How to Backup Cydia Apps in Preparation for the iOS 5.1.1 Jailbreak [Video Tutorial]

If you’re familiar with jailbreaking, you know what a hassle and how time consuming it is to get all your Cydia apps back onto your device after you’ve had to restore it. From trying to remember all the apps you’ve installed or dealing with all the resprings and reboots, it can be frustrating.

Thankfully there are several backup apps in Cydia to help you deal with this. They can backup all your apps and then reinstall them with a single tap.

The two I’m using right now are PKGBackup and OpenBackup. I use two just in case something happens with one backup and it doesn’t work.

You may recall we have a very detailed instruction guide on how to use PKGBackup, so if you’re thinking of using it for your backup needs, I highly recommend you go back and give it a read. I’ll also have a demonstration in the upcoming video. The only drawback about PKGBackup is its price. It comes in at $7.99 – but with all the features it offers, it’s well worth the price.

The other option I use – OpenBackup – is free. It’s a simple one tap process. While it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles like PKGBackup, it does its job very well, and for most people it’s all they’ll need.

Again, I have a quick demonstration of OpenBackup in my video. Here’s a quick look at both backup apps in action.

YouTube video

These aren’t the only backup options in Cydia. For $1.50 you can pickup xBackup. Or you can give AptBackup a try for free.

So there are no shortage of backup solutions within Cydia. The main point is to make sure you’re using one of them. Trust me, it’s going to save you a lot of time and hassle to get all your Cydia apps back onto your device.

Let me know which backup option you prefer and why. And make sure to stay tuned, I’ll have a video walkthrough of the new iOS 5.1.1 jailbreak once it’s released.

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