Back-up vs. Synch Phone?

Myron · Apr 16, 2013

I keep getting a message from my iPhone 5 warning me that my phone has not been backed-up. I connect the phone to my PC and go into iTunes and devices. There is a choice if you want to synch or back-up; however this always goes automatically to synch and it refuses to go to back-up. Why is this happening? What exactly is the difference between synch/ back-up? Thanks.

willerz2 · Apr 16, 2013

Make sure you authorize the PC for your device. Click on Store on the top, then Authorize This PC. If prompted to, log in with the credentials that matches the Apple ID on your device.

And not that syncing and backing up are different. Syncing does not retrieve data from your device onto your PC, it simply matches and patches the missing files that are not in either libraries. Backing up means retrieving user data and storing it onto your PC for a rainy day (as you might already know).

Myron · Apr 17, 2013

I did what you said to back-up phone. I clicked on Store and authorized PC. I had to give my Apple ID/Password. I connected both via cable and again the PC went into Synch mode. Still can't back-up. When it does a synch, it goes directly to Step 4. What's the problem now? A mystery. My PC uses Windows 7, if that matters.

dbplumb · Apr 17, 2013

If you right click on your phone when it is connected to iTunes you should get the option to back up.
You can turn off auto sync in iTunes > Edit > Preferences > Devices > Prevent iPods etc from syncing automatically

Sent from my iPhone 4s using Tapatalk

willerz2 · Apr 17, 2013

Are you clicking the actual Backup button on your device's profile?

Myron · Apr 27, 2013

Sorry to be so annoying, but I cannot locate my iPhone's profile. When I go into Settings, there is nothing about synchs or back-ups. On my PC however, when I go into iTunes, I see a choice I can make between synch or back-up. Is that what you are referring to? Why can't I choose both synch and back-up? What exactly is the difference? I thought synch saves all my data and photos in case my phone gets lost or breaks. How is this different from a back-up? Can my PC do both a back-up and a synch from the same phone? Thanks for your patience.