How to Transfer Apps from iPhone to iPhone

When you have two iPhones or you are moving to a new iPhone, one of the important things that comes time mind is transferring your favorite apps. If your situation is the former, you’d want to access your apps across both devices for a seamless iOS experience. If it’s the latter, you surely wouldn’t want to manually search for and install each app, right? That’s just too much of a hassle.

Either way, the good news is that there are 4 easy methods on how to transfer apps from iPhone to iPhone. Fortunately, we’ve prepared their tutorials below. So, look no further and read on for more details.

Method 1: Transfer Apps from iPhone to iPhone Using App Store

Apparently, you use the App Store to transfer your favorite apps from iPhone to iPhone. You don’t need to search for your apps one by one there. You just have to use the Apple ID of the source iPhone. And you’d get a list of apps that are not yet installed on the target iPhone.

While you may not need to look for the apps, this method requires you to reinstall them again one by one. But if you have a fast, stable internet connection, you may download and install all of them at once.

Step 1

On the target iPhone, log in with the same Apple ID you used on the source iPhone. Next, proceed to the Home Screen and tap on App Store.

Step 2

Go to the Today section and tap on your Profile. There, select Purchased and slide to the Not on this iPhone tab. There should be a list of all the installed apps on the source iPhone.

Step 3

After that, just scroll down the list and tap on the download icon to start installing the apps of your choice. Then, you just have to wait until they’re completely installed.

However, transferring apps using the App Store doesn’t include app data. You need to start over once you’re done redownloading the apps. Plus,  there are deleted or restricted apps on the App Store. You won’t be able to reinstall them to the new iPhone using this method.

Method 2: Transfer Apps from iPhone to iPhone by Syncing Them to iCloud

You may also take advantage of iCloud. Like the first method, as long as you use the same Apple ID, you can transfer your apps wirelessly. But with iCloud, you can make a backup of the apps and their data, so you can seamlessly use them after syncing. The advantage of transferring apps via iCloud is that it includes app data, unlike the previous method.

Step 1

Connect both iPhones to a stable WIFI network. Then, log in to the same Apple ID. On the source iPhone, launch Settings and proceed to your Profile. Below there, tap on iCloud, toggle on iCloud Backup, and hit Back Up Now.

Step 2

After the backup is made, go to the target iPhone and open Settings. Proceed to Apps & Data and select Restore from iCloud Backup. If you’re asked to enter an Apple ID, use the one in Step 1. Then, continue the on-screen instructions and the apps will start installing on your new iPhone.

However, iCloud can only store up to 5 GB of data for free. You may need to purchase more storage if you are transferring heavy apps. Also, this method is recommended if you are moving to your new or newly reset iPhone without an Apple ID. This is because syncing your iCloud to an iPhone that has existing apps and data may cause data loss.

Method 3: Transfer Apps from iPhone to iPhone with Quick Start

If you’re transferring apps to a new iPhone out of the box, there’s a feature called Quick Start that you can take advantage of. It’s a setup feature that’s available on iPhones that run on iOS 11 or later. It can help you fully transfer data from the old iPhone to the new iPhone, including your favorite apps and their app data.

Unlike the previous methods, it doesn’t involve internet access but it does use the phones’ Bluetooth and WIFI feature to do the transfer. Here’s how it’s done.

Step 1

Turn on the new iPhone and place the older iPhone near or beside it. Then, you should see the Set Up A New iPhone prompt. Just hit the Unlock to Continue option at the bottom. The Apple ID used on the old iPhone will be used. Tap Continue afterward.

Step 2

On the new iPhone, you should see an animation on the screen. Hover the camera on the animation of the old iPhone to scan it. After that, you will need to enter your present iPhone passcode to authenticate the process.

Step 3

There will be on-screen instructions. Just follow them until you reach the Transfer Your Data screen. Afterward, choose Transfer Directly from iPhone and tick the data you wish to transfer. Make sure to include your apps. Then, Continue and wait until the transfer is over.

To ensure the success of the transfer, make sure both phones are beside each other.

Method 4:Transfer Apps from iPhone to iPhone with MobileTrans

In case you have unstable internet access at home or you simply want a faster transfer, MobileTrans is your best shot. It’s a phone transfer app that can transfer data, including apps, between iPhones.

Once you install this app on your computer (Windows/Mac), you won’t need WIFI/Mobile data at all. You just have to connect both iPhones using two USB data cables. And since it’s a wired transfer, it’s much faster. In fact, MobileTrans can transfer 64 GB of data in just 5-10 minutes. How quick is that?

As compared to transferring via App Store, MobileTrans can transfer restricted apps, ensuring you won’t miss any of your favorite apps and games. Against iCloud and Quick Start, this app gives you the freedom to pick the apps you want to transfer selectively.

Also, you don’t need to locate your apps anymore. MobileTrans will scan the source iPhone for you. Then, you can transfer the apps in bulk or selectively. Aside from plainly transferring the apps, the app data are preserved as well, making sure you get a seamless transition.

Moreover, you’d be happy to know as well that MobileTrans supports transfer as long as your iPhone runs on iOS 5.0 and up. So, if you’re transferring from a really old iPhone, you need not worry about not having Quick Start.

The best part about using MobileTrans is that you won’t lose any data. Your apps will just merge in case you have existing data on the iPhone. Yes! You don’t need to reset the device either.

Now, if you want to use MobileTrans, just follow these 3 easy steps:

Step 1

Click on the banner above to download and install the program on your computer. Then, launch it and connect both of your iPhones.

Step 2

On the main screen, click on the Phone Transfer tab and hit Phone to Phone. MobileTrans will then detect both iPhones and assign each of them as source and destination. Just click on the Flip button if the placement is wrong.

Step 3

In the middle of the page, you will see a list of phone data, scroll down on it and tick Apps. You may include other phone data as well. Then, click on the Start button. The transfer should begin right away. You just need to wait for it to finish before you can disconnect both iPhones.

Conclusion

With these 4 methods, you can easily transfer apps from iPhone to iPhone. All of them have advantages and disadvantages. But we’ve found the fourth method really promising since it doesn’t require an internet connection and it’s much faster. Nevertheless, it depends on your situation which method you should follow.