50% of iPhones Brought to Genius Bar Have Never Been Synced - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

50% of iPhones Brought to Genius Bar Have Never Been Synced

by

Fifty percent of iPhone owners who have iPhones swapped at the Genius Bar have never plugged them into a computer to backup or sync. That's according to a "little birdie" that former Macworld Associate Editor David Chartier (now at AgileBits) knows. It also suggests iCloud will save a lot of headaches and lost data.

iCloud Backup details

This is a big reason, according to this birdie, for why Apple Store Geniuses are excited about iCloud.

Backupophobes can get away with never touching iTunes after activating an iOS device. But folks obviously need to plug them into some kind of power source to recharge which, combined with a reachable WiFi network, is what triggers iCloud's automatic backup feature. Sure, these customers can manually reinstall apps one by one from the store, but they have no way to recover any of their data or media purchased on the device. That holds true for contacts, too, if users didn't sign up for MobileMe or even Google's free (and, in my experience, terrible) contact sync.

Apple's iCloud, with automated wi-fi sync and instant backup to the cloud will be a welcome feature for those millions who never sync or backup their current iOS devices.

Tag: iCloud
Related Forum: Apple Music, Apple Pay/Card, iCloud, Fitness+

Popular Stories

iCloud General Feature Redux

iCloud+ Subscribers Get Higher Apple Intelligence Usage Limits in iOS 27

Tuesday June 9, 2026 6:05 am PDT by
Certain Apple Intelligence features in iOS 27 will carry daily usage limits, with iCloud+ subscribers receiving higher allowances than free users. The company reiterated the details in its press release accompanying yesterday's Apple Intelligence announcements. Apple said the limits apply to features that rely on "powerful server models," with image generation cited as the primary example....
Read Full Article • 66 comments
iCloud iPhone 17 Pro

iPhone Users Who Pay for iCloud Storage Get Two New Perks on iOS 27

Thursday July 2, 2026 6:10 am PDT by
If you pay for certain iCloud+ storage plans beyond the 5GB that Apple offers for free, you will receive two more perks on iOS 27 at no additional cost. A summary of the two new iCloud+ perks on iOS 27:Increased daily usage limits for some new Apple Intelligence features, including image generation in the revamped Image Playground app. HomeKit Secure Video cameras receive generated video...
Read Full Article • 51 comments
iCloud General Feature Redux

Apple's New Hide My Email Domain Makes It Easier to Block iCloud Aliases

Wednesday June 17, 2026 7:41 am PDT by
Apple's decision to move Hide My Email to a dedicated "private.icloud.com" domain appears to have the consequence of making it easier for platforms that want to block iCloud aliases to do so. Apple is unifying the email domains used by Sign in with Apple and iCloud+ Hide My Email under a single private.icloud.com domain later this summer. Sign in with Apple currently uses...
Read Full Article • 105 comments

Top Rated Comments

arn Avatar
arn
197 months ago
I find I've been syncing my iPhone less and less. Before I would very regularly. now, I'll go weeks without.

arn
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
goatless Avatar
goatless
197 months ago
No wonder they're at the Genius Bar.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GeekLawyer Avatar
GeekLawyer
197 months ago
Wow, I can't even conceive of that. Never backing up? So, also, never updating the OS?
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NightFox Avatar
NightFox
197 months ago
This is a great reality check for a lot of posters on these forums who think Mac Rumors members are a good representation of the wider iPhone owning community. We're not, we're a geeky minority. The majority of iPhone owners neither know nor care what iOS, WWDC or iCloud are.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tbobmccoy Avatar
tbobmccoy
197 months ago
Not that surprised. My friend's iPhone 3G is still running on 2.x I believe. *edit* he does still sync it ... but 2.x ?!?!?

In his defense, I bet it runs a lot faster than a 3G on 4.x ;)
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
*LTD* Avatar
*LTD*
197 months ago
The dumbing of society starts by making things "Simpler"

These are the clueless folks having computer problems and blaming it on everything but themselves...
I know plenty of lawyers, for example, some of them top litigators (i.e., in Toronto) that aren't very bright when it comes to tech. When it comes to figuring out public policy and legislation, however, they're stars. But work in that industry and witness it for yourself.

Same thing in academia. Same thing in several other professions, especially among more senior members.

Understanding tech is no signifier or marker of intellect. Tech is a tool, that's either comfortable to use to get actual work done, or it isn't. And a lot if it isn't.

It's often a case of smart people using bad tools. There's going to be friction.

This is where Apple comes in. And consumers have responded - from what appears to be all walks of life, especially a lot of smart people that have traditionally shied away from tech or felt intimidated by it. There is simply a lot of bull.sh.it when it comes to tech - a lot of stuff that gets in the way. It can be a huge PITA. Whoever can simplify it while allowing us to get most of the same things done will be a star. Apple is one of these stars. The industry has taken notice and is going through growing pains to shift toward Apple's model - some with more success than others.

Remove complexity, enhance what's left over. Working from that model, we end up with blessings, not headaches.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments