Did you just unbox a new iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro or iPhone Air? You’re almost ready to dive into your new iPhone and everything iOS 26 offers — after moving all your existing information from the old phone, which can take time and dampen that initial excitement. But it’s not all a waiting game: I’m here to explain the four ways to easily transfer your data, even if you’re coming from an Android phone, and do it without stressing about losing any of it.
For more, explore a bunch of hidden iOS 26 features, and see just how thin the iPhone Air is.
1. The convenient method: Restore from iCloud
During the setup process, you’ll be asked if you want to 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 known as 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 some extra minutes to create a new backup. To do so, open the Settings app on your old phone, search for iCloud Backup in the search field, and 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 to restore from it. Your phone will restore your settings and preferences, and you’ll be able to start using it in about 15 minutes, continuing to download your installed apps in the background.
Once everything is restored, you’ll need to sign back into any accounts you added, as well as go through your apps to ensure you’re still signed in.
2. The speediest method: Apple direct transfer
If you don’t have a recent iCloud backup or your internet connection is slow, you can transfer everything from iPhone to iPhone, either wirelessly or via cable. When the Quick Start process asks for the source, choose the direct transfer option.
Using a cable rated for fast data speeds, the process can be surprisingly swift, and is my preferred way to upgrade to a new iPhone. Connect both phones via the cable; note that you might need an adapter if your current phone is an iPhone 14 or earlier with a Lightning port. Apple has more details on how to make a wired transfer work.
If you opt for the wireless route, ensure both phones are plugged in and charging to avoid running out of battery, and that they’re connected to your Wi-Fi network. Also, make sure you have enough time for the process to finish — it could take over an hour.
The more information you have on your phone, like photos in your library, the longer it will take. When the transfer starts, the phones will display a time estimate. Every time I’ve used this tool, that estimate has been accurate within a couple of minutes. It’s worth taking the time if you don’t use Apple’s iCloud service to back up your phone.
3. The longer, comprehensive method: Use a Mac or PC
A longer but safer method is to restore from an encrypted backup using a Mac or PC. This process transfers all of your apps, settings, and preferences without requiring you to sign into the countless apps on your phone.
Before you can use this method, you’ll need to create an encrypted backup of your current iPhone. It only means checking one extra box and entering a password.
On a Mac, use Finder to back up your old iPhone — ensure to create an archived backup. Check the Encrypt backup box and enter a password you’ll remember when prompted. Then let your Mac create a backup file. It will notify you when it’s done.
On a PC, you’ll need to use iTunes (it’s not completely dead) or the Apple Devices app to create a backup. Again, ensure the Encrypt backup box is checked and enter a password.
To restore your new phone, open Finder or iTunes, connect your phone to the computer, click Trust when prompted, and follow the prompts to select the backup you just created. Enter the backup’s password before the process begins, so ensure you don’t forget it.
Once it’s done, your new phone will be an exact copy of your old one, and you won’t have to spend time signing into apps or accounts.
4. For Android users: Move to iOS
Apple doesn’t have many Android apps listed in Google’s 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 the most important information from one device to the other.
Here’s the entire step-by-step process, as well as some caveats, like it won’t transfer any locally stored music or PDF files.
Apple states that it has redesigned Move to iOS to make migrating from your Android phone to your new iPhone faster and easier. The company has improved Wi-Fi migration speeds with transfers 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 a quicker transfer.
No matter the process you used to set up your new phone, you’re in for excitement and fun as you explore what it can do.
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