If you’re lucky enough to get an iPhone 14 for Christmas — whether it’s a gift for yourself or a gift from someone else — you’ll need to set it up before you can start taking advantage of all its excellent features.
In our iPhone 14 review, we praised the iPhone 14’s TrueDepth camera, emergency satellite communications, and impressive battery life, among other things, so there’s a lot to get stuck on — and fortunately, getting the new iPhone 14 up and running is fairly simple. .
Below, we’ll walk you through the process, whether you’re new to iPhones or upgrading from an older model, or Android. And while we’re focusing on the iPhone 14 here, the setup process is pretty much the same for other iPhones, too.
1. Turn on your iPhone 14 and choose your setup method
You might have already worked this way, but the first step is to turn on your iPhone 14. Do this by pressing and holding the Power button on the right edge until you see the Apple logo.
You’ll then see “Hi” written on the screen, and the view will cycle through different languages, but just swipe to get started.
If you are visually impaired, you can turn on Zoom or VoiceOver accessibility features here. You will then be asked to choose whether to use Quick Start or set up the device manually.
You have to select the first option if you have access to an old iPhone or iPad, while you have to choose the latter if you don’t.
The process is similar in both cases, but if there are differences we will highlight them below.
2. Connect to a Wi-Fi network
If you’re using Quick Start, turn on your old device, make sure both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are enabled, place the device next to your new iPhone 14, and then follow the initial instructions.
Whether you use Quick Start or a manual setup, you should soon be asked to connect your iPhone 14 to a Wi-Fi or mobile network, so do so by tapping on the relevant Wi-Fi network and entering the password.
Or, if you prefer to use a mobile network (and your new iPhone 14 has an active SIM or eSIM), you can tap Continue Without Wi-Fi.
3. Set up security
Next, you will be asked to set up Face ID on your iPhone 14, so that you can unlock it just by looking at the screen.
Follow the onscreen instructions for this, after which you will be prompted to create a six-digit passcode, which is used as an extra level of security at times, and as a backup in case Face ID fails.
You can also tap Passcode options to use a four-digit passcode, custom passcode, or no passcode—though we don’t recommend the latter option.
4. Restore or transfer your data
The most time-consuming part of setting up iPhone 14 is restoring or transferring apps and data from your old device or the cloud.
You’ll see a number of options, including Transfer from iCloud backup, Transfer from another iPhone, Transfer from a backup on your computer, or Transfer data from your Android phone.
Most of these options will prompt you to sign in with your Apple ID, and in the case of iCloud, your data and apps will be downloaded in the background, so you can start using your iPhone 14 before you restore all of your content.
If you are restoring it from an old device or computer, you will have to wait for the process to be carried out.
Whichever method you choose, there will be a few simple instructions to follow, but note that if you are restoring data from an old phone, you need to keep it next to your iPhone 14, and if you are restoring from Android, you will need to download the Move to iOS on your Android phone.
If in doubt, check out our complete guide on how to switch from Android to iPhone or how to transfer your data from iPhone to iPhone.
If you don’t have a device to restore data from, or if you want a clean slate on your new phone, just select “Don’t transfer apps and data” instead.
5. Finish setup
If you weren’t already prompted to sign in with your Apple ID, you’ll be prompted to do so now. So do that, or select “Forgot your password or don’t have an Apple ID?” to create one.
Then there are some final steps that the onscreen instructions will guide you through. This includes allowing iOS to update automatically, choosing whether to enable location services and analytics, and setting up Siri, FaceTime, and iMessage.
Finally, you will be asked if you want to enable Screen Time, which provides information about the amount of time you spend using your iPhone. You’ll also be able to toggle or customize various display options at this point, such as display magnification, which adjusts the size of icons and text on the home screen.
You can, of course, change any of these settings after you’ve finished setting up your phone.
After doing that, you will see the home screen of your iPhone 14, and you are free to start using it. If you’re not sure where to start, check out our iPhone tips and tricks guide, or head over to our Best iPhone Apps and Best iPhone Game guides to upload your iPhone content.