What You Need Before You Start

Before you touch either iPhone, gather these items so the setup goes smoothly from the first screen to the last.

• Your old iPhone — charged to at least 50% or plugged in throughout the process.
• Your new iPhone — remove it from the box but do not power it on yet.
• Your Wi-Fi password — you will need your home network credentials during setup.
• Your Apple ID email and password — if you have forgotten the password, reset it at iforgot.apple.com before starting.
• A cable — Lightning or USB-C plus the right adapter if you plan to do a wired computer backup.
• 20 to 90 minutes — transfer time depends on how much data you have. A 128 GB phone full of videos can take over an hour on Wi-Fi.

Check that your old iPhone is running iOS 16 or later. Go to Settings → General → Software Update and install any pending updates first. New iPhones occasionally require the source device to be on a recent iOS version before the Quick Start prompt will appear.

Back Up Your Old iPhone Before Anything Else

Always create a fresh backup before you start — even if you plan to use Quick Start. If something goes wrong mid-transfer, you need a recent snapshot to fall back on.

Option A: iCloud Backup

1. Open Settings on your old iPhone.
2. Tap your name at the top, then tap iCloud → iCloud Backup.
3. Tap Back Up Now and keep the screen on until the status line confirms it finished. The view shows the date and size of the last completed backup.

iCloud's free tier is only 5 GB, which is rarely enough for a full phone. If you see a Not Enough Storage error, purchase iCloud+ storage — 50 GB costs $0.99 per month — or use the computer backup option below instead.

Option B: Computer Backup via Finder or iTunes

1. Connect your old iPhone to a Mac or Windows PC with a cable.
2. On Mac: open Finder and select your iPhone in the sidebar. On Windows: open iTunes and click the device icon.
3. Click Back Up Now. Check Encrypt local backup and set a password you will remember — an encrypted backup includes Health data, Wi-Fi passwords, and saved app passwords, which a plain backup leaves out.
4. Wait for the backup progress bar to complete before you disconnect the cable.

Computer backups are stored locally and do not count against your iCloud storage limit. They are a good option if your iCloud tier is too small and you do not want to upgrade.

Transfer Wirelessly with Quick Start (Fastest Method)

Quick Start is Apple's built-in device-to-device transfer system. It copies your apps, settings, photos, messages, and Health data directly from your old iPhone over a local Wi-Fi connection — no computer and no iCloud storage space required.

1. Power on your new iPhone. The setup screen displaying Hello in multiple languages appears on screen.
2. Hold your old iPhone next to the new one. A Quick Start prompt should appear on the old phone within 10 seconds. Tap Continue.
3. Hold the old phone's camera over the circular animation displayed on the new phone to authenticate the connection between the two devices.
4. When prompted on the new phone, choose Transfer Directly from iPhone — not Download from iCloud. This copies data directly between the devices and does not use your iCloud storage limit.
5. Enter your old iPhone's passcode on the new phone when the prompt appears.
6. Set up Face ID or Touch ID on the new device following the on-screen instructions.
7. Tap Continue on the transfer progress screen. Keep both phones plugged in to power and within 30 cm of each other until the bar completes. A 128 GB transfer typically takes 30 to 50 minutes on a strong Wi-Fi network.

Once the transfer finishes, your new iPhone restarts and lands directly on your home screen. Apps re-download in the background and display a progress ring until complete — most become usable within a few minutes.

Restore from an iCloud Backup

If Quick Start does not appear because your old device is not nearby, Bluetooth is disabled, or you are switching Apple IDs, you can restore from the iCloud backup you made in the previous step.

1. Turn on the new iPhone and tap through the language, region, and accessibility screens.
2. Connect to your Wi-Fi network when prompted — a strong connection speeds up the restore significantly.
3. On the Apps & Data screen, tap Restore from iCloud Backup.
4. Sign in with your Apple ID and password.
5. Select the most recent backup from the list. Each entry shows the date, time, and size so you can confirm you are choosing the right one.
6. Keep the phone connected to Wi-Fi and plugged in while it restores. The phone is usable for calls during this time but wait until apps finish downloading before you rely on it fully.

Large iCloud restores — over 100 GB of data — can take two to four hours depending on your internet connection speed. The phone will show a progress bar on the lock screen while the primary data transfers, and then continue downloading app files in the background after it becomes usable.

Restore from a Computer Backup (Fastest for Large Libraries)

A wired restore from a Mac or PC is usually the fastest method for large backups because it does not depend on your internet upload or download speed. Use this approach if your backup is over 30 GB or if your home internet is slow.

1. Connect the new iPhone to the same Mac or PC you used to create the backup, using a cable.
2. On Mac: open Finder and select the new iPhone when it appears in the sidebar. On Windows: open iTunes and click the small device icon near the top left.
3. Click Restore Backup and select the backup that corresponds to your old iPhone. The list shows the date, size, and iOS version for each backup so you can identify the correct one.
4. If you created an encrypted backup, enter the password you set at that time. Without it, the restore cannot proceed — there is no way to bypass backup encryption.
5. Let the restore run without disconnecting the phone or closing Finder or iTunes. A 64 GB restore typically takes 10 to 20 minutes over USB.

After the restore completes, the iPhone restarts and your home screen appears with all your app icons in place. App data and settings are already present — only the app binary files need to re-download from the App Store, which happens automatically in the background.

Final Checks Before You Wipe Your Old iPhone

Once the new iPhone is running, spend five minutes verifying that everything transferred correctly. Do not erase your old phone until you have completed these checks.

• Apple Pay: Cards do not transfer for security reasons. Go to Settings → Wallet & Apple Pay and add each card again manually. Have the physical card ready — you will need the 16-digit number, expiry date, and security code. Your bank will usually send a one-time verification code.
• Two-factor authentication: Sign in to a website or app that uses 2FA to confirm that codes are arriving on the new phone. If codes still route to the old phone, check Settings → your name → Password & Security → Two-Factor Authentication on the new device.
• iMessage and FaceTime: Open Settings → Messages and confirm your phone number and email addresses appear under Send & Receive. If iMessage shows Waiting for Activation, wait a few minutes and check again — it activates automatically once the new phone registers with Apple's servers.
• App subscriptions: Open the App Store → your profile icon → Subscriptions to confirm active subscriptions are showing. Subscriptions follow your Apple ID and do not need to be repurchased.
• Health data: Open the Health app and verify that your steps, sleep records, and workout history are visible. If data is missing, your backup was likely not encrypted. Repeat the process using an encrypted computer backup from the old phone.

Keep your old iPhone powered on and signed in for at least 48 hours after you finish setup. This gives you time to notice any missing data before it is permanently gone. When you are confident everything is in place, go to Settings → General → Transfer or Reset iPhone → Erase All Content and Settings to wipe it clean before selling or recycling.