How to transfer everything to your new iPhone without losing anything

Moving to a new iPhone is much easier than it used to be, but the safest approach is still to prepare the old phone before wiping, selling or trading it in.

Before beginning, make sure the old iPhone is connected to Wi-Fi, Bluetooth is enabled and you know your Apple Account password and device passcode. Creating a fresh backup is sensible even if you plan to transfer directly between the two phones.

For most people, Apple’s Quick Start is the simplest option. Turn on the new iPhone and place it next to the old one. A setup prompt should appear on the existing iPhone, after which the new device guides you through activation, Face ID and the transfer process. Apple’s Quick Start guidance recommends keeping both devices nearby and connected to power until migration is complete.

Direct transfer or iCloud?

During setup, you can choose to transfer directly from the previous iPhone or download your data from iCloud. A direct device-to-device transfer keeps both phones occupied until it finishes. Restoring from iCloud allows the new iPhone to become usable sooner while apps and other content continue downloading in the background.

Apple also supports wired migration. This can be useful for particularly large transfers or situations where wireless conditions are poor. The cable required depends on the ports used by the old and new iPhones.

Your phone number may transfer during setup as well. With supported carriers, eSIM Quick Transfer can move an existing mobile plan from the old iPhone without requiring a new physical SIM or a visit to a carrier store. Do not erase the old phone until calls and mobile data are working correctly on the new one.

Check everything before erasing your old iPhone

Once migration finishes, open Photos, Messages, Contacts and any particularly important apps. Check that your Apple Watch is paired correctly, payment cards can be added to Wallet where required, and authenticator or banking apps are working. Some apps intentionally require you to sign in again on a new device.

If you use iCloud Photos, remember that the complete photo library may not physically download to the new phone immediately. A photo being absent from local storage while synchronization continues does not necessarily mean it was lost during migration.

Only after you are satisfied that the new phone contains everything you need should you remove personal data from the old iPhone. That matters particularly for anyone trading a device in after upgrading to iPhone 18 Pro.