“Once upon a time one of the primary handicaps of iOS devices was the fact that you had to physically connect it to a Windows or Mac PC with a USB sync cable to back it up using iTunes,” Tony Bradley writes for PCWorld. “With iOS 5 Apple introduced iCloud, essentially allowing users to cut the cord.”
“But these iOS backup methods were not created equal, and if you don’t choose carefully you could be risking significant data loss,” Bradley writes. “To ensure your iPhone or iPad data is fully protected, here’s a look at what each option backs up and when to use it.”
“iCloud Backup lets you back up your data wirelessly and automatically to your iCloud account,” Bradley writes. “While this method is exceptionally convenient, it doesn’t perform a full backup. It backs up only what Apple deems the “most important data” on your iOS device: your camera roll, accounts, documents, and settings.”
“Apps are the most glaring omission from the list of data iCloud backs up. But that’s mostly for the sake of efficiency. Your purchased apps, music, movies, and books will be re-downloaded from the App, iTunes, and iBook stores when you restore from an iCloud Backup,” Bradley writes. “The same cannot be said about your music or videos that weren’t purchased through iTunes, photos that aren’t stored in the local camera roll, your call history, homescreen arrangement, and loads of other data. To make safety copies of those, you’ll have to use the good ol’ iTunes Backup.”
Read more in the full article here.
Full backup and restore, use iTunes and a Mac. If you don’t have a Mac, go get one already!
Mac PC… haven’t heard that one before. Although the Mac was the first PC ever.
Duh! Why would you need to backup music videos or items not on your camera roll. The only way most of that would get there in the first place was by transferring them originally from your computer. Only idiots delete their files from the computer after transferring to their iPhone/iPod touch.
For the most part these instructions are for people who download media from other people’s computers.
This is not my experience. I have replaced numerous iPhones, iPod Touches and iPads by using the iCloud backup from a prior unit. I never lost any data, including call history, home screen arrangement, etc.
You are correct: data such as call history, text messages, arrangement of apps, and – a big one – app data (e.g., the level number and current score of a game app) are ALL saved to an iCloud backup.
Tony Bradley is either misinformed or an idiot. Didn’t “journalists” used to check their content before they published? Naaahhhh!
I would agree that there’s nothing wrong with maintaining both an iCloud and iTunes backup, though.
I religiously USB Sync both my iPhone and iPad to my Mac iTunes at least weekly – and then do full bare-metal clone backups of my hard drive to external USB drives using Disk Utility’s “Backup” tab. Its the price of being fully backed up, no matter what. I’ve seen people get into super-major hurt trying to restore an un-Synced lost/broken iPhone via iCloud.
Where is the Backup tab? I don’t see it in Disk Utilities. Does a USB drive have to be mounted to see it.
iTunes backup for me. Local, always available.
Hopefully that includes regular backups of your computer as well as offsite backups. Otherwise, iCloud backup could be safer.
Backed up hourly to two Time Capsules – one in my flat and one in my Mum’s house.
Belt & Braces.