Never lose data when moving from one iPhone or iPad to another again! Apple’s Prepare for New iPhone (or iPad) feature makes transferring all your data from an old iPhone (or iPad) to a new iPhone easier than ever!
This feature uses iCloud storage for all users, regardless of whether they have a paid iCloud storage subscription plan, to temporarily back up all their iPhone’s data to iCloud and easily transfer their data to a new iPhone. So, there is never a reason to lose any data when moving to a new Apple device!
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Prepare for New iPhone or iPad simplifies the upgrade process and saves you both time and effort!
Apple’s Prepare for New iPhone feature is a game-changer and time-saver when upgrading your iPhone or iPad to a new model.
You no longer need to manually clear out your iPhone’s storage, remove and delete apps, backup your iPhone to iCloud or via a computer, or manually check your trade-in status. Prepare for New iPhone (or iPad) does all this for you and more!
When you buy a new iPhone or iPad and your iCloud plan doesn’t have enough storage to back up your device using iCloud Backup, you’re eligible to get as much temporary iCloud storage as you need to transfer all your current device’s data!
How to use Apple’s Prepare For Your New iPhone or iPad feature
You find Prepare for new iPhone or iPad in the Settings app on devices using iOS & iPadOS 15 and above. Use this convenient feature when you upgrade to a new iPhone or iPad.
- On your current iPhone or iPad (not the new one), go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone.
- Tap on Get Started under Prepare for New iPhone or Prepare for New iPad. If you see the message that iCloud Backup is Turned Off, tap Turn On Backup to Transfer.
- Apple runs through a series of steps and checklists to make sure everything’s ready when your new iPhone or iPad arrives, including:
- Creating temporary iCloud storage if you don’t have enough on your plan. You see a message saying you’re eligible for free extra iCloud storage.
- Backing up to iCloud and getting all your apps and data ready to transfer to the new iPhone or iPad.
- Reviewing trade-in information and status and checks the trade-in value of your current iPhone or iPad.
- If Apple detects you aren’t syncing apps with iCloud, it lets you know. Then, you decide if you want to move all app data with iCloud or if you don’t want to move data for those listed apps using iCloud.
- We recommend selecting Move All App Data with iCloud.
- We recommend selecting Move All App Data with iCloud.
- Once you run through Prepare for New iPhone or Prepare for New iPad, Apple continuously uploads your apps and data to iCloud, keeping it up to date and ready to transfer to your new iPhone or iPad.
- Apple gives you about 3 weeks to store your data in temporary iCloud storage. If you don’t upgrade and transfer within that period, you must repeat the process of preparing for a new iPhone or iPad.
- If you want to trade in your old iPhone or iPad, tap Learn more… under Trade in or recycle this iPhone or iPad.
- Press Done to complete the Prepare for New iPhone process.
Got your new iPhone or iPad? Now what?
When you receive your new Apple device, all you need to do is place the old and new iPhones or iPads next to each other, connect them to power (or make sure they are at least 50% charged), and then use Apple’s Quick Start process to transfer all the data from iCloud.
When using Quick Start, make sure that you select Download from iCloud under the options for Transfer Your Data. Since Apple’s Prepare for New iPhone (or iPad) uses iCloud storage, it only works when selecting iCloud as your data source.
We recommend that you do not erase your current iPhone or iPad until you restore your iCloud temporary backup to your new iPhone or iPad and verify it works.
If you don’t want to use Quick Start, follow these steps:
- Turn on your new iPhone or iPad and follow the onscreen steps to begin setup.
- On the Apps & Data screen, tap Restore from iCloud Backup. When asked, sign into iCloud with your Apple ID and password.
- Choose your most recent iCloud backup.
- Wait for the restore to complete.
How long does Apple keep your temporary iCloud backup
Apple gives you 21 days to restore your iCloud’s temporary backup to your new iPhone or iPad before it deletes it.
However, if your new iPhone or iPad does not arrive from Apple within those 21 days, Apple allows you to add another 21 days to restore your temporary backup before it’s deleted. Open Settings on your current iPhone or iPad and tap Keep My Backup Longer.
Once you restore your temporary backup to your new iPhone or iPad, Apple keeps that temporary backup for seven days before they delete it. That’s in case there are problems so that you can restore your data.
Do not erase your current iPhone or iPad until you restore your temporary backup to your new device.
If your new iPhone or iPad doesn’t arrive within 21 days, you can get another 21 days to restore your temporary backup before it’s deleted. Open Settings on your current iPhone or iPad and tap Keep My Backup Longer.
Final thoughts
Losing data when upgrading from an old Apple device to a new one may be something of the past now that Apple allows users access to temporary iCloud storage.
Apple continues to make it easier and easier to migrate all your data from an old device to a new device. And with its Prepare for New iPhone, it’s almost seamless!
Getting access to temporary iCloud storage to back up your old device’s data makes a huge difference, especially for folks who don’t use a paid iCloud subscription plan.
