IPhone Backup Questions?

[paulyron]

Have an iphone 13 mini that I will most likely need a battery replacement.  Have an older iPhone SE 1st generation where the battery shows service and basically unusable.  I most likely will get a new battery for the iphone 13 mini. 

 

 

I only have that 5gb of icloud free and never paid for more icloud.  Seems to be $0.99 for 50gb or $2.99 for 200gb.  I do have over 50gb on my iphone 13 mini.  I know you should backup your files on the iPhone before you do a battery replacement.  I considered getting a battery replacement for the older iPhone SE 1st generation but I don't think I probably will do that as the cost of it is more than the samed phone on ebay.  Of course the battery would be 100% though if new battery.

 

 

I want to backup both my iphone 13 mini and my iphone SE 1st generation.  Both of them use the same apple id email.  What I like to do is first back up my older iPhone SE 1st generation.  I think I have like under 40gb used up.  I would back it up.  Then factory reset it.  Then try to use it to see if it's as bad as it is now.  Phone is not usable.  When you click on anything It might work but then it would shut off.  Then if it turns back on, battery might show 35% or something or show 10%.  Would a factory restore probably help or not?  I know the main issue is the battery.  I then would sync the phone back with the backup.  But if I do that, would it at least function better than it is now or not?

 

 

For my iphone 13 mini, I want to do the same thing.  Is there any harm in doing this or not?  The thing is my iphone 13 mini is a bit slow and lag a bit but it isn't that bad. It is usable.  I feel like I could still use it without a battery replacement for a bit though the battery is below 80% almost where people say that is when you should replace the battery.  The thing here is how do I create a backup of each iPhone where I won't backup the data on the old iPhone to the newer iPhone 13 mini and vice versa?  I don't want those files to mix.  Would I need to use 2 different emails on each iPhone?  All I recall was when I got the iPhone 13 mini years ago, I did not have any paid icloud and never did.  I think it did backup my important information like contacts even if I didn't have paid icloud.  Is that correct or not?  I don't think I remember myself manually adding each phone number to my contact.  I believe when I downloaded WeChat and Whatsapp, everything was there except my chat history though for WeChat.  I know my whatsapp messages from then was backed up as I notice the old Whatsapp messages from before I bought he iphone 13 mini being there.

 

 

Does anyone have advice on how do I do this for each of these iphones?  The thing that has me confused is how do you make sure the backup for each iPhone isn't mixed with one another?  I want to make sure when I backup the data on iPhone 13 mini, when I sync the data back, it's only that and vice versa.  The thing is if I use 2 separate apple IDs, could one icloud account still do this?  I would only sign up for that icloud $2.99 for 200gb probably for a month and then cancel it probably for this reason.  But that is not good because if I have something happen to phone, then I lose all my information right except the small amount that is saved from icloud?  So which of the 5gb does icloud save for free then?  I know it does because when I got a new iPhone 13 mini years ago, I did sync my contact I believe and Whatsapp.  Can someone tell me the best way to do this?  How long does it take on average for 10gb to backup assuming cable internet?  So that way I know of 50gb or 100gb of backup.

 

[leclod]

Why don't you use itunes on a computer (with a cable) ?

it can fully backup both your phones with no risk of mix up 

Edited November 4, 2025 by leclod

[paulyron]

I haven't used itunes in years.  The last time I did that was with my old windows laptop XPS 15 9550.  The laptop I use now is XPS 15 9520 and I don't even have it installed.   

 

 

But you say that is preferred then as opposed to icloud?  Icloud is more simpler right?  Only thing is you have to pay that monthly fee?  My other concern is if I have malware on my iphone,  I wouldn't want to transfer it to my windows laptop.  Or is that not a concern?

[SpookyCitrus]

Install iTunes, it works on PC and is free, backup both phones. It's the simplest and easiest way to do it for an iPhone. Keep in mind it will take up space on your computer until you remove the backups.

[Donut417]

8 minutes ago, SpookyCitrus said:

t works on both PC and Mac a

iTunes doesnt exist on MacOS. The sync/backup options built in to Finder. Apple pushes people to Apple Music. 

[SpookyCitrus]

12 minutes ago, Donut417 said:

iTunes doesnt exist on MacOS. The sync/backup options built in to Finder. Apple pushes people to Apple Music. 

It's been awhile since I've used MacOS so, good to know. I'll make an edit.

[paulyron]

I only have windows laptop and Chromebook.  So I have to do this on windows?

 

Icloud would be easier right?

 

If I do windows, isn't concern if malware on iPhone gets on windows laptop  

[Donut417]

3 minutes ago, paulyron said:

cloud would be easier right?

Probably. As long as it's all backed up. I know in my case I have never did a backup via iTunes or MacOS for my iPhone. Ive always just relied on iCloud, but I pay for the 50 gigs. 

[paulyron]

How do I do that on icloud if I have 2 iphones I want to backup but both use the same apple id then?

 

 

When I got the new iPhone 13 mini years ago, I recalled it sync my contacts and Whatsapp chat history even.  It did not sync WeChat.  I know you get 5gb of icloud free so did it sync my new iPhone 13 mini with the most important data or something?  I am pretty certain I didn't manually typed in every single contact in my phone contact unless I forgot.

 

 

I do have over 50gb so it seems I should get the 200gb plan for $2.99?  Then once I do that, unsubscribe?  But I should probably still have it in case something happens to my phone?  I could possibly just delete enough files so that I have less than 50gb so I pay for that plan.  That seems to be $0.99 or so.  The thing is I never paid for a monthly subscription of these things because I never needed it.  I never thought of in case something happens to my phone and I don't have backup though.  How much gb of data do you have on your iPhone?  So if you have say 60gb used but using the free one, what happens if you sync a factory restore iPhone to it?  It still syncs  the first 5gb or whatever amount of important data first so you have that?  Or you don't?

[Donut417]

4 minutes ago, paulyron said:

How do I do that on icloud if I have 2 iphones I want to backup but both use the same apple id then?

 

 

When I got the new iPhone 13 mini years ago, I recalled it sync my contacts and Whatsapp chat history even.  I

In your settings, go to iCloud. In there it should have thing that says saved to Iclould. If you click in to show all it will show you all you can save to iCloud. You just have to toggle it on for each thing you want saved. I would imagine you can do this to both phones. 

 

6 minutes ago, paulyron said:

How much gb of data do you have on your iPhone? 

I got 128 Gig model and Im using over 50 Gigs. We currently use 23 gigs out of the 50 gigs of iCloud storage. I have 4 devices that use my iCloud, my phone and Mac, as well as my parents iPhones, as you can share it with your family. I might up it to the $2.99 plan before long. 

 

8 minutes ago, paulyron said:

hat happens if you sync a factory restore iPhone to it?  It still syncs  the first 5gb or whatever amount of important data first so you have that?  Or you don't?

Not a clue. 

[paulyron]

Okay.  Does anyone know what happens when you have 2 iphones that you sync to icloud then with the same apple id?  Does it stay separate?  How do you make sure one doesn't sync to the other iPhone?

 

 

 

[paulyron]

On 11/4/2025 at 5:42 PM, leclod said:

Why don't you use itunes on a computer (with a cable) ?

it can fully backup both your phones with no risk of mix up 

Can you explain this part?  How long would it take assuming each has around 50gb each then?

 

Is there any chance of malware transferring from iPhone to windows laptop?  That is the reason I'm a bit hesitant on this.

 

I read it's a lot faster than paying for icloud and it takes a long time right?

 

So when you back it up, it would separate iPhone 13 mini and iPhone SE 1st generation so there wouldn't be any mix up at all?

[paulyron]

On 11/4/2025 at 6:51 PM, Donut417 said:

In your settings, go to iCloud. In there it should have thing that says saved to Iclould. If you click in to show all it will show you all you can save to iCloud. You just have to toggle it on for each thing you want saved. I would imagine you can do this to both phones. 

 

I got 128 Gig model and Im using over 50 Gigs. We currently use 23 gigs out of the 50 gigs of iCloud storage. I have 4 devices that use my iCloud, my phone and Mac, as well as my parents iPhones, as you can share it with your family. I might up it to the $2.99 plan before long. 

 

Not a clue. 

Is it preferred to do backup with windows laptop instead?  It would be faster?  The issue is any concern of malware from iPhone to windows laptop?  That is my big concern with this as opposed to icloud and paying for it.

 

I mentioned the other issues above.

[Donut417]

6 minutes ago, paulyron said:

s it preferred to do backup with windows laptop instead? 

Ive never gotten my phone to sync with a Windows device thru iTunes. I have a MacBook Pro, and because it's MacOS it just works. Syncing via my Mac is very fast, but generally I only do it to add music. I generally just rely on iCloud for everything else. 

 

9 minutes ago, paulyron said:

s there any chance of malware transferring from iPhone to windows laptop?  That is the reason I'm a bit hesitant on this.

There is always a chance I would suppose. If the malware is written for iOS it wouldn't run on Windows. If the malware was written for Windows it could run, but most sane people run some sort of Anti Virus /Anti malware software, Windows 10 and on has built in protection. It would probably catch any infected file. 

[paulyron]

16 minutes ago, Donut417 said:

Ive never gotten my phone to sync with a Windows device thru iTunes. I have a MacBook Pro, and because it's MacOS it just works. Syncing via my Mac is very fast, but generally I only do it to add music. I generally just rely on iCloud for everything else. 

 

There is always a chance I would suppose. If the malware is written for iOS it wouldn't run on Windows. If the malware was written for Windows it could run, but most sane people run some sort of Anti Virus /Anti malware software, Windows 10 and on has built in protection. It would probably catch any infected file. 

Well I have windows 11 pro and don't want to risk malware on it though.  So you say do that with itunes and windows or pay and use icloud for this?

 

The thing is with an iPhone, very hard to click on ads and comments when youtubing and things like that.  So don't want to transfer any malware from it to the laptop.  So what should I do here?  Anyone can recommend one way over the other?

[Donut417]

1 minute ago, paulyron said:

Well I have windows 11 pro and don't want to risk malware on it though.  So you say do that with itunes and windows or pay and use icloud for this?

What ever option is easier for you. I pay for iTunes because my mom takes shit loads of pictures and we are an Apple family so my purchases are shared. Plus I like having off site storage for important things. That being said, if both phones are on the same Apple account then they will both sync to the same iCloud account, meaning it wont be separate. Though I dont know if it will be separate doing it thru iTunes. 

 

Another thing to consider is how good your WiFi is and your internet. In my case I only have about 20 Mbps of upload. So Im sure large backups will take a while. Where as when you plug it in to the computer it would likely be faster overall to sync with iTunes. It really comes down to how quick you want it. 

 

3 minutes ago, paulyron said:

The thing is with an iPhone, very hard to click on ads and comments when youtubing and things like that.  So don't want to transfer any malware from it to the laptop.  So what should I do here?  Anyone can recommend one way over the other?

Thats what Windows defender is for. So if you get malware it takes care of it. You are over thinking this entire thing. 

[paulyron]

So if having icloud means it won't be separate, won't there be an issue syncing it later on then?  Imagine doing the backup on each iphone and it synced to the 200gb icloud.  So when you factory reset the iPhone 13 mini and now ready to sync it, it's going to sync everything from both phones?  I'm confused how it would do that even.

 

Wouldn't some things conflict with others?

[leclod]

7 hours ago, paulyron said:

Can you explain this part?  How long would it take assuming each has around 50gb each then?

maybe an hour each

7 hours ago, paulyron said:

Is there any chance of malware transferring from iPhone to windows laptop?  That is the reason I'm a bit hesitant on this.

It's a backup, you're not running that data. Did covid make people mad ?

7 hours ago, paulyron said:

I read it's a lot faster than paying for icloud and it takes a long time right?

It's direct, as fast as can be

7 hours ago, paulyron said:

So when you back it up, it would separate iPhone 13 mini and iPhone SE 1st generation so there wouldn't be any mix up at all?

Do one, and then you'll understand.

Edited November 6, 2025 by leclod

[Donut417]

4 hours ago, paulyron said:

Wouldn't some things conflict with others?

No. Every device signed in to the same Apple ID, has access to everything that Apple ID has access to. That means the same iCloud storage. So what ever is backed up on each device just gets put in to the same iCloud. Then when you restore the devices and sign in to the same Apple ID it will download all the stuff backup up on iCloud to each device. 

 

The only way to keep each device separate would be each device having its own Apple ID. But because you used the same Apple ID for both devices, they would both sync between each other. Basically data isn't device centric its Apple Account centric. 

[paulyron]

9 hours ago, leclod said:

maybe an hour each

It's a backup, you're not running that data. Did covid make people mad ?

It's direct, as fast as can be

Do one, and then you'll understand.

 

How is it not running data when you are connecting a cable from iphone to windows laptop though?  

 

I always thought if something has malware and connected to another device, that could happen.

 

 

 

 

[paulyron]

6 hours ago, Donut417 said:

No. Every device signed in to the same Apple ID, has access to everything that Apple ID has access to. That means the same iCloud storage. So what ever is backed up on each device just gets put in to the same iCloud. Then when you restore the devices and sign in to the same Apple ID it will download all the stuff backup up on iCloud to each device. 

 

The only way to keep each device separate would be each device having its own Apple ID. But because you used the same Apple ID for both devices, they would both sync between each other. Basically data isn't device centric its Apple Account centric. 

 

The thing is my old iphone uses the same apple id as my newer iPhone from a while back.  The thing is since I have free 5gb icloud, does that mean the 5gb I have used up is from my older iPhone then?

 

 

Okay so what would happen if I backup each iphone to the same apple id icloud.  Then factory wipe my iPhone 13 mini.  Then sync icloud to it.  Since I have more apps and different apps on the iPhone 13 mini compared to the iphone SE 1st generation, what happens?  It's going to have all my photos from the older iPhone as well?  But the apps and things is what I have confused.  Now I have all the notes into one?

 

 

So people who have 2 iphones due to buying a new one and having one as a backup or a secondary phone, do they use a new apple id for the new phone or create a new apple id?  I always used the same apple id whenever I got a new iPhone.  

[leclod]

4 hours ago, paulyron said:

How is it not running data when you are connecting a cable from iphone to windows laptop though?  

How do I explain this...

Say you store somewhere firecrackers. Those can be seen as dangerous depending on their size.

But until you willingly light one of them, nothing bad will (should) happen.

 

Edited November 6, 2025 by leclod

[Donut417]

2 hours ago, paulyron said:

does that mean the 5gb I have used up is from my older iPhone then?

Yes. Because iCloud is attached to the Apple ID not the phone.