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After a decade of icloud Phone to Phone transfers ...

eScenCe

eScenCe

macrumors member
Original poster
.. I want to start clean on Phone Settings on the new 17 Pro Max coming in a couple of days.


What would be the smartest way to:

Keep & transfer everything in icloud (eSIM, Contacts, Photos, iCloud Storage, App Content, f.e. Auths, Banking, Fitness, Ford Pass, ...)
but NO Phone Settings.

Transfer complete iPhone on first boot and than use "Reset Settings" toggle?
Any way to "set up as new iphone but use [this backup] for data" in the first starting process?
Or any smarter way that only transfer data but no settings in before?

I feel, some of my hickups and "minor" problems resulting in using a phone backup, that is literally 13 years old [...].
I want to make sure, that this is not an issue anymore. No better time for it than now, right? 🙂

Thanks.
 
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It doesn't matter what you do, most banking apps will freak out and demand you re-authenticate.

As many still use SMS for 2FA, also ensure either your new or old phone can receive them. For Wallet, I think it has to be the new phone as it expects the codes to be authenticated automatically rather than you getting them on the old phone and typing them in.

For my new phone (first time in 6 years!) I did all the banking and wallet stuff after everything else was done.
 
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Don't transfer
Back everything up then set up a new phone and download everything from the cloud.
Definitely the best way to do it.
Don't transfer the old phone onto the new one - or whatever they call it. No.
 
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Can you explain further?

I set up the 17 Pro as a new phone and log in with apple ID; but don't restore from cloud?
Than, when the iphone is fully booted and useable, I do what?

Holding both phones together and transfer via cloud is actually the same as setting up a new phone and chose "restore from cloud", so I am kinda unsure what steps I have to take for your suggestion.

Again, the main point is: I want the cloud stuff (Data, Contacts, eSIM...) but I don't want any (iOS) phone settings.
Those changed so often in more than 10 years, that I believe many minor quirks occuring on my 14PM coming from this.

Edit: I doubled checked. It's my Backup since iPhone 5 .. .so this backup is a whooping 14 years and 14 iOS version - steps old .. no wonder it makes ... weird stuff. 😀
 
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Apple has done an amazing job at the migration process. I always do phone to phone migration because there are a couple of apps I use which are no longer available in the App Store and the DJI app cache does not backup to iCloud.

I was running 26.1b1 on my old phone and the new phone prompted me to enroll the new phone in the developer beta program and automatically installed 26.1b1 and migrated everything.
 
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eScenCe said:
I set up the 17 Pro as a new phone and log in with apple ID; but don't restore from cloud?
Than, when the iphone is fully booted and useable, I do what?
Click to expand...

After that, you download every app manually. Most apps have iCloud information/data that is going to the apps automatically, like contacts and so on.
You will need to set up eSIM and banking apps again.
 
Ruggy said:
Don't transfer
Back everything up then set up a new phone and download everything from the cloud.
Definitely the best way to do it.
Don't transfer the old phone onto the new one - or whatever they call it. No.
Click to expand...
And that’s because?
I‘ve been doing the iPhone-to-iPhone transfer since Apple introduced it back in the days of iOS 11. And as an annual upgrader, I‘ve done it with every single iPhone ever since and so has my wife as a bi-annual upgrader.
Even within my family, where my „old“ iPhones usually go, I always did the iPhone-to-iPhone transfer.

Never ever had a single issue with it, it’s the most convenient way to switch to a new iPhone for me.
I‘ll do it again with my 16 PM to my new 17 PM when it arrives mid October.
 
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I did the iCloud restore...

Question: Anyone doing a USB-C to USB-C connection to upgrade from line a 16PM to a 17PM?

Curious how that goes, need to upgrade my wife to a 17Pro in a couple weeks
 
Pandyone said:
After that, you download every app manually. Most apps have iCloud information/data that is going to the apps automatically, like contacts and so on.
You will need to set up eSIM and banking apps again.
Click to expand...
Resetting eSIM is no option.
I need to keep this.


Still hoping for someone who can confirm or deny the possibilty of NOT importing Phone Settings.

So far the only valid(?) way is complete backup, import, than reset all settings.

Hope anyone have another idea without that "double - do".
 
After rethinking it this evening:

I delete everything out of cloud and not needed apps on my old phone.
Reset all settings back to factory on my old phone and only keep the selected apps, data & the eSIm.
Do one last iCloud backup.

Transfer to new phone.
See how it goes.

Except anyone comes up with a solution for my beginning question.

Thanks at all.
 
Some companies (mine being one) don't seem to allow the eSIM to be transferred.

I had to go online, select "transfer eSIM to new device", wait 5 minutes for an email to arrive saying it's done, then go back to the website and scan the QR code on my new phone. The old one had been de-activated by this point.
 
eScenCe said:
.. I want to start clean on Phone Settings on the new 17 Pro Max coming in a couple of days.

I feel, some of my hickups and "minor" problems resulting in using a phone backup, that is literally 13 years old [...].
Click to expand...

I just did this with my iPhone Air because I had gone four years between iPhones (I was a mini holdout). As a first step, I set up the iPhone without any settings except WiFi to verify that the display looked good and the battery had 0 cycles. When that checked out, I erased the iPhone, transferred phone numbers, logged into iCloud, and setup everything else except no iPhone transfer or iCloud restore. It's not that bad because the App Store lists all the apps not on your iPhone so it's easy to download the ones you actually want.

Another good reason for a clean install is it's still the best way to consolidate to one iCloud account and get rid of an iTunes era account. This requires more steps like canceling subscriptions and you need to do it on all your devices. I recommend pulling this band-aid off whenever you find yourself with at least one new device.
 
Every time I get a new phone. I set up as new. I sign into iCloud, but do not restore any backups. I then select the things I want to download from iCloud such as calendar, contacts, messages, notes, Health App, etc. I re-download all of my apps one by one and sign into them as I need to use them, so that I do not overwhelm myself (I have 459 apps on my phone). All of the data from the apps are backed up to iCloud, so that data transfer once I log into the app. For my banking apps, I have to re-authenticate since it’s a new device or a reset, and do the same for my credit and debit cards in the wallet app.
 
In addition to starting with an almost 100% clean slate with new phones, I routinely wipe my existing phone almost annually and start over. All of my 'data' is in the cloud so when I reinstall apps, I just have to get logged back in with various ones and in no time, I'm up and running.
 
eScenCe said:
Resetting eSIM is no option.
I need to keep this.
Click to expand...

My guess is that your carrier has instructions to transfer eSIM. It’s not like people break or loses their phones, so there must be some way to get eSIM over after changing phone.

Your way of doing it seems more time consuming. But might work if there is no other way.
 
Momof2.1107 said:
Every time I get a new phone. I set up as new. I sign into iCloud, but do not restore any backups. I then select the things I want to download from iCloud such as calendar, contacts, messages, notes, Health App, etc. I re-download all of my apps one by one and sign into them as I need to use them, so that I do not overwhelm myself (I have 459 apps on my phone). All of the data from the apps are backed up to iCloud, so that data transfer once I log into the app. For my banking apps, I have to re-authenticate since it’s a new device or a reset, and do the same for my credit and debit cards in the wallet app.
Click to expand...

So you can select what excactly you want to Download After Setting up new phone?
 
eScenCe said:
So you can select what excactly you want to Download After Setting up new phone?
Click to expand...
Yes. Like I do not use news or stocks, so I do not back it up to the cloud and if I did I can re-download it to my phone. I never download a backup. I pick what I want to re-download to my iPhone.
 
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eScenCe said:
.. I want to start clean on Phone Settings on the new 17 Pro Max coming in a couple of days.


What would be the smartest way to:

Keep & transfer everything in icloud (eSIM, Contacts, Photos, iCloud Storage, App Content, f.e. Auths, Banking, Fitness, Ford Pass, ...)
but NO Phone Settings.

Transfer complete iPhone on first boot and than use "Reset Settings" toggle?
Any way to "set up as new iphone but use [this backup] for data" in the first starting process?
Or any smarter way that only transfer data but no settings in before?

I feel, some of my hickups and "minor" problems resulting in using a phone backup, that is literally 13 years old [...].
I want to make sure, that this is not an issue anymore. No better time for it than now, right? 🙂

Thanks.
Click to expand...
This is giving "I want to keep all the data and logins in tact, without having to be restricted by the previous AppleID/settings" vibes
 
Whichever you decide, remember to back up your Authenticator entries.

With Microsoft Authenticator use their steps to back up current entries to cloud and then on new phone, BEFORE SIGNING IN AT ALL TO THE AUTHENTICATOR APP, use the restore from cloud function.

-
 
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danpass said:
Whichever you decide, remember to back up your Authenticator entries.

With Microsoft Authenticator use their steps to back up current entries to cloud and then on new phone, BEFORE SIGNING IN AT ALL TO THE AUTHENTICATOR APP, use the restore from cloud function.

-
Click to expand...
Great advice / reminder. Most likely would have log in first and than restore.

Thanks! 🙂
 
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