iPhone iPhone Backup/Restore Headaches

[pendolino]

I got a new iPhone 6S a few weeks ago and was pretty happy with it until it started going nuts on me with the battery running down fast and the screen going black/dead and I'd have to do a hard reset (home/power hold to restart).

I reset the phone and restored from iCloud and iTunes backups (separately) with the same problem still.

I went to the Apple Store and they told me that there was nothing wrong with the phone as per diagnostics so there was likely some software corruption that was also present in the backups. They still gave me a new phone for peace of mind since I was within warranty and I thought it could not hurt to rule out hardware issues.

I then decided to ditch years of backup transfers and set up as a new phone for the first time since I started using iPhone (was it iPhone 2 or 3 can't remember when)

Here are my questions that I'm hoping you guys have solutions for:

• iCloud Photo Library: Some pics didn't upload seemingly and are stuck in the old backups. Is there a way to get these out without restoring the iCloud or iTunes backups?
  
  
• What is better: iTunes (cable) backups or iCloud backups? I've noticed the iCloud restores are super slow so Im preferring iTunes going forward just wondering about downsides.
  
  
• Is iTunes sync necessary anymore if everything is pretty much in the cloud? Only thing I seem to want is Voice Memos since those don't seem to offer a cloud sync option.
  
  
• Apple Activity App and Apple Watch data: Is there any way I can dig this out of the previous backups? I have an Apple Watch that was synced with the phone and wondering what happens when I sync with this phone that was set up as new. Is all the Apple Watch prior data gone?
  
  
• Is the Apple Watch backup part of the total iPhone backup?
  

As you can see this has been quite the headache and I apologize for the lengthy post but I think Reddit has a lot of knowledgable users that can help with such issues. The Geniuses at Apple don't seem to be such honestly.

 

[Max(IT)]

I got a new iPhone 6S a few weeks ago and was pretty happy with it until it started going nuts on me with the battery running down fast and the screen going black/dead and I'd have to do a hard reset (home/power hold to restart).

I reset the phone and restored from iCloud and iTunes backups (separately) with the same problem still.

I went to the Apple Store and they told me that there was nothing wrong with the phone as per diagnostics so there was likely some software corruption that was also present in the backups. They still gave me a new phone for peace of mind since I was within warranty and I thought it could not hurt to rule out hardware issues.

I then decided to ditch years of backup transfers and set up as a new phone for the first time since I started using iPhone (was it iPhone 2 or 3 can't remember when)

Here are my questions that I'm hoping you guys have solutions for:

• iCloud Photo Library: Some pics didn't upload seemingly and are stuck in the old backups. Is there a way to get these out without restoring the iCloud or iTunes backups?
  
  
• What is better: iTunes (cable) backups or iCloud backups? I've noticed the iCloud restores are super slow so Im preferring iTunes going forward just wondering about downsides.
  
  
• Is iTunes sync necessary anymore if everything is pretty much in the cloud? Only thing I seem to want is Voice Memos since those don't seem to offer a cloud sync option.
  
  
• Apple Activity App and Apple Watch data: Is there any way I can dig this out of the previous backups? I have an Apple Watch that was synced with the phone and wondering what happens when I sync with this phone that was set up as new. Is all the Apple Watch prior data gone?
  
  
• Is the Apple Watch backup part of the total iPhone backup?

As you can see this has been quite the headache and I apologize for the lengthy post but I think Reddit has a lot of knowledgable users that can help with such issues. The Geniuses at Apple don't seem to be such honestly.

I can't give you all the answers , especially those involved the Apple Watch, but I think that a setup as new is a good choice every time you change your phone (typically every two years) , and it helps avoid corrupted apps from the past.
iTunes backups theoretically are more reliable than iCloud, but that's just theoretically. I don't use iTunes sync anymore, since it's all in the cloud.
iCloud Photo Library works flawlessly for me, on every device, MacBook included. Don't you have another Apple device where you can check all the photos are loaded before wiping the iPhone?

 

[dk001]

I got a new iPhone 6S a few weeks ago and was pretty happy with it until it started going nuts on me with the battery running down fast and the screen going black/dead and I'd have to do a hard reset (home/power hold to restart).

• ...

As you can see this has been quite the headache and I apologize for the lengthy post but I think Reddit has a lot of knowledgable users that can help with such issues. The Geniuses at Apple don't seem to be such honestly.

Can't answer all your questions however I do have one suggestion: use iTunes first.
There are some aspects and functions of the iCloud that just don't seem to work well all the time. iCloud is still a developing tool. iTunes has been around for a good while.