iPhone locked to iTunes backup password

[anon(10061078)]

Hi All,

a short while ago I was helping someone reset an older iPhone; they were having quite a few screen responsiveness issues, and as we were considering taking it into the store, we decided to make an iTunes backup and reset it as well.

As we were doing the backup, we realised that a backup had previously been done with this phone, but we couldn't remember the password. So, before resetting the phone without an accessible backup, we decided to back the phone up to a different PC, assuming that you could create a new backup on a new PC, this time without password.

What we saw, however, was that the iPhone, once connected and trusted to the new PC, would continue asking for the same password of the older backup.

Is this a known feature? I.e. why would you lock the iPhone to one backup and the respective password? Why is the backup and password set in the phone?

When I think of performing a backup, I think of being able to get the content and transfer it across, possibly password encrypting if I decide to. However, I would assume that a previous backup doesn't store its history in the iPhone, so that you can't create a new backup on a new PC, with a different password.

 

[linsiris]

Hello

As far as I know and can remember, iTunes doesn't encrypt backups by default, so you somehow have had to turn that option on on the old (and new) PC for it to encrypt the back up.

If you forget your backup encryption password, you are officially out of luck, there is no way (oficially) to recover that information.

This is all about security so I don't think you'll get much help or replies, considering that this kind of situations can be a bit suspicious and used to access/hack/steal info or devices, which is not allowed in this site. My advise would be that you go to the Apple store.

Have a good day.

 

[anon(10061078)]

We remembered the password in the end, so all was saved.

I was just surprised that, once a backup is done, the iPhone won't allow backing up to another machine with a different password. I can understand the additional security aspect, but you also have to trust a computer before backing up.

The issue here is, that people may legitimately forget their password. If that happens, they have no option to backup their iPhone anymore, which, in a worst case scenario where their phone breaks, means they've lost everything.