Apple’s devices are a marvel of engineering – of that, there’s no doubt. Even their staunchest critics will admit that Apple’s hardware design is second to none. What drives people away from Apple, besides their pricing decisions, is usually their stranglehold on the software. Apple’s philosophy is to simplify the User Experience, usually at the cost of customizability. Sometimes, though, they take this even further than logic dictates necessary. While their sandboxing model can be both a good security measure and frustratingly limiting, their terrible implementation of device backup – iCloud or iTunes – is universally panned. iCloud backups are notoriously fickle, don’t back up some critical data (a security feature), and are prone to failure. iTunes backup, while inherently more secure and complete thanks to encryption, is hamstrung by its dated implementation – you need to connect your device to a computer with sufficient storage (no longer a guarantee, in this age of SSDs), and keep it connected while it restores your iPhone/iPad. Fortunately, there are companies out there, who have the time and skill to revolutionize this critical aspect of owning pocket computers. DigiDNA, the company behind iMazing, is one such company.
When I first found out about iMazing, I honestly thought that there’s NO WAY it could do even half of what the developer promised – backup and restore individual apps, access parts of the file system that even iTunes won’t let you, or better contact management, just to name a few. After using it once, I never looked at iTunes again (not that that was a tough decision to make). iMazing has become even better with every version, and most importantly, it is a fantastic backup solution for your Apple devices.
I absolutely recommend iMazing for all its amazing features, but if you’re just looking for a great backup option, DigiDNA has some great news for you – iMazing Mini. Currently in Public Beta, iMazing Mini brings iMazing’s fantastic backup functionality to a free, menubar app. No joke – you get the convenience of iCloud/iTunes backup, with features that you’d have expected Apple to bake in – such as the ability to wirelessly and automatically back up your devices to a NAS device, or TimeMachine-like snapshot backups. The app also does incremental backups, which means that it backs up multiple versions of your data, without overloading your hard disk/NAS. If you have the full app, you can even browse your backups for specific data. The backups are end-to-end encrypted, and because there’s no offsite backup, no data is transmitted over the internet. Of course, you should ALWAYS have an offsite backup as well.
If it isn’t obvious yet, I heartily recommend you get on the iMazing train. If you’re not yet willing to part with your hard-earned cash, I suggest you definitely try the free, and incredibly useful, iMazing Mini. Peace of mind is a valuable commodity these days, and that’s exactly what iMazing promises.
Get more information on iMazing, as well as iMazing Mini, on their respective websites. You can download the free beta of iMazing Mini (Mac only for now) at the same link.
