How to make a complete backup/sync of iPhone.

[Jimmy Guphanti]

For unimportant reasons, I need to restore my iPhone 4. How can I completely 100% backup the phone in its current state so that when I restore it it will be exactly the way it is right now (app icons locations, settings and all?)
Thanks

 

[spblat]

Just sync it. It'll take a backup. Check in Preferences -> Devices in iTunes to make sure you have a good backup, if you're paranoid. You may lose some of your icon position customizations but everything else should be fine.

 

[Jimmy Guphanti]

Just sync it. It'll take a backup. Check in Preferences -> Devices in iTunes to make sure you have a good backup, if you're paranoid. You may lose some of your icon position customizations but everything else should be fine.

I'll try, but it seems like I always get this half restore/sync where something is always not working.

 

[HoopTrundler]

I'm in a similar situation. Does anybody know if texts and app saved data get backed up as well? I'm not talking about just the apps themselves, but the actual saved data, such as high scores in games and such. And photos and videos too?

 

[MaxBurn]

Sync stored everything.

Also I learned a while back that if you encrypt your backups in itunes the sync will even store your wifi and email passwords. Maybe some other stuff too. Encrypt your backup for the most complete restore experience.

 

[HoopTrundler]

Sync stored everything.

Also I learned a while back that if you encrypt your backups in itunes the sync will even store your wifi and email passwords. Maybe some other stuff too. Encrypt your backup for the most complete restore experience.

Does this include saved data from apps?

 

[kimlo]

Does this include saved data from apps?

Not 100% sure on your exact question but this is your answer.

Sync does NOT store app data, only the app itself.

Backup DOES store the app data, so saved levels, achievements, etc.

The main difference between backing up and syncing is when you sync you don't keep app data and messages, backup does.

 

[slapple]

Not 100% sure on your exact question but this is your answer.

Sync does NOT store app data, only the app itself.

Backup DOES store the app data, so saved levels, achievements, etc.

The main difference between backing up and syncing is when you sync you don't keep app data and messages, backup does.

If syncing is not the same as backing up, then how do you do a backup in iTunes? Every time I plug in my phone it says syncing. How do you back up?

Also does iTunes only keep one backup at a time (the most recent)? Whenever I look under the Preferences > Devices, it always shows just the most recent backup. Can you have it keep more than one backup?

 

[M Quick]

Right click on the iPhone in iTunes and select "back up" and you shall have everything saved.

Then when you restore do the same but select restore from back up. It's that simple!

 

[Ledgem]

Does this include saved data from apps?

I'm about a month late in this reply, but just in case anyone else is wondering about this, the answer is yes: app data (high scores and such) are saved. After you reset a device and load it into iTunes, you should be prompted about whether you want to set up the device as a new device, or restore from a backup. Choose to restore (and choose which device profile to restore from, if you have multiple devices) and you're set.

Items that are expected to reside on your computer will not transfer over even if they were on your device when you backed it up. For example, photos from an iPhone's photo roll will transfer over, but photos sync'd from Aperture or iPhoto will not transfer over - the computer will need to have access to your photo library in order to restore the photos to the device. Similarly, songs will not be transferred from the backup; you'll need to have them on your computer in order to have them restored to the device.

One final note - in my restore experience (moving from one iPhone to another), passwords to e-mail accounts were not saved (although all other account settings were), and passwords to wifi networks were not saved, either. I do not encrypt my iPhone backups, and I back them up to my computer - I don't know if encrypting the backups would result in passwords being restored, as well.

 

[marincheto]

Issues with transfering data to new iphone

I just got a new iPhone 4S and am trying to transfer all the data from my old 3GS to the new phone. I followed the directions on the apple site and backed up my 3GS phone on itunes. Then I sync-ed the new 4S phone with itunes and everything (text messages, notes, apps) that I have used up to October 2011 is backed up. Anything I have had on my phone after that isn't. Can you please help???