IPHONES AND IPADS NEED BACKUPS TOO

You’ve heard me . . . “encourage” . . . you to get backup drives for your computers. Well, lets not forget about your portable devices too. And I don’t mean backing up to the iCloud. The iCloud can be useful, but if you lock yourself out of your iPhone (and many of you have), the iCloud can’t help you restore and recover your data. Remember the shooter in San Bernardino, and the FBI trying desperately to find someone who could unlock his iPhone without destroying the data? THAT is how hard it is to recover your information. Even the FBI can’t do it. Unless you back it up to iTunes.

So, let’s back it up:

Periodically – monthly? – you should plug your iPhone and/or iPad into the computer and open up iTunes (if it doesn’t open automatically).

When your device is plugged in you will see a little icon (in this case it is supposed to look like my iPad) on which you should click.

Once you have clicked, you will see summary information about your device including settings about both automatic and manual backup. Most people have the automatic backup set to iCloud, which is fine, and does not prevent us from doing our own manual backups to the computer.

Before choosing “Back Up Now” I recommend checking the box labeled “Encrypt local backup.” If you do this, then in the event you need to restore your iPhone, not only will all the apps, photos, music, etc., be restored, but all of the passwords the iPhone knows (Wi-Fi, Apple ID, Facebook) will be restored too, so you don’t have to find and enter them again. All this takes about 10-15 minutes and is a life saver when your nephew decides to be funny and add or change the passcode on your iPad.