Get Ready for iOS6 - Save Your Data and Make Friends with iTunes

iOS6 and the iPhone 5 are on the horizon. It's time to prepare for the release so that you don't have to think much before frantically pressing "download update" or tearing open the package to your new iPhone 5. So, what can you do today to get ready for iOS6?

1. Force a backup of your iPhone in iTunes: Sure, you'll also want to do this on release day, but if you forget, you'll be happier with data from August instead of last December (or never!)  As I like to remind everyone, syncing does not create a backup (I really should consider printing that on my business cards). Do the following to make sure you have a backup on your computer (not just iCloud):
• Open iTunes, and locate your device in the list "Devices" on the left-hand side.
• Click on your phone under "Devices", and click "Summary" at the top of the window.
• On the right side of the screen, under "Backups", ensure "Back up to this computer" is selected.
• Right-click on your device under that "Devices" list on the left, and select "Back Up".
• Wait patiently, as the backup may take a while. Peace of mind isn't always quick!
2. Copy photos from your camera roll. 
• If you use iPhoto copy your photos, you probably have imported your photos already.
• On Windows, you can use your normal import (if you have one), or open the phone under Computer/My Computer to get to the camera roll folders and copy the files manually.
3. Copy all of your purchases to iTunes. Depending on your iTunes settings, you may or may not have all of your apps, iBooks, and music in iTunes on your computer. Let's make sure it's there, in case you need to sync as part of the upgrade process.
• In iTunes, right click on your iPhone under "Devices" and select "Transfer Purchases".
4. Look at your App Sync settings. 
• If Sync Apps is enabled, this is a great time to make sure that everything is setup the way you like it. I did not do this step, and when I upgraded my phone, all of the apps in iTunes synced to my phone. I'm cleaning up all of the old apps on my phone as I write this :) If you don't have Sync Apps enabled, don't worry about this section, and don't turn it on.
• If you don't want to sync apps with iTunes, you can uncheck the box to turn it off. You'll likely want to select "Keep Apps" from the popup, so that nothing gets erased from your phone. If you want to sync, then double-check the steps below.
• Uncheck any apps that you don't want to have on your phone anymore.
• Make sure the icon ordering is how you like it.
• Do not uncheck any apps that you do want to keep, as once you sync it will erase all of the app's data from your phone.
5. Review your other Sync settings. Click through Music, Movies, etc and if Sync is selected, make sure you agree with the sync settings. Most people tend not to be as annoyed when these go awry as for the app syncing, but it's good to be sure!

We hope this was a helpful list of steps you can take to make sure all of your data and settings are secured prior to iOS6 and the iPhone 5 shipping. If you have any more ideas, please share them with our readers in the comments below!