Securely transfer all your data to a new iPhone 16 from your old phone

The first thing you want to do when you unbox a new iPhone is start playing with it, but there’s a catch: you’ll need to migrate all your current apps, preferences, and personal data from your old phone to it. If you do it right, this could be a small delay, something running in the background while you have a snack or watch TV. The most important thing is that you want as little stress as possible.

I am here to break down the four ways through which you can easily transfer your data from your old phone to your new iPhone. This also applies if you start working with a brand new copy iPhone 16 or another model that replaces your old phone.

If you’re upgrading your current phone to the latest operating system, here’s how to download iOS 18, as well as our iOS 18 review. And if it’s a iPhone 15 Pro or later, stay tuned for what Apple Intelligence offers.

For more, change these seven settings first on iOS 18explore a lot of them hidden iOS 18 featuresand learn everything you can do with the new iPhone 16 camera button.

Read more: The iPhone 16 Pro’s high-resolution slow-motion video is the best Apple feature in years

1. Restore from iCloud

During the setup process, you’ll be asked if you want to transfer apps and information directly 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 a few years since you’ve upgraded phones, this will be the first time you’ve seen this option. The easiest and fastest method to set up your new iPhone is to restore it from a recent iCloud backup. As you go through the initial setup process, tap Restore from iCloud backupsign in with your Apple Account (formerly Apple ID before iOS 18), then choose the most recent backup of your old iPhone.

If the backup is more than a day or two old, take a few extra minutes to create a new backup. To do this, open it Institutions app on your old phone, search for iCloud Backup 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’s done, go back to your new iPhone and select the backup you just made as the backup you want to restore from.

Your phone will then restore your settings and preferences and you can use it again in about 15 minutes. It continues to download your installed apps in the background.

Once everything is restored, you’ll need to sign back into any accounts you added to your phone, go through your apps, and make sure you’re still signed in.

2. Direct transfer via Apple

If you don’t have a recent iCloud backup or your Internet connection is slow, you can transfer everything from iPhone to iPhone, wirelessly or via cable. When the Quick Start process asks for the resource, choose the direct transfer option.

Make sure you have both phones (preferably plugged in and charged to ensure the battery doesn’t drain), a Wi-Fi connection, and enough time to complete the process. It may take more than an hour. You can speed up that process by connecting both phones with a USB cable, but keep in mind that you may need an adapter if your current phone is an iPhone 14 or older with a Lightning port. Apple has more details about it how to make a wired transfer work.

The more information you have on your phone, such as photos in your camera roll, the longer it will take. When the transfer starts, the phones will show you an estimated time. Every time we used this tool, that estimate was accurate within a few minutes. It’s worth taking the time if you don’t use Apple’s iCloud service to back up your phone.

3. Use a Mac or PC

The method I use with every new iPhone is to restore from an encrypted backup using a Mac or PC. Not only does this process transfer all your apps, settings, and preferences, but it also means you don’t have to log into the myriad of apps you have on your phone.

Before you can use this method, you will need to create an encrypted backup of your current iPhone. I know this may sound intimidating or overly complicated, but it just means you have to check an extra box and enter a password.

On a Mac, use Finder to backup your old iPhone. We have listed the steps when Apple killed iTunes. Make sure you have the Encrypt backup and enter a password that you remember when prompted. Let your Mac go to work and create a backup file. It will let you know when it’s ready.

On a PC you have to use iTunes (you don’t). complete dead) to make a backup. That process is explained here. Again, you need to make sure that 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 To trust when prompted and follow the prompts, selecting the backup you just made as what you want to use to restore the phone. You’ll need to enter the backup password before the process begins, so make sure you don’t forget it.

Once this is done, your new phone will be an exact copy of your old phone and you won’t have to spend time logging into apps or random accounts.

4. Go to iOS for Android users

Apple doesn’t have many Android apps in the Google Play Store, but Move to iOS is one of them. This free app connects your Android phone to a new iPhone and allows you to transfer key information from one phone to another.

Here’s the whole step-by-step processas well as some caveats, such as the fact that it won’t transfer locally stored music or PDF files.

Apple said it has redesigned Move to iOS to make it faster and easier to migrate from your Android phone to your new iPhone. Apple has accelerated the Wi-Fi migration with transfer speeds of up to 5GHz, and you can use Wi-Fi on your iPhone to connect to your Android phone. You can also connect your Android phone to your new iPhone with a USB-C or USB-C to Lightning cable for faster transfers, Apple says.

Regardless of the process you used to set up your new phone, you’ll have fun exploring its capabilities.

Here’s what you can do with the iPhone 16’s new camera button and your monthly reminder to clear your iPhone cache.