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iCloud: The ultimate guide

Rene Ritchie — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 16:49:52 +0000

Everything you need to know about setting up, backing up, restoring, and updating your iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, and managing your iTunes apps, books, music, TV shows, movies, Match, and Photo Stream in the cloud

iCloud is Apple's online service designed to make managing your iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and Apple TV, and your iTunes content easier and more automatic than ever. Like the name implies, iCloud is based in the "cloud", which is a trendy way of saying giant data centers filled with servers that you can access from your device over Wi-Fi or 3G/4G internet, wherever you are, whenever you want. It consists of several services that work with the apps on your iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, and with iTunes and a handful of desktop apps on Mac and Windows. Most iCloud services are completely free, although additional storage and services are available for purchase.

Because the vast majority of iCloud services are free, and because they work automatically and transparently in the background to backup your data and give you access to your content, you should absolutely use it.

How to setup, backup, restore, and update your iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad with iCloud

With iCloud, you no longer need to plug your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad into iTunes on your Mac or Windows PC to set it up for the first time, to keep it backed up, or to upgrade the software. Now you can do all of that, and more, faster and more easily, over-the-air (OTA) on your local Wi-Fi network. Because routine tasks, like backups, happen automatically, you don't have to worry about forgetting them and then finding out you don't have one when you need it most.

How to set up and use iCloud Mail, Contacts, and Calendars (and Bookmarks, Notes, and Reminders)

iCloud includes push email, calendaring, and contact services. That means whenever you get an email, it's immediately made available on all your devices. Whenever you make or change an appointment it shows up in your calendar on all your devices. Whenever you add or change contact information, its reflected in the contacts on all of your devices. You can access these services via the Mail, Contacts, and Calendar apps on your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad, via the iCloud.com website from any desktop browser, or through popular mail, calendar, and contacts apps on your Mac or Windows PC.

iCloud will also sync Bookmarks, Notes, and Reminders.

How to set up and use iTunes in the Cloud

The iTunes in the Cloud part of iCloud lets you access content you've bought from Apple's iTunes Store, App Store, and iBookstore, re-download it to your iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, and to iTunes on your Mac or Windows PC, and stream your music, movies, and TV shows to your Apple TV.

How to subscribe to, set up, and use iTunes Match

iTunes Match is Apple's iCloud-based "music locker" service that allows you to store copies of all your music on Apple's servers and re-download it from any of your devices, at any time. iTunes Match isn't free, however. It comes at a price -- $24.99 a year (in the U.S.). It's also only available in 20 odd regions right now.

How to set up and use Photo Stream

Photo Stream is iCloud's image backup and distribution component. Take a picture (or screen shot) on your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad, and -- when you're on Wi-Fi -- iCloud will store a copy of that picture on Apple's servers and push copies down to all your other iOS devices, as well as your Mac and/or Windows PC. On iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, iCloud will store up to 1000 photos, or 30 days of photos. On your Mac and/or Windows PC, iCloud will store all your photos. Photo Stream will also let you view your photos on the Apple TV.

How to set up and use Documents in the Cloud

With iCloud you no longer have to fuss with traditional computer files and folders or worry about forgetting where you put a document when you go back to look for it later. For apps that support Documents in the Cloud, all you have to remember is which app (or apps) opens the type of file you want to work on. From then on, iCloud manages everything, storing any changes you make back up to the server, and pushing down those updates to every device you have logged into your account. Create a Keynote presentation on your iPad at home, get to work and it's ready and waiting for you on your iPhone.

How to setup and use Find my iPhone

Find my iPhone -- or Find my iPod or Find my iPad -- keeps track of your iCloud-enabled devices so you can track them down if they're lost or stolen, and even remotely message, lock, and erase it to keep your data secure.

How to set up and use Find my Friends

With Find My Friends, iCloud lets you easily locate your friends and family from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Whether you're on a family trip to a theme park or just want to meet up with some acquaintances for a drink, Find my Friends can make sure everyone knows where everyone else is.

How to get more help with iCloud

If you still need help with setup, backup, restore, iTunes in the Cloud, iTunes Match, Photo Stream, Find my iPhone, Find my Friends, or any other iCloud feature, head on over to our iCloud Forum and ask away!

Ally Kazmucha, Chris Oldroyd, and Gary Mazo contributed major sections of this guide.

How to set up, back up, restore, and update using iCloud

Rene Ritchie — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 04:37:06 +0000

Everything you need to know about setting up, backing up, restoring, and updating your iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad with iCloud

How to set up your new iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad with iCloud
How to create an Apple ID
How to set up a new iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad with iCloud (clean install)
How to restore your iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad from an iCloud backup
How to backup your iPhone with iCloud
How to manually trigger an iCloud backup
How to delete an iCloud backup
How to manually manage what gets backed up to iCloud
How to buy more iCloud storage
How to downgrade your iCloud storage
How to update your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad software over the air (OTA)
How to remove an iCloud account from your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad

How to set up your new iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad with iCloud

When you turn on your new iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad, you'll be greeted with a Lock screen that simply says "iPhone", "iPod" or "iPad". That's where we start.

Swipe to unlock to start setting up your iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.
Choose your language. Your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad will show you the most common languages for the area in which you bought it, but you can tap the downward arrow icon to see all the choices. Tap the blue Arrow button to continue.
Choose you country or region. Again, your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad will show you the region where you bought it, but you can tap Show more... for additional options. Tap the blue Next button to continue.
Choose whether you want to globally enable or disable location services. Location Services use GPS (on an iPhone or iPad 3G/4G), cell-tower triangulation, and Wi-Fi router mapping to determine the approximate location of your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad . This feature is used for turn-by-turn navigation (like Navigon, check-in games (like FourSquare), social networks (like Facebook), geo-tagging (like in the Camera app), and utilities (like Find my iPad), etc. Unless you have a particular need to globally disable it, you'll want to turn on the Location Services feature at this point. You can change your mind or selectively disable or enable these services later on in the Settings app (e.g., turn off your Camera app’s geo-tagging, but leave on TomTom’s turn-by-turn navigation). Tap the blue Next button to continue.
Choose your Wi-Fi network. Even if you're on 3G or LTE, your iPhone or iPad wants Wi-Fi because there may be a lot of data to move around and blasting through your data cap on setup is no fun. Enter your network password and tap the blue Next button to continue.
Wait for Apple to activate your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad . This could take a few minutes.
Choose if you want to setup your iPad as new, restore from iCloud backup, or restore from an iTunes backup on a PC. Tap the blue Next button to continue.

How to create an Apple ID

In order to use iCloud, you need to have an Apple ID. An Apple ID can be an iTunes Store/App Store account, me.com email account, Apple developer account, FaceTime or iMessage account, etc.

If you already have one of those, skip ahead to the next section. If not, you'll have to create one.

Choose **Create a Free Apple ID**
Enter your Location and Date of birth
A new window will open asking you to use an existing email address or create a free @me.com address

You can use any email address you like, including an existing gmail, Yahoo!, hotmail, etc. address. If you want a new email address, however, to take advantage of Apple's free push email service, select get a free @me.com email address
Fill in all your details and tap Next
Accept the iCloud Terms and Conditions

That’s it done, you now have a new iCloud account all set up and ready to go!

How to set up a new iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad with iCloud (clean install)

While you can always restore your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad based on a previous backup of the same or different iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad, you can also set it up as new. If it's your first device, or if you simply want to start fresh to ensure optimal stability and battery life, setting up as new should be your go-to.

Choose sign in with your Apple ID.
Enter your Apple ID to login. (Enter your full email address as the username.) Tap the blue Next button to continue. (If you change your mind, you can logout of iCloud, or login under a different account later.)
Agree to the terms and conditions of service by tapping the blue Agree button on the bottom left.
Confirm your agreement by tapping the Agree button.
Choose Use iCloud. You need to do this or none of the other cool stuff will work.
Choose Use iCloud Backup. This way you won't have to worry about backing up your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad manually to a computer.
Choose use Find my iPhone/iPod/iPad. This way, if you lose your device, you can track it down more easily.
Choose if you want to automatically send Diagnostics to Apple. It's anonymous and helps make Apple make better products, but if you're uncomfortable with the idea, choose Don't send.

Your iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad will now be set up. Because it's communicating with Apple's iCloud servers, it could take a few moments to complete.

How to restore your iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad from an iCloud backup

If you have an old iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad and need access to your old data quickly, or dread the idea of starting from scratch again, you have the option of simply restoring your new iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad from a backup of your old device.

Choose restore from iCloud backup.
Enter your Apple ID to login. (Enter your full email address as the username.) Tap the blue Next button to continue. (If you change your mind, you can logout of iCloud, or login under a different account later.)
Agree to the terms and conditions of service by tapping the blue Agree button on the bottom left.
Confirm your agreement by tapping the Agree button.
Choose your backup. You'll see your Latest iPhone/iPod/iPad Backup listed. This is usually the one you want to choose. You'll can also see older backups, and backups of your other iOS devices on the same iCloud account.

A progress bar will show you an approximation of how long it will take to download your backup. Once it's done, your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad will reboot.

Once your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad reboots, all your previous settings will be back in place, and you'll be asked to re-enter all your passwords (as a security measure, iCloud will not restore passwords).

Once that's done, your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad will start re-downloading all your apps. You will need to stay on Wi-Fi for any file larger than 50MB to re-download.

How to backup your iPhone with iCloud

iCloud will automatically back up your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad whenever you plug it into a power source and it is connected to a Wi-Fi network. iCloud backup requires power so it doesn't run the battery down while backing up, and it requires Wi-Fi because of the potentially large amount of data it will transfer.

How to manually trigger an iCloud backup

If you need to replace or restore your phone, or you know you’ll be traveling for a while and want to make sure the backup is done before you go, You can initiate a manual backup.

Launch the Settings app
Tap on iCloud
Tap on Storage & Backup near the bottom
Tap on Back Up Now at the bottom.

Depending on the speed of your Wi-Fi connection and how much you have to backup, it could take a while to complete. When it's done iCloud backup will be up to date.

How to delete an iCloud backup

Since you only get 5GB of free storage with iCloud, if you don't want to upgrade and pay more, you might want to delete some older backups, or backups from iPhones, iPod touches, and iPads you no longer use, to save space.

Launch the Settings app
Tap on iCloud
Tap on Storage and Backup
Tap on Manage Storage
Check out your current backups stored on iCloud. (Here you can see two iPhones, including one replaced at the Apple Store last week and so no longer needed).
Tap on the backup you want to remove from iCloud
Tap on Delete Backup
Tap on Turn Off and Delete

That’s it, that backup has now been removed and the space reclaimed in iCloud.

How to manually manage what gets backed up to iCloud

If you don't want to, or simply can't delete an entire iCloud backup in order to save space, you can still control what gets backed up. For example, backing up the Camera Roll can use up a large amount of your iCloud storage. Since Photo Stream captures a lot of that data anyway, and isn't counted against your total storage usage, turning off Camera Roll backup can save you considerable space.

Launch the Settings app
Tap iCloud near the bottom
Tap Storage and Backup near the bottom
Tap Manage Storage
If you have multiple devices on the same iCloud account, tap on the name of your device
You'll see a list of apps currently being backed up to iCloud. Not all apps will be shown immediately. Too see them all, tap Show All
For any apps you don't really want or need to be backed up, switch the toggle button to Off

The Camera Roll above is 35GB. That could cost you quite a bit in iCloud storage fees!

How to buy more iCloud storage

If you run out of free space, and there aren't any backups you want to delete or apps you want to stop backing up, you can choose to buy more iCloud storage.

Launch Settings
Tap on iCloud near the bottom
Tap on Storage and Backup
Tap on Buy More Storage
Select your storage increase option -- 10GB for $20, 20GB for $40 or 50GB for $100 per year.
Enter your iTunes password to charge the increase to your iTunes account.

If you change your mind, you have 15 days to contact Apple and cancel the storage increase. If you're happy with it, you'll be billed the same amount, once a year, for as long as you keep the selected storage tier.

How to downgrade your iCloud storage

If you eventually change your mind and decide you no longer need extra iCloud storage, and don't want to be billed for it again when it comes time for renewal, you can downgrade to a lower tier, or back to the free version.

Launch the Settings app
Tap iCloud near the bottom
Tap Storage and Backup near the bottom
Tap Buy More Storage
Tap Downgrade Options near the bottom
Login with your Apple ID password
Choose your new plan from the available options

The downgrade will take effect at your next billing cycle (one year after you bought the additional storage).

How to update your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad software over the air (OTA)

Whether you've bought a new iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad and an update is already available, or one comes along months later, applying them over-the-air (OTA) via iCloud is faster and more efficient than the old-school iTunes method.

If a software update is available for your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad, a popup notification will let you know, and a red badge will appear at the top righthand corner of your Settings app.

Launch the Settings app
Tap General
Tap Software Update
If there's nothing new, you'll be told just so. Otherwise, you'll be presented with all the details about the update.
Tap Download and Install
Agree to the Terms and Conditions
Watch the progress bar (This part depends on the speed and quality of connection. Don't be alarmed if it takes a long time, speeds up or slows down, or appears to jump around -- be patient.)
Once it's finished downloading, you'll be prompted to instal (and restart) your device. If you don't explicitly hit Later or Install within a few seconds, it will install on your behalf.
Agree to the Terms and Conditions yet again.
Apple will verify the install.

How to remove an iCloud account from your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad

You can remove an iCloud account from your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad at any time. When you remove the iCloud account, all the associated data will also be removed from your device. It's not deleted, however, and if you add the iCloud account back, it will restore the data to your device.

Launch the Settings app
Tap on iCloud
Tap on Delete Account at the bottom.
Tap on Delete to confirm.

If you change your mind, you can always log back into that iCloud account again.

How to get more help with iCloud

If you still need help with setting up, backing up, restoring, or updating your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad, or any other iCloud feature, head on over to our iCloud Forum and ask away!

Ally Kazmucha, Chris Oldroyd, and Gary Mazo contributed major sections of this guide.

Are you using iCloud? [Poll]

Georgia — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 14:25:02 +0000

iCloud has been called Apple's key to the next decade, an online hub in the clouds to replace the outdated Mac hub in your home -- but are you using it?

Introduced alongside iOS 5, iCloud was the subject of Steve Jobs' final keynote appearance and the way Apple finally "cut-the-cord" to iTunes and kicked off their Post-PC era. For the first time, iPhones, iPod touches and iPads could be set up, backed up and restored and updated over-the-air (OTA) without having to be plugged into a Mac or Windows PC. In fact, iCloud solved the age-old problem of getting users to backup and update in an entirely new, and even easier way. I used to be terrible when it came to backups, now they just happen. (I still don't update, however, due to jailbreak

Along with PC-free, iCloud also formalized the ability to re-download App Store apps and games, and iBookstore iBooks, and added the ability to re-download Music in the Cloud, and now TV in the Cloud and Movies in the Cloud (where they're available). If you don't mind spending an additional $24.99 a year, you can even get iTunes Match and have your entire music collection scanned and store on Apple's servers, with any low-quality songs that are available on the giant iTunes catalog replaced with Apple's higher-quality versions. Then you can re-download those from up to 10 devices on the same Apple ID as well.

Photo Stream tries to provide a seamless way to have any photo taken on your iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, or in iPhoto or Aperture on your Mac stored on iCloud and pushed down to every other device on your Apple ID. It works much better now that, thanks to iOS 5.1, you can delete individual photos (or photo bombs!).

Documents in the Cloud intends to replace our local files and file systems with a worry-free online repository. There, our Pages, Keynote and Numbers files just kind of hang out until we need them. Unfortunately, Apple hasn't updated iWork on the Mac to support iCloud, and it looks like we'll have to wait for OS X Mountain Lion before any of that "just-works". What I was most excited about -- the idea that my Angry Birds levels on iPhone would simply sync to my iPad so I could game interchangeably on either one -- hasn't happened yet either. Hopefully we're getting there and it's just taking a little time.

MobileMe's Mail, Contacts, and Calendars have moved over to iCloud. I don't use them, but they're free now and they seem to be quite reliable lately as well so for many people they're a good option. Find my iPhone, which lets you track down a missing or stolen device, is also part of iCloud now. It is joined by Find my Friends, which may let you track down a missing or stolen friend but is really meant as a way to keep track of family or meet up with friends, if such a thing doesn't creep you out the way it does me.

iCloud isn't even 6 months old yet, and Apple has been adding new features like TV Shows and Movies in the Cloud, and if it's as important to their future as it seems to be, no doubt that will continue. So here's where I go back to my original question -- are you using iCloud? If so, which features? Vote in the poll up top and then tell me how you're using it -- and liking or not liking it -- in the comments below. And for more, jump into our iCloud Forum and have at it!

Is Apple testing Oracle's ZFS file system to make iOS and iCloud storage better, faster, and more resilient?

Rene Ritchie — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 21:02:22 +0000

Following up on the information iMore received yesterday on potential ZFS hooks in iOS 5.1, a reliable source let us know that Apple has been investing heavily in ZFS appliances from Oracle. (Whether or not this will be made public is unknown; it doesn't seem to be right now.)

Also, several of our readers familiar with ZFS wrote in to speculate as to why Apple may be exploring ZFS for use on iPhone and iPad. Broadly, it may have something to do with ZFS' snapshot technology. ZFS snapshots can be easily compressed and encrypted, de-duplicated, and can transfer delta (bit differential) updates between cloud and device. The snapshots can also work like Time Machine, easily and efficiently providing incremental backup and restore capability from an hour ago, a day ago, a week ago, or more, asynchronously and block by block. Here's what Wikipedia says about ZFS snapshots:

An advantage of copy-on-write is that when ZFS writes new data, the blocks containing the old data can be retained, allowing a snapshot version of the file system to be maintained. ZFS snapshots are created very quickly, since all the data composing the snapshot is already stored; they are also space efficient, since any unchanged data is shared among the file system and its snapshots.

Writeable snapshots ("clones") can also be created, resulting in two independent file systems that share a set of blocks. As changes are made to any of the clone file systems, new data blocks are created to reflect those changes, but any unchanged blocks continue to be shared, no matter how many clones exist. This is an implementation of the Copy-on-write principle.

Snapshots is only one of the features of ZFS (Zettabyte Files System), the advanced file system created by Sun, now owned by Oracle. Apple included a partial port of ZFS in earlier versions of Mac OS X but pulled it before the official release. It's a file system particularly well suited for cloud environments and storage pools, which might be why Apple is looking at it again in the post iCloud.

Apple is an incredibly private company that works hard behind the scenes in order to present a beautifully packaged, highly polished product to consumers. No doubt there is a lot of really cool, really geeky technology at the core of iCloud, for example, but all most of us see are elegant interface elements in Settings.app that, when tapped, all but transparently backup and restore our iPhones or iPads.

If indeed Apple is planning on using ZFS to make iCloud backups and restores better, it will probably be invisible to end users. One day, iCloud will simply work better, faster, and even more reliably.

More: Wikipedia

Daily Tip: How to delete iCloud backups from your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch

Chris Oldroyd — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 04:08:36 +0000

Running low on iCloud storage and wondering how to delete old backups to reclaim some space? iCloud offers iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users a fantastic way to secure your personal data in the cloud. It makes everything a breeze if you have to restore a device or set up a new one. Just type in your iCloud details and everything magically appears just how it was before you had the problem. Of course you only get 5GB of free storage, if you need more, you have to pay each month. Whilst this is not a problem for most, if you have multiple devices linked to one iCloud account and no longer use one or more of them, the iCloud backup may be taking up valuable space. Well there is a way to delete individual device backups in iCloud all from your iOS device. Read on and we will show you how.

Open Settings

Scroll down to iCloud and tap on it
Scroll down to the bottom and tap on Storage and Backup

Here you can see the storage being used and what is available

Click on Manage Storage

Here you will see a list of backups being held in iCloud, as you can see I have two iPhones. I had one replaced at the Apple Store last week so no longer need this backup.
Click on the one you want to remove from iCloud

Click on Delete Backup

Click on Turn Off and Delete
That’s it, that backup has now been removed and the space reclaimed in iCloud

Daily Tips range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com.

How to manually start an iCloud backup

Allyson Kazmucha — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 17:34:54 +0000

Running iOS 5 and iCloud and wondering how you can manually trigger a backup? iCloud will automatically backup at some point during the day when you're on Wi-Fi, but if you need to replace or restore your phone, or you know you'll be leaving for a while and want to make sure the backup is done before you go, you do have that option.

Here's what to do:

First tap into your Settings app and tap into iCloud.
On this screen you'll see a list of all the services you are syncing with iCloud.
Scroll down a bit further and you'll see a button labeled Storage & Backup. Tap it.
Scroll all the way down to the Backup sections and you will see a button labeled Back Up Now. Tap it to start creating an iCloud backup.
iCloud will begin creating a backup for you. It can do this in the background so you can continue using your device like normal while the process completes.

iCloud will create backups for you regularly but it will only perform a backup when you are connected to Wifi and plugged in to a charging outlet. So as a note to users on tiered data plans, if you need to create an iCloud backup manually at least make sure you are on Wifi if at all possible. If you have any other questions about iCloud backups or anything iOS in general, check out our TiPb forums for all questions related to iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch!

iCloud causing data clearing problems for iOS 5 apps

Andrew Wray — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 23:08:41 +0000

Marco Arment, creator of the popular Instapaper app for the iPhone and iPad, noticed an problem related to changes made in iOS 5 tied to iCloud backups.

A common scenario: an Instapaper customer is stocking up an iPad for a long flight. She syncs a bunch of movies and podcasts, downloads some magazines, and buys a few new games, leaving very little free space. Right before boarding, she remembers to download the newest issue of The Economist. (I think highly of my customers.) This causes free space to fall below the threshold that triggers the cleaner, which — in the background, unbeknownst to her — deletes everything that was saved in Instapaper. Later in the flight, with no internet connectivity, she goes to launch Instapaper and finds it completely empty.

(Last week, almost this exact scenario happened to one of my customers.)

Apps like eBook readers, podcast clients, offline mapping programs and even Apple's own iBooks app (as long as Apple is following its own rules) would have its cached data wiped clean if ever the device runs low on space.

Hit the link below for Arment's detailed explanation of the problem.

Source: Marco Arment

Daily tip: How to manually transfer data from your old iPhone to your new iPhone 4S

Allyson Kazmucha — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 04:13:48 +0000

Switching from an old iPhone to the new iPhone 4S and wondering how you can transfer your data over? Luckily, iTunes makes this process almost painless. After your initial transfer to your new device, iOS 5 and iCloud will make the process even easier from here on out. But if for some reason you still need to transfer your data manually, we've got you covered!

If you've ever had to swap an iPhone out at an Apple store, you're probably already familiar with this process. If not, follow these easy steps to copy data to your new phone. This process will save all your contacts, camera roll photos, apps, and settings into an iTunes backup for you.

Plug your current iPhone into your computer and open iTunes.
If it doesn't start to sync automatically, click the Sync button. (You can alternately right click your device name in the navigation bar and click back up as well. Either way will work just fine.)
Unplug your current iPhone and plug in your new iPhone.
You'll be asked to register your iPhone if you haven't already.
iTunes should prompt you to do one of two things, set up as a new iPhone or restore from a backup. Choose to restore from a backup and select the backup you just made.
Once the restore is done your iPhone will reboot. When iTunes detects it again it will start to sync back any apps and games your old iPhone had installed.
Let iTunes do its thing. When you come back, your new phone should have all the same settings and data as your old one!

After you've done a manual transfer you'll have the option to use iCloud backups in the future. If you have any questions or have issues, check out our TiPb Forums for all the help you could ever need!

Smashed and grabbed

Rene Ritchie — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 03:01:37 +0000

Yesterday I drove to my local Apple Store to pick up my Mac Pro, which had had it's processor board repaired. I got there about 6:20pm, picked it up, and returned to the parking lot at 6:40. I opened the rear driver's side door, eased my Mac Pro onto the floor, and then wondered why there was broken glass on the seat. It took a moment to realize the answer -- the rear passenger side window had been smashed open. It took only a moment longer to realize the worse news -- my laptop bag, containing my MacBook Pro and iPad 2, and my camera bag containing my Canon T2i, fast 50mm lens, and 35mm lens had been stolen. Looking around I saw several other adjacent cars had been similarly broken into, and a few minutes later the owners returned and discovered similar theft of their laptops and other valuables.

I called the police. They took a report. They marked it as "will not investigate" due to the lack of cameras in the parking lot. I called my insurance company. Twice. They took a report. Twice. I called all the IT people I work with and had my passwords reset and my keys revoked and replaced.

Because I use Find my iPhone, I could try to track my iPad. (Unsuccessfully; it had been powered down.) I could also issue a remote wipe (though it would be helpful if Apple recorded the location just before it wiped). Because I keep most of my home directory in Dropbox, I didn't lose any data. (Though I dearly wish Dropbox could remote wipe the files of a lost or stolen computer -- or can it and I'm just unaware?) Because I use 1Password I can quickly replace any logins with new ones that are just as gnarly, just in case.

I wish I could just watch GDGT to see who adds my gear, then use Gowalla to track them down, but the truth is most stolen property is never recovered.

My car window will be replaced, good as new. Some portion of my gear will be covered by insurance, though probably not enough to replace it all. The loss of time and the feeling of violation will frustrate for a long time to come.

It did serve to remind me that, despite the inconvenience, security and redundancy are urgently important.

If you haven't installed Apple's free Find my iPhone service, do it now. If you don't have both a local backup (iTunes is fine), make one now. If you don't have a remote backup (iCloud might be fine come iOS 5), make one now. And make it a habit to run it every day or couple of days so you never lose too much data. Unlike gadgets, that's irreplaceable. (I'd also suggest a good password manager.)

Daily Tip: How to upgrade from an existing jailbreak

Allyson Kazmucha — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 02:27:02 +0000

This tip will help you learn how to upgrade from an existing jailbreak. If you're currently jailbroken on an older firmware version and want to update, it can sometimes be a bit trickier than just restoring in iTunes and backing up. In most cases, it's always best to start with a clean slate and not restore from a jailbroken backup (with a few exceptions). Luckily there are a couple apps and tweaks out there that make the process not as daunting. Hit the break for some suggestions and a walk-through!

Starting fresh

Most jailbreakers will agree that not restoring from a previously jailbroken backup is the best way to upgrade. For the most part, I'd have to agree. The only exception I see to this rule is if you have to restore (not upgrade). For example, I recently had to swap my iPhone out. I was already running on iOS 4.3.3 jailbroken. After I swapped my phone, I just restored from a backup. I have never typically seen ill results from restoring on the same firmware version. It gets a bit more hairy when you are dealing with different firmware versions and different jailbreak utilities. Whenever you are upgrading to a newer firmware version, always start fresh if you can.

Before restoring

You'll always want to make sure your contacts, calendars, and camera roll are backed up elsewhere. I use MobileMe so I already know my information will come down. Either store them to your Mac or PC, or use an online syncing service like Google Sync or MobileMe.
To save your Cydia packages and settings, check out XBackup. There are also other jailbreak utilities that perform similar functions, which one you choose to use, it completely up to you. I've had good experience with XBackup.
To save your in-app game data, you can use an app such as DataDeposit or appbackup. Both are free but DataDeposit may be a bit more convenient for some folks as it just saves your data to your DropBox account which is an added bonus.

Restoring

Next you'll want to restore your device via iTunes. (If you are an unlocker, you should probably stray away from this process. You'll almost always want to use custom firmware bundles to preserve your unlock with a jailbreak utility such as PwnageTool. You'll want to make sure the firmware version you are upgrading to offers an unlock.)
Let your device restore in iTunes and then select "Set up as new device" as opposed to restoring from a backup.

Re-jailbreaking and restoring data

Once you have restored your device, you'll need to re-jailbreak and re-install XBackup and DataDeposit (or whatever two apps you chose to use previously). These should bring down your jailbreak settings and app save data.
Now you'll need to re-sync all of your content via iTunes. Just make sure you selected to set up as a new device.

Re-jailbreaking is definitely not the easiest process in the world but a clean start is always best. I've found bad jailbreak bits can come over when restoring from a previously jailbroken device. So doing it right the first time can save you a lot of headaches in the long run. If you've done this process or are just trying it for the first time, let us know your experiences in the comments. And if you have issues, let us know in our TiPb jailbreak forums!

Tips of the day will range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you'd like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to news@tipb.com. (If it's especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we'll even give ya a reward...)

Daily Tip: How to save App Store app data with DataDeposit [jailbreak]

Allyson Kazmucha — Fri, 20 May 2011 01:59:28 +0000

Restoring your iPhone and re-jailbreaking, and wondering how to save your App Store app data? We recently checked out how to use appbackup to save App store app data but now there's a new app on the block called DataDeposit. What's unique about DataDeposit is that you won't need to save any files via SSH or iPhone Explorer. It simply backs up your app data to your Dropbox account. Awesome, right? Hit the jump for a quick walkthrough!

Backing up your app data

Download DataDeposit from Cydia
Make sure any apps that you want to back up are not running in the multitasking tray. If they are, simply close them out. (I completely emptied out my multitasking tray before backing up data.)
From the main screen, select Backup my save data. You'll be prompted to sign into your Dropbox account if you haven't already done so.
DataDeposit will populate a list of apps you have installed. Tap the app you would like to create a backup for and select Backup.
Once you're done backing up all the apps you'd like to be able to restore, go ahead and restore your device and re-jailbreak.

Restoring your app data

Once you have re-jailbroken your device, re-download DataDeposit from Cydia.
Launch DataDeposit and this time you'll select Restore from Dropbox.
DataDeposit will automagically populate all the apps you have restore points for in Dropbox. Simply go through the list and restore any backups you'd like. Again, make sure they aren't running in the multitasking tray.
You're done!

I didn't have too many issues with DataDeposit but there were a few instances where a backup didn't sync up to Dropbox for some reason. So before restoring, I'd make sure your backups really are in Dropbox. I have Dropbox installed on my iMac so I made sure my Mac gave me a notification that it received the backup file for an app before I proceeded onto the next one. If you have issues uploading to Dropbox, there is a setting under change options that allows you to turn off HTTPS uploading to Dropbox. Try that if uploads or downloads fail.

I would really like to see a backup and restore all option added at some point too. Either way, DataDeposit definitely made it a bit less painless to restore a jailbroken iPhone. If you guys try it out, let us know what you think!

Daily Tip: How to save your application data using appbackup [jailbreak]

Allyson Kazmucha — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 03:40:19 +0000

How to back up application data is a question I get asked almost on a daily basis. This question seems to get asked even more frequently every time a new jailbreak is released. I never recommend restoring from a jailbroken backup, ever. It can bring all kinds of problems with it and cause crashes and freezes. I always recommend a new restore.

But what about all your game save data and other app data? If you don't restore from a backup, it's gone right? Not exactly. There's tons of reasons why you may need to completely restore your device. Whatever the reason is, appbackup is a huge aid that helps bring your application data with you.

Hit the jump for a walkthrough!

Cydia plays host to a wonderful little app called appbackup. It's free and will back up and save application data for any App Store apps you choose. As a side note, it will not save jailbroken data. There is another app lurking in the Cydia store that will aid you in doing that called aptbackup. We will look at that in a future tutorial.

What you'll need

A currently jailbroken iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch
appbackup
iPhone explorer or an SSH client of your choice on your Mac or PC. I recommend iPhone Explorer as it is dead simple to use and it's free.

Backing up App Store applications

Download appback for free via Cydia.
Launch appbackup. You'll be presented with a huge list of all App Store applications currently installed on your device.
You have two options, you can save all application data or just choose certain application data to backup. I typically save only game data and data from apps that tend to be a pain when wiped clean. To save all, tap "All" in the bottom left hand corner. To selectively create backups, tap the name of the app you'd like to back up and click back up. Do this with all the apps you'd like to save your data from.
You'll see the app save your data before displaying that it was successful. It's also worth noting you won't see a restore option until you have a backup saved for a specific application.

Obtaining your backups and transferring them to your Mac or PC

Plug your device into your Mac or PC after you've created backups for all the apps you care to save.
This is where you'll need to open either iPhone Explorer or SSH into your device. If you're not sure how to SSH, check out the guide referenced above. I still recommend iPhone Explorer, which is what I'm using in all screenshots.
appbackup saves your backups in a specific file path. That path is as follows: /var/mobile/Library/Preferences/AppBackup
You will need to navigate to the above file path. After you've found the folder, you'll need to make a copy of that folder on your Mac or PC. I typically keep them in a folder on my desktop called App Backups. However you choose to do it is fine as long as you save them in a location you'll remember. After you've found the folder, all you need to do in order to copy it to your computer is drag it to whatever save location you choose.
You now have your backups saved in a secure location. Go ahead and restore your device as new and rejailbreak.

Restoring your application data to your device

After restoring your device and rejailbreaking, go back into Cydia and re-install appbackup.
Plug your device back into your computer and navigate back to /var/mobile/Library/Preferences/AppBackup
This time you will want to replace the AppBackup folder with the one you saved earlier. If iPhone Explorer or your SSH client prompts you, choose to overwrite or replace the file. Just make sure you are copying it in the correct directory.
Now launch appbackup on your device. In the bottom left hand corner, tap "All" and choose "Restore". It will restore all your application save data from your backup.
You're done! You can now enjoy playing Angry Birds and all your other games exactly where you left off!

If you guys try this, let us know how it works for you! If you run into issues, make sure to check out our TiPb Jailbreak Forums for answers to many common questions.

Apple negotiating with music labels to let users download again without paying again

Andrew Wray — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 01:41:20 +0000

Apple is reportedly in negotiations with major record labels to allow users to download music they've already purchased without having to pay again. This would be similar to how the App Store lets you re-download purchased apps as often as you like without additional charges -- as long as your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad is logged into the same iTunes account. Right now if you download the same song more than once you're charged again each and every time. Allowing unlimited downloads would also act as a backup of your entire catalogue of purchased music in case the original files are lost or damaged.

Apple Inc. (AAPL) is in talks with record companies to give iTunes customers easier access to music they’ve purchased across multiple devices [...] The arrangement would give users more flexibility in how they access purchased music. A deal would provide iTunes customers with a permanent backup of music purchases

If all goes well during these negotiations the service should be going online sometime this summer, and sounds like some good use of that massive data center Apple has been working on.

Is this the type of iTunes cloud service we've all been waiting for or do you think Apple could be doing more? What about streaming? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

[Bloomberg]

Daily Tip: How to transfer data from your old iPhone to your new iPhone

Allyson Kazmucha — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 14:48:22 +0000

Switching from an AT&T iPhone to a Verizon iPhone, or switching from any old iPhone to a new one, and curious how to transfer all your information, apps, and data over? Luckily Apple makes this process almost painless thanks to iTunes iTunes. Click through for a couple easy steps that will ensure all your AT&T iPhone data and settings get transferred over to your new iPhone smoothly.

Plug your current iPhone into your computer and open iTunes.
If it doesn't start to sync automatically, click the Sync button. (You can alternately right click your device name in the navigation bar and click back up as well. Either way will work just fine.)
Unplug your current iPhone and plug in your new iPhone.
You'll be asked to register your iPhone if you haven't already.
iTunes should prompt you to do one of two things, set up as a new iPhone or restore from a backup. Choose to restore from a backup and select the backup you just made.
Once the restore is done your iPhone will reboot. When iTunes detects it again it will start to sync back any apps and games your old iPhone had installed.
Let iTunes do its thing. When you come back, your new phone should have all the same settings and data as your old one!

If you guys are switching, let us know how transferring your data worked out! Any issues with things transferring or did everything go smoothly?

From the Forums: iPhone Backup, Buying iPad, Jailbreak, Purchase New iPhone?

Jeremy Sikora — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 17:47:01 +0000

From the Forums is a great way to see what all of the current hot topics are on the TiPb forums. In order to create any new threads of your own or reply to any of the existing threads, you must be a registered member. Becoming a member is a simple process that will only take a few minutes out of your day, so if you have not already already done so, head on over and register now!

Backing up your iPhone is pretty much essential. With that being said, how often are you backing your device up?
The iPad is a popular topic of discussion as of late, will you be buying one?
Confused on how to go about jailbreaking your iPhone, look no further than or forum dedicated to the subject: iPhone Jailbreak and Unlock
The new iPhone will be here this summer, will you make the purchase regardless of price and features? Be sure to vote in the poll!

See you on the forums!

Griffin PowerJolt Reserve Backup Battery for iPhone and iPod touch

Jeremy Sikora — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 16:01:54 +0000

The Griffin PowerJolt Reserve Backup Battery [$34.95 - iMore Store Link] is one nifty little iPhone/iPod touch accessory, One of the biggest gripes people have with Apple's iPhone is the lack of a removable battery. Sure you have some other battery charging options but if you don't wish to be bothered carrying around cords or bulky cases then the PowerJolt Reserve just may be for you. Get the full rundown after the break!

I've been using the Griffin PowerJolt Reserve for iPhone & iPod for a little over a month now and it has turned into one of those things I need to carry around with me whenever I leave the house. You simply plug it into your vehicle's cigarette lighter or 12 volt power outlet which then allows you to plug in your standard iPhone USB charging cord to charge your device while on the road.

A simple car charger alone would be on the boring side, what makes this accessory so special is that it also happens to have a built in rechargeable battery attached to it which you can carry with you in your pocket for backup power wherever you go. While it takes only a short time to fully charge, the backup battery will provide you with a 50% charge on your device. I was hoping to get a bit more but beggars can't be choosers and I've learned that it's usually all I need. Some more great features are as follows:

Charges any iPhone and iPod touch.
Charge your device the same time you are charging the backup battery.
The battery connects to the charger magnetically so it is a breeze to attach and detach.

The Griffin PowerJolt Reserve Backup Battery for your iPhone or iPod touch [$34.95 - iMore Store Link] is a must have accessory for any road warrior who needs that extra juice to make it through the day. With the PowerJolt you will never have to worry about battery life again and even better there will not be any need to carry your charger with you everywhere you go as it provides instant power on demand.

Busted Palm Online Service Reminds Us Again to Backup, Backup, Backup

Rene Ritchie — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 00:15:45 +0000

Palm recently had a problem with online profiles, and following on the infamous Sidekick failure, it becomes yet another cautionary tale and reminder for us all -- backup, backup, backup.

That's right, the process so ~~nice~~ vitally important we repeated it thrice. Data doesn't exist if it it isn't in at least three places: source (device), local backup, and offsite backup (which can be the "cloud" or it can be a little USB hard drive you take to work or leave at the parents' place). Your device can be lost, stolen, or bricked. Your local backup can error out or burn up or get flooded, and the cloud can eat your data. Having all three puts the odds of having one available version considerably more in your favor.

iPhone users rely on MobileMe, or Google services like Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Contacts, etc., and since the App Store lets us re-download applications we've bought, some even rely on that as de facto cloud-storage for our priceless personal information and our costly purchases.

iTunes automatically backs up your iPhone to your PC hard disk. If you have an automated backup to a second hard drive (including Time Machine), along with MobileMe, Google, or a dedicated online backup service, good on ya. You're doing it right.

If you don't, set it up now. 1 second after failure is an eternity too late.

T-Mobile Warns Sidekick Data May be Lost -- Timely Backup Reminder for All

Rene Ritchie — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 01:28:54 +0000

T-Mobile has issued a warning that the ongoing, dare we say catastrophic failure of the Sidekick servers could result in permanent data loss if Sidekick users in any way reset their devices during the outage:

"Sidekick customers, during this service disruption, please DO NOT remove your battery, reset your Sidekick, or allow it to lose power."

Scary, but also an urgent reminder to everyone who uses Cloud Services, including iPhone owners with MobileMe, Exchange ActiveSync, Google Gmail/Calendar, or any other, similar accounts.

Best practices dictate that data doesn't exist unless it's in at least three locations: local, local backup, and off-site backup. Cloud covers offsite (so does a duplicate drive at another location), but if any of your data is irreplaceable, even important, you need to make sure it's backed up locally.

You can typically save emails, and export calendars and contacts. You can get cheap external hard drives and either manually copy your files over or get easy-to-use automatic backup solutions (some, like Shadow Copy for Windows and Time Machine for Mac are even built into the OS).

Storage is cheap, photos, videos, information, etc. can be priceless. Back it up now. If you need help or advice, check out TiPb's iPhone Forums.

[ZDNet via Engadget]

iPhone OS 3.0: Encrypt iPhone Backups in iTunes 8.1

Rene Ritchie — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 02:42:20 +0000

iPhone OS 3.0 is the gift that just keeps on giving, this time revealing features in iTunes 8.1 we hadn't seen before. Now, when you hook an iPhone running the 3.0 beta 1 software up, under the Summary tab you have a new option: Encrypt iPhone backup.

Checking off the option opens a pop-up window for you to enter your password.

We're not sure yet what form of encryption Apple is using, though the Steve Gibson is us hopes it's something with a really, really strong security focus. Especially for those in enterprise or government who might have a need for it.

(And when the time comes, using a really gnarly password like the kind GRC.com's perfect passwords generates would be a great idea for the truly security conscious.)

iPhone Backup Extractor for Mac

Rene Ritchie — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 19:57:19 +0000

Furbo.org brings word of the iPhone/iPod Touch Backup Extractor. What is it?

This application converts the iPhone / iPod Touch backups that are created by iTunes into readily usable Mac OS X files. It is designed to run on Mac OS X Leopard only.

Twitterrific creator Craig Hockenberry, among others, claim this tool is invaluable for debugging and decoding.

Freeware, but donations appreciated.

Tip o' the Week: Backup Blues Begone!

Brian Hart — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 13:44:38 +0000

I'm an apps guy. Since the App Store in iTunes rolled out, I've been downloading like a maniac. I knew there would be consequences, like slower backup during my iPhone syncing. Then, I synced for the first time after my iPhone was bloated with apps. A snail crept across the sidewalk faster than the syncing status bar. Seriously? Am I resigned to syncing my iPhone overnight so, hopefully, it will be ready to go by morning? Is there someone (or someones) out there who has wrested the baton from Apple's clutches and done what Apple should have in the first place by allowing syncing without backing up?? Read on to find out in this week's Tip!

Fortunately for those of us with BiSSD (Bloated iPhone Slow Syncing Disorder), there is a solution, brought to you by Michael Sitarzewski of Zerologic.com. In response to Michael's step-by-step procedure, another contributor to the Mac/iPhone community, Hendrik Holtmann, has also addressed this issue with a small app posted at eidac.com. Thanks to Michael and Hendrik, slow backups could be a thing of the past.

First, let's take a look at Michael Sitarzewski's method found at zerologic.com. Michael provides fair warning that his method will DISABLE the backup feature for your iPhone, meaning that when you sync, your data WILL NOT be backed up. He also suggests that backing up your personal data can be accomplished via MobileMe over-the-air syncing (and we all know how well MobileMe has been working, right?) or Time Machine.

In his own words, let's have a look at Michael's step-by-step from zerologic.com:

Seems easy enough. If you prefer to avoid making changes using Terminal, then Hendrik Holtmann's app may be more to your liking. You can read more about it and download it from eidac.de here, allowing you to enable or disable backing up your iPhone with just the click of your mouse. A link is also found on his site for PC users.

Armed with this knowledge from very knowledgeable contributors to the iPhone community (many thanks to both of you, Michael and Hendrik!), you can now proceed to sync your iPhone without fear of a lengthy, time-consuming backup. Backup when you WANT to. At least you now have the option.

That's it for this week's Tip. If you have a tip of your own that you would like to share with the rest of us, please leave a Comment or you can email me at: brian.hart@tipb.com.

Disclaimer: Tip o' the Week makes no guarantee, express or implied, that any tip found herein will be new or particularly useful to the reader (and please remember -- using the Tip above will result in NO BACKUP of your iPhone's data. You were warned! Caveat Emptor, baby!).