text:
Where do apps store data in iPhone backups?
This article will help you find files belonging to a particular app inside an iPhone backup. It'll also help you build a better understanding of how files and folders are arranged on iOS.
The simplest approach for recovering files from an iOS backup is to use iPhone Backup Extractor: the free edition will help you find and extract the files you need, as it can do so without you needing to know the detail in this article. If you'd like to do that, you'll find we've got a number of handy guides shown in the top menu of this site, which will guide you through that process.
Understanding expert mode and iOS domains
When building apps for iOS, authors have a number of decisions to make around how and where they store data. (We've written separately on the trade-offs app authors face in deciding where to store user data.) The best way to explore and build familiarity where each app stores its files in iOS is to use the free edition of iPhone Backup Extractor. If you load it up, select a backup in the left-hand navigation menu, and then choose "Expert Mode" from the main part of the screen, you'll be presented with a list of around 18 folders, likely beginning with "Application Groups". Strictly speaking, these top-level groupings are known as "Domains".
Many domains are only tangentially used by apps. For instance, the "Keyboard" domain may have some data from third-party keyboards, but not from regular apps.
Some domains -- such as "Media" and "Camera Roll" -- are used heavily by the built-in Messages and Camera apps. However, it's the "Application Groups" and "Applications" domains that we're most interested in when tracking down data from third-party apps.
What's in a namespace?
If you expand the "Applications" domain to list the folders it contains, you'll see a number of strangely named folders. Here's an example:
These folders are the primary place for an app to store its data, and they're usually named using the same format. Back in 1996, Sun Microsystems published a programming language named Java. Java's documentation laid out a way for third-party software publishers to publish their software without it conflicting with other authors' software. The trick was to take the name of the company's site -- such as apple.com -- and to reverse it, before adding the name of the product. Thus, Apple's Health app falls under
com.apple.Health, and iPhone Backup Extractor rightly belongs under
com.reincubate.iPhoneBackupExtractor. These names became known as "namespaces", and Sun published a number of additional rules for them.
Apple adopted this as a best practice when designing iOS. Of course, the naming standard is only a guideline. As you can see in the example of Snapchat (
snapchat.picaboo), not everyone plays by the same rules. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but consistency can be helpful when one is trying to recover data!
In some cases, an app's namespace can reveal an interesting historical quirk. Instagram's namespace is
com.burbn.instagram because, well… back in 2010, Instagram was known as Burbn.
Where do popular iOS apps store their data?
The following table shows the namespaces for a number of popular iOS apps. Don't forget, iPhone Backup Extractor has this list built into it (and it knows about the changes between different versions of the apps, and of iOS), so it always knows where to look when assisting you with recovering iOS data.
|iOS namespace
If you'd like to know where a particular app stores its data, and it's not on this list, why not tweet us @reincubate? We'll let you know. 👩🔬
How do iOS apps store their data, and how can it be read?
App authors are free to store data in whichever format they like in their applications. Users of iPhone Backup Extractor will tend to run across three formats if hunting for data manually in their backups:
- XML Plists
- Binary Plists
- SQLite databases
Both XML and binary Plists are often identified by having the ".plist" file extension. However, many other extensions can also indicate a file being a Plist, such as ".cookies". Plist is an abbreviation of "Property list" and they are Apple's preferred file format for storing a collection of simple data. XML Plists can usually be read by eye, as they are stored in plain text, but binary Plists aren't normally understandable if plainly viewed.
Fortunately, the free edition of iPhone Backup Extractor has a Plist viewer and editor built-in: choose "View/Edit Plist" from the File menu, and you'll be able to examine the contents of any Plist file. Alternately, in Expert mode, users can right-click on a file and choose "View as Plist".
SQLite databases are what you might expect: collections of structured data. They are often indicated by ".db" or ".sqlite3" file extensions. These files can't be read without a special editor, but iPhone Backup Extractor has the technology to query them for you.
What does each domain contain in an iPhone backup?
|iOS backup domain
|Data found in this domain
|Application Groups
|Data stored here by apps is able to be shared slightly more freely on the device. Many applications will store a small amount of data here, but rarely will you see valuable content.
|Application Plugins
|Apps that store data here usually do so as part of an iOS extension. That may be as a Watch plugin, a third-party keyboard, a widget, a sharing extension, or an Animoji. This domain rarely contains user data.
|This is the core domain for apps to store user data on an iPhone. Each app has its own namespace, as described in the "What's in a namespace?" section above.
|Camera Roll
|The camera roll domain includes all photos, videos and metadata stored on an iOS device. If the device is configured to "Optimise Storage", and not to store all photos locally, this domain may contain less information than one expects.
|Little information is stored here on modern installs of iOS.
|HealthKit and medical data is stored in the Health domain, along with activity data being shared with a paired Apple Watch.
|The Home domain is a goldmine of information for many of Apple's built-in applications, such as Messages, Notes and Calendar.
|This domain stores a limited amount of information on the state of Apple HomeKit configuration.
|The Install domain contains metadata to indicate which built-in Apple apps are installed on the iOS device.
|Language and keyboard configuration is stored in this domain.
|The iOS device's keychain (a collection of user passwords) is stored here, in a SQLite file.
|Managed Preferences
|This domain contains data around the management of the iOS device. If your device is enrolled in an MDM (mobile device management) program, perhaps by your school or employer, some metadata will be stored here.
|Many types of media are stored under this domain. For instance, users will find attachments to SMS messages, recordings, and PhotoStream data here.
|The root domains contains fundamental configuration files for the setup of the iOS device.
|System Containers
|The system containers domain contains limited metadata from the App Store app, and some other iOS processes.
|System Preferences
|This domain contains low-level information on an iOS device's status. For instance, you can learn about its networking configuration, or about the wi-fi networks or VPNs it has recently connected to.
|System Shared Containers
|Some iOS system processes which can share data across iOS store their data here. It is a good place to start when looking to learn more about Bluetooth activity on a device, for instance.
|The wireless domain contains a rich set of information on iOS's use of cellular and wi-fi networks, and of its recent IP address assignations.
What to do next
Why not download iPhone Backup Extractor, or read more about Reincubate and how we help customers around the world recover their data?
If you'd like to learn more about iOS or iPhone Backup Extractor, this site has a rich set of guides and articles on making the most of your data. A good place to start might be our article on what is and isn't stored in a backup. Our support centre contains a number of additional knowledge-base pieces with answers to frequently asked questions.


text:
Sign in for your personalised view
Select a category below.
Please enter postcode
We need to service you from a branch and there are no Ideal branches near you. Please call 1300 232 843 or go to rexelha.com.au to find a branch in our national network near you.
Popup blocker is enabled,

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Special Projects Division
Our mission at Headforwards is to build long-term relationships. We are entirely focused on the goals of our clients to guarantee project success. We thrive when creating software that delivers tangible business value to our clients, and we're fortunate enough to be able to do it in a place we love and find inspiring. Sticking to our core values of happy clients, great software, and effective software teams, enables us to produce work we are proud of.
So what is the Special Projects Division and what are the differences between this team and our usual business model?
SPD was originally known as UKNetWeb, a company created by Toby Parkins, Co-Director of Headforwards. With 10 years of experience building professional web systems for a multitude of clients, UKNetWeb merged with Headforwards in 2016. The original team of UKNetWeb then became the Special Projects Division.
Some of our clients require huge amounts of capacity and have the ability to fund larger, long-term projects. Their goals and targets are already set and they simply require a team to begin project work. For these types of projects, we create dedicated teams of people who are working solely for that client. With SPD, we are able to share the capacity of multiple smaller projects for different clients between a single team. For many smaller and lighter projects, this is the perfect scenario to test and grow new ideas. SPD fully employs the use of Agile development cycles. For more on our Agile process you can read more here or listen to Co-Director of Headforwards, Toby Parkins talk about Agile Innovation
How Does it Work?
The Special Projects Division operates differently from other teams at Headforwards so it's important to know when SPD is the right option.
The framework SPD uses is designed to work with small to medium-sized projects. They are the ideal solution for startups that require a sandbox environment to test the feasibility of a product.
They are also perfect for ongoing projects where clients do not require a full-time dedicated team and would rather request work when needed. A lot of the work SPD is involved in revolves around greenfield projects that require a different way of approaching things.
The team is constantly looking at new technologies and development techniques to further expand their technical abilities, which plays well into new projects that have no set requirement for technology or coding language. This gives us the option to suggest new ideas which may improve the outcome of a product.
Finding the Right Solution
The advantage of the SPD team is that their experience and expertise working with different and very unique clients means they are better equipped to estimate and plan projects.
Saying yes to a specification isn't going to happen if it's unachievable or isn't the best approach. It is much better to work together as a team to find the best solution to a given requirement or problem. The SPD team has a wealth of knowledge behind them and a vast expanse of new technologies in front of them. This means that there are a variety of ways in which a project can be built.
Transparency is of utmost importance to the success of any project we undertake, therefore we give our clients the ability to see into a project at all levels. We encourage our clients to join our Slack channels to see the development chat and release notifications. We believe this is important to a happy and successful partnership.
Estimating. The Right Way.
Before we talk about the process of development with SPD, it's important to understand how estimations work. We'd be lying if we said that estimating a new project is easy. There are an infinite number of variables to account for when assembling a plan for a new project. In our own experience, 99% percent of the time, a first estimate will be wrong. This is because at the start of a project, we know the least. To avoid misleading a client, we like to commit to a more open estimate so that as time goes on, we can begin to narrow things down and create a more accurate time-frame. An idea never ends as it starts. By holding workshops and reevaluating the project as it progresses, over time we will start to have a better understanding of the requirements.
From Inception to Production
For a project to succeed it will require your vision, time, passion and enthusiasm. Without these, it is likely to stall. It's going to start with an idea, an idea from you, the client.
At the initial stage, we will hold discussions between you and the Special Projects Division. During this stage, the initial idea will be broken down into a list of features so we can better understand the requirements. It is important to recognise the software development process as a continual cycle. There will never be a time when we will class something as done and dusted.
We will then hold various workshops to develop a solid plan for the project. This will include rough estimates for cost and time. Once these plans are in place and an agreement has been made to begin work, SPD will enter the development cycle.
For startups and small-projects, being able to see results early on is critical. Knowing if we're going in the right direction is aided by developing with MVP in mind (Minimum Viable Product) – all of our teams utilise MVP with their clients seeing the benefits it brings. We believe in a small iterative release cycle during a project which allows us to re-evaluate estimates and costings making them more realistic as the project proceeds.
Once we are past the initial MVP, we can begin to load new features based on their priority. Our Agile approach to software development means we are able to adjust the scope to adapt to unforeseen issues early on and fix them quickly. From the first MVP, it is a case of holding routine meetings and even more workshops as the product grows.
It's important to know that the team aren't here for the short game. Working with SPD is a long-term commitment. They will be there to support your projects after release and into the future. All new updates, features, bug fixes, whatever it may be, this is all part of their commitment to you and your products.
There are many reasons why our clients outsource with us. Our attention to detail, the level of transparency we offer and our impressive staff retention rate. We dedicate a lot of time to crafting teams who have the right level of experience and forward thinking to help drive projects forward.
We are passionate about driving professional development for all staff at Headforwards. Being based in the heart of Cornwall has its benefits which a lot of the team recognise. Many of them have moved from big cities, European countries and further afield to join our ever-expanding organisation. We hold monthly talks for our team, given either by the team or by external people. Topics focus on innovative new technologies, hobbies, home-builds… anything that interests and benefits our teams.
If you are thinking of outsourcing your software development and this sounds of interest to you, please contact us. We would love to discuss your project.


text:
Aah! The Sound of Whining Racemongers in the Morning!
Source: LA Times
In the latest turn in the two-year debate about local law enforcement role's in controlling illegal immigration, 14 Orange County sheriff's deputies graduated Thursday from a program that will allow them to check the immigration status of county inmates.Aaaaaaawwww. Poor babies. Here's a tip, offered to illegal aliens of all races, colors, creeds and countries of origin: if you're trying to avoid being caught and deported for your original crime, don't commit any "minor crimes" that will put you in the position of having your immigration status scrutinized.
The checks should significantly increase the number of inmates deported after serving their sentences, Sheriff Michael S. Carona said.
Officials with the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund said they wanted the Sheriff's Department to keep statistics so it could be determined whether Latino suspects were being jailed more frequently for minor crimes in order for deputies to check their immigrant status.
That said, ROCK ON O.C.!
Of the 66,000 county inmates in 2005, only 3,000 were checked for immigration status under a previous system in which one federal agent worked in the jail. Of the 3,000, 75% were illegal immigrants, Carona said.Note to my own Mayor Daley and Cook County Commissioner Maldonado: See what happens when you offer illegal aliens a healthy dose of law enforcement, instead of sanctuary? A safer place for the people you're supposed to be looking out for: citizens and legal residents.
In Los Angeles County, using trained deputies in the jail led to a 65% increase in the number of inmates referred for deportation, up to an average of 543 per month, federal officials said Thursday.
What a concept.
Technorati Tags
Illegal Immigration * Illegal Alien * Law Enforcement * Racism * Latino * Crime


text:
Oklahoma Press Association
Search our site
Contact Us
Site Map
Download Ads
Public Notices
Digital Clipping
Job Line
List of Members
Contests & Awards
About Us
Content Exchange
Services set for Ed Livermore Sr.
Ed Livermore Sr., longtime Oklahoma newspaper publisher, died April 26, 2014. He was 95.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 3, 2014, at the First United Methodist Church of Sapulpa, 1401 E. Taft Ave., Sapulpa, Okla.
Livermore and his wife, Melba, who preceded him in death, were publishers of the Claremore Progress, Sapulpa Herald, Edmond Evening Sun, Guthrie Leader and other newspapers.
Livermore served as president of the Oklahoma Press Association in 1959, as well as president of the National Newspaper Association. He was inducted into the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame in 1970.
Posted on Mon, April 28, 2014 by Jennifer Gilliland
Copyright © 2008 Oklahoma Press Association, All Rights Reserved.
Developed by Element Fusion


text:
Produced by Robert Neustadt and Chuck Cheesman on behalf of No More Deaths / No Más Muertes, the Border Songs CD brought together a diverse group of artists in support of human rights for Mexican migrants. Contributors included Sweet Honey in the Rock, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Amos Lee, Eliza Gilkyson, Tom Russell, Joel Rafael, Calacas Blues, folk music legend Pete Seeger, and many more. The CD was officially released October 12th 2012 at the Coconino Center for the Arts in Flagstaff, Arizona. Now sold out, Border Songs raised almost $100,000 that went directly to humanitarian efforts that helped save lives and ease suffering for people who have crossed the border.
I took a drive south of Yuma today to present my children's music program. A few miles before I reached the town of San Luis, I caught a glimpse of the border wall. It followed the road almost all the way into town. White pickup trucks drove the frontage along it. I imagine they were border patrol.
"Papa, why don't we go to church anymore?"
"Well, that's a pretty good question. To be honest, I thought I was the only one who wanted go. Besides, we've been so busy that most Sunday mornings we're pretty tired and just want to enjoy having some quiet time together as a family."
There is a newspaper that is sold on the streets all over Chicago. It's called Streetwise. Essentially, it was created to assist homeless people. Streetwise vendors are trained and required to carry badges. The idea is that the job is a stepping-stone to other gainful employment. Sometimes vendors are also contributors to the paper. It is literally a "man on the street" operation, and it gives its readers a perspective that is simply unavailable from either of Chicago's major newspapers.
My good friend Jim McCarthy put together a film about the air noise problem at Grand Canyon National Park. Jim is an impressive guy - long a defender of the canyon's wild beauty - and I am very proud to have been asked to provide some of the music (along with friends Tony Norris and Bill Burke) for Jim's first film. A short version is available on Youtube, and I prefer to let Jim's work speak for itself.