How to Transfer Data From Old IPhone to New One
A shiny new iPhone is a sight to behold, but you still want to keep your precious photos, videos, and messages from your trusty old phone. Luckily, Apple makes it easy to set up a new phone by transferring all the data from your old one. With these many options, you won’t have to delete files or apps when you replace your old iPhone with a new one.
Note. Before you begin, update your old phone to the latest version of iOS. Also, have your Apple ID and password ready before you choose one of the methods below.
The fastest method: Quick Start
Ideal for: When you exchange your old iPhone for a new one in a store.
The Quick Start method will save time if you’re in an Apple Store and want to trade in your old iPhone for a new one. It uses Wi-Fi to transfer all your data and connect to Apple’s servers. The only downside to this method is that you won’t be able to use your old or new phone during the transfer.
Make sure both devices are close to each other and Bluetooth is turned on to begin pairing. Both must also be fully charged or plugged in before the migration is completed. Note. There is no need to transfer the SIM card from the old one to the new one.
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Place both iPhones next to each other.
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Swipe up on your new iPhone’s Hello screen to unlock it and view the Quick Launch screen.
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Your old iPhone will be prompted to “Set up your new iPhone.” Unlock it to continue.
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The message “Bring your new iPhone near the camera” appears on the screen of an old iPhone with a round camera view window . Use your old iPhone’s camera to capture an animated drawing on your new iPhone’s screen. If the camera does not recognize the animation, select Manual Authentication and enter the code.
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A ” Complete on new iPhone ” prompt will appear on your old phone.
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Enter your old iPhone’s passcode on your new phone to continue with activation. This may take a few minutes because the new iPhone uses your Apple ID login credentials. Here it may ask for your Apple ID password again.
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On the Transfer Data screen, select Transfer from iPhone .
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Data transfer usually takes about 30 minutes, depending on your Wi-Fi speed. Most of the transfer happens in the background, although you may need to agree to some terms and conditions and approve/reject some settings, such as location services, Siri, app analytics, Apple Pay, etc.
Tip: Quick Start also works with other device pairs, such as iPad and iPhone, as long as it has your Apple ID information.
iCloud Method: Use Unlimited Storage
Ideal for: Those who don’t have enough iCloud backup space or don’t have an old iPhone.
Apple provides you with unlimited iCloud storage space to transfer all your data from your old iPhone to your new one. This temporary space is available even if your account doesn’t have enough iCloud storage space because it doesn’t affect the data already stored there.
However, you must transfer your data within 21 days, after which it will be deleted. So make sure your new phone arrives within this period. (Apple says you can get an extra 21 days to restore a temporary backup before it’s deleted, but I haven’t tried that.)
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Go to Settings > General > Transfer or reset your iPhone .
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Click “Get Started” in the “Preparing for a New iPhone ” message.
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Read the information and click the “Start” button again. If iCloud backup is disabled, iOS will prompt you to enable it. Select Enable Transfer Backup to move to the next screen.
Note. In my case, iCloud had enough space. If you don’t have enough iCloud storage, you may see a message asking you to get more free iCloud storage. Click “Continue” to move to the next step.
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Apple will let you back up any app data that doesn’t sync to iCloud. Select Move all app data using iCloud .
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That’s all. Your iPhone will upload all your data to iCloud and confirm that it’s ready to transfer to your new phone. Click Done to exit the screen.
Once you have your new phone, transfer data from your current iPhone (i.e. iCloud backup) to the new one after the initial setup as described below.
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Turn on your new iPhone, select your language and region, and click Set Up Manually on the Quick Launch page.
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Connect to a Wi-Fi network and wait for activation.
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Set up Touch ID/Face ID and create a password.
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On the Apps & Data screen, select Restore from iCloud Backup .
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Sign in using your iCloud Apple ID and select your latest backup.
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Wait until the data transfer is complete before you start using your new phone.
Once transferred, the iCloud backup will be available for seven days before it is permanently deleted.
Offline method: Use Finder (macOS) or iTunes (Windows).
Ideal for: If you want to use an encrypted local backup of your data. Also use this method if you don’t have an old iPhone.
Using Finder (on Mac) or iTunes (on Windows) to transfer a local backup to a new iPhone is the more traditional method. There are some benefits to keeping a local backup of your old iPhone on your computer.
If you have already backed up your old iPhone, follow these steps. Otherwise, back up your iPhone on Windows or macOS.
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Turn on your new iPhone and go through the initial setup screens—swipe up to start at the Hello screen, select your language, country, and appearance. You can skip setting up Face ID and password for now.
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Select Manually Configure from the Quick Launch page. Follow the onscreen instructions until you reach the Apps & Data screen and click Recover from Mac or PC .
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Connect your new device to your computer and open iTunes or Finder. Select your device from the Finder and iTunes sidebar and unlock your iPhone with your passcode . Select Trust your device if prompted.
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Select Restore Backup , then select the backup. Make sure it’s the right one by looking at the date and size of each. For example, the date and time of the last backup is listed on the Finder’s “Welcome to your new iPhone” screen. If this is an encrypted backup, enter your password to get started.
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Once the backup is restored, your iPhone will display the Hello screen again. Swipe up to complete setting up your new phone.