Qs about Backups to Computer

[fractal]

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?

 

[Brian Y]

1) They're stored in a hidden folder.

2) Natively, no. Apps such as iExplorer can do though, provided you haven't password protected the backup I believe.

3) You can restore it to your phone in iTunes - which will put everything back how it was.

 

[fractal]

What folder?

How does one put a password on the backup files?

Let's say there is a password on the backup files--how would one access them OTHER THAN with another iphone?

And...

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.

 

[Weaselboy]

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?

If you have done manual backups, the files are at ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup. There will be one file for each iOS device.

You cannot view these files directly in OS X. I have seen some aftermarket apps that allow this, but have no experience with it myself.

You can encrypt this backup file by checking the encrypt backups box in iTunes.

If you lose a phone, this local backup can be used to fully restore to a new device.

 

[scoiattolo49]

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?

The data stored on iCloud are linked to the iApple Id you use and are password protected. You can access them also via a PC.
Of course you should protect also your phone with a passcode and use Find My iPhone to remote wipe it if it's even lost/stolen

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?

Not from the backup on your PC. Even with the help of programs that let you access the backup, not everything will be there and/or can be recovered-

You need to have photo, video, contacts, notes and other vital data synced/backed-up in a transparent way on another application on your PC (e.g. Outlook for contacts) or on any Cloud service (iClod, Google, Dropbox, etc. etc.)
Data that are on iCloud will be available and (with some conversion) you can transfer them to other platforms.