iPhone 5 or earlier Cannot reach anyone at iMobie

[Bastette]

Hello,

My iPhone 5 died about 2 months ago and I bought a new (to me) one. I have a backup file on my PC hard drive from the last time I did an iTunes sync with the old phone. That file apparently contains everything that was on the phone as of Oct 31, when I did the last backup. So now I want to restore that data onto my new phone.

I installed the trial version of iMobie's PhoneRescue, and it seemed to find my data from the backup file. The trial version doesn't allow you to see the actual data, just a list of what is there. You have to buy the full version for that. So, I'm about ready to buy the full version, but I have a couple of remaining questions about the product I'd like answered before I plunk down $60.

However, nobody is responding to my posts on their blog, nor to the tickets I've opened on their support page. Nor to my messages on the SoftwareHow Facebook page. What is with this company? Why don't they respond to customers' questions in a timely manner? I did have a conversation with someone on the blog in November, but since then, I've heard zip. Their site makes references to their "support team," which I've tried to contact, but I've never heard back. Is there an actual support team? I'm getting the feeling that the "company" is one guy in his home office. And he's doing a terrible job monitoring inquiries from potential customers.

In case anyone here can answer my questions, here they are:

1. When you do a restore from a backup file on a PC (not in the cloud), does PhoneRescue leave the backup file intact, or does it change or delete the file once the restore is finished? This is important in case something goes wrong. I might want to try again with different data retrieval software in that case, so that backup file has to remain as it is. (I already tried making a copy of the backup file, but the trial version of PhoneRescue couldn't open the copy, only the original.)

2. If I buy the product and it doesn't work, what is the refund policy? Can they invalidate my license if they give me a refund? Or am I SOL?

If any of you have experience with iMobie and/or PhoneRescue and can give me tips on how to reach them, or can answer my questions, I would appreciate it!

Thanks for reading this long post.

 

[AZhappyjack]

Why are you putting yourself through all of that? Just connect the new phone to your computer and restore it from that backup...

 

[Bastette]

dwfaust - thanks. But I still don't understand, what software is going to read the backup file and put all the data in the right places on the phone? iTunes? Or is there something on the phone that will do this automatically? Thanks again.

 

[C DM]

dwfaust - thanks. But I still don't understand, what software is going to read the backup file and put all the data in the right places on the phone? iTunes? Or is there something on the phone that will do this automatically? Thanks again.

iTunes will take care of it all.

 

[testcard]

When you restore from backup, all of the settings from your original phone are transferred to the new one. This all happens automatically through iTunes and there’s nothing for you to do other than sit back, relax, and drink a cup of coffee while the new phone is restoring. In iTunes settings you can opt to sync all the music and apps that were on your original phone too.
https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT204184

 

[Bastette]

When I do a restore from an iTunes backup file on my PC, does iTunes change or delete any part of the backup file? I'm asking because if it doesn't go well for any reason, I'll want to try other software to restore it, or take it to a local place to have them extract it. These are decent guys and they don't overcharge. But that's only if the no-cost method doesn't work.

 

[testcard]

When I do a restore from an iTunes backup file on my PC, does iTunes change or delete any part of the backup file? I'm asking because if it doesn't go well for any reason, I'll want to try other software to restore it, or take it to a local place to have them extract it. These are decent guys and they don't overcharge. But that's only if the no-cost method doesn't work.

No, why would it? The only possible reason for a restore to fail would be if the original backup was corrupt, but this is very unlikely. When I bought my iPhone X I restored from an iPhone 6 backup and the process was flawless. I’ve restored many times and never had a problem.

 

[Bastette]

OK, thanks. That was what someone at Apple told me -- if my iOS version wasn't compatible with my iTunes, the backup could be corrupted. I've never had to restore a phone before, so all I have to go on is what people tell me. You'd kind of think some at Apple would know...

Anyway, thanks again. I'll give it a try.

 

[Newtons Apple]

OK, thanks. That was what someone at Apple told me -- if my iOS version wasn't compatible with my iTunes, the backup could be corrupted. I've never had to restore a phone before, so all I have to go on is what people tell me. You'd kind of think some at Apple would know...

Anyway, thanks again. I'll give it a try.

Make sure you do an encrypted backup/restore. Also make sure you are using the latest version of iTunes and have your device updated to the latest iOS.

 

[AZhappyjack]

dwfaust - thanks. But I still don't understand, what software is going to read the backup file and put all the data in the right places on the phone? iTunes? Or is there something on the phone that will do this automatically? Thanks again.

As others have already said, iTunes will take care of the heavy lifting... I've been restoring backups from older devices onto newer devices since 2009... not had a problem with this process in all those years.