Knowing how to transfer your data from iPhone to iPhone is a skill that is bound to come in handy. While it’s tempting to use your shiny new iPhone the moment you get your hands on it, it’s important not to rush through the initial setup process because the last thing you want is to lose any important files or photos.
Whether you just bought iPhone 14 or another of the best iPhones currently available, you will need to transfer data from your old iPhone to your new iPhone. While you have the option to start from scratch and set up your iPhone in like-new condition, most of us will want to transfer our data.
When it comes to how to set up a new iPhone, it’s true that Apple asks you whether or not you want to transfer data from iPhone to iPhone, but depending on whether or not you use iCloud, you have the right iPhone transfer cables, or if you want to use one of the best MacBook and Mac as media, there are different iPhone data transfer methods you can use.
There is also the issue of how much data you want to transfer. While some of us find it easier to just move the entire collection and sort it later, for others, we may just want to move specific data.
No matter which path you want to take, we are here to guide you through the best ways available to transfer data from iPhone to iPhone. For other situations, you can check out our guides on how to switch from Android to iPhone or how to switch from iPhone to Android.
How to transfer iPhone data via iCloud
The simplest way to keep your iPhone data is to first learn how to backup iPhone to iCloud. go to the Settings > your name (first option) > iCloud. You’ll see how much iCloud storage you’ve used and which apps you’re backing up.
You can see a summary of how much storage is currently being used by your photos, backups, apps, and other data. Scroll down to see a list of apps that use iCloud, with the option to toggle each app on or off — so that they appear or not appear on your new iPhone automatically.
You only get 5GB of free storage. Considering most iPhones these days have 64GB or more of storage, that won’t be enough for most people. You can follow our guide on how to free up space on iPhone, but that probably won’t be enough.
To back up everything on your phone, you’ll likely need to upgrade to a paid plan. It costs $0.99 / £0.79 / AU$1.49 per month for 50GB or $2.99 / £2.49 / AU$4.49 per month for 200GB.
If you don’t mind paying a small fee, you can sign up, back up your entire phone to iCloud, download the data to your new iPhone, and then cancel iCloud before the month is up. In iCloud settings, choose Space management and hit Development To select your paid plan.
Once you’ve settled on what you want to transfer to your new iPhone, go to Settings > your name > iCloud > iCloud Backup. You’ll find the option under the “Apps that use iCloud” section.
Turn on iCloud backup if it isn’t already there, then select Make a backup now. Your iPhone will upload all of your latest data to the cloud.
Now, start setting up your new iPhone. Go through the steps on the screen, including connecting your phone to Wi-Fi; You can skip the Quick Start screen that appears in the next section. Once you click on file applications and data screen, select Restore from iCloud backup.
You must log in to Apple ID account; If you have 2FA active, you’ll likely need to approve the login on your old iPhone or Mac. Then choose File Most recent iCloud backup From the options menu that shows today’s date.
Apple will transfer all the backed up data directly to your new iPhone. Just make sure the phone is connected to Wi-Fi so you don’t use cellular data, and plugged in so the phone doesn’t die in transit.
How to transfer iPhone data with Quick Start
Best Free The way to transfer data to your new iPhone is via Quick Start, Apple’s iPhone-to-iPhone transfer system.
To use it, your current iPhone must be turned on iOS 16.2 or later and her Bluetooth enabled. Any iPhone from 5S onwards should be able to do this. However, we recommend updating to iOS 16 (or the latest iOS version available on older phones) to make the transition easier. Check out our guide on how to get iOS 16 on your iPhone for more information.
Turn on both the old and new iPhones and place them next to each other. On the new iPhone, choose your language. The next screen should be the Quick Start screen.
On your old iPhone — assuming Bluetooth is enabled — you’ll see a popup asking if you want to ‘use your Apple ID’ [[email protected]] To set up your new iPhone. Tap Continue, then choose your old iPhone and position the camera view so that it overlaps the circular pattern that appears on your new iPhone.
Your old iPhone is now synced. Have it nearby, and plug it in if the battery is low so that it doesn’t die in the middle of the transfer.
On your new iPhone, follow the onscreen steps until you hit Transfer your data Monitor. Choose Transfer from iPhoneyou agree to the Terms and Conditions (assuming you are an act Agree to the terms and conditions, of course), and confirm the settings or other data you want to transfer. You may also need to update your new iPhone to the latest operating system.
Once the new iPhone has finished setting up the transfer, your old iPhone will display the Transfer Data screen with a progress bar, while the new iPhone will have the Transfer data from iPhone X screen with the same progress. How long it takes will depend on how many gigabytes of data you’re transferring and whether both phones are wired.
Finally, the transfer will be complete! On your new iPhone, tap the menus that appear until you get to the Home screen. Make sure your Apple Photos, Calendar, Mail, Contacts, and other apps all contain your old data.
On your old iPhone, tap Continue to return to the Home screen. Now that you’ve confirmed that everything is done, you can safely reset your iPhone (if you’re not sure how to do that, check out our guide on how to reset an iPhone).
How to transfer data to iPhone using a wired connection
You can also choose to connect two iPhones using a cable and adapter before using the Quick Start method. While this will speed up the transfer process, it honestly may not be worth the price.
You need Lightning to USB Camera Adapter (Opens in a new tab) ($29 / £29 / AU $49) to match your level Lightning to USB cable that came with your iPhone. The adapter’s Lightning connector goes into one iPhone, the USB charger is inserted into the adapter, and the charger’s Lightning connector slots into the other iPhone.
This adapter is mainly used to transfer data from USB compatible accessories to iPhones and iPads. If you don’t see yourself using it in any other context, you should probably skip it and wirelessly transfer it safely. Most likely, the little time saved doesn’t justify the cost.
How to transfer data from iPhone to iPhone using Mac or PC
Backing up your iPhone on your computer has some benefits when transferring data to a new iPhone. It allows you to transfer data using a cable instead of Wi-Fi, without paying for iCloud. In addition, it stores the backed up data in case your iPhone is lost or damaged.
To connect your iPhone to your Mac or PC, you will need either a file USB-C to Lightning cable or a USB-C to USB adapter to go with USB to Lightning charging cable.
With the latest macOS, Apple now backs up your iPhone to Finder instead of iTunes. Plug in your old iPhone and find it below sites in discoverer. Choose Trust this device On both iPhone and Mac. You will see an option to Back up all the data on your iPhone to your Mac. Select it and choose Make a backup now.
With your new iPhone, turn it on, connect it to your computer and go through the steps on the screen. skip past Quick start and progress until you reach applications and data. Choose Restore from your Mac or PC. You will follow the onscreen steps to install the latest backup on your new iPhone.
Transfer specific data from one iPhone to another
Sometimes you need to transfer data from iPhone to iPhone in bulk without overwriting the other phone completely. You can always use the traditional methods — email or text messaging, for example — but there are others you can use, either from Apple tools or via third parties.
AirDrop: You can easily send photos, files, or other Apple content from one iPhone to another using AirDrop. We have a guide on how to use AirDrop on iPhones if you need help figuring out how to get two iPhones to find each other. But this tool makes it easy to share content from most iOS apps to another iPhone.
Transfer specific files to your Mac or PC: When you connect your iPhone to your Mac via the Finder (or your PC via iTunes for Windows), instead of backing up your entire phone, you drag and drop specific files from your iPhone to your computer’s desktop. You can then connect your second iPhone to the same computer and drag files from your desktop onto this new phone. This method works well for larger file transfers.
cloud storage: iCloud isn’t the only storage service in town. You can use any of the best cloud storage solutions available to backup certain files from your iPhone to the cloud. Assuming the service has an app, you can then download it to your second iPhone, sign into that account, and download the necessary files from the cloud to that device.