iPhone 17 Pro Max Best way to transfer data from old iPhone to new?

[Random Gecko]

Previously I’ve done the side by side method but it always seems to take an absolute eternity. I have 250GB of data on my phone so maybe it’s that but is there a better way?
I tried iCloud backup once and it felt like some stuff was missing?

Can you still do it via a Mac?

 

[kitKAC]

You could still do it Device to Device but instead of doing it over Wifi, link the two devices with a cable instead. What does the 250Gb of data consist of? How much of it would be downloaded again and not directly copied over?

 

[Random Gecko]

Mostly apps and photos.

Is the cable method significantly faster?

 

[kitKAC]

The cable should be faster, which iPhone are you moving from? If your Photos are in iCloud Photo library, they'll download again and won't be transferred. With apps, if the data can be downloaded again (like podcasts) then that stuff probably won't be transferred either.

 

[Random Gecko]

17 Pro to 17 Pro Max

 

[kitKAC]

So with a proper USB-C to USB-C cable (that supports data), it should be pretty fast.

 

[eyoungren]

I tried iCloud backup once and it felt like some stuff was missing?

Apps.

Since iOS 7 (perhaps iOS 6 too I think), iCloud backups have solely been personal and app data, but not the apps themselves. A list is stored somewhere in the backup telling iCloud which apps to start downloading when the backup is restored.

So that's what takes so much time with iCloud backups, all the apps redownloading. And your photos of course - if there are a lot of them.