iPhone 17 Pro Tip for those on iUP - do NOT wipe your old phone until you've activated your new phone

[mikethebigo]

This is something I messed up last year, and just want to pass along this knowledge. With the iPhone Upgrade Program, if you do an in-store pickup of your new phone, you're required to trade in your old phone at the same time. Last year, I wiped my old phone on the way to the store, so that it'd be ready for trade in without hassle in the store.

Now that the phones are eSIM, the workflow for activating the new phone on your network (at least this was true with Verizon) is to turn the phone on, and then it will authenticate the eSIM transfer by sending a text message to your old phone. If that phone isn't operational and can't receive the text, you cannot activate your new phone without speaking to Verizon support.

While I understand the security aspect here, it is pretty annoying that this forces me to turn on and activate the new phone in-store, before I wipe and trade in the old phone. That means setting up my passcode/FaceID/etc etc in store, and I'll probably have to wait there until iCloud stuff is downloaded and set up. I'd rather do it at home - but it's not possible if I must trade in my old phone at the time of pickup.

 

[BigMcGuire]

Yeah made this mistake with my 15 Pro Max. Made life miserable for awhile. Thank you for your post.

 

[CG2382P]

Can't you just "set up as new" with no backup restore, go home, then wipe and restore your backup?

 

[mikethebigo]

Can't you just "set up as new" with no backup restore, go home, then wipe and restore your backup?

I suppose yes, though that still is a rather crappy experience to half set up the phone and then wipe it and start over at home.

 

[eyoungren]

I'm not on eSIM yet, but not having my old phone and my new phone side by side AT HOME to transfer my data is one of the (many) reasons I keep my phones and don't do trade-ins.

I really do not like being inconvenienced.

 

[mikethebigo]

I'm not on eSIM yet, but not having my old phone and my new phone side by side AT HOME to transfer my data is one of the (many) reasons I keep my phones and don't do trade-ins.

I really do not like being inconvenienced.

I understand the push for eSIM but it really is far more inconvenient.

 

[eyoungren]

I understand the push for eSIM but it really is far more inconvenient.

My current phone is an 11 Pro Max. There are a few reasons why I went with this model in 2021, a physical SIM being one of them. Over the last few years I've seen the number of issues reported here and in other places. One particular irritant I have seen that my own carrier does, is that if you lose your phone (that has an eSIM) and you need to identify yourself to the carrier, they will text your phone.

Now, how do you respond when you've lost your phone and that's the phone the carrier is texting to validate your identity?! The answer is to go into a store and present your ID. More inconvenience.

Also, it's only JUST recently where my carrier has made it so you can transfer an eSIM from one carrier phone to another. But you have to go through their app to do it. And their app is awful.

At the very least, I've learned just what I don't want to do when the time comes to have a phone with eSIM.

 

[mikethebigo]

My current phone is an 11 Pro Max. There are a few reasons why I went with this model in 2021, a physical SIM being one of them. Over the last few years I've seen the number of issues reported here and in other places. One particular irritant I have seen that my own carrier does, is that if you lose your phone (that has an eSIM) and you need to identify yourself to the carrier, they will text your phone.

Now, how do you respond when you've lost your phone and that's the phone the carrier is texting to validate your identity?! The answer is to go into a store and present your ID. More inconvenience.

Also, it's only JUST recently where my carrier has made it so you can transfer an eSIM from one carrier phone to another. But you have to go through their app to do it. And their app is awful.

At the very least, I've learned just what I don't want to do when the time comes to have a phone with eSIM.

Yep. It’s a way worse experience. In my opinion purposefully so to discourage people from switching carriers. The physical SIM allows for that convenient level of physical security where you can switch phones without needing to do extra authentication. But it’s going to be a thing of the past soon… Apple execs likened it to a floppy disk drive in an interview this week.

 

[joeshmo2010]

Can’t you tell them you just want to trade in the old phone via mail? I swear that’s how I’ve done it in the past.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

I'm not on eSIM yet, but not having my old phone and my new phone side by side AT HOME to transfer my data is one of the (many) reasons I keep my phones and don't do trade-ins.

I really do not like being inconvenienced.

IIRC you can do a trade-in deal and still keep your old phone to transfer data. Then bring or mail your old phone in for the trade credit later.

 

[eyoungren]

IIRC you can do a trade-in deal and still keep your old phone to transfer data. Then bring or mail your old phone in for the trade credit later.

I thought there might be, but I wasn't sure. But, there are other reasons I keep my phones, even if this one is mitigated.