Scribba
iPads get dropped, left on buses, stolen from libraries and sent off for repair. None of that is a disaster if your notes are somewhere else too. All of it is a disaster if they aren't, especially the week before finals.
The fix takes a few minutes, once. This guide explains what a real backup looks like, then walks through setting one up in Scribba.
The rule: keep a copy off the iPad
A simple rule covers most of it: your notes should exist in at least one place that isn't your iPad. If the iPad is lost, broken or wiped, that other copy is what you start over from.
Two other ideas round it out:
- Keep more than one point in time. If you delete a page by accident or a file gets messed up, you want a copy from before the mistake, not just the latest version.
- Make it automatic. Backups you have to remember to make are backups you'll forget during midterms.
Sync is not the same as a backup
It's easy to assume that because your notes sync to the cloud, they're backed up. Sync and backup do different jobs.
Sync keeps the same notes up to date in more than one place, like two iPads. It's great for getting your notes back on a new device. But with most sync services, changes travel everywhere, mistakes included.
A backup is a snapshot from a specific moment that you can go back to. It doesn't change when you make a mistake today.
You want both. In Scribba, that means iCloud Sync plus Auto Backup.
Turn on iCloud Sync
iCloud Sync keeps your notebooks in your own private iCloud account, so they're there if you set up a new iPad or use a second one. Turn it on in Scribba's Settings › iCloud.
What syncs:
- Notebooks and folders
- Your ink, photos and imported PDFs
- Flashcards
- Lecture recordings, if you choose to include them
Each page syncs on its own. If you write on the same page on two iPads, Scribba keeps the ink from both rather than throwing one away.
Recordings take up the most space. If your iCloud storage is tight, you can leave recordings out of sync and keep everything else.
Tip: check how much iCloud storage you have free before the semester starts. Sync can't do its job if your iCloud storage is full.
Turn on Auto Backup
Auto Backup is Scribba's snapshot backup. Once a day, while Scribba is open, it saves a backup zip to a folder you choose in the Files app. It keeps the newest 7 backups, so you always have your seven most recent daily snapshots to go back to. You can leave recordings out to keep the backups smaller.
Where you put that folder matters. A folder in iCloud Drive, or in another cloud storage service you use in the Files app, means the backup lives off the iPad. A folder that's only on the iPad itself won't help if the iPad is lost.
Because it runs while Scribba is open, a backup happens on the days you use the app, which are the days your notes change.
Save a backup by hand before big changes
In Settings › Backups, Save a Backup makes a backup right now and lets you choose where it goes. It's worth doing:
- Before you update iPadOS or reset your iPad
- Before you trade in, sell or send your iPad for repair
- At the end of every semester, as an archive
Scribba doesn't sync with Google Drive, but if you have Google Drive set up in the Files app, Save a Backup can put a copy there.
Restore a Backup, in the same place, brings notes back from a backup file, for example on a new iPad.
Test your backup
A backup you've never looked at is a guess. Once or twice a semester, take two minutes to check:
- Open the Files app and find your backup folder.
- Look at the dates on the backup files. The newest should be from a day you recently used Scribba.
- Make sure the files are in iCloud Drive or another cloud location, not only on the iPad.
If you have a spare iPad without other notes on it, restoring a backup there is the best test of all: you'll know for sure that your notes come back.
Recently Deleted: the undo for big mistakes
Deleted a notebook you needed? Scribba keeps deleted notebooks in Recently Deleted for 30 days, so you can bring one back. After 30 days it's gone, which is one more reason to keep Auto Backup on.
Lock private notebooks
Backups protect against losing notes. Locks protect against the wrong person seeing them. If you keep a journal, personal planning pages or anything else private in Scribba, lock that notebook with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode. It's also a good idea to use a passcode on the iPad itself and turn on Find My in your iPad's settings.
Your notes stay yours
Scribba doesn't need an account and doesn't collect any data. Your notebooks live on your iPad and, if you turn on sync, in your private iCloud. If your plan ever ends, your notes stay readable and exportable, so you can always get them out as PDFs.
A five-minute checklist for week one
- Turn on iCloud Sync in Settings › iCloud.
- Turn on Auto Backup and choose a folder in iCloud Drive.
- Lock any private notebooks.
- Put "Save a Backup" on your calendar for the last week of the semester.
Then get back to the real work. For the rest of your setup, see how to take notes on iPad in college. If you record lectures, read how to record a lecture on iPad and decide whether recordings belong in your sync and backups.
Frequently asked questions
Where are my Scribba notes stored?
On your iPad, and in your private iCloud if you turn on iCloud Sync. Scribba has no accounts and no servers of its own holding your notes.
Can I get back a notebook I deleted?
Yes, for 30 days. Look in Recently Deleted. After that, restore it from a backup.
Does Scribba back up to Google Drive?
It doesn't sync with Google Drive. If Google Drive is set up in your Files app, you can use Save a Backup in Settings › Backups to put a copy there.
Do I need both iCloud Sync and Auto Backup?
It's the safest setup. Sync gets your notes onto a new iPad quickly. Auto Backup gives you daily snapshots to go back to if something goes wrong.