Oliver Haslam on March 26, 2017, 2:07 am

iOS 10.3 And APFS: Why You May Want To Backup Your Device Before Update

Apple’s iOS 10.3 has been in beta testing for some time now, and we told you recently how iOS 10.3 beta 7 had been seeded to developers so that they could put the software through its paces while also ensuring that their own apps work correctly on the tweaked version of the iPhone and iPad’s operating system.

This beta system is hugely important not just for developers, but for Apple itself. With some big changes often arising as part of new iOS updates, it is imperative that Apple be as sure as possible of their stability. With iOS 10.3, the stakes are even higher than normal.

As we have mentioned before, Apple’s iOS 10.3 will alter the way iPhones and iPads store files, thanks to the inclusion of the Apple File System, or APFS. Replacing the 30 year old HFS+, APFS is going to be the way iOS devices and eventually Macs go about storing their files, and it’s a massive change.

Apple will have iOS 10.3 automatically convert devices to APFS during installation, and the users have no choice in this matter – want iOS 10.3? You’re going to have to have APFS, too.

This is not to say that APFS is a bad thing. Commentators have agreed that HFS+ has been overdue an overhaul for some time now, so the addition of APFS is a welcome one. Given Apple’s past history of iOS updates causing issues with devices however, it is perfectly reasonable for some to have concerns about the update and its reliability. What if something should go wrong?

Well, it shouldn’t. Regardless of how low the probability is that something will go awry during the upgrade to iOS 10.3 though, we strongly recommend a good iTunes backup is taken before the update kicks in. If that isn’t possible, a recent iCloud backup is the least you should have, so be sure your device has been backing up automatically before you update. It’s just good sense.

APFS is going to be a good thing for all of Apple’s devices, and it’s very much needed. That doesn’t mean that it isn’t wise to make plans for if something should go wrong though, does it?