How to Switch iPhones or iPads and Transfer Data (2025)

Losing each the worldly connected your telephone was nary large woody earlier nan smartphone age. These days, it's practically a Netflix scary movie plot. Wondering really to move iPhones aliases iPads successfully without losing thing successful nan process? If you're looking to upgrade (these are nan champion iPhones to bargain correct now), it is imaginable to do truthful painlessly. Your photos, contacts, videos, connection history, music, calendars, message accounts, and galore of your apps tin each beryllium transferred from your erstwhile instrumentality to nan caller one. We've outlined nan steps below.

Updated September 2025: We've verified nan instructions for nan latest iPhones and iOS 26.

Back Up Your Old iPhone aliases iPad

Before you move iPhones, you request to back up your aged device, which tin beryllium done via iCloud aliases your computer. We've surgery down nan steps below.

Using iCloud

First, make judge your instrumentality is connected to Wi-Fi, then:

• Go into your iPhone aliases iPad’s Settings.
• Scroll down to prime iCloud, aliases pat [Your Name] astatine nan apical and past iCloud.
• Choose iCloud Backup, toggle it on, click connected Back Up Now, and fto your instrumentality backmost up.

It mightiness beryllium worthy mounting your caller instrumentality to automatically backmost up daily, but beryllium alert that Apple only lets you shop 5 GB for free. Even if you are retired of iCloud storage, ever since iOS 15, Apple has allowed you to backmost up your information to iCloud to move to a caller iPhone.

Using a Mac

Plug your iPhone aliases iPad into your MacBook aliases iMac, then:

• Open Finder.
• On nan left, you should spot your instrumentality travel up nether Locations.
• Under nan General tab, you tin prime Back Up Now.

You tin spell done each your saved data, from euphony and podcasts to photos and files. If you saved your photos via iCloud, they won't show up present unless you move that characteristic off. To prevention Health and Activity data, take nan action to encrypt your backup, aliases other it will not beryllium saved; not redeeming unencrypted Health and Activity data is simply a default privateness feature. All iCloud backups are encrypted automatically.

Using a Windows Computer

First, you'll request to download iTunes for Windows and plug your iPhone aliases iPad into your laptop aliases desktop via USB, then:

• Click nan iPhone/iPad fastener astatine nan apical near of nan iTunes window.
• Go to Summary, and click Back Up Now.
• Encrypt your backup by clicking Encrypt Local Backup and mounting a password.

Encrypting allows you to backmost up your Health and Activity information arsenic well. To find your backups, click Edit, Preferences, Devices. Apple besides goes done nan steps here.

Swap SIMs aliases Activate eSIM

Once you're afloat backed up, it's clip to benignant your SIM card. If you're successful nan US, nan iPhone scope hasn't had a beingness SIM paper slot for respective years, truthful you must usage an eSIM. If you person antecedently utilized an eSIM connected an iPhone, you tin activate it during setup by pursuing nan onscreen instructions.

If you are switching from an older iPhone utilizing a beingness SIM card, you will beryllium asked astir transferring your number arsenic a portion of nan Quick Start process described below. Apple has afloat eSIM setup instructions for different scenarios. Just cognize that erstwhile you spell from a beingness SIM to an eSIM, your beingness SIM paper will nary longer work.

To usage a beingness SIM paper pinch an older iPhone, simply switch nan SIM paper from your aged telephone into nan iPhone. You tin besides do this measurement aft mounting up your caller iPhone, successful lawsuit you don't want to miss immoderate calls aliases messages during nan process. Lightly pushing a SIM instrumentality aliases insubstantial clip into nan SIM tray spread will thief you unfastened it up. The SIM paper has 1 sloped side, which you tin statement up connected nan SIM tray of your caller iPhone.

Turn On Your New Device

We urge fully charging some your aged instrumentality and your caller iPhone earlier you begin, and support a charger useful conscionable successful case. You are fresh to move connected nan caller device. The adjacent portion depends connected nan type of iOS aliases iPadOS your aged instrumentality is running.

Note: If you're utilizing nan Google Authenticator app (or immoderate different two-factor authenticator app), beryllium observant not to delete this app connected your aged iPhone until you person moved your accounts crossed to nan caller one, aliases you whitethorn suffer access. Here are Google's instructions for transferring Authenticator codes to a caller phone.

If your aged instrumentality is moving iOS 12.4 aliases iPadOS 13.4 aliases newer, past you tin usage Quick Start to straight transportation information from your aged iPhone aliases iPad to your caller one. You tin cheque your iOS type by heading to Settings, General, About, iOS Version. Here are nan steps:

1. Turn connected your caller device, make judge Bluetooth is enabled, and spot it adjacent your aged iPhone. The Quick Start surface should look connected your caller iPhone, and a Set Up New iPhone action will look connected your aged device. Tap Continue to statesman nan process.
2. Wait for an animation connected your caller instrumentality and clasp your existent instrumentality complete nan caller instrumentality to halfway nan animation successful nan camera viewfinder. Wait for a connection that says Finish connected New [Device].
3. Enter your passcode connected your caller instrumentality and travel nan instructions to group up Face ID aliases Touch ID.
4. You tin take to migrate information straight from your aged iPhone aliases iPad to your caller 1 by choosing Transfer from [Device].
5. Keep some devices adjacent and plugged into powerfulness until nan transportation is complete and you're done. You tin skip nan remainder of nan steps below.

If your aged instrumentality doesn't support Quick Start, aliases you don't want to usage it, past travel nan steps connected nan Hello surface until you scope a surface asking whether you want to subordinate a Wi-Fi network. Choose nan web you wish to join. You will beryllium prompted to group up eSIM (choose Transfer From Another iPhone) and past group up Face ID aliases Touch ID.

… aliases Restore Your Backup

Alternatively, you tin reconstruct nan backup you made. Here's how:

Restore From iCloud Backup

If you utilized iCloud to backmost up your iPad aliases iPhone, proceed done nan setup process until you scope nan Apps & Data surface and pat nan Restore from iCloud Backup option. Sign successful to your Apple ID (if you're forgetful, see utilizing a password manager to find and shop aged login information), and take nan backup you want to use. The backups are time-stamped, truthful if you've been regularly backing up your phone, location will beryllium respective listed; beryllium judge to look astatine nan day and size of nan backup to make judge you prime nan correct one.

Restore From Mac aliases PC

If you utilized your machine to backmost up your data, plug your telephone aliases tablet into it. If you're utilizing a Mac moving Catalina 10.15, unfastened Finder and prime your device. If your Mac is moving an older operating strategy aliases you person a PC, unfastened iTunes. Select your iPhone/iPad erstwhile it appears successful nan window. Click Restore Backup nether nan General tab and take nan correct date.

Make Sure Your Wi-Fi Connection Is Stable

Don't disrupt nan Wi-Fi relationship until nan transportation is complete. Disconnecting early will origin your backup to region until you reconnect. The aforesaid goes if you are restoring by tethering your instrumentality to a Windows PC aliases Mac—leave your telephone aliases tablet plugged successful until it's finished.

That’s It!

There isn't thing other to it. If you went up and fired up your caller iPhone aliases iPad without transferring anything, you'll person to either erase it and commencement complete aliases transportation your contented manually—but that's going to beryllium a batch much activity than doing a afloat transfer. We urge starting complete from scratch and pursuing nan supra steps to get each your information complete astatine once.

Do not delete information connected your aged instrumentality until your caller 1 is up and running. Have nosy pinch your caller iPhone aliases iPad, and if you don't request your aged phone, consider trading it. Be judge to cheque retired our Best MagSafe Accessories and Best Apple 3-in-1 Wireless Chargers guides to kit retired your caller iPhone.

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