How to back up your data and move it to your new iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus
Apple's new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are making their way into consumers' hands today, and one of the first tasks for iPhone owners will be moving their content to their new device. AppleInsider walks you through the process of backing up and restoring data using iCloud and iTunes.
If iCloud Backup is already enabled, look just below at the "Last Backup" timestamp. Since iPhones will only perform automatic backups when locked, plugged in, and connected to Wi-Fi, the latest backup could be as much as two weeks old, and you'll want to run a new one before proceeding by tapping "Back Up Now."
Last week, Apple launched new, cheaper iCloud storage plans, so if your iPhone is too large to back up to a free 5-gigabyte account, you can add more space to ensure you won't lose any of your precious data.
Alternatively, users weary of uploading their data to the cloud can back up to their computer using iTunes. Connect your iPhone to your computer with the Lightning cable, then open iTunes -- you can either sync the device, or open File → Devices → Back up to bring up the backup menu. To start a backup, right-click your iPhone and select Backup Now.
Restoring from iCloud is straightforward. During setup --?after signing in to iCloud --?iOS will ask if you want to restore your device from a backup, or set it up as a new iPhone. Choosing 'restore from backup' will show you a list of your latest backups, and allow you to choose which one you want to restore.
Doing it this way will allow you to set up your iPhone without ever connecting it to a computer. Depending on the size of your backup, it could take a significant amount of time to download, so make sure you begin your restore when you can plug your phone in to an external power source.
Restoring from an iTunes backup is equally easy: make sure you've updated iTunes to the latest version, then connect your iPhone to your computer with the included Lightning cable. Choose File → Devices → Restore from Back up, and follow the on-screen prompts to choose your backup and begin the restore process.
You can get around this for music by subscribing to iTunes Match, Apple's cloud-based music locker. The services costs $24.99 per year, and will let you download any song that's in your local music library from the iTunes Store --?songs that aren't sold in iTunes will be uploaded and made available as well.
Backing Up
Nothing can kill the joy of a new iPhone faster than realizing your contacts, photos, or Angry Birds saves have disappeared into the ether because you forgot to take a backup of your old one. Most iPhone owners have likely enabled automatic backups via iCloud; If you aren't sure, you can check the status by navigating to Settings → iCloud → Storage & Backup.If iCloud Backup is already enabled, look just below at the "Last Backup" timestamp. Since iPhones will only perform automatic backups when locked, plugged in, and connected to Wi-Fi, the latest backup could be as much as two weeks old, and you'll want to run a new one before proceeding by tapping "Back Up Now."
Last week, Apple launched new, cheaper iCloud storage plans, so if your iPhone is too large to back up to a free 5-gigabyte account, you can add more space to ensure you won't lose any of your precious data.
Alternatively, users weary of uploading their data to the cloud can back up to their computer using iTunes. Connect your iPhone to your computer with the Lightning cable, then open iTunes -- you can either sync the device, or open File → Devices → Back up to bring up the backup menu. To start a backup, right-click your iPhone and select Backup Now.
Restoration
Restoring from iCloud is straightforward. During setup --?after signing in to iCloud --?iOS will ask if you want to restore your device from a backup, or set it up as a new iPhone. Choosing 'restore from backup' will show you a list of your latest backups, and allow you to choose which one you want to restore.
Doing it this way will allow you to set up your iPhone without ever connecting it to a computer. Depending on the size of your backup, it could take a significant amount of time to download, so make sure you begin your restore when you can plug your phone in to an external power source.
Restoring from an iTunes backup is equally easy: make sure you've updated iTunes to the latest version, then connect your iPhone to your computer with the included Lightning cable. Choose File → Devices → Restore from Back up, and follow the on-screen prompts to choose your backup and begin the restore process.
Gotchas
Anything that's synchronized from your computer --?things like music, movies, and photos from iPhoto -- isn't included in your backups, so you'll need to resynchronize your handset after the restore is complete.You can get around this for music by subscribing to iTunes Match, Apple's cloud-based music locker. The services costs $24.99 per year, and will let you download any song that's in your local music library from the iTunes Store --?songs that aren't sold in iTunes will be uploaded and made available as well.
Comments
Also, although the data used by apps is backed up, the actual apps themselves aren't backed up. So you'll be downloading each and every app that isn't already included in iOS 8. That's how you can backup your iPhone to a 5GB iCloud account when you have 12GB of apps. Like I do.
So don't plan on receiving your pre-ordered iPhone 6 in the morning, quickly moving all your stuff to it, then going to work with your new prize. Unless it's OK to be an hour or two late.
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I rotated that, just so you can look at the design, not the content of the window. I think Windows [S]is[/S] looks excruciatingly and horrendous.
http://9to5mac.com/2014/09/19/windows-users-get-icloud-drive-support-while-mac-users-await-yosemite/
In other news, Windows users get iCloud Drive support while Mac users await Yosemite:
...
I rotated that, just so you can look at the design, not the content of the window. I think Windows is looks excruciatingly and horrendous.
"Life is too short to use anything but a Mac; Windows is just not a human environment.”
- Roger Ebert
I am very tempted to use a back up, if for no other reason it saves all my wi-fi logins. But since I am going from a 16 to a 56, space is going to be the least of my issues, at least for now. One of my worries about using a back up is that if there is some kind of corruption in the backup, like something that was jacking the battery up, it could be transferred to the new device. I know that sounds wacky, but I have had that happen during at least one device transfer.
I am very tempted to use a back up, if for no other reason it saves all my wi-fi logins. But since I am going from a 16 to a 56, space is going to be the least of my issues, at least for now. One of my worries about using a back up is that if there is some kind of corruption in the backup, like something that was jacking the battery up, it could be transferred to the new device. I know that sounds wacky, but I have had that happen during at least one device transfer.
Passing on corruption may be an issue: I bricked a new 5 and was told by the tech who said it was unrecoverable that my habit of restoring each new phone with my previous backup, going back in an unbroken line to my first iPhone 3g, had accumulated enough bad code to crash the device. Whether it was true or not it did seem at least plausible to this biochemist who knows how dna genome mutations can accumulate.... an iCloud backup, since it's far more selective, wouldn't suffer from that potential issue.
For iCloud email, this isn't a problem since your AppleID password unlocks iCloud mail. It really applies for hotspots, and non Apple mail accounts.
Don't forget to turn off Find my iPhone on your old phone so it can be wiped, restored, and ready for sale or gifting to the next user.
And don't forget to update all your apps before backing up/restoring. Else you might have a lot of non-functioning apps not ready for iOS 8.
Too funny!
There are, obviously, many more of these to be rehashed:
1. OSX, because making UNIX user friendly is easier than debugging windows.
2. Windows7 - A 64-bit memory extension plugin for a 32 bit graphical shell for a 16 bit patch to an 8 bit operating system originally coded for a 4 bit microprocessor, written by a 2 bit company owned by a man with not 1 bit of common sense.
3. Drag and Drop for Windows users: DRAG your peecee off your desk, and DROP it in the trash.
4. In a world without walls and fences, who needs Windows and Gates? ––– Sun Microsystems
5. Windows? I look out of windows.
6. If God wished us to use Windows, he would allow us to come back from the dead...frequently.
7. NEVER approach a PC thinking "This will only take 5 minutes".
8. Windows users often swear at their PC's, whereas Mac users always swear by their Macs.
tl;dr
Also, I'm running itunes 10.6.3 on an original macbook air (with a swapped out ssd-much faster!) do I have to catch up with itunes updates, too?
I wouldn't know why he said that; simply answer the questions when firing up that new iPhone and you can either sync over data and apps 'as new' or dump a backup on the thing. It shouldn't matter. And if it does, simply redo it but this time chose the other option of these two methods.
I believe that is not a requirement, though it is usually best to update to the latest version of any software. Though since your laptop is from (Jan-Oct) 2008 the thing may become sluggish with the heavier software.
OT: love the evolution of the iPhone through the years:
iTunes backup/restore worked, but this experience implies I may not be able to restore from any iCloud backup, ever!
Too funny!
There are, obviously, many more of these to be rehashed:
1. OSX, because making UNIX user friendly is easier than debugging windows.
2. Windows7 - A 64-bit memory extension plugin for a 32 bit graphical shell for a 16 bit patch to an 8 bit operating system originally coded for a 4 bit microprocessor, written by a 2 bit company owned by a man with not 1 bit of common sense.
3. Drag and Drop for Windows users: DRAG your peecee off your desk, and DROP it in the trash.
4. In a world without walls and fences, who needs Windows and Gates? ––– Sun Microsystems
5. Windows? I look out of windows.
6. If God wished us to use Windows, he would allow us to come back from the dead...frequently.
7. NEVER approach a PC thinking "This will only take 5 minutes".
8. Windows users often swear at their PC's, whereas Mac users always swear by their Macs.
tl;dr
Slight update:
Windows 8 - A misconceived touch-enabled UI bolted on top of a 64-bit memory extension plugin for a 32 bit graphical shell for a 16 bit patch to an 8 bit operating system originally coded for a 4 bit microprocessor, written by a 2 bit company owned by a man with not 1 bit of common sense.
(And, to be fair, not to say there aren't a *few* old code relics lurking in OS X. Just not as glaring and built on a sounder foundation.)
(Strikes me an analogous description could be written of a Broadwell CPU, btw. Go A series...)
I think it would be nice if Apple offered an offline encrypted backup device for iOS. A 128GB SSD is under $100 and 64GB under $50. They could sell storage connected into the charging plug so when you charge the phone it backs up automatically every time without even thinking about it. If it had a spare USB port on the plug, this could be a small add-on - like a small USB pen. If it had enough storage, it could do multiple devices on the same storage. To migrate to a new device, you just keep the add-on and plug it into the new phone's plug and it restores it in seconds. It wouldn't matter if you accidentally sold the device as it would be encrypted with a key that either Apple has or the iTunes credentials.
People could choose which things to put in iCloud and which things to keep offline. There can be a photo and video tag that sets them as private such as nudes or selfies and they can stay offline but ok for local backup.
Make a time machine backup of your Mac as an extra safeguard. That way, you can restore to dozens or more old backups.
Too bad; it's gone.
They do; it's called a Mac.
Yeah but that's always the problem with iOS devices, they are still treated as being below the Mac. If you want to backup a Mac, you don't need another device. I think an inexpensive storage device would not only make backups easier for people who use just iOS devices but having it connected to the adaptor and backing up transparently ensures people don't even have to think about it.