Qs about Backups to Computer

Question

Qs about Backups to Computer

For extra peace of mind, I use itunes to back up my phone's data to my desktop.

Where are these files?

Can I view their contents directly?

How could I use them if something happened to my phone?

iPhone 4, iOS 6

Posted on Dec 18, 2012 4:08 AM

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Answer 1

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wjosten

Level 10

95,321 points

Dec 18, 2012 4:12 AM in response to secret agent girl

iTunes places the backup files in the following places:

Mac: ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/
Windows XP: \Documents and Settings\(username)\Application Data\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup\
Note: To quickly access the Application Data folder, click Start, and choose Run. Type %appdata% and clickOK.
Windows Vista and Windows 7: \Users\(username)\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup\
Note: To quickly access the AppData folder, click Start. In the search bar, type %appdata% and press theReturn key.

It's an SQLite database & not directly viewable without using third-party software. You would use the backup to restore your phone or setup a replacement iPhone.

Read more here:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4946

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Answer 2

Dec 18, 2012 4:38 AM in response to wjosten

Thank you very much for the info. I barely realized I didn't post the key info of my comuter's OS (XP, btw).

Is it possible to load the info on a non-Apple phone, if I should so desire sometime down the road, do you know?

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Answer 3

wjosten

Level 10

95,321 points

Dec 18, 2012 4:40 AM in response to secret agent girl

secret agent girl wrote:

Is it possible to load the info on a non-Apple phone, if I should so desire sometime down the road, do you know?

Sorry, no.

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Answer 4

Dec 18, 2012 5:05 AM in response to wjosten

Good page; I scanned through it and bookmarked for future reference. Have to get more used to the layout and info in that section of the website.

What if my phone gets lost or stolen? How do I protect my icloud acct so I at least have immediate access to the data?

In the case I ever decide to leave the IOS platform, is there a utility or some way to get all my data onto another device?

Basically, I want to insure that I can recover from the various mini-disasters that could befall the phone/computer/icloud setup I'm using.

Like most people I have lots of important info on my phone and no hard-copy records. I also use the phone for work-related things and am concerned about the safety and accessibility of my data in various A Bad Thing Happens scenarios.

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Answer 5

wjosten

Level 10

95,321 points

Dec 18, 2012 6:02 AM in response to secret agent girl

secret agent girl wrote:

What if my phone gets lost or stolen? How do I protect my icloud acct so I at least have immediate access to the data?

Passcode protect your phone. That way, anyone who finds or steals your phone will have to force the phone into recovery mode & restore it as a new device in order to use it.

In the case I ever decide to leave the IOS platform, is there a utility or some way to get all my data onto another device?

There are a number of third-party utilities that permit the extraction of data from an iPhone backup. Here's one:

http://www.iphonebackupextractor.com/

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Answer 6

Chris CA

Level 10

82,434 points

Dec 18, 2012 6:25 AM in response to secret agent girl

secret agent girl wrote:

In the case I ever decide to leave the IOS platform, is there a utility or some way to get all my data onto another device?

Most everything (Contacts, calendars, photos, music, movies, docuemnts, etc.) should be on your computer/cloud somewhere.

The only thing not really transferable would be specific app data (such saved game info or app settings).

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