Setting up my new iPhone: Quick Start or iTunes?
I just got a new iPhone 11. Before I activate it, I need to transfer my data from my old iPhone 6S Plus to my new iPhone 11. Both the 6S Plus and the 11 are 128 GB phones, so there's a lot of data to move.
I also got some iPhone 8's for the rest of the family, and their data usage needs are much more modest than mine.
So, I compared two types of data transfer processes: the new Quick Start process, which requires at least iOS 12.4, and the older iTunes backup and restore, which works with any version of iOS.
Because I have too much data on my phone to use iCloud backup, without having to pay, I'm comparing the two methods that are free to use, regardless of how much data you have on your phone.
If you already pay for iCloud backup, or all the data on your iPhone is backed up to iCloud without exceeding the paltry 5G of free space, that might be the easiest route for you.
This article is for everyone who:
Some advantages of the Quick Start method:
Since I already back up my iPhone using iTunes, this was the easy choice for me. If you aren't already using iTunes to backup your iPhone, consider using the Quick Start approach (above), because setting up iTunes backups can be tricky, especially if your Mac isn't running the latest macOS.
I've set up iTunes to backup my phone automatically when I connect it to my MacBook Pro with a USB cable. So, I just connect my old phone to the computer and wait until the backup is complete.
The iTunes / Finder backup only backs up your settings and data. It does not back up your apps! Both the Quick Start and iTunes / Finder data transfer process transfer only your unique data and settings.
Once your data is transfered to the new iPhone, the new device will automatically download the latest version of each app you have installed — except for the default Apple apps, which are already installed on your new iPhone.
Once the backup is ready (and I double-check the Last Backup time listed on iTunes) I can proceed to:
Once the data is restored, I needed to:
Confusingly, I not only restored my phone data from my old iPhone, but I also restored my old phone's name (My iPhone 6Ss Plus). I'll have to change that in the Settings on the iPhone.
I usually skip these steps during the transfer process, and wait until after the transfer is complete, so I can use my password manager if needed.
Don't worry: iOS will remind you constantly if you haven't set up any of these features!
So, after the data transfer is complete and all my apps are installed on the new phone, I set up the phone-specific Apple settings:
It's best to wait until all of your phone's apps are completely downloaded before you attempt to configure the iPhone, so you don’t have to compete for the iPhone’s attention while it tries to download and install apps.
I also started to go through some of my app folders to select apps that I either wanted to prioritize, or not download at all. I even deleted a few apps that I haven’t used in a while. It would have made more sense to delete these unused apps before I started the transfer, but it’s never too late to delete an app you don’t need any more.
After all was said and done, it took about 24 hours to auto-download and install all the apps on my new iPhone and my old Apple Watch. The Apple Watch was very slow to download all the apps, compared to the iPhone.
But, when I transferred the data from an iPhone with a more modest amount of data to a newer iPhone using the Quick Start process, the transfer was very quick, and took less than an hour, start to finish.
Bottom line: unless you're already using iCloud or iTunes to back up your iPhone, use the Quick Start option to transfer your data to a new device.
If you plan to sell or recycle your old device, be sure to erase it! Remember, you'll have to turn off Find My iPhone first, so you'll need the iCloud password for that device.
I also got some iPhone 8's for the rest of the family, and their data usage needs are much more modest than mine.
So, I compared two types of data transfer processes: the new Quick Start process, which requires at least iOS 12.4, and the older iTunes backup and restore, which works with any version of iOS.
Because I have too much data on my phone to use iCloud backup, without having to pay, I'm comparing the two methods that are free to use, regardless of how much data you have on your phone.
If you already pay for iCloud backup, or all the data on your iPhone is backed up to iCloud without exceeding the paltry 5G of free space, that might be the easiest route for you.
This article is for everyone who:
- has more than 5 GB of data on their iPhone
- wants to transfer their data and settings to a new device without having to pay an iCloud subscription fee.
Unpair and erase my Apple Watch
This is the first time I've transferred my data with an Apple Watch in the mix, and I learned that step #1 in the transfer process is to unpair my Apple Watch. This also erases the Apple Watch, after automatically backing up the Apple Watch to my iPhone. This Watch backup on my iPhone will also be backed up to my Mac when I transfer my data and settings from the old iPhone to the new one.Using Quick Start to transfer settings and data directly
For iPhones that don't have as much data and as many apps as mine, the direct, phone-to-phone Quick Start option is the fastest option, because it's so simple. Use Quick Start to transfer data from your previous iOS device to your new iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Important: both devices must be running iOS 12.4 or later.Some advantages of the Quick Start method:
- Quick Start will transfer as many of your app user names and passwords as possible, plus any encrypted data in Apple apps (like Health). This reduces the number of third party apps you need to reconfigure after the transfer.
- Quick Start will also transfer your Wifi settings and password, as well as iCloud.
- You don’t need any other equipment or software. Since Quick Start uses Bluetooth to transfer the data between the old and new iPhone, you don’t even need a Wifi password or a cable. You certainly don’t need a Mac or PC with the latest version of iTunes, either.
- It’s cool! My favorite part (besides the iPhones magically transfering the data by just putting them close to each other): instead of using a nasty looking QR code, Apple uses a three-dimensional sphere made up of dots to validate the new device.
Using iTunes (or Finder) to transfer settings and data
Regardless of what version of iOS your device is running, you can back it up and restore it with iTunes — until the latest version of macOS, Catalina (10.15), where this feature is now integrated into the Finder.Since I already back up my iPhone using iTunes, this was the easy choice for me. If you aren't already using iTunes to backup your iPhone, consider using the Quick Start approach (above), because setting up iTunes backups can be tricky, especially if your Mac isn't running the latest macOS.
Back up my old iPhone to iTunes
I still use iTunes for two things:- Adding MP3 files to my phone. Since I use Spotify, I rarely do this.
- Backing up my phone. Unlike iCloud backups, the only storage limit to my iPhone backups are the amount of free space on my Mac. So far, I've still got room.
I've set up iTunes to backup my phone automatically when I connect it to my MacBook Pro with a USB cable. So, I just connect my old phone to the computer and wait until the backup is complete.
The iTunes / Finder backup only backs up your settings and data. It does not back up your apps! Both the Quick Start and iTunes / Finder data transfer process transfer only your unique data and settings.
Once your data is transfered to the new iPhone, the new device will automatically download the latest version of each app you have installed — except for the default Apple apps, which are already installed on your new iPhone.
Once the backup is ready (and I double-check the Last Backup time listed on iTunes) I can proceed to:
Restore my iTunes backup on my new iPhone
Now that the backup is complete, I can Use iTunes to transfer data from my old iPhone to my new iPhone.Once the data is restored, I needed to:
- Log in with my passcode so I could use FaceID
- Log into my WiFi network
- Enter my iCloud password
- Turn on Location Services
Confusingly, I not only restored my phone data from my old iPhone, but I also restored my old phone's name (My iPhone 6Ss Plus). I'll have to change that in the Settings on the iPhone.
Installing Apps
After you've transferred your settings and data to your new iPhone, using either QuickStart or iTunes (or maybe even iCloud), your phone still needs to download the latest version of all of the apps you installed. Depending on the number of apps you have, this can take a long time! Plan on letting your new iPhone work away on this, ideally plugged into the charger cable, for half an hour or more, depending on how many apps you have installed.Post-restoration work
During the transfer process, you'll be asked to set up TouchID or FaceID Siri, Apple Pay, and some other settings iOS settings.I usually skip these steps during the transfer process, and wait until after the transfer is complete, so I can use my password manager if needed.
Don't worry: iOS will remind you constantly if you haven't set up any of these features!
So, after the data transfer is complete and all my apps are installed on the new phone, I set up the phone-specific Apple settings:
- Touch ID or FaceID
- Siri
- Apple Pay
- Check Mail, Contact, and Calendar settings
- Turn off app notifications (except for a few)
- Pair Bluetooth devices
- Restore my Apple Watch
- Turn on WiFi calling
- Apps from Google. If you use any Google apps (like Gmail or YouTube), you just need to log into your primary Gmail account on the Gmail app, and then all the other Google apps on your phone will automatically use this login.
- Signal Messenger: you’ll have to set this up on your new iPhone because you need to receive a text on that iPhone to authenticate the installation.
Wait until the apps are all updated!
Unfortunately, at this point in the process, I learned the hard way that things get kind of bogged down, as the phone got really busy downloading the latest version of all the apps (as noted above).It's best to wait until all of your phone's apps are completely downloaded before you attempt to configure the iPhone, so you don’t have to compete for the iPhone’s attention while it tries to download and install apps.
I also started to go through some of my app folders to select apps that I either wanted to prioritize, or not download at all. I even deleted a few apps that I haven’t used in a while. It would have made more sense to delete these unused apps before I started the transfer, but it’s never too late to delete an app you don’t need any more.
After all was said and done, it took about 24 hours to auto-download and install all the apps on my new iPhone and my old Apple Watch. The Apple Watch was very slow to download all the apps, compared to the iPhone.
But, when I transferred the data from an iPhone with a more modest amount of data to a newer iPhone using the Quick Start process, the transfer was very quick, and took less than an hour, start to finish.
Bottom line: unless you're already using iCloud or iTunes to back up your iPhone, use the Quick Start option to transfer your data to a new device.
After you've finished setting up your new iPhone
Once this transfer process is complete, and you’ve double-checked to make sure your favorite apps are working correctly on your new device on your Wifi network, follow your cell provider's steps to activate the new iPhone.If you plan to sell or recycle your old device, be sure to erase it! Remember, you'll have to turn off Find My iPhone first, so you'll need the iCloud password for that device.
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