How to recover lost pages files after iPad update?

Question

My friend lost all his pages and numbers documents that were on his iPad after updating yesterday. anyone know how to get them back? they weren't saved anywhere but the iPad. are the pages and numbers files stored during the device backup?

Answer 1

lindsayward wrote:
Thanks. If it does an automatic backup when you connect it, which it seems this iPad does, then there will never be an older backup to restore from, is that right?
Is there any other way..?
Yes - it will backup automatically. You can prevent iTunes from syncing automatically - which in turn prevents iTunes from backing up automatically as well - but when you do initiate the sync - it will always backup the iPad.
However, I have read that if you watch the progress bar at the top of the iPad when the sync process begins - you can click on the X in the progress bar to stop it from backing up and it will move to the next step in the sync process. I have never tried that myself. I would only use that method if the sync was hanging up from a bad backup and that would be another problem in itself - so you really don't want to do that.
What you can do is create a manual backup and then copy  that backup (don't remove it) into another folder on your hard drive. But you have to turn off auto sync so you can control the backup process.
I do not sync automatically - never have. If you want to turn off auto sync - Launch iTunes on your computer - go to Edit>Preferences>Devices>Prevent iPods, iPhones and iPads from syncing automatically.
Then when you connect the iPad and iTunes starts up, you can right click on the iPad name on the left and select backup. If you want to keep that backup that you just created - don't sync. Eject the iPad and quit iTunes and find the backup and copy it to another folder on your hard drive.
Read this article for more information on where you can find the backup folder.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4946
To finally answer your specific question about having older backups - I do have 4 older backups of my iPad. I can't remember if they were created when I've restored my iPad - which I have done several times - or when the iOS was updated. Like I said - I did restore after the recent iOS update - to a backup that I created prior to the update. It was dated two days prior.
I hope I have given you some useful information - and not confused you further. I wish someone else would jump in on this thread and clarify the backup question that even I have - where did they all come from ...