[dolphinbuddy]

sheilanolan said:

Looking at all these posts on long backup times, I wonder if it is a Mac thing?

I'd like to know that myself. I imagine there are not a lot of Windows users reading this. It could be a mac software issue. Any reports of Windows users having a problem?

[mcoyne]

pdmarsh said:

Since synching is now wireless for Contacts, Calendars, Bookmarks, why plug into your Mac at all, UNLESS you want to do a backup?

Have you guys ever heard of podcasts? That's the main reason I sync my phone to itunes, typically at least once a day to stay up to date. And the backup process is a real pain.

[costmo]

As has been previously noted, you can skip the backup by clicking the "x" in the right side of the pane that tells you that your phone is backing up.

...and I can confirm the other report that the problem exists for iPhone 2G as well. This process did not take this long when I was uising the 2.0 beta firmware and iTunes 7.7 beta prior to release of the App Store. Since this is in the Apple bug tracking system, I think that we would expect a fix before too long. I am cosidering getting the 2.1 beta firmware to see if this issue has been resolved.

[Olu]

For those having sync problems take a look at this Article (http://www.geardiary.com/2008/07/27/speed-up-itunes-sync-of-your-iphone-or-touch-by-only-selectively-sending-diagnostic-data-to-apple)

My syncing is still at maximum 5 minutes with 31 applications. I do find that the sync really isn't a sync but a merging of data. For example, if I delete an application from only one source, it will re-appear on that source after I sync. Also the updates ALWAYS appear 1st on the iPhone. Apple really has their work cut out for them.

[whshep]

My syncs used to last 2-3 hours, now they last about 5 minutes. I haven't changed any settings or done anything except download app updates as they became available.

Maybe the long backups were due to malformed third-party apps?

[TommyL]

i agree!!!! i have had backup times of up to 3 hours. i find it outrageous because who really has time to sit for long periods of time simply backing up their phone. My iphone 3g is amazing and i love it a lo, however, the only problem is the backup times. Also i tried the restore in the hopes that would solve the problem, but to no avail. i got the exact error message. Is anyone having these same problems? Also i contacted apple care and they say that you should try uninstalling and reinstalling itunes. But that didn't work either.

[Sonic1218]

pdmarsh said:

Since synching is now wireless for Contacts, Calendars, Bookmarks, why plug into your Mac at all, UNLESS you want to do a backup?

I don't mean to sound stupid but how do you sync your Contacts, Calendars, and Bookmarks wirelessly? Are you talking about using MobileMe, or is there some other way I'm not aware of that you can actually sync wirelessly from your iPhone to your Mac, like over bluetooth?

[pdmarsh]

Yes, I use MobileMe.

[mike95]

There is a fix for this, see my blog post:
http://mike952.wordp...o-long-the-fix/

[griffman]

That's not a fix, that's a workaround. (The posted solution is a 'defaults write' command that disables backups for the iPhone; we ran this hint offering that same solution last week.) Since the backup isn't being run, you'll lose all your application-specific data if you ever need to restore your iPhone.

The real solution appears to be getting iTunes 7.7.1, which has solved the interminable backup times for myself and most other users I've spoken with. My longest backup on 7.7.1 has been about 10 minutes.

-rob.

[mike95]

Ok, my bad. I hadn't realized you already had a workaround up. Thinking I didn't have the latest iTunes, since my latest manual backup took 90 minutes or so, I checked to see, but to no avail -- I am using 7.7.1

[griffman]

Wow -- yours is the first report I've heard of long backup times on iTunes 7.7.1 ... not sure what to suggest, other than perhaps the backup files are somehow corrupted. Maybe start over, after removing all the files manually?

regards,
-rob.

[dolphinbuddy]

My backups are still 30 min plus since the update.

I also love how the update reinstalled the crash report tool that I had removed because it was crashing every time I plugged in my iPhone. Because it is still crashing. And now I have to go find it and remove it again.

[costmo]

The iPhone firmware 2.0.1 update appears to have resolved the problem. My backup dropped from well over two hours to about 5 minutes.