UPDATED 04:20 EDT / SEPTEMBER 25 2015

NEWS

How to transfer content from an old iPhone to iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus

The big day has arrived! If you are one of the lucky who pre-ordered a new iPhone 6s or 6s Plus and took delivery of it today (or maybe you also camped out in front of an Apple store for weeks) you’ll want to transfer all the content from your old iPhone to your shiny new iPhone.

You can use iCloud or iTunes to transfer the content from your old iPhone. Here’s how:

First things first

  • If you have an Apple Watch paired with your old iPhone you must first unpair it from your iPhone. This automatically backs up your Apple Watch. Once you’ve set up your new iPhone 6s or 6s Plus and transferred your content you can pair your Apple Watch with your new iPhone.
  • To transfer content to a new iPhone, you need either an iCloud or iTunes backup of your current iPhone.

Use iCloud to transfer content to a new iPhone 6s/6s Plus

How to make an iCloud backup of your current iPhone

  1. Connect your old iPhone to Wi-Fi.
  2. Tap Settings > iCloud > Backup.
  3. Ensure iCloud backup is turned on.
  4. Tap Back Up Now. Keep your iPhone connected to Wi-Fi until the backup finishes.
  5. Double check that the backup ran in Settings > iCloud > Storage > Manage Storage. Check that the date and size are current.

Transfer your iCloud backup to your new iPhone 6s/6s Plus

  1. Switch on your new iPhone. You should see a “Hello” screen.
  2. Swipe left to right and follow the onscreen steps until the Wi-Fi screen appears and connect to a network.
  3. Follow onscreen steps until the Apps & Data screen appears, then tap Restore from iCloud Backup > Next.
  4. Enter your Apple ID and password.
  5. Select the latest backup (the date and size should match the backup you made in the step above).
  6. Keep your new iPhone connected to Wi-Fi. If you disconnect from Wi-Fi, the process will complete next time you reconnect.

Use iTunes to transfer content to a new iPhone 6s/6s Plus

How to make an iTunes backup of your current iPhone

  1. Connect your iPhone to your Mac or PC running the latest version of iTunes.
  2. Select your iPhone.
  3. To save iTunes and App Store content click File > Devices > Transfer Purchases and wait for the process to complete.
  4. To save Health and Activity data from iPhone or Apple Watch, make an encrypted backup by ticking the Encrypt [device] backup option and create a password. Write down this password as there is no way to recover it from iTunes, meaning if you forget the password your backup is useless.
  5. If you aren’t backing up Health and Activity data, simply click Back Up Now.
  6. Check the backup completed successfully in iTunes > Preferences > Devices. You should see your device name and the date and time of the backup.

Transfer your iTunes backup to your new iPhone 6s/6s Plus

  1. Switch on your new iPhone. You should see a “Hello” screen.
  2. Swipe left to right and follow the onscreen steps until the Wi-Fi screen appears and connect to a network.
  3. Connect your new iPhone to the Mac or PC you made the iTunes backup on.
  4. On your iPhone’s Wi-Fi screen, tap Connect to iTunes.
  5. Follow onscreen steps until the Apps & Data screen appears, then tap Restore from iTunes Backup > Next.
  6. Enter your Apple ID and password.
  7. Select the latest backup (the date and size should match the backup you made in the step above). If you’re restoring from an encrypted backup, enter the password when asked.
  8. Wait for the process to complete.

Transfer a backup to an iPhone that you’ve already set up

If you have already set up your new iPhone 6s/6s Plus, you will need to erase the device before you can restore from an iCloud or iTunes backup.

Tap Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings. Your device will restart and display the “Hello” screen. Now you are able to transfer content by restoring either your iCloud or iTunes backup.

Sources: iMobie; Apple

Screenshot: SiliconANGLE via iMobie

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