How to prevent iOS back-ups?

[Loa]

Hello,

Title says it all. In the iOS window in Finder, there's an option for "Most important data to iCloud" and one for "Back-up on the Mac".

I don't want to loose any disk space nor time backing-up my iOS device.

Is there any way to prevent back-ups altogether?

Thanks!

 

[AlteMac]

I don't know what you mean by IOS window in Finder. Finder will show your phone if it is connected via lighning cable. Set your phone to back up to icloud. Then click on your phone in finder and select back up to icloud on your Mac. If you don't want to back up at all, turn off icloud backup on your phone and don't connect your phone to your Mac. But why in the world would you not want any backup? That is just asking for trouble.

 

[w5jck]

I'm not really sure what you are asking, but here is a support link that explains your question.

ETA: Here is a support link to syncing content between your iPhone and Mac, just in case that is what you are trying to accomplish.

 

[NoBoMac]

Scroll down and turn off "Automatically sync" below those options.

 

[Loa]

Ok, maybe I wasn't clear. I DO want to continue syncing with my iOS device from my Mac, but I DON'T want to waste time or disk space to back it up.

In the iOS window in Finder (see attached screenshot, I don't know what else to call it, it'S the interface that used to be in iTunes), there are only options for a full back-up on disk, or partial back-up on iCloud.

Why no option for NO back-ups? (There's nothing on the device that I don't already have on my Mac in any case.)

Loa

 

[NoBoMac]

Unless you click on the backup button, no Mac backup will happen. Only thing that can be sorta backup like is diagnostic files get copied over, but other than that, no backup of device is done.

Use the Finder to sync your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with your Mac - Apple Support

The Finder is one of the ways that you can sync your device with your Mac.

support.apple.com

I sync once a week and have zero backups created for my devices (I do have backups, but I make those once a week via iMazing, saved in a different location [delta backups vs "full"]).

 

[Loa]

Ah! Good to know! I remember when it was part o the syncing process. Thanks!

 

[Jim Lahey]

Ah! Good to know! I remember when it was part o the syncing process. Thanks!

To my knowledge it still is. I backup my devices weekly just by manually hitting sync. Finder automatically creates a backup in doing so. Maybe I’m missing another setting.

 

[AlteMac]

I find icloud backup works very well (when setting up a new phone for example) but I like to keep on backup on my Mac, so I occasionally connect and backup). As noted, if the Mac is showing that the phone is backing up to icloud, it will not back up locally.

 

[Jim Lahey]

I find icloud backup works very well (when setting up a new phone for example)…

iCloud backup is very convenient but it’s a privacy gray area because Apple possesses the keys with which to decrypt the backups held on their servers. Or at least that is my current understanding. Whether or not anyone cares about this is a personal matter, but it’s a reason many users choose not to backup to the cloud.