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An Apple fan says they lost '20 years of digital life' after using an Apple gift card
(www.techradar.com)
this post was submitted on 15 Dec 2025
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If you do store your data, like me, in iCloud and Apple Photos then you should still take a backup.
The easiest way to do this to request a data export of all your Apple data. It’s then prepared into zip files you can download onto a local storage device.
I do it about once a year, which for me is a reasonable balance between risk and impact.
Here’s a guide: https://www.macrumors.com/how-to/get-a-copy-of-your-apple-account-data/
You're not wrong about anything you're saying, but I'm learning that a LOT of people are either / or with phones and computers; I know fewer and fewer people who have both. Making a local backup is ideal, but many can't or don't have that option.
but I'm learning that a LOT of people are either / or with phones and computers;
My knee jerk reaction was to say something smart ass like "well they should get a computer" but you're absolutely right.
The customer service woman I talked to was surprised I could talk to her and browse the internet (on a laptop). She told me most people use their phone for everything. I met college kids who were typing their papers on their phones. My mom never owned a computer until I gave her one, and she leaves it in the corner "for emergencies".
I have no answer. People will continue uploading their lives into Google photos, Facebook galleries, whatever - with no backup, and hope those companies store their data. I think the average person is fucked.
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Stupid people do stupid things. Like putting all apples in one basket.
Sometimes the lesson that needs to be learned in order to appreciate backups is hard...
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I’m not blaming the guy, but he seems smart enough that he should have known better. Data isn’t secure if it’s in a single location, he gave up control and the inevitable happened.
I do not trust anyone with my data, the more important, the more sure I am that I have copies in several locations, including ones that are entirely in my control. My photos exist on multiple devices, cloud, my selfhosted immich server and my offline backup. Same with documents and other important data. My ripped movie collection is not backed up since I have the physical media.
Do not give up control, the systems are all setup to give you the illusion of security, but then this kind of thing happens. Maybe I’m extra paranoid since I’ve been the victim of identity theft but I’m comfortable with my level of paranoia.
Update- for the record, yes, Apple needs to make this right. I DO NOT blame the victim, my comment is here as advice, not to shit on the dude.
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Everyone always learns the hard way, just the same as I did - one copy is usually as good as no copies at all.
For data you can't afford to lose, the 3-2-1 rule is king. Original, cold local, and remote.
Nothing said he didn't have backups of data
His blog post says he does have backups of the data
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I’m a little curious as to why they used a gift card and didn’t just pay with their own card. Seems a hassle to add the extra step.
Maybe they were gifted the gift card - Or they default to purchasing their Apple stuff using gift cards only because they don't want their credit card data saved on Apples side. Who knows?
Yeah, there could be lots of reasons. I’ve gotten Apple GCs with cash back rewards from my credit card, for example.
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Why isn't this posted in Leopards Ate My Face?
... this person... trusted... all their files... on someone else's computer?
... they... trusted a giant... tech corporation... to... care about them?
How is this person a developer?
Normally I'd say "clearly this person has never worked in software developement"... but apparently they have, and are just very naive?
... Maybe he just somehow never once spoke with someone who worked with databases ... ???
I think you're forgetting that 90% of developers are barely competent at best.
If this upsets the reader and reader's a dev, remember I'm talking about the other people not you =)
Yus.
I develop software.
I was not upset at that.
I know I'm in the 10%.
Not even barely competent.
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He also says that he has backups, so "lost" seems a little apocalyptic. Hard to feel too bad for someone who is that invested in a corporation though.
Having all my data stored with proprietary services is so nice, I don't have to worry about anything.
/S
But that's actually how the average idiot think.
It would honestly suck if everything you have is tied to one account.
Definitely a good lesson to has alternatives and back ups.