Did you finally make the leap from an older phone to a new iPhone 16E or another model? Not only can it seem like a hassle to transfer your data, but you also want to make sure everything gets moved over safely. That way you can explore the new Apple Intelligence features and customize the most important iOS 18 features instead of troubleshooting where your data went sideways.
Fortunately, it’s easier than ever to shift your data from the phone you have now — even if it’s an Android model — to a new iPhone.
1. Restore from iCloud
During the setup process, you’ll be asked if you want to directly transfer apps and information from your old iPhone to your new one using Quick Start. This feature was first rolled out with iOS 12.4, so if it’s been several years since you’ve upgraded phones, it’ll be the first time you’ve seen the option. The easiest and quickest method to set up your new iPhone is to restore from a recent iCloud backup. As you walk through the initial setup process, tap Restore from iCloud Backup, sign in with your Apple Account (previously called Apple ID before iOS 18) and then pick the most recent backup of your old iPhone.
If the backup is more than a day or two old, take an extra few minutes to create a new backup. To do so, open the Settings app on your old phone, search for iCloudBackup in the Search field at the top of the screen and then click the matching result. Click Back Up Now to update the cloud backup.
Once that finishes, go back to your new iPhone and select the backup you just created as what you want to use to restore from.
Your phone will then restore your settings and preferences, and you’ll be able to start using it in about 15 minutes. It will continue downloading your installed apps in the background.
Once everything is restored, you’ll need to sign back into any accounts you added to your phone, as well as go through your apps and make sure you’re still signed in.
Restore your data from a backup of your old iPhone using your computer.
Jeff Carlson/CNET
On a PC, you’ll need to use iTunes (it’s not completely dead) to create a backup. That process is explained here. Again, you’ll need to make sure the Encrypt backup box is checked and enter a password.
To restore your new phone, open Finder or iTunes, and connect your phone to your computer. Click Trust when prompted, and then follow the prompts, selecting the backup you just created as what you want to use to restore the phone. You will need to enter the backup’s password before the process begins, so make sure you don’t forget it.
Once it’s done, your new phone will be an exact copy of your old phone and you won’t have to spend any time signing into apps or random accounts.
4. Move to iOS for Android users
Apple doesn’t have many Android apps listed in Google’s Play Store, but Move to iOS is one of them. This free app will connect your Android phone to a new iPhone and allow you to transfer the most important information from one phone to the other.
