iMazing Automatic Backups - Apple messed it up

Latest versions of both iPadOS and iOS have caused a major glitch in how I can do automatic backups of my iPad and iPhone.

I’ve been using iMazing to ensure I have a non-icloud backup that is encrypted of both my devices done daily. This has proven useful in the past and was an important part of my backup system. Now, in an attempt to prevent unauthorized acess Apple locked it down. Which makes sense if you do not encrypt your backups but is totally a PITA if you do. Now I can’t set a backup time and know that my device backups are done and clean. I have toset times when I will be available to actually enter the unlock code.

This blog post describes the problem and also offers an excellent secure solution.

I just send feedback to Apple Apple feedback Requesting they re-evaluate or at least give users an option to opt out of that automatic must enter unlock code for any backup.

If anyone has any workaround please let me know. This is a minor but extremely irritating development.

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Yeah, I encountered the same issue and found the same explanation which is disappointing. Actually I was surprised I hadn’t seen anyone bring it up here yet. Makes we wonder if most people are not doing their own local backups of their iPhones/iPads.

I just noticed this behavior in the last couple of days after upgrading iOS! Thanks for bringing this up.

I’ve been looking for years to find reputable sources that will endorse iMazing. Most Google hits are to the iMazing website itself or to reviewers I’m not familiar with. Macworld, for example, offers no editorial and its only “article” looks like an ad. I would love to know Apple’s position on the app, because iMazing looks like it does an end-around of all of Apple’s iOS protections. When I attempted to install it some years ago, I got the feeling I would be next-thing-to-jail-breaking my phone, so I stopped, cleaned up the partial install as well I could, and went to take a shower. :slightly_smiling_face:

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I’ve been using iMazing for around 4 years, mainly for file transfers and exporting iMessage as PDF or CSV. The latest version, even without a license, will also look for Pegasus spyware.

I rely on iCloud backup but also do manual backups.

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Why iMazing for manual backups when a cable from phone to Mac could do something similar?

I’ve use iMazing’s backup primarily to extract out text message strings easily for use in other documents. It’s also useful for when I forget to plug in my devices for a long stretch.

Some iOS/iPadOS data can only be accessed from a backup, so in order to export iMessage, etc. I need to backup via iMazing.

The problem I’ve always had with local iOS backups is that Apple does not allow the files to be backed up to external storage. I’ve never liked keeping data on the drive containing my operating system. Something I learned when I first started building servers. That is also one of the reasons I don’t use iCloud for file storage.

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@karlnyhus I think you misunderstand. We don’t mean we manually press a button to manually run a backup. Rather, we run an independent backup separate from the built-in system. The backups are automatically run by iMazing in the background (no user intervention needed). The problem is that with Apple’s recent security changes, the automatic backups are no longer automatic; you must authenticate each individual run, which effectively makes them manual and disruptive.

That said, maybe @WayneG actual did mean that he manually runs backups rather than having them automatically run in the background. In that case, iMazing runs the backups wirelessly. No need to plug the phone into the Mac (or scrounge around for a cord to plug into). But the backup is still saved locally to the Mac. So you get the benefits of local backups and no need for wires. In this use case, the security changes would be less of an irritant, but that is not the use case being discussed here.

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No, I addressed a question to @WayneG and he answered it.

Earlier, I addressed a post to you (@waylan) but I don’t don’t think you have helped me with any of the questions I raised about my encounter with iMazing.

Honestly, I don’t recall where I first heard of it, but from my first introduction I have always had the impression that it came highly recommended. Most likely the source was podcasts, which don’t usually turn up in search results. And well, that also makes it hard for me to pin down which podcasts I heard about it on as it was years ago.

I can say that I have been using it without issue for at least the last 5-6 years running an automated daily backup of every iPhone/iPad in the family.

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