Qs about Backups to Computer

[paisley]

For extra peace of mind, I use itunes to back up my phone's data to my desktop.

Where are these files?
Can I view their contents directly?
How could I use them if something happened to my phone?

 

[Thomasjtsi]

It's saved in a folder that iTunes creates.
No, you cannot view them directly, as it's a file format that only iTunes recognizes.
If something happens to your iPhone, it can be used to restore another iPhone to.

 

[paisley]

Have received other info that's a bit different...hoping additional posts to this thread might expand and/or confirm.

 

[Thomasjtsi]

By all means... share the information you already have.

 

[willerz2]

Some pieces of the backup can be viewed, not all of them, and that goes for only some files and such. As for attempting to manipulate them, you can, but your iPhone won't read them properly through iTunes since iTunes won't recognize it as what it backed up. As for where they are stored, they're stored in the following directory for Windows (example) for the most part

C:\Users\Jon\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup\

 

[Thomasjtsi]

Ok... so this would be a good place for someone to explain what CAN be viewed directly from the iPhone's backup file.

 

[willerz2]

They're not exactly the entire files if you're looking to view them directly. They're sort of like.... shortcuts or renames if you will. There's no substantial information there unless you run them through certain apps, most commonly, iTunes.

 

[paisley]

How can I see the contents in iTunes? I haven't found any options for doing that.

 

[stevnim]

Ok... so this would be a good place for someone to explain what CAN be viewed directly from the iPhone's backup file.

You might want to look at the Wikipedia article on "iTunes" for a good description how the storage system is designed.

 

[paisley]

Do you mean this?: iTunes - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I didn't find it particularly helpful for my purposes.

 

[Thomasjtsi]

You might want to look at the Wikipedia article on "iTunes" for a good description how the storage system is designed.

I'm fully aware of how iTunes works. However, as a member posted above... it doesn't describe anything about how to view information saved in an iTunes/iDevice backup file.