How to export and import Contacts, Messages, Photos, Music

[TheShadowXX]

Okay so i'm upgrading to the iPhone 5 (from an iPhone 4) and I want to export all my Contacts, Messages, Photos, and Music (doesn't have to include Music, but would be nice)
to my computer and then when I get my new phone I want to import them into it. Is there a free program that will do this? I know about TouchCopy but you have to pay for it.

Would be nice if the program works on PC and Mac.

Thanks for your help

[testcard]

iTunes backup?

[Interstella5555]

Originally Posted by TheShadowXX

Okay so i'm upgrading to the iPhone 5 and I want to export all my Contacts, Messages, Photos, and Music (doesn't have to include Music, but would be nice)
to my computer and then when I get my new phone I want to import them into it. Is there a free program that will do this? I know about TouchCopy but you have to pay for it.

Would be nice if the program works on PC and Mac.

Thanks for your help

Kind of hard to answer without knowing what you're coming from, iPhone to iPhone just use the backup, anything else to iPhone, export your contacts as VCards and import to the phone, not sure if there's a way to do messages, export photos and re-import on the new phone, music you can just dump into iTunes and transfer over.

[TheShadowXX]

Originally Posted by testcard

iTunes backup?

how would that work if I'm switching phones?

Originally Posted by Interstella5555

Kind of hard to answer without knowing what you're coming from, iPhone to iPhone just use the backup, anything else to iPhone, export your contacts as VCards and import to the phone, not sure if there's a way to do messages, export photos and re-import on the new phone, music you can just dump into iTunes and transfer over.

iPhone 4 to iPhone 5


how would using the backup work if it's going to be a different phone?

[testcard]

Back up your 4. Connect your new 5. Restore from the 4 backup. All settings will be transferred over. Sync apps, music, whatever. Easy. It's what I do when I upgrade.

[aristobrat]

Originally Posted by TheShadowXX

how would using the backup work if it's going to be a different phone?

When you plug a new iPhone (or an old iPhone that's been restored as new) into a computer that contains iPhone backups, iTunes will ask you if you want to either set the phone up as new, or restore it from a previous backup.

Doesn't matter that the backup came from another phone.

----------

Here are Apple's instructions for doing that:

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht2109

[testcard]

Here's an analogy. Think of it as pouring the contents of a milk bottle into a fresh, new bottle. Same milk, just a different bottle.

[TheShadowXX]

Originally Posted by testcard

Back up your 4. Connect your new 5. Restore from the 4 backup. All settings will be transferred over. Sync apps, music, whatever. Easy. It's what I do when I upgrade.

okay, but is there a way to somehow export the backup and have it as a file so I can put on a flashdrive? Also if there is program would allow me to read that file on the PC/Mac that would be nice too.

because I know iTunes only saves 1 backup, (unlike system restore on PC, where you can have it make a separate backup for each day, every 24hrs)

Originally Posted by aristobrat

When you plug a new iPhone (or an old iPhone that's been restored as new) into a computer that contains iPhone backups, iTunes will ask you if you want to either set the phone up as new, or restore it from a previous backup.

Doesn't matter that the backup came from another phone.

----------

Here are Apple's instructions for doing that:

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht2109

cool didn't know that, thanks.

[testcard]

Far simpler to back up your settings and data to iCloud. If you enable iCloud backup, you'll back up automatically every day when you're plugged into mains. With iOS devices there's no need to set restore points.

[TheShadowXX]

Originally Posted by testcard

Far simpler to back up your settings and data to iCloud. If you enable iCloud backup, you'll back up automatically every day when you're plugged into mains. With iOS devices there's no need to set restore points.

Okay new question, lets say I want to just start fresh on my 4 but still keep all my old data as a file, and maybe one day look at it. How can I do that? store it as a backup on iCloud or something? can I read/see my messages, contacts, photos, etc on there?

This is why I was asking for a program that would allow me to back it up, and view it, and possibly one day add it to my phone.

[testcard]

You can certainly keep your last backup from your old phone in iTunes. As to accessing your data and settings without restoring to a new iDevice, I don't know. But somebody else will...

[Interstella5555]

Originally Posted by TheShadowXX

Okay new question, lets say I want to just start fresh on my 4 but still keep all my old data as a file, and maybe one day look at it. How can I do that? store it as a backup on iCloud or something? can I read/see my messages, contacts, photos, etc on there?

This is why I was asking for a program that would allow me to back it up, and view it, and possibly one day add it to my phone.

You're over-thinking it, just use normal backups. If there's one in particular you want to keep around, simply make a copy and move it somewhere else to ensure it doesn't get deleted (though it more than likely won't be). I think there are some programs that will allow you to browse the contents of a backup but would require a little googling, never done it before myself.

[TheShadowXX]

Originally Posted by Interstella5555

You're over-thinking it, just use normal backups. If there's one in particular you want to keep around, simply make a copy and move it somewhere else to ensure it doesn't get deleted (though it more than likely won't be). I think there are some programs that will allow you to browse the contents of a backup but would require a little googling, never done it before myself.

where would it be, and what would it be called? (PC)

edit: nvm I found it

https://discussions.apple.com/thread...art=0&tstart=0

but now my question would be, lets say I backup and save that folder on a flash drive, but 6 months from now I want to load it on my iPhone, how would I do that? just make a copy of the current back-up, and then load the back-up from the flashdrive in it's place and then go to iTunes and restore my iPhone?

[Interstella5555]

Originally Posted by TheShadowXX

where would it be, and what would it be called? (PC)

edit: nvm I found it

https://discussions.apple.com/thread...art=0&tstart=0

but now my question would be, lets say I backup and save that folder on a flash drive, but 6 months from now I want to load it on my iPhone, how would I do that? just make a copy of the current back-up, and then load the back-up from the flashdrive in it's place and then go to iTunes and restore my iPhone?

Short answer, yes, just put it back and the phone will be able to restore from it. I'm imagining the next question may be what if I want to use a 5 backup on a 4. Yes, it will work, backups can be restored on previous iOS versions/hardware and the other way around.

[TheShadowXX]

Originally Posted by Interstella5555

Short answer, yes, just put it back and the phone will be able to restore from it. I'm imagining the next question may be what if I want to use a 5 backup on a 4. Yes, it will work, backups can be restored on previous iOS versions/hardware and the other way around.

I imagined that would be the case.

Can you or anyone else recommend a free program that would be able to read the backup files? (PC & Mac preferably)