Move data to a new iPhone: 4 ways and what gets left behind

A little prep avoids most failed transfers:

• Update your old phone. Apple recommends updating both devices to the latest version of iOS before you begin.
• Plug both phones in. Keep them on power and close together until the transfer finishes.
• Turn on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on the old phone.
• Block out time. A direct transfer occupies both devices, so you won’t be able to use your old phone while it runs.
• Check storage. The new phone needs enough space for everything you’re moving.
• Check if it’s a work phone. If your new iPhone is enrolled in Apple Business or Apple School Manager, Quick Start can’t copy data from your current phone, so talk to your IT team first.

Transfer times vary with your network and how much data you have, so a slow progress bar isn’t necessarily a sign that something is wrong.

Quick Start is the setup screen that appears when you turn on a new iPhone near your old one. It works if your current iPhone runs iOS 11 or later. The option to copy data straight from one phone to the other arrived later, with iOS 12.4, so if you haven’t upgraded in years it may be new to you.

1. Unlock your old iPhone and go to the Home Screen.
2. Turn on the new iPhone and put it next to the old one.
3. Follow the prompts on screen. If the setup prompt disappears from your old phone, restart both devices.
4. Connect the new phone to Wi-Fi or your cellular network. You may be asked to activate your phone service.
5. Set up Face ID or Touch ID.
6. Choose how to move your data: download from iCloud, or transfer directly from the old phone.

That last choice is the one that matters. Here are your options.

1. Restore from iCloud: quickest to start using

If you back up to iCloud, this is usually the easiest route. During setup, choose to restore from an iCloud backup, sign in with your Apple Account and pick your most recent backup. You can start using the phone in about 15 minutes, while your apps and data keep downloading in the background.

If your latest backup is more than a day or two old, make a fresh one first. On the old phone, search Settings for iCloud Backup and tap Back Up Now. One downside: you’ll need to sign back in to many of your accounts and apps afterward.

2. Direct transfer: best without iCloud or with slow internet

Pick the direct transfer option and your old iPhone copies everything straight to the new one. You can’t use either phone until it’s done, and a wireless transfer can take more than an hour with a big photo library. The phones show a time estimate when it starts.

A cable is faster. Connect the two phones with a cable rated for fast data speeds. If your old phone is an iPhone 14 or earlier with a Lightning port, you may need an adapter.

3. Encrypted computer backup: slowest, but least hassle afterward

Back up your old iPhone to a Mac using Finder, or to a Windows PC using iTunes or the Apple Devices app, and tick the box to encrypt the backup. Pick a password you won’t forget, because you’ll need it to restore.

Then connect the new iPhone, tap Trust when asked, and restore from that backup. It takes longer, but the new phone ends up as an exact copy of the old one, and you won’t have to sign back into most of your apps.

4. Move to iOS: for switching from Android

Apple’s free Move to iOS app on Google Play handles the switch. If your Android phone runs a compatible version of Android 17, you can transfer without the app at all.

1. Plug in both phones, turn on Wi-Fi on the Android phone, or connect the two with a USB-C cable for a faster transfer.
2. On the iPhone’s Quick Start screen, tap Set Up Without Another Apple Device, then choose to move data from Android.
3. Open Move to iOS on the Android phone and enter the six-digit or ten-digit code the iPhone shows.
4. Join the temporary Wi-Fi network the iPhone creates, pick what to copy, and wait.

Leave the Android phone alone until the iPhone’s loading bar finishes, even if Android says it’s done. Switching apps or taking a call on the Android phone mid-transfer will stop your content from moving.

This is the part people discover too late. From Android, Move to iOS copies contacts, messages, camera photos and videos, albums, files, calendars, call history, mail accounts, bookmarks, voice memos, some settings and even WhatsApp chats and media. But:

• Music, books and PDFs don’t transfer. Move them by hand.
• Apps don’t come across directly. Only free apps that exist on both stores and support the feature get matched, and you download those from the App Store afterward.
• Chrome bookmarks need the latest version of Chrome on the Android phone first.
• Your SIM or eSIM can be activated during setup, though you may be sent to your carrier’s website to finish.

From an older iPhone, the iCloud route is the one most likely to leave you signing back into apps. If that sounds painful, use an encrypted computer backup instead.

If you’re picking up a new iPhone at a store or having one delivered, plan the transfer for an evening, not your lunch break. For most people with an iCloud backup, restoring from iCloud is the fastest way to get going. If you hate re-entering passwords, take the extra time for an encrypted computer backup.

And don’t wipe or trade in your old phone until you’ve opened your photos, messages and key apps on the new one and confirmed everything arrived.