Hello everyone, today let's talk about software installation through signing and how to recover chat records after the certificate expires.
To prevent confusion for many beginners, we need to explain in more detail. If you already understand everything, you can skip to the second half.
Choosing a Signing Tool#
First of all, whether you use your own Apple ID for signing or commonly used software such as AltStore, Sideloadly, or iTools.
You can also use Scarlet with its built-in certificate, or find free certificates or purchase paid certificates. Commonly used software includes Magic Sign, Meow Sign, and Gbox.
I have introduced these options to everyone before, but in the end, even I, who knows everything, still choose to purchase certificates. It is all about simplicity and convenience.
You don't have to go through the hassle of self-signing software every 7 days, or worry about free certificates like Scarlet or those randomly circulating on the street being easily detected and invalidated. In the end, you still have to reinstall the software, which is a waste of time, energy, and life.
Reliability of Certificates#
Some friends may say that even the certificates they bought with money can expire. That's true, it's all about luck. You can either go to a certain online marketplace or the official website of signing tools to buy them. I personally recommend the latter because no matter what promises the former makes, the stores can close anytime. On the other hand, signing tool websites provide free tools and sell certificates, so they won't ruin their reputation because of your after-sales issues. Personally, I have bought four or five certificates, including Meow Sign, Magic Sign, and Gbox, and they all expired after one year. I can't guarantee the reliability of these certificates, I can only give you a suggestion.
The Most Concerning Issue#
Many people are worried not about whether the certificates will be replaced if they expire, but about the fact that once their certificates expire, the software won't open and their chat records will be lost. There used to be a plugin called WDB that could revoke certificate blacklists, but it also had limitations. I haven't researched it myself.
Backup Chat Record Folder with File Manager#
But today I discovered that you only need a file manager to solve this problem. That famous file manager is ES File Explorer. The principle is simple: when your certificate expires and the software can't be opened, don't rush to delete it. You can use ES File Explorer to copy or move the chat record folder out of it. Then, when the certificate is valid again, you can re-sign and install the software, and use ES File Explorer to overwrite and paste the chat record folder back.
Let me guide you through the process. Open ES File Explorer, select "Files" in the lower-left corner, choose "My iPhone" at the top, and then click the plus sign in the lower-right corner. It will take you to the Files app. Go back, choose "My iPhone" again, and find the folder of the app you installed, for example, the "App 1" folder that I installed. Click "Open" in the upper-right corner and authorize it. Then go inside, and that folder that looks like garbled characters is your chat record. After selecting it, you can copy or move it to another folder that you can remember. For example, we can copy it to a newly created folder in "My iPhone". This process is very fast, faster than the official built-in file manager or iTools.
For example, if we reinstall another app called "App 2", we can use ES File Explorer to find its folder, click "Open" in the upper-right corner to authorize it, and then overwrite and paste the previously backed up chat record folder. After you finish the operation, you can delete it as you like. It only deletes the authorization, not the actual files. After that, restart the app, and your chat records will be restored in the newly installed app.
Notes#
However, please note that this method does not support voice messages and the fonts from the "Old Cat Assistant". For non-jailbroken phones, if you want to back up and transfer at night, you need to use iTools to access the resource library because the phone does not have permission. However, I haven't figured out the specific steps yet. I will provide a tutorial provided by an expert. If you need it, you can test it yourself. My suggestion is to focus on recovering text chat records. Otherwise, you will waste a lot of time on this.
Advantages of ES File Explorer#
Of course, even if you don't need this feature, ES File Explorer is still an excellent system utility software. It can be used to manage local files, support LAN sharing, remote FTP, Bluetooth devices, and cloud storage. For example, if you encounter problems such as being unable to export compressed files from a certain cloud storage service or needing a membership for faster download speed, you can mount the cloud storage with ES File Explorer and directly paste it to the target folder through copying. You can also watch videos at a faster speed without a membership. The same applies to other cloud storage services!
Furthermore, ES File Explorer can be used for free, although it has advertisements. The membership function is not necessary. In conclusion, if you can afford it, buy the official version directly. If you can't, don't bother and just use the free version. Otherwise, you will waste a lot of time. I will provide a tutorial, and whether you can handle it depends on yourselves.
https://pan.quark.cn/s/53840b1d017a
PS: I collaborated with an expert. If you need a 3TB Dropbox annual membership, contact me on WeChat at wuzhibianshizui5.