How to Transfer Old iPhone to New iPhone

“I am upgrading to a new iPhone, but I don’t know how to transfer my data and files from my old iPhone.”

Moving to a new iPhone is exciting yet many can’t help but feel stressed because transferring files and phone data seems difficult. Of course, you wouldn’t want to leave your important data such as text messages, contacts, photos, videos, and more, right? You want a seamless transition as if you’ve never transferred at all.

Well, good news! If you transfer from an old iPhone to a new iPhone, there are easy methods you can follow and we’ve discussed them below. So, just read on and check out which of them would work for you.

Method 1: Transfer Old iPhone to New iPhone using Quick Start

Apple has made it easier for users to transfer data and files from old iPhone to new iPhone. There’s a feature called Quick Start that allows you to transfer your photos, videos, contacts, call logs, messages, memos, calendars, Safari history/bookmarks, applications, and even system settings.

It can be done while you’re still setting up the new iPhone, meaning there should be no existing data as the process overwrites with new data which could result in data loss. However, Quick Start only works on iPhones running iOS 11 or later.

Step 1

Considering that your new iPhone has enough juice, power it on and then put your old iPhone beside it.

Step 2

Then, a prompt that says Set Up A New iPhone should appear. Tap on Unlock to Continue and the Apple ID of the old iPhone will be used right after. If you wish to proceed with the transfer process, just hit the Continue button.

Step 3

On the new iPhone, an animation will appear on the screen. When that happens, hold your camera up over the animation and you should see the message: Finish on the New [DEVICE]/iPhone. Then, just type in the passcode of your old iPhone on the new one.

Step 4

A series of instructions will appear on the screen. Just follow them until you reach the Transfer Your Data page. There, select “Transfer Directly from iPhone” and choose the type of data you wish to transfer. Hit Continue afterward to start the process.

After that, you just need to wait until the transfer is complete. Usually, it takes around 45 mins to 1 hour for 64 GB of data to be completely transferred. Yes! It can be a bit slower compared to other transfer modes.

Method 2: Transfer Old iPhone to New iPhone via iCloud

Another method to transfer from the old iPhone to new iPhone the Apple way is by using iCloud. It’s a cloud storage service that’s free for all iPhone users. You can use it to back up the same phone data and files as stated in the previous method.

For this to work, you need a stable internet connection and an active Apple ID to use iCloud. Also, if you’ve set up the new iPhone, you need to reset it first before you can proceed with the steps below.

Step 1

On your old iPhone, connect to a WIFI network, proceed to Settings, and tap on your Profile. There, scroll down and select iCloud. Next, toggle on the phone data you wish to be backed up. Or you may just toggle the Sync This iPhone.

Step 2

Turn on your new iPhone. From the Hello screen, proceed setting up the iPhone until you get to the WIFI screen. There, connect it to your home network. Then, just go on with the setup and stop when you reach Apps & Data.

Step 3

There, select Restore from iCloud Backup and then enter the same Apple ID used on the old iPhone. Then, select the latest backup on the list. Choose the one with the recent date & time. After that, just wait until the process is over. Then, continue setting up your new iPhone.

While using iCloud seems convenient, you can only back up files and data at 5 GB max for free. If you are transferring data more than that, you may need to purchase more iCloud storage, which can be pretty pricey.

Method 3: Transfer Old iPhone to New iPhone via MobileTrans

Well, if you’re in a rush or you don’t have a stable internet connection/enough iCloud storage to do the transfer, there’s a free app called MobileTrans that can save your day.

This program helps you transfer from iPhone to iPhone in just 5-10 minutes for 64 GB of data, which is significantly faster than Quick Start. Once the app is installed, you don’t need an internet connection and Apple ID to make the transfer. How convenient!

Yes! All you need to prepare are two USB data cables and a computer (Windows/Mac). When you secure those requirements, you can start transferring text messages, contacts, photos, videos, voice memos, notes, music, apps, and more.

When transferring files, you don’t have to worry about quality loss. MobileTrans will preserve the size, resolution, and original status of the data after the transfer. And the best part? You can transfer selectively or in bulk, making sure you have the choice of which files get moved to your new iPhone.

And if you are upgrading from an older iPhone to a newer one, you’d be happy to know MobileTrans supports transfer between iPhones running on iOS 5.0 and up. No Quick Start, no problem!

Now, if you want to try MobileTrans, here are the steps you have to follow:

Step 1

Download and install the app on your computer. Then, launch it and connect both iPhones to the PC. On the main screen, just click on the Phone Transfer tab.

Step 2

Next, select Phone to Phone. MobileTrans will then assign both iPhones as source and destination. If the app gets it wrong, you can click on the Flip button to correct it.

Step 3

There will be a list of data types on the screen. Tick the ones you want to transfer and then click the Start button. After that, the transfer process will start and you just have to wait until it’s complete.

Conclusion

To transfer an old iPhone to a new iPhone may seem hassle, but with the right methods at your disposal, you can do it quickly and easily. The three methods we’ve presented above are the easiest we’ve tried. They have advantages and disadvantages, which you need to take into account before you start the transfer. That way, you’d know which is best for your situation.

Nevertheless, the third method is certainly the better option if you are moving with large files. It’s much faster and more reliable.