You just purchased a new iPhone 11 or iPhone 11 Pro and you need the help to transfer iMessages to new iPhone if message app is your main communication platform. We understand how important are these iMessages for you.
Backup Iphone Messages To Icloud
In this article, the most simple and the most traditional solutions to transfer iMessages to new iPhone will be shared with you, including using iTunes, using iCloud and using a reliable 3rd-party tool. All the solutions below can be applied for all models of iPhones, including iPhone 11/11 Pro/11 Pro Max/XS/XS Max/X/8/7, etc.
1. Transfer iMessages to New iPhone via iCloud Messages
If you want to only back up messages from iPhone to the computer, here are a few steps to follow through: Open this program on your computer then click on back up and export from device which is found on your left panel. Click on back up messages. Click on back up and proceed. The software will begin to back up your data. Here is how to back up iMessages, text messages to iCloud on iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch. STEP 1 Connect your device to a Wi-Fi network. STEP 2 Go to Settings your name, and tap iCloud. (If you’re using iOS 10.2 or earlier, go to Settings, then scroll down and tap iCloud).
Apple allows its users to sync messages/iMessages between 2 different iPhones via the iCloud syncing feature for messages as long as the 2 iPhones have the same Apple ID.
Open Settings and go to [Your name] > iCloud on your old iPhone.
Ensure that Two-factor authentication is turned on and toggle on Messages option.
Sign into iCloud account with the same Apple ID on your new iPhone.
The iMessages will start be syncing with the new iPhone. You should also ensure that the new iPhone connects with strong network.
2. Transfer iMessages to New iPhone with the Best Tool
If you are willing to transfer only iMessages instead of unwanted data to new iPhone, you may need a powerful application to transfer specific data to new iPhone. FoneGeek iOS Backup & Restore will be the best choice to selectively back up and restore specific data without deleting any other data on the new iPhone. This tool gives you the freedom to do the following:
Restore only iMessages or other selected data from FoneGeek, iTunes, iCloud backup to a new iPhone/Android device without overwriting any data.
The iMessage restoring time is much shorter than restoring with iTunes/iCloud.
Free backup function is provided to easily back up specific data on iPhone.
Preview all data in iTunes/iCloud backup and extract 20+ types of data from the backup to computer.
It is fully compatible with all iOS versions ranging from iOS 7 to iOS 14.
How to Transfer iMessages to New iPhone Using FoneGeek
Here are the complete instructions to restore only iMessages to new iPhone with FoneGeek iOS Backup and Restore application. Apart from iMessages, you can also restore other data with the steps below.
Step 1. Download and install FoneGeek on your computer and run it afterwards. Choose 'Backup & Restore', then connect the old iPhone to the system and wait for the device to be detected.
Step 2. Select 'Messages' and click on 'Backup' to back up messages/iMessages on your old iPhone with FoneGeek.
Step 3. Tap on 'View Backup Data' and the iMessage backup will appear.
Step 4. Click on 'Restore to Device' and the program will prompt you to connect the new iPhone with the computer to transfer all iMessages to new iPhone.
3. Transfer iMessages to New iPhone with iTunes
To transfer iMessages to new iPhone using iTunes, the iMessages should be backed up to the old iPhone with iTunes first, and then restored to the new iPhone.
Note:
When you back up and restore these iMessages with iTunes, the data on the new iPhone will be completely overwritten by the iTunes backup.
Instead of restoring only iMessages, the whole iTunes backup will be restored to the new iPhone. In other words, selective restoring is not supported.
Step 1. Connect the old iPhone to your computer system and sync it with iTunes.
Step 2. Select the device icon and head over to the Summary page.
Step 3. Under the section of Backups, select 'This Computer' under the 'Automatically Back Up' section and click on 'Back Up Now' to ensure that iMessages are backed up to computer instead of iCloud.
Step 4. After backing up the iMessages on old iPhone, disconnect it from your computer and connect the new iPhone with iTunes.
Step 5. When the program detects the new iPhone, you will be able to restore the new iPhone with the previous iTunes backup by tapping on the 'Restore iPhone' button. This will transfer all iMessages as well as other app data to your new iPhone.
4. Transfer iMessages to New iPhone with iCloud
You can also transfer iMessages to new iPhone if you have used the iCloud to back up the data on the old iPhone before. It will be very easy to transfer all iMessages by restoring the iCloud backup to the new iPhone. However, here are something you should take note of:
Restoring iCloud backup involves erasing all the content on new iPhone. It means that the existing data on new iPhone will be completely deleted.
Stable internet connection will be required when transferring iMessages to iPhone. Thus you should ensure that the old and new iPhone has connected with strong network connection to reduce unnecessary trouble in the process of transferring.
This approach will not only transfer iMessages but also other data that you unwanted to the new iPhone.
You must have known everything about using iCloud to transfer iMessages to new iPhone. If you still insist on using this approach, you can refer to the step-by-step guide below:
Step 1. Start by backing up old iPhone with iCloud. (Go to iPhone Settings, click on iCloud account and then 'iCloud' to toggle on 'iCloud Backup'. Click on 'Backup Now' and the backup process will get started. )
Step 2. Go to Settings on the new iPhone to set the device as a new one by erasing all content and settings. After completing the basic settings, choose 'Restore from iCloud Backup' and select the most recent backup to restore after signing into the iCloud account.
Note: The iCloud account you logged on the new iPhone shall be the same as the iCloud account on the old iPhone.
As you can see in this article, there are 4 ways to transfer iMessages to new iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro. It's wise to choose the way that suits you most to avoid further complications.
Related Articles: WhatsApp Backup to iCloud Stuck? 11 Quick Solutions to Fix it 3 Ways to Download All Photos from iCloud to iPhone or Computer iTunes Cannot Restore Backup to iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 Pro? Here are the Solutions (7 Ways) How to Tell if Someone Blocked You on WhatsApp in 2021 How to Restore iPhone from iCloud without Resetting
Thursday on Oct 24, 2019, 16:51:31 GMT / Post By Joan J. Mims to Backup & Restore
Joan J. Mims is interested in researching all tips about iPhone, iPad and Android. He loves to share useful ideas with all users.
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If you want to learn how to make encrypted iMessage backups for your iPhone, you’ve come to the right place. In this guide, we’ll explain:
Why users are worried about encrypted iMessage backups
Earlier this month, journalists reported on a 2020 drug trafficking investigation in which law enforcement accessed the suspects’ iCloud accounts. The police got a search warrant, and then forced Apple to hand over the iMessages of the suspected drug dealers. The evidence from their chats led to a number of arrests.
The story surprised many iPhone users, and left them with more questions than answers: Aren’t my iMessages protected by end-to-end encryption? Doesn’t Apple make encrypted iMessage backups for me automatically?
Unfortunately, stories like this one can leave iPhone users feeling confused about how encryption actually works on their devices. And when it comes to iMessages, there’s often quite a bit of misunderstanding about what’s encrypted … and what isn’t. Let’s take a closer look.
How encryption works on iOS and in iMessages
Here’s the summary version of how encryption works on an iPhone, and in iMessages:
On an iPhone, all user data on the device is protected by strong encryption. As long as your device has a good passcode, it’s almost impossible for someone to break into it. In addition, you can set up your iPhone to automatically delete itself after 10 failed login attempts. This prevents someone from brute-forcing the device — a fact which has led to legal clashes between Apple and the FBI.
iMessage is an end-to-end encrypted (E2EE) messenger, though only when it’s communicating with another iMessage app. For all practical purposes, it’s not possible for anyone (even Apple) to decrypt iMessages. This is because only you and the person you’re chatting with have the encryption keys required to decrypt those messages. Note that if you’re using iMessage to talk to someone on an Android device, your chats are not E2EE. However, the level of encryption is still quite strong. (Check out this article for more info about how E2EE messaging apps work).
iMessages are backed up to iCloud by default, and so this is how things tend to be set up on most people’s iPhones. But while iCloud iMessage backups are encrypted, they aren’t end-to-end encrypted. This means Apple has the encryption key needed to decrypt the iMessages stored in iCloud. And that is how they can give law enforcement access to users’ iMessages.
Why doesn’t Apple just use E2EE for everything?
So why doesn’t Apple simply end-to-end encrypt all of the data that gets backed up in iCloud? There are a couple of answers.
First of all, there has been some speculation that it’s a direct concession to the FBI. The feds have specifically asked Apple not to enable E2EE for messages and other types of data backed up in iCloud. Some people think that the lack of end-to-end encryption on iMessage backups is a compromise with law enforcement.
But Apple’s official position on the matter has more to do with the end user. Basically, people want to be able to use iCloud to recover lost data. And they want Apple to be able to help them if they ever forget their password or recovery key. If Apple turned on E2EE for everything stored in iCloud, this would mean two things. On the one hand, they couldn’t give the police access to an iCloud account. But on the other hand, they also wouldn’t be able to help users who’d lost access to crucial backups because of a forgotten password. From Apple’s point of view, this is one of those times when usability is more important than absolute security.
Should you stop backing up your iMessages to iCloud?
Short answer? It’s a personal choice, and it’s definitely a trade-off. Here’s what you’ll need to think about:
We’re going to go out on a limb here and assume that none of our readers is involved in illegal activity. This means that there’s almost no chance of the government ever asking Apple to see copies of iMessage chats that you’ve backed up to iCloud. So for most people, the risk of “big brother” looking at your private messages is actually pretty low.
But if you decide to stop using iCloud to back up your iMessages, you’ll definitely sacrifice some convenience. If you ever need to restore your device, you’ll have to do it manually from a local backup (we’ll talk about how to make those below). And if you somehow lose the password for your encrypted backup, you’re out of luck: Apple won’t be able to help you recover the lost data.
Still, many privacy-conscious users are uncomfortable with the thought that Apple has a way to access their private messages — and that the authorities could one day force them to hand those messages over. If that describes you, the next section explains how to set up your own system of backups for your iPhone’s iMessages.
How to create your own encrypted iMessage backups for an iPhone
Here’s what you should do if you want to keep backups of your iMessages that Apple can’t access:
First, you’ll need to turn off the default “backup to iCloud” method on your device:
1. Go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud. This is where you can see all the apps that use iCloud to back themselves up, and where you can turn off iCloud backups for iMessages (and any other app you don’t want backing up to iCloud). To turn off backups for iMessages, just find iMessages and set the toggle switch to Off. Note that there are some types of data that are backed up to iCloud using E2EE! This includes things like iCloud Keychain data, Apple Card data, and Health data, and more. For a complete list of iCloud data protected by E2EE, see Apple’s support page.
Next, you’ll need to actually back up your iPhone to your Mac (there is also an iPhone backup method for Windows users, but it requires iTunes). Here’s how to do it:
2. Connect your iPhone to your Mac with a USB.
3. Use Finder to locate your iPhone. Go to the top of the Finder window and click General > Back up all of the data on your iPhone to this Mac.
How To Backup Imessages To Icloud
4. Check the box that says Encrypt local backup to create an encrypted backup file. This will require setting a password for the iPhone backup that’s stored on your Mac, and this password is the only way to access the backup, so don’t lose that password! Click Back Up Now to make your first backup. If you ever need to restore your iMessages to a new device, you can do so using this encrypted backup.
5. Remember that since this is a manual process, you’ll have to create new, up-to-date backups from time to time. You may want to set a calendar reminder to do this once a week or once a month.
Should I Backup Imessages To Icloud
How to delete older, unencrypted iMessage backups
If you follow the steps above, you’ll be able to keep secure, reasonably current iMessage backups for any conversations you have on your iPhone. But what if you’ve been using the default iCloud backup method? If so, there are still Apple-accessible backups of those conversations in iCloud.
Recover Text Messages From Icloud
To delete these, go to Settings > [my name] > iCloud > Manage Storage > Backups. Select any old backups that you want to delete, and then click Delete Backup.
To learn more about encryption options for your Mac, check out this article on Open Firmware Password Protection, and be sure to read the FileVault entry in this macOS Big Sur setup guide.