iPhone Auto Backup

Auto-backup iPhone photos & videos to external drive on USB plug-in.
EXIF date archiving, content-hash dedup, zero cloud dependency.

English | 中文文档

Why this exists

Every time you plug in your iPhone, macOS wants to open Photos.app or Image Capture — but neither gives you automatic, deduplicated, date-sorted backups to an external drive. iCloud costs money and locks you in. iMazing is $40+. This tool does it for free, with zero cloud, and runs entirely via launchd + libimobiledevice.

Who is this for?

Photographers — auto-archive iPhone shoots by EXIF date, no manual sorting
Parents — never lose a baby photo again; plug in and it backs up
Data hoarders — content-hash dedup means zero redundant copies
Privacy-conscious users — zero cloud, zero tracking, files on your disk
Anyone with an iPhone — if you have photos on your phone, you need backup

Features

Auto-trigger on USB plug-in — launchd daemon detects iPhone connection, no manual action needed
Content-hash dedup — SHA1 of first/last 512KB + file size, never backup the same file twice
EXIF date archiving — reads CreateDate / DateTimeOriginal, sorts into YYYY-MM-DD folders
Smart photo classification — auto-separates camera photos / screenshots / saved images into subdirectories
Device-side pre-filter — skips download entirely when file path + size unchanged (instant pass for already-backed-up files)
Integrity verification — compares local vs device file size after AFC download, auto-retries on truncation
Sleep prevention — keeps your Mac awake during backup via caffeinate
Desktop notifications — macOS native notifications for start / complete / error
No cloud, no vendor lock-in — files live on your disk, plain YYYY-MM-DD/001.mov structure

How it works

iPhone (USB)
    │
    ▼
┌─────────────────────────────┐
│  iphone_backup_monitor.sh   │  ← launchd daemon (KeepAlive)
│  Polls idevice_id every 10s │
└──────────┬──────────────────┘
           │ iPhone detected & trusted
           ▼
    ┌──────┴──────┐
    ▼             ▼
 backup_videos   backup_photos
    │             │
    │  ┌──────────┘
    ▼  ▼
 Scan DCIM via afcclient
    │
    ▼
 Device-side pre-filter ──── skip (path+size unchanged)
    │
    ▼
 Download via AFC
    │
    ▼
 Size verify (retry on truncation)
    │
    ▼
 Content hash dedup ──────── skip (hash already seen)
    │
    ▼
 Read EXIF date ──→ fallback: filename ──→ device mtime ──→ _unknown_date
    │
    ▼
 Classify (photo/screenshot/saved)   ← photos only
    │
    ▼
 Archive → /Volumes/Drive/iPhone_Photos/Photos/2026-04-09/001.heic
    │
    ▼
 Set file mtime = EXIF timestamp
    │
    ▼
 macOS notification ✅

Quick Start

# 1. Clone
git clone https://github.com/andersyin/iphone-auto-backup.git
cd iphone-auto-backup

# 2. Edit config FIRST — install refuses the YourExternalDrive placeholders
nano config.sh
# Set BACKUP_ROOT and PHOTO_BACKUP_ROOT to your disk, e.g.
#   BACKUP_ROOT="/Volumes/MyDrive/iPhone_Videos"
#   PHOTO_BACKUP_ROOT="/Volumes/MyDrive/iPhone_Photos"

# 3. Install (Homebrew deps + launchd). Apple Silicon and Intel brew prefixes are auto-detected.
bash install.sh

First run

Mount the external drive named in config.sh.
Plug in the iPhone, unlock it, and tap Trust This Computer.
Watch progress: cat /tmp/iphone_backup_monitor.status
Optional smoke test without waiting for USB: bash backup_videos_v3.sh / bash backup_photos_v3.sh

Backup scripts will not create a fake folder under /Volumes if the disk is unmounted; they notify and exit instead.

Terminal Demo

$ bash backup_videos_v3.sh

[14:23:01] ==== iPhone 视频备份 v3 ====
[OK] iPhone 已连接
[14:23:01] 已阻止 Mac 睡眠 (PID 48291)
[14:23:01] 正在扫描 iPhone...
[OK] 发现 47 个视频

  45% |████████████░░░░░░░░░░░░| 21/47  IMG_4523.MOV
[OK] IMG_4523.MOV → 2026-04-07/001.mov
[SKIP] 内容重复: IMG_4524.MOV
[OK] IMG_4525.MOV → 2026-04-07/002.mov
  ...
[OK] IMG_4569.MOV → 2026-04-09/003.mov

======================================================================
                    iPhone 视频备份报告
======================================================================
同步文件夹:   /Volumes/MyDrive/iPhone_Videos
  共计:       482 个视频文件
  新增:       12 个视频
  跳过:       35 个（已存在/内容重复，其中 28 个设备侧未变、免下载秒过）
  失败:       0 个
======================================================================

Comparison

Feature	iCloud Photos	Image Capture	iMazing	This tool
Free	5GB limit	Yes	$40+	Yes
Auto on USB plug-in	No (Wi-Fi)	No (manual)	Yes	Yes
Content-hash dedup	No	No	No	Yes
Sort by EXIF date	No	No	Yes	Yes
Photo classification	No	No	No	Yes
Incremental (skip seen)	N/A	No	Yes	Yes (device-side)
No cloud dependency	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Open source	N/A	No	No	Yes
File mtime = shoot date	N/A	No	No	Yes

Backup Structure

/Volumes/YourDrive/iPhone_Videos/
└── 2026-04-07/
    ├── 001.mov
    └── 002.mov

/Volumes/YourDrive/iPhone_Photos/
├── Photos/
│   └── 2026-04-09/
│       ├── 001.jpg
│       └── 002.heic
├── Screenshots/
│   └── 2026-04-10/
│       └── 001.png
└── Saved_Images/
    └── 2026-04-10/
        └── 001.gif

Configuration (`config.sh`)

Parameter	Description	Default
`BACKUP_ROOT`	Video backup target path	`/Volumes/YourExternalDrive/iPhone_Videos`
`PHOTO_BACKUP_ROOT`	Photo backup target path	`/Volumes/YourExternalDrive/iPhone_Photos`
`VIDEO_EXTENSIONS`	Supported video formats	`MOV MP4 M4V 3GP AVI MKV`
`PHOTO_EXTENSIONS`	Supported photo formats	`JPG JPEG HEIC PNG GIF`
`AUTO_REFRESH_INDEX`	Run optional sibling `refresh_index.sh` after backup (not shipped here)	`0` (off)

Dependencies

Tool	Purpose	Install
`libimobiledevice`	iPhone communication (afcclient / idevicepair)	`brew install libimobiledevice`
`exiftool`	Read EXIF dates from photos/videos	`brew install exiftool`

No macFUSE / ifuse needed. Only macOS built-in tools + 2 Homebrew packages.

Requirements

macOS (Apple Silicon or Intel; Homebrew tools are resolved from /opt/homebrew/bin, /usr/local/bin, or PATH)
iPhone with USB connection (must click "Trust This Computer")
External drive or designated backup directory (edit config.sh before install.sh)

Manual Run

bash backup_videos_v3.sh    # backup videos
bash backup_photos_v3.sh    # backup photos

Logs

cat /tmp/iphone_backup_monitor.status    # monitor state
cat /tmp/iphone_backup_stdout.log        # video backup log
cat /tmp/iphone_photo_backup_stdout.log  # photo backup log

File Structure

iphone-auto-backup/
├── config.sh                             # Configuration (edit before first use)
├── backup_videos_v3.sh                   # Video backup script
├── backup_photos_v3.sh                   # Photo backup script
├── backup_safe.sh                        # Simple backup (v1, copy-only, no dedup)
├── iphone_backup_monitor.sh              # Device watcher daemon
├── rebuild_hash_index.sh                 # Hash index rebuild tool
├── install.sh                            # One-click install (registers launchd)
├── uninstall.sh                          # Uninstall launchd
├── com.user.iphone-backup-monitor.plist  # launchd config (monitor)
├── com.user.iphone-video-backup.plist    # launchd config (legacy video)
└── com.user.iphone-photo-backup.plist    # launchd config (legacy photo)

FAQ

Q: Backup doesn't auto-trigger? A: Make sure you clicked "Trust This Computer" on the iPhone. Re-run bash install.sh to re-register launchd. Check cat /tmp/iphone_backup_monitor.status.

Q: Same video backed up twice? A: v3 uses content-hash dedup (first/last 512KB + file size → SHA1). The hash index lives at ~/.iphone_video_backup_v3.hashes.

Q: install.sh exits and says config still has placeholders? A: Edit config.sh first. YourExternalDrive is a sample name; install will not register launchd until BACKUP_ROOT and PHOTO_BACKUP_ROOT point at a real path.

Q: External drive wasn't mounted, backup failed? A: The script notifies you and exits without creating a fake directory under /Volumes. Mount the disk and re-run:

bash backup_videos_v3.sh
bash backup_photos_v3.sh

Q: How to uninstall auto-trigger?

bash uninstall.sh

This only removes the launchd config. Scripts, backup data, and hash indexes are untouched.

Uninstall

bash uninstall.sh

To wipe indexes only (backup files stay):

rm -f ~/.iphone_video_backup_v3.hashes ~/.iphone_photo_backup_v3.hashes
rm -f ~/.iphone_video_backup_v3.device_seen ~/.iphone_photo_backup_v3.device_seen
rm -f ~/.iphone_video_backup_v3.state ~/.iphone_photo_backup_v3.state

To delete backup files, use the paths from your config.sh — do not copy the placeholder /Volumes/YourExternalDrive/....

Contributing

Contributions welcome! See CONTRIBUTING.md.

License

MIT

中文文档

iPhone 插入 Mac 时自动备份视频和照片到外置硬盘，按 EXIF 拍摄日期归档，内容哈希精确去重，零云依赖。

特性

自动触发：iPhone 插入 USB 即自动备份，无需手动操作
内容哈希去重：首尾 512KB + 文件大小 → SHA1，同一内容不会重复备份
按拍摄日期归档：读取 EXIF CreateDate，自动按 YYYY-MM-DD 分文件夹
照片智能分类：自动区分相机照片 / 截图 / 保存的图片，分目录存放
增量预筛：设备路径+文件大小未变 → 跳过下载，秒过已有文件
完整性校验：AFC 下载后比对设备侧文件大小，截断自动重试
防睡眠：备份期间阻止 Mac 休眠
桌面通知：备份开始/完成/异常均推送 macOS 通知

快速开始

git clone https://github.com/andersyin/iphone-auto-backup.git
cd iphone-auto-backup
nano config.sh     # 必须先改路径；install 会拒绝 YourExternalDrive 占位名
bash install.sh    # 自动安装依赖 + 注册 launchd（Apple Silicon / Intel Homebrew 均可）

插入 iPhone → 解锁并点击「信任此电脑」→ 确认外置盘已挂载 → 自动开始备份。查看状态：cat /tmp/iphone_backup_monitor.status

配置说明

参数	说明	默认值
`BACKUP_ROOT`	视频备份目标路径	`/Volumes/YourExternalDrive/iPhone_Videos`
`PHOTO_BACKUP_ROOT`	照片备份目标路径	`/Volumes/YourExternalDrive/iPhone_Photos`
`VIDEO_EXTENSIONS`	支持的视频格式	`MOV MP4 M4V 3GP AVI MKV`
`PHOTO_EXTENSIONS`	支持的照片格式	`JPG JPEG HEIC PNG GIF`
`AUTO_REFRESH_INDEX`	备份后跑可选的 `refresh_index.sh`（本仓库不附带）	`0`（关闭）

依赖

工具	用途	安装方式
`libimobiledevice`	iPhone 通信协议	`brew install libimobiledevice`
`exiftool`	读取拍摄日期	`brew install exiftool`

常见问题

Q: 备份没有自动触发？ A: 确认 iPhone 已点击「信任此电脑」；重新运行 bash install.sh；检查 cat /tmp/iphone_backup_monitor.status。

Q: 重复备份同一个视频？ A: v3 使用内容哈希去重，哈希索引位于 ~/.iphone_video_backup_v3.hashes。

Q: 安装时报占位路径？ A: 先改 config.sh 里的 BACKUP_ROOT / PHOTO_BACKUP_ROOT，再运行 bash install.sh。

Q: 怎么卸载？

bash uninstall.sh

If this tool saved your photos, consider giving it a ⭐

Report a bug · Request a feature · Contributing

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iPhone Auto Backup

Why this exists

Who is this for?

Features

How it works

Quick Start

First run

Terminal Demo

Comparison

Backup Structure

Configuration (`config.sh`)

Dependencies

Requirements

Manual Run

Logs

File Structure

FAQ

Uninstall

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Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 8 Commits
.github		.github
docs		docs
.gitignore		.gitignore
CONTRIBUTING.md		CONTRIBUTING.md
LICENSE		LICENSE
README.md		README.md
backup_photos_v3.sh		backup_photos_v3.sh
backup_safe.sh		backup_safe.sh
backup_videos_v3.sh		backup_videos_v3.sh
com.user.iphone-backup-monitor.plist		com.user.iphone-backup-monitor.plist
com.user.iphone-photo-backup.plist		com.user.iphone-photo-backup.plist
com.user.iphone-video-backup.plist		com.user.iphone-video-backup.plist
config.sh		config.sh
install.sh		install.sh
iphone_backup_monitor.sh		iphone_backup_monitor.sh
rebuild_hash_index.sh		rebuild_hash_index.sh
uninstall.sh		uninstall.sh

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iPhone Auto Backup

Why this exists

Who is this for?

Features

How it works

Quick Start

First run

Terminal Demo

Comparison

Backup Structure

Configuration (config.sh)

Dependencies

Requirements

Manual Run

Logs

File Structure

FAQ

Uninstall

Contributing

License

中文文档

特性

快速开始

配置说明

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Configuration (`config.sh`)