Thinking about picking up one of Apple’s new iPhone 18 models? Before you dive in, a little prep goes a long way. Transferring your data to a new iPhone is usually smooth, but skipping steps can lead to headaches later. Follow these instructions to make the process as painless as possible. Apple also has a video walkthrough if you prefer to see it in action.
- Make sure both your current iPhone and Apple Watch (if you have one) are running the latest versions of iOS and watchOS. Updates can take a while, so don’t save this for the last minute.
- Have your login details ready: your iPhone and Apple Watch passcodes, plus your Apple Account email and password.
- Back up your old iPhone to iCloud or your Mac. If you back up to a Mac, make sure to encrypt the backup and write down the password. Encrypted backups include passwords, Wi-Fi settings, Health data, and call history. For extra peace of mind, back up to both. iCloud backups tend to be more straightforward and sidestep issues like unreliable cables. If you don’t normally back up to iCloud, Apple offers temporary iCloud storage for 21 days when switching to a new iPhone, with another 21 days if your new phone hasn’t arrived yet. To start a temporary backup, go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone and tap Get Started under Prepare for New iPhone. The backup stays available for 7 days after you restore it to the new iPhone.
- If you have an Apple Watch, you can transfer it to the new iPhone during setup. If that doesn’t work automatically, you can unpair the Apple Watch from the old iPhone and re-pair it with the new one. If you go the manual route with a cellular Apple Watch, you’ll be asked whether to keep or remove your cellular plan. Keep it.
- If you ordered through Apple and linked your carrier account at purchase, or bought directly from your carrier, your phone number usually transfers automatically. If it doesn’t, and your carrier supports eSIM Quick Transfer, Setup Assistant will walk you through moving your eSIM from the old iPhone.
- Use Apple’s Quick Start to set up the new iPhone. Place your old iPhone nearby, follow the on-screen instructions, and use it to scan the animation on the new iPhone. When prompted to choose how to transfer your data, you have a few options. Neither is especially fast, so make sure you have time before starting. If your old iPhone isn’t available or Quick Start doesn’t work, you can set up the new iPhone manually and restore from a backup.
- Download from iCloud: Restores from your iCloud backup. The advantage here is that you can start using the new iPhone while apps and data continue downloading in the background. Select the most recent backup when prompted.
- Transfer from iPhone: Moves everything directly from the old iPhone, either wirelessly or via a wired connection. Wired can be useful if wireless migration is unreliable, though there’s no guarantee which will be faster. With a direct transfer, both iPhones are unavailable until it finishes. Keep them near each other and plugged into power.
- Finder or iTunes: Restoring from a Mac backup is still supported but gets the least attention these days. We’d only recommend this if the Quick Start methods didn’t work. On the new iPhone, tap From Mac or PC at the Transfer Apps & Data screen, connect to your Mac, open Finder (or iTunes on macOS Mojave or earlier), select the iPhone, click Restore Backup, and choose the right one.
- Take care of a few post-transfer tasks. Open Mail, Contacts, and Calendar to make sure your data is there. It may take a few minutes to populate. Verify you can make and receive calls. You’ll need to re-add payment cards to Apple Pay and check Wallet for any transit or ID cards that didn’t come over. If needed, pair your Apple Watch and Bluetooth accessories. AirPods should reconnect automatically via iCloud. Some apps may ask you to log in again or grant notification permissions, and you may need to re-download certain content or in-app purchases.
- If you use Apple’s Passwords app, everything should sync via iCloud as long as Passwords & Keychain is enabled. 1Password and other password managers sync the same way. Two-factor authentication apps like Authy and Google Authenticator may need extra steps, so check that your codes are showing up on the new iPhone. Either way, make sure you can log in to your important accounts before wiping the old phone.
- If your employer or school requires your iPhone to be registered for access to work systems, test everything before erasing the old phone. VPNs, authentication apps, and device management systems may treat the new iPhone as an unknown device and require you to sign in again, re-register, or get IT approval. Do this while the old iPhone is still on hand in case you need it to approve a login or transfer an account.
Apple has made switching iPhones pretty seamless, but things don’t always transfer perfectly. We recommend keeping your old iPhone for at least a week and testing everything you rely on before letting it go. Once you’re confident the new one is working well, follow Apple’s instructions for erasing the old iPhone before selling, trading it in, or passing it along.
(Featured image by Adam Engst)
