I tunes 12 how can I back up 2 different iPhones?

[crue-leader]

Hi,
I am new here and not very computer savvy. I have an iMac using OS X Yosemite version 10.10.1. My wife has an Iphone 4, which she wants me to back up for her so she can go get the new iPhone 6.

I have an iPhone 5. We both have two different ITunes accounts.

I want to be able to back up both phones independently. I know you used to be able to switch iTunes accounts by simply holding down the "shift" key while opening iTunes, and there was a window that enabled you to switch between accounts.

That option is no longer available. Is there anyone who can help me with this? I am using iTunes 12.

Thanks
Jim

 

[RadDave]

Hi Jim - first, you could backup her iPhone to the cloud and restore the backup to her new phone w/o ever needing to use a cabled connection to your computer - HERE.

Second, set her up on the computer as a different 'User', then her iTunes information (including such items as playlists) will be kept separate from yours. There are other options but see if either of these will work for you. Dave

 

[andylap]

Hi Jim,

Actually, you do not have to connect to iTunes to backup anymore, and for this situation, it makes things more complicated.

You can back up both your iPhone 5 and your wife's iPhone 4 using iCloud Backup.

Before you can do this, however, you will need to have iOS 6 or later in both iPhones. You can check by going to Settings > General > About, and checking the "Version"

If both iPhones have iOS 6 or later, then you can backup by going to Settings > iCloud > Backup > Back Up Now.

When you get a new phone, during setup it will ask you if you want to restore your phone from a backup. Choose Restore from iCloud Backup.

And, I think that's it! Please let me know if I am incorrect in anything here