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iPhone syncing to desktop - a few basic questions

 
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Last Post by Jamie 14 years ago
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Jamie
 Jamie
(@jamie)
Moderator
Joined: 5 years ago
Posts: 1288
21/11/2011 5:32 am  

Hi all,

I've been asked a few very straightforward data recovery questions regarding iPhone syncing to the desktop but I have no experience in this area. Can anyone shed some light? (note this isn't a work case, it's simply a favour for a friend, so no in-depth analysis required)

1. Typically, if an iPhone is synced with a desktop (presumably using iTunes) are text (SMS) messages backed up to the desktop by default?

2. If text messages *are* backed up to the desktop, how straightforward would it be for another user to access those messages (assuming that they've been able to log in with the appropriate permissions)?

3. Final question. Assume that text messages have been manually deleted by the user from the iPhone, is there any functionality on the device to undelete those messages (ignore any forensic tips and tricks here, I'm only referring to what a layperson might be able to do - something equivalent to restoring from a Windows recycle bin).

Grateful in advance for any info I can pass on. I can guess what most of the answers are but I don't want to assume that everything works in the way I'd expect things to work in either a pre-smartphone or Android environment - for all I know iPhones and iTunes may have a few other tricks up their sleeve!

Cheers,

Jamie


   
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 Doug
(@doug)
Estimable Member
Joined: 16 years ago
Posts: 185
21/11/2011 3:17 pm  

1. http//support.apple.com/kb/ht1766
Apple DO backup your SMS messages in a typical iTunes backup.

2. It would not be straightforward, but it is possible. The files are not in a pretty format. There are plenty of programs out there that allow you to view the files within the backup. An example of this is http//www.reincubate.com/labs/iphone-backup-extractor-how-extract-files-iphone-backup-windows/#http//s.reincubate.com/res/i/labs/iphonebe/3_wizard.png

3. As far as I am aware there are no 'un-delete' options on an iPhone. Although if the device is jailbroken you could install JZ's app through Cydia
http//www.zdziarski.com/blog/?p=1236


   
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 trewmte
(@trewmte)
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Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 1877
21/11/2011 4:53 pm  

1. http//support.apple.com/kb/ht1766

Some additional points that your friend might wish to consider concerning iOS 5.

iphone_user_guide iOS5.pdf page 66
"Because iMessages are displayed on all of your iOS 5 devices logged in to the same account, you can start a conversation on one of your devices, then continue it on another device."

Apart from the evidential issues this raises, from a user's perspective it is the comments "..start a conversation on one of your devices, then continue it on another device." that could be an issue if the iTunes backup doesn't backup SMS text messages sent over iMessages that are linked to multiple devices.

It is worth mentioning that if a user has different devices with earlier iOS and spread messages between multiple devices the same could be true, too, when it comes to iTunes backups.

Lastly, maybe your friend might wish to consider also the different versions of iTunes

- history of iTunes http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITunes_version_history
- latest version as of today's date http//www.apple.com/itunes/


   
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Jamie
 Jamie
(@jamie)
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Joined: 5 years ago
Posts: 1288
21/11/2011 5:57 pm  

Thanks guys, that's extremely helpful. I'll pass on those comments!

Jamie


   
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