSWORD USED ON YOUR DEVICE.  It doesn't grab one that's only on your computer, but it must also be on your device.  Let's say you have Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, and Yahoo all on your device; it will be one of these passwords. . .

     

    OR

     

    My friend's was actually her VERY FIRST password she ever used on her 2nd gen iTouch.  It worked for her brilliantly, even though NEITHER OF US SET A PASSWORD.

     

    It must be a bug that Apple has with iTunes, but its actually quite fantastic.  It makes you use your brain and firgure out what password is most likely to work.

  • by jrswann,

    jrswann jrswann Oct 18, 2011 1:30 PM in response to wsucoug95
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 18, 2011 1:30 PM in response to wsucoug95

    FACEBOOK password worked for me as well!!!!

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