want to update my jb iphone 3g. want to back up text msg

[charles3526]

hello i want to update my jb iphone to the newest sw i think it is 3.1.2 from 3.0. before i do that i want to back up all my things on there like my text messages,app etc etc is there a way i back everthing up? any information would help thanks

[jltdhome]

SSH into your phone or use Total Commander/Iphone Browser or whatever.

Then go to:

SMS: /private/var/mobile/Library/SMS <--- all your text messages.

Safari Bookmarks: /private/var/mobile/Library/Safari
Call History: /private/var/mobile/Library/CallHistory
Copy the content of these folders to your desktop or wherever.

Speed Dial: /private/var/mobile/Library/Preferences/com.apple.mobilephone.speeddial.plist
Copy just that one file.

UPDATE: forgot to say, once you restore, copy the content of those folders you saved back to their original location.

You can pretty much sync everything to iTunes anyways.

[charles3526]

thanks

[dhamien]

SSH into your phone or use Total Commander/Iphone Browser or whatever.

Then go to:

SMS: /private/var/mobile/Library/SMS <--- all your text messages.

Safari Bookmarks: /private/var/mobile/Library/Safari
Call History: /private/var/mobile/Library/CallHistory
Copy the content of these folders to your desktop or wherever.

Speed Dial: /private/var/mobile/Library/Preferences/com.apple.mobilephone.speeddial.plist
Copy just that one file.

UPDATE: forgot to say, once you restore, copy the content of those folders you saved back to their original location.

Just have to say, I did this and it didn't work. I mean the thing about copying the files back to their original location.

When I did that, I lost the ability to send and receieve sms messages (I could see all the old sms). The same thing happened to photos I had saved. They showed up inside the 'photo app' but I was unable to take new photos. Same for 'Notes' I believe.

My guess is that there's some file elsewhere that refers to the sms messages (as in, how many you've sent or something, if you get where I'm going) that also needs to be copied.

Now that I'm typing this, I'm wondering if the problem could be fixed by changing the attributes of the files through SSH?

Can anyone shed some light?


UPDATE: tried ssh'ing into my phone and copying the files. Set the permissions as the original files but it still wouldn't work. Can't simply copy SMS folder over and still have it working.

[charles3526]

hummm i dont know i haven't did this yet but would like to.. i just hope i dont have the same problem. i am not worried about sms messeges i dont send that all that much but i send and receive text messages. did that still work for you?

[MrTeebes]

There is an app on cydia for backing up your texts to email. Called SMS2mail if you don't need to get them back on your phone, and just need them backed up somewhere. There is also an AppBackup app in cydia for your applications from the app store. Updating properly, you should do a full restore of the phone to reclaim all lost storage space. There is a lot of space that is lost when you update (instead of restore) and it disables all the cydia apps. They are still on the disk using up space, but are inaccessible. Last thing is to get the stuff you may have downloaded to the phone(through SSH, iphonebrowser, etc.). Will be located in "/var/mobile/Library/Downloads" Everything else (including purchased apps) can be backed up with iTunes(contacts, pictures, notes, apps, music, etc.).

[dhamien]

hummm i dont know i haven't did this yet but would like to.. i just hope i dont have the same problem. i am not worried about sms messeges i dont send that all that much but i send and receive text messages. did that still work for you?

Aren't SMS messages and text messages the same?

There is an app on cydia for backing up your texts to email. Called SMS2mail if you don't need to get them back on your phone, and just need them backed up somewhere. There is also an AppBackup app in cydia for your applications from the app store.

You can also use Chronus as far as I know. That will store SMS/text messages.

What I'd really like though, is to do it on my own, by simply copying the right folders+files back and forth, but I still haven't been able to do that.