The iPhone 16 is here, which means it’s time to upgrade. That used to mean backing up your old phone’s data, reconfiguring the settings, and then migrating the data onto the new phone. But Apple’s Quick Start feature offers an easier way to set up a new iPhone. Introduced in iOS 11, Quick Start is an automatic setup feature for outfitting a new iPhone. Just point your new phone at the old one, and all the core settings transfer over. You still need to go through the setup screens for Face ID (or Touch ID), Siri, and Apple Pay, but Quick Start takes care of the rest.Alternatively, you can directly transfer your data from the old phone to the new device, either wirelessly or through a wired connection. That means no longer having to create a backup ahead of time.Back Up Your Current Device (Optional)To use automatic setup, you’ll need the old and new iOS devices—together and turned on—with both running the same version of iOS. Before getting started, you might want to take a moment to back up your iPhone through your computer or through the device itself. Those running Windows should open iTunes, while Mac users can turn to Finder. Click the iPhone icon to view the Summary page. Under the Backups section, select either iCloud or This Computer and then click the Back Up Now button. Wait for the backup to complete.
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To run a backup directly from your iPhone, go to Settings and select your Apple account at the top. Select iCloud > iCloud Backup > Back Up Now. You can continue to use your phone while the backup is in progress.
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Use Quick StartOn your new phone, choose the language, region, and appearance. The Quick Start screen then appears. Position your two phones next to each other. In response, the old phone displays a “Set Up New iPhone” notification. Tap Continue to proceed.
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Your new iPhone then displays a swirling blue pattern while waiting. Use the camera on your old phone to scan the blue pattern.
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Your old iPhone then tells you to finish the process on the new phone. If required, enter the passcode of the old phone on the new one. Your new iPhone then starts setting up.
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Transfer Your DataThe new phone may ask you to set up Touch ID or Face ID, which you can do now or wait until later. The phone then asks how it should transfer your data.Transferring the data wirelessly is the easier option, since you only need to ensure that the two phones are on the same Wi-Fi network and positioned next to each other. Select Transfer from iPhone, then agree to the terms and conditions. Choose whether you want to allow Siri, Maps, and other apps to transfer their settings or customize them yourself, then tap Continue. Transferring the data through a wired connection requires both a Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter and a Lightning to USB Cable. Connect the Camera Adapter to the old iPhone and the Lightning to USB Cable to the new iPhone. Connect the other end of the cable to the adapter and connect the adapter to a power source through its Lightning port.
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During the setup process, you can opt to set up Apple Pay, connect an Apple Watch if you have one, share audio recordings from Siri, and choose whether to share phone analytics with Apple. Both devices will then show that the data is being transferred. After the process finishes, your old iPhone tells you that the transfer is complete.
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Your new iPhone will then set up your apps, icons, folders, and other data. Depending on how many apps are on your phone, it may take awhile before everything is set up and available for you to open and use.
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If you don’t want to directly transfer data from your current phone to the new one, you’d then have to restore the backup of your old phone. To do this, tap the Other Options link at the Transfer Data screen. The phone will then start setting up your Apple account.The Apps & Data screen then gives you four options. Assuming you backed up your old phone and want that data on the new one, choose Restore iCloud Backup or Restore from iTunes Backup. For the iCloud Backup, the restore will run over Wi-Fi.
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If you are restoring from an iTunes backup, you must connect the new phone to your computer with iTunes running. In iTunes, click the phone icon, then select Restore Backup. Choose the correct backup, click Restore, and then wait for the new phone to receive all the apps and data.If you’re moving from an Android phone, select Move Data from Android. You can also select Don’t Transfer Apps & Data if you prefer not to transfer anything over from the old phone. You can then opt to set it up as a new iPhone.
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About Lance Whitney
Contributor
I’ve been working for PCMag since early 2016 writing tutorials, how-to pieces, and other articles on consumer technology. Beyond PCMag, I’ve written news stories and tutorials for a variety of other websites and publications, including CNET, ZDNet, TechRepublic, Macworld, PC World, Time, US News & World Report, and AARP Magazine. I spent seven years writing breaking news for CNET as one of the site’s East Coast reporters. I’ve also written two books for Wiley & Sons—Windows 8: Five Minutes at a Time and Teach Yourself Visually LinkedIn.
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