Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPad Use iPad Mini as portable synced iPad Pro
- Thread starter mwhals
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Just use iCloud and iPad Pro and mini will sync all data automatically, so no need to do as you suggest
Actually, this can save a ton of data and hassle since hotel wifi is usually very slow. I doubt many people actually do this, but good idea.
One caveat though, if you use separate account for iTunes and Apple ID, iTunes backup can only grab the app and purchases from the account you were using during the backup, not all accounts.
One caveat though, if you use separate account for iTunes and Apple ID, iTunes backup can only grab the app and purchases from the account you were using during the backup, not all accounts.
That's generally the idea, but it is not always possible... especially if access to the internet will be inconsistent.
I use iCloud, but one of my apps does not sync with iCloud. Some of my apps do not sync with iCloud, but they are backed up by iCloud. This was tested with my iPhone XS Max.
My 11” Pro is WiFi only and we don’t have WiFi at the cabin we rent. If I get an iPad Mini, it will be LTE.
My 11” Pro is WiFi only and we don’t have WiFi at the cabin we rent. If I get an iPad Mini, it will be LTE.
Last edited:
Do these apps expose their file storage to "file transfer" in itunes? If the majority already sync with icloud, you might be able to replace a multiple-hour restore task with a simple 5 minute file download/upload.
I haven't done it for that purpose, but it would work. When I got my new Mini 5 I set it up by restoring a backup of my 12.9" 2018 Pro.
No. They do not sync between devices at all, with iTunes or iCloud. Their settings and progress do backup and restore from iTunes or iCloud.
I didn’t ask if they sync, I asked if their files were visible in iTunes under file sharing.
They aren’t apps that have files from the PC. They are games that I want to continue when on trips away from home where I want to take a smaller iPad.
A surprising amount of games expose their save games in this way, though admittedly it does appear to mostly be those that are ported from PC/Mac.
This will work, but there are a few things to consider.
Both iPads should be on the same iOS version as you cannot restore from a newer iOS backup to an older version of iOS.
You should also watch the backup size. For example, if you have a 1TB iPad Pro then you may have a large backup, so could run into trouble if your mini is say a 64GB mini.
Another thing to consider is that some files do not restore from backup, mainly content such as video saved in some video player apps. So that will me missing after a restore and would need to be copied across.
If your iPad Pro was cellular, I’d suggest just taking that away with you to the cabin. So one option might be to sell it and upgrade to a cellular iPad Pro to save yourself all of the restoring time.
If you want a second smaller device though, get the cellular mini. But I wonder if you might then consider just playing those games that don’t have a cloud sync just on the mini, so then you always have them on that device without the restoring. Then just play the games on the iPad Pro that have cloud sync. Just an idea.
Both iPads should be on the same iOS version as you cannot restore from a newer iOS backup to an older version of iOS.
You should also watch the backup size. For example, if you have a 1TB iPad Pro then you may have a large backup, so could run into trouble if your mini is say a 64GB mini.
Another thing to consider is that some files do not restore from backup, mainly content such as video saved in some video player apps. So that will me missing after a restore and would need to be copied across.
If your iPad Pro was cellular, I’d suggest just taking that away with you to the cabin. So one option might be to sell it and upgrade to a cellular iPad Pro to save yourself all of the restoring time.
If you want a second smaller device though, get the cellular mini. But I wonder if you might then consider just playing those games that don’t have a cloud sync just on the mini, so then you always have them on that device without the restoring. Then just play the games on the iPad Pro that have cloud sync. Just an idea.