How can I fully restore my iPhone 4S and then selectively restore data?

Hey there,

I'm one of the many people in the boat where I want (need) to fully wipe and restore my iPhone 4S on 5.1.1, hoping it will fix issues like battery life etc. I've also noticed I still have some leftover jailbreak data in my iPhone's current OS which has stayed there due to me accidentally restoring to a backup that happened while I was jailbroken. I am no longer jailbroken and do not particularly want to jailbreak again. My only issue is there are a few things which I crucially need to keep (in other words, backup and then add back onto the iPhone later). I need to be able to restore:

• App Data (Such as game progress and any data my apps have)
• Contacts
• Notes
• Messages (Very important)
• Wi-Fi Settings (If that's not possible, it doesn't really matter)
• SpringBoard Layout!!! (No idea if this is possible, I have heavily organised folders that would be a great pain to organise again)
• Photos (I'm only putting this on this list as I have a question - I understand I can simply copy all my photos using Windows but as for restoring, iPhones seem to randomly name the folders it sorts the Camera Roll into with a jumble of numbers and letters which I'm sure really does mean something. How would I go about restoring photos?)

I've been browsing around the internet, effectively getting incredibly confused and I need some guidance. A guide, in a way, of how to do each step. It's made me wonder about the path of possibly creating my own iPhone backup selectively with all the bits of data I want to preserve - I wonder if there's a way. Anyway, I have a full license for the latest version of iExplorer, which I heard mentioned a lot across the internet, along with iPhone Backup Extractor, MobileSyncBrowser, and DiskAid. I've got no idea what tool to use, or how you're supposed to be able to restore this stuff. Restoring App Data using iExplorer, though, seems like an incredibly easy task, however as for Contacts and the rest, particularly Messages, I have no idea. I'm not even sure HOW you can use iExplorer to put data ONTO the iPhone, as opposed to just pulling it off.

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Many Thanks,
George (My surname is apparently a censored word :/ )

I have a question somewhat related. I'm giving my husband my iPhone 4S so I've restored mine to factory (previously Jailbroken). I made sure he had a good back up on his old iPhone 4 so when I plugged mine up to his Macbook I could just restore it from the backup. Well his apps didn't transfer and I can't figure out why not. Does anyone have any insight?

Hmmm, sounds odd. If you definitely synced and backed up his iPhone 4 to his MacBook and then restored from that backup, his data should be there. One thing though, apps are NOT backed up to iCloud, App Data is like saved games, preferences, achievements etc. For his apps to be transferred over to the iPhone 4S, you should plug in the iPhone 4S to the MacBook, make sure it's been restored from the correct backup (the iPhone 4 one - AFTER the iPhone 4 has synced and backed up). It needs to have been synced as syncing transfers any purchases (Apps included) to the MacBook. Then once all that is confirmed, click on the iPhone 4S (whatever it's called) on the left pane, and then click on the Apps tab. Make sure Sync Apps is ticked and the ones you want to be put on the iPhone 4S have ticks next to them. I think the iPhone and iTunes have to be signed into the same account, the one the apps were purchased on, otherwise iTunes thinks you're trying to sync apps that have been payed on a different account. If that all makes sense... I'll re-word it if it didn't

The first thing that comes to mind is whether you and your husband were using the same Apple ID to purchase apps. This is crucial, because any apps purchased via one Apple ID will not transfer over to a phone logged into a different Apple ID...

My next suggestion: In my case, both my lost iPhone 4S and my old 3GS (that is going to serve as my temporary phone until get the upcoming iPhone 5) were in fact logged into the same Apple ID. Nevertheless, some apps failed to show their icons on their home screen. However, the apps WERE on my 3GS. I was able to verify this by going into this screen (see below) and searching for the app. Apparently, searching for the app and launching it from this screen brought its icon back to my various home screens. This is the screen I'm referring to. You must be at the iOS main home screen (the one with apps like "Messages, Calendar, Photos, Camera, etc.) Then swipe left, once, to reveal what is basically an iOS equivalent of the Mac OS X finder. This too lets you find anything and everything on your iPhone. Start typing out the name of the app that seemingly didn't transfer (it did, it's just not visible) and it is should be there. Launch the app once, and then, the app will be back in your hope screens.

Here's the screen I'm referring to. Good luck!!



UPDATE: Try this tip. Do an "Erase All Content and Settings" ON YOUR PHONE by going to "Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings." Then you get a fresh phone. When prompted, provide you husband's Apple ID and you should be able to transfer/re-download his apps directly from the App Store. The good thing to have both phones on the same Apple ID is that whatever app you purchase, your husband gets it for free, and vice versa. And as long as you don't rely solely on me.com for e-mail, you can still have separate, private e-mail. You can't read any of his, or vice versa. Make an gmail account and get your emails at that account, for example.

Sorry, I didn't read your post until after I put in my $0.02. Maybe it it could be proved to Apple that the purchases were made from the same household, by a husband and wife team, they could make an exception? I mean, they normally let you download an app 20 times to 20 different iDevices for the price of one purchase, so why not let two people who live in the same household get two copies of the same app for the price of one! It almost make sense, 'cause if they were to say no, they must be smart enough to figure out that you're just going to use the app on your family member's phone who lives in the same house. But Apple is known for good customer service, so maybe they will make an exception. Maybe merge two Apple IDs into one, assuming the parties provide proof that they are husband and wife, live in the same house, and probably even have both phones on a family plan...

Thanks for your replies. I figured that issue out. New problem is... I went to Target with.every.intention of leaving with a white 4S I would be getting for free, instead I am on the Samsung Note right now. How do i get my contacts on this big assets thing?!

I thought I'd just come home restore from backup and be on my way instead I'm shopping for new cases redownloading apps from an app store I've never seen before. It's like culture shock to be honest. Any Android advice from my iPhone friends?