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In macOS, when you do an encrypted backup (includes passwords for accounts) of your iPhone, where is that backup stored? Could I save that backup to somewhere, wipe my phone, travel to the USA, download the backup, and then restore the phone with the backup?

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You can back up iOS or iPadOS to a directory using PC or Mac (edit: 3rd-party apps like iMazing work especially well for this). For some reason the backup stores as hundreds of files strewn through hundreds of directories, but it does work. But since a wiped phone could be deemed suspicious, I'd suggest that you get the clean install personalized and usable.

If this is a concern you have, you should use software that works for you.

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