IOS – How to only backup data for specific apps on iOS

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I want to back up data for some apps on iOS without including several GB of pictures and operating system files. How do I do this?

The option to backup data by app is completely missing from iCloud or I was unable to find it, and it also appears to be missing in iTunes. Where is the option to do selective or partial backup?

Best Answer

Source:

Choose which apps to back up

Many iOS apps automatically back up to iCloud after you install them. You can change which apps back up and remove existing backups from your storage. Use these steps on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.

iOS 10.3 or later:

Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud.
If you use iOS 11, tap Manage Storage > Backups. If you use iOS 10.3, tap iCloud Storage > Manage Storage.
Tap the name of the device that you're using.
Under Choose Data to Back Up, turn off any apps that you don't want to back up.
Choose Turn Off & Delete.

iOS 10.2 or earlier:

Go to Settings > iCloud > Storage > Manage Storage.
Tap the name of the device that you're using.
Under Backup Options, turn off any apps that you don't want to back up.
Choose Turn Off & Delete.

When you confirm that you want to Turn Off & Delete an app, it turns off iCloud Backup for that app and removes all of its information from iCloud.

Some apps, like Voice Memos, are always backed up and you can't turn them off.

Related Solutions

IOS – Recover GoodReader data after iOS 7 upgrade

This is not exactly answering to my own questions. But for those who knows programming, there is a way to get away with it. For me, I wanted to restore all photos I put in my GoodReader.

I get into the backup directory. Used the bash command:

ls * | xargs file {} | grep image\ data > /Desktop/backup.txt

to list all files and it was printed like this (the first few rows):

2:0006c6f73a741907373e2eabcb3763bebf17bdc8: PNG image data, 25 x 15, 8-bit/color RGBA, non-interlaced
3:000bb4a992491782ef65642e1298244242883c66: JPEG image data, EXIF standard 2.21
4:001c384e486a787bb376cee192ee763858e00274: JPEG image data, EXIF standard 2.21

Then I am using Python to rename those files back to Jpeg or PNG files. There are not the same names as they were originally but this has been good enough. There is a Manifest.mbdb file in the same backup directory. I didn't have much time digging into it but this file looks like to contain information which one can use to restore all information.

IOS – Can iOS apps be safely deleted from iTunes

The apps can be safely deleted from iTunes without affecting either the apps currently on the device or your backups. When you perform a backup, all of your data is backed up regardless of the apps you have in iTunes.

However, when you restore from a backup, apps are re-download from the iTunes Store. If one of your apps is no longer available on the store for some reason, that particular app won't be restored. If you still have a copy of the app on your computer, you'll be able to install it on your device from iTunes. (I'm not sure what happens to the app's data in this case, however. I suspect it depends on whether you're restoring from an iCloud backup or a local backup, but I've never had the chance to test it.)