How to remove encrypted backup password so I can backup again?

This question deserves a more thorough reply. I understand that, having lost (via a machine upgrade) the keychain persisted iPhone backup password, that I cannot access the existing backups. Fine. I just want to start over. However, it appears that the password is encoded in the iOS device - removing your existing device backups via the Preferences pane in iTunes does not allow you to start again with a new password. When you plug the device in afterwards, it still has the "Encrypt Backup" option set.

In effect, this means that if you lose your backup password, you can not only never restore from your existing backups, but you can never create new ones from which you could.

This is clearly not well thought out and is a somewhat shocking UX failure from a company that, to my understanding, still somewhat prides itself on its abilities there. I have biometric/passcode unlock access to the physical iOS device, and login access to the macOS instance running iTunes. There is nothing more to protect. iOS should offer a way to drop the existing backup password on the device so that I can start over with a clean backup.

I will add that this entire "encrypted backup" story is poorly thought out. I'm backing up to a laptop that has an encrypted filesystem. I shouldn't need another password, and I shouldn't need to choose between backing up all of my data with yet another password, or having a partial backup (no passwords, no healthkit, etc.) that drops all of my creds. Everything I'm backing up is going to an encrypted file system anyway, and surely iTunes could know that.

To my way of looking at it, by providing no obvious means of dealing with a lost iOS backup encryption password, Apple has "soft bricked" my device. If I lose it, I cannot recover anything.

@turingtest2 - Thank you for your reply.

First, I'm not interested in using iCloud backup. I want local backup.

As to recovering the password - the odd thing is that I'm as close to certain as can be that I never set one. I have no desire to have an encrypted backup. Furthermore if I did set one, there is no chance of ever recovering it because I use passwords randomly generated by a password manager for everything.

Next, I understand completely why, having lost the backup password, that I can't recover the old backups. But it seems crazy that there is no way to drop the existing password on the iOS device.

It appears that my only option is to start over with this device, which is extremely frustrating.

I should be able to make a decision about security/risk trade-offs for myself about what data should be backed up and what level of encryption I want to employ.

The only way to use an encrypted backup or turn off backup encryption if currently enabled is with the password that was entered when it was set up. The setting is stored on the device itself, so persists even if you delete your current backup set or switch to a new computer. The password might be any computer, Apple ID, Wi-Fi password or device PIN that you've used in the past, working from the assumption that you might have reused a common password that you were using when you first activated encryption. See About encrypted backups in iTunes - Apple Support for details.

If you want to turn off encryption going forward you can either erase and set up as a new device, or backup the current state of the device to iCloud, then subsequently restore from it. Non-iTunes media will need reloading from your computer once the restore is complete. See How to back up your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Apple Support for details. Obviously this approach is only helpful if your device is currently functioning correctly. If you have content on your device that isn't in your library see Recover your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device. I would also recommend you copy everything out of the camera roll if you haven't already.

tt2

With iOS 11 the process becomes even easier. See About encrypted backups in iTunes - Apple Support.

tt2

Rosencho wrote:

Hi. I've same problem. Аfter a lot of reading on different forums, I found a solution:

Perform these steps at your own risk!

1. Delete any Mail Exchange accounts on the iPhone.
2. Delete old encrypted backups from iTunes.
3. Use iExplorer or ssh to delete the file /private/var/Keychains/Keychain-2.db from the iOS filesystem. Note: this step will clear stored passwords from your device.
4. Restart the iPhone.
5. Connect the iPhone to your computer and open iTunes.
6. Uncheck the box next to Encrypt iPhone backup.
7. If prompted for a password, enter the passcode currently set on your iPhone.

When successful, iTunes should begin backing up the iPhone to an unencrypted backup. If this does not happen, start a new unencrypted backup manually.

Works for me. Instead of iExplorer, I used Filza

I eventually "solved" this by completely restoring my iPhone as new, deleting the old backup, and creating a new one with a new password. My iPhone was f'd up anyway with the mixed/missing icon bug. This is probably not the solution you want to hear, but it fixed the problem.

another way is try iseepassword itunes password recoery tool.

source:

https://www.iseepassword.com/forgot-itunes-backup-password.html

@Allan Eckert - I appreciate your taking the time to reply, but that link does not provide any workaround to the problem that the original poster has explained. Please see my more detailed comments in this thread.

The suggested process, which I haven't personally tested but others have, requires a temporary use of an iCloud backup. Once you have backed up to and then restored from iCloud my understanding is that you can then make an unencrypted backup to iTunes, then delete the iCloud backup if desired.

Presumably there is a rationale behind Apple's decisions in these matters. If you did have data on your device that you were concerned could be accessed if your computer or device were stolen, and had enabled backup encryption as security, you'd probably be non-plused if Apple had left in some back door that allowed access to it after all.

tt2

@turingtest2 -

Having thought about it some more, I wonder if the threat model here is that if E has obtained unlocked access to your phone she can poke around manually at the application level, and that is pretty much unavoidable, but if you have configured the device to irrevocably generate encrypted backups she can't leverage that unlocked access to get an unencrypted backup which can then be analyzed offline in bulk.

That would explain the observed behavior.

Sounds like it is time for me to start over on this device.

Hi. I've same problem. Аfter a lot of reading on different forums, I found a solution:

Perform these steps at your own risk!

1. Delete any Mail Exchange accounts on the iPhone.
2. Delete old encrypted backups from iTunes.
3. Use iExplorer or ssh to delete the file /private/var/Keychains/Keychain-2.db from the iOS filesystem. Note: this step will clear stored passwords from your device.
4. Restart the iPhone.
5. Connect the iPhone to your computer and open iTunes.
6. Uncheck the box next to Encrypt iPhone backup.
7. If prompted for a password, enter the passcode currently set on your iPhone.

When successful, iTunes should begin backing up the iPhone to an unencrypted backup. If this does not happen, start a new unencrypted backup manually.

Works for me. Instead of iExplorer, I used Filza

Reset all settings if running iOS 11 this will remove the encryption password

Read About encrypted backups in iTunes - Apple Support

Thank you!