How to backup multiple phones iTunes

[nkaufman]

Now that the family of six are out of contract, they got ATT to unlock all their phones.

ATT did that and asked them to backup and restore from iTunes. Since they have only 2 PCs and 6 Phones, what is the process to do this to avoid any mishaps?

Thanks,

 

[eelw]

iTunes should recognize each iDevice as unique. So it should back up all of them fine.

 

[nkaufman]

iTunes should recognize each iDevice as unique. So it should back up all of them fine.

I think i read somewhere that there are certain steps one needs to take to make backups of multiple phones on same PC. Something about iTunes library etc. Hence I think that there might be more to this.

 

[Newtons Apple]

Give each phone a unique name.

SETTING GENERAL ABOUT NAME

By naming each device it is now easy to keep track of you need to do a restore.

 

[Paco II]

This. iTunes will easily handle multiple backups. Just make sure each phone has a unique name so that when you get to the restore from backup stage you know which backup to use for each phone. Also make sure you computer has enough drive space to handle the backups. It's really easy and the only hard part is the waiting. One other note: before stating the backup, use the encrypted backup option. That way passwords for some native settings like email accounts will be saved and restored as well.

Give each phone a unique name.



SETTING GENERAL ABOUT NAME



By naming each device it is now easy to keep track of you need to do a restore.

 

[EDH667]

Now that the family of six are out of contract, they got ATT to unlock all their phones.

ATT did that and asked them to backup and restore from iTunes. Since they have only 2 PCs and 6 Phones, what is the process to do this to avoid any mishaps?

Thanks,

You don't have to backup and restore anymore for unlocks. If you want to make sure they are unlocked, just put in a T-Mobile or other GSM SIM card.

 

[nkaufman]

You don't have to backup and restore anymore for unlocks. If you want to make sure they are unlocked, just put in a T-Mobile or other GSM SIM card.

Just following what the email from ATT says:
--------
Thank you for contacting AT&T Customer Care about unlocking your AT&T Mobile device.
We have reviewed your request and confirmed that the device may be unlocked. You should complete the unlock process before porting out your number for use with another carrier.
Please allow 24 hours upon receipt of this notification to complete the unlock process.
1. Open iTunes on your Mac or PC and verify that you have Internet connectivity.
2. Ensure the original SIM card that came with this device is inserted in your iPhone.
3. Connect your iPhone using the dock connector to USB cable that came with your iPhone.
4. Backup and restore your iPhone using iTunes. For information on backup and restore, please visit http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1414.
5. After restoring, your iPhone will be unlocked.
Additional information on unlocking can be found at http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5014.
For questions regarding AT&T Mobile device, please visit the Phone/Device Learning Center.
Thank you for your business. For other questions about our AT&T wireless service or other Mobile devices, please visit att.com.

Sincerely,
AT&T Customer Care Team

 

[nkaufman]

I started to make a backup using iTunes on Win-7.

Should I specify different locations of these backups for each iPhone from the default - Libraries\Music\iTunes?

what options should I select in Advanced Preferences?

thanks for your help.

 

[rigormortis]

you can back up to any computer running iTunes as you like
but you can only sync to one library at a time

like others have said, iOS 8 no longer requires back up , erase and restore to unlock the phone, you just need to put in any sim card from another carrier

probably doesn't even need to be activated

if you cannot obtain a different sim card, then you have to go back to the old way and back up, erase and restore

what about having a different user logged on ( the mac or windows) to do the backup and erase and sync? or syncing in general? i never tried that. is that easier then giving each phone a different name? wouldn't their iTunes library be separate from other people?