How to Transfer to a New iPhone in 2026 Without Losing Data

Knowing how to transfer to a new iPhone in 2026 is mostly about order. Apple’s tools copy your photos, messages and apps well. The trouble starts later. People erase or ship off the old phone before moving the few things that never copy over on their own.

We recently moved from an iPhone 13 Pro to an iPhone 17 Pro, and the transfer went smoothly. That is normal, and it is also the trap. When day one looks fine, it is easy to wipe the old phone too soon. Next, we are moving that iPhone 17 Pro to an iPhone 18 Pro. We will update this guide with what we find.

By the end, your new iPhone will have everything on it. You will also know how to check that nothing got left behind. These steps follow iOS 27, which Apple released on September 14.

Which part of this guide is for you

You don’t need to read every section. Here is the route for each situation.

• Moving from an older iPhone: read Before the new phone arrives, then iPhone to iPhone, then Your phone number and eSIM.
• Moving from an Android phone: read Before the new phone arrives, then Android to iPhone.
• Everyone: finish with What the transfer won’t save, Trading in the old phone and the Checklist before you erase.

A quick word on how the steps are written. When you see Settings, then General, it means open the Settings app. Then tap the word General on that screen. Words in bold are the exact buttons you will see.

Before the new phone arrives

Do these on your old iPhone a day or two before the new one comes. If you are moving from Android, skip to step 1 of the Android section instead.

Step 1: Update your old iPhone

1. Open the Settings app. It is the grey icon with a gear.
2. Tap General.
3. Then tap Software Update.
4. If an update is waiting, tap to install it. Keep the phone plugged in until it restarts.

Step 2: Back it up to iCloud for free

A backup is a full copy of your phone saved online. It is your safety net if anything goes wrong on setup day. If your iCloud storage is full, don’t pay for more. Apple gives free temporary storage when you buy a new iPhone.

1. Open Settings, then tap General.
2. Then scroll to the bottom and tap Transfer or Reset iPhone.
3. Under Prepare for New iPhone, tap Get Started.
4. If you see a message that iCloud Backup is off, tap Turn On Backup to Transfer.
5. If you see a message about free extra iCloud storage, tap Continue.
6. Leave the phone on Wi-Fi and plugged in until the backup finishes.

How long the free backup lasts. You have 21 days to put it on your new iPhone. If your delivery is late, open Settings on the old phone and tap Keep My Backup Longer for another 21 days. After you restore it, Apple keeps the backup for 7 more days, then deletes it for good.

Step 3: Have your Apple Account password ready

Setup will ask for it. This is the password for your Apple Account, the email or phone number you use for the App Store and iCloud. It is not the short code you use to unlock your phone. If you can’t remember it, reset it before setup day, not during.

iPhone to iPhone

Apple’s tool for this is called Quick Start. It works with any old iPhone running iOS 11 or later. Both phones will be busy while it runs, so pick a time when you can put them down.

Before you start

• Plug both phones into power, or make sure both are well charged.
• Connect your old iPhone to Wi-Fi.
• Turn on Bluetooth on your old iPhone. Open Settings, tap Bluetooth, and make sure the switch is green.

Step 1: Connect the two phones

1. Turn on your new iPhone and place it right next to your old one.
2. Look at your old iPhone. A message will offer to set up the new phone with your Apple Account.
3. Check that the account shown is yours, then tap Continue.
4. An animation will appear on the new iPhone’s screen.
5. Hold your old iPhone above the new one so the animation fits inside the camera frame on the old phone.
6. Wait for the new iPhone to confirm the phones are connected.

If the message never appears on the old phone, restart both phones and try again. If it still doesn’t show, check that Bluetooth is on.

Step 2: Set up the basics

1. On the new iPhone, type the passcode you use to unlock your old phone.
2. Then follow the prompts to set up Face ID. This lets the phone unlock by recognising your face.
3. If the new iPhone asks about moving your phone number, jump to Your phone number and eSIM and come back.

Step 3: Choose how your data comes over

You will see two choices. They are not the same.

Download from iCloud gets you using the new phone quickly. Your apps, photos and other data keep downloading in the background afterwards.

Transfer from iPhone copies everything straight from the old phone. Both phones are locked up until it finishes. However, you get everything that is on the old phone right now.

Which one to pick: if your last backup was not today, choose Transfer from iPhone. A backup from yesterday won’t have today’s photos or chats. But if you backed up an hour ago and need the phone right away, choose Download from iCloud.

Step 4: Wait for it to finish

1. Keep both phones next to each other.
2. Also keep both plugged in.
3. Don’t use either phone until the transfer says it is done.

If it doesn’t work

• The phones won’t connect wirelessly: you can link them with a cable instead and try again.
• It’s a work or school phone: phones managed by a company or school can’t use Quick Start. Ask whoever manages the phone.
• You already finished setup and skipped the transfer: Quick Start only runs during setup. To start again, open Settings on the new phone and tap General. Then tap Transfer or Reset iPhone, followed by Erase All Content and Settings. This wipes only the new phone. Your old phone stays untouched.

Your phone number and eSIM

An eSIM is a SIM card built into the phone as software, so there is no plastic card to swap. This matters more than usual this year. Every iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max sold in the United States is eSIM only, with no SIM slot at all.

Find out how your carrier moves your number

There are two ways, and your carrier decides which one you get.

• eSIM Quick Transfer. Your number moves to the new iPhone during setup, so you don’t have to call your carrier. It can even turn an old plastic SIM into an eSIM. In the US, AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon support this.
• QR code or carrier app. Your carrier gives you a QR code to scan, or you finish the move inside the carrier’s own app. On Apple’s list, for example, MTN, Airtel, Glo and 9mobile use this method.

To check yours, open Apple’s eSIM carrier list, pick your country, and look for your carrier’s name.

If your carrier supports Quick Transfer

1. During setup, the new iPhone may ask about your cellular plan or phone number.
2. Then choose the number you want to move.
3. Follow the prompts on both phones.
4. When it finishes, make a quick call from the new phone to test it.

If your carrier uses a QR code or app

1. Before setup day, contact your carrier or open its app and ask for an eSIM for your new iPhone.
2. Then keep the QR code handy, on paper or another screen.
3. During setup, choose the option to add your plan, then scan the code or follow the app’s steps.

Say no to iPhone Handoff if you’re giving the old phone away

iOS 27 has a new option that may appear during setup. It offers to keep your old iPhone as a “secondary” phone that shares your number. At launch, it only works on T-Mobile in the US and Telekom in Germany. T-Mobile has also said it will charge $5 a month. If you plan to trade in, sell or hand down the old phone, skip it.

Android to iPhone

There are now two ways to do this. Check which one fits your phone first.

Which method can you use?

Apple updated its Android switching guide on May 11, 2026. You can use the newer method, with no extra app, if both of these are true:

• Your new iPhone runs iOS 26.5 or later.
• Your Android phone runs a compatible version of Android 17.

Not sure about your Android phone? Open Settings on it. The Android version is usually under About phone. Even on Android 17, support depends on the company that made the phone. If the option doesn’t show up, use Move to iOS instead.

Before you start

• Plug both phones into power.
• Turn on Wi-Fi on the Android phone.
• Make sure the new iPhone has enough space for everything on the Android phone, including anything on a memory card.

Method A: Without an app (Android 17)

1. Turn on the new iPhone and follow the setup screens.
2. On the Transfer Your Apps & Data screen, tap From Android.
3. Tap Transfer without App.
4. Next, put the Android phone beside the iPhone and tap Continue.
5. A QR code appears on the iPhone. Open the camera on the Android phone and scan it.
6. On the Android phone, choose what to bring over, such as photos, contacts, calendars, call history and messages.
7. Wait for the copy to finish, then tap Continue on the iPhone.
8. To move your phone number, select it on the Android phone and tap Transfer.
9. When the number has moved, tap Continue on the iPhone to finish setup.

If the QR code won’t scan:

1. On the iPhone, tap Other Options.
2. On the Android phone, open Settings.
3. Then tap Google Services, followed by All Services.
4. Tap Pair with iPhone or iPad, then Copy Data.
5. Type in the session ID and pairing code shown on the iPhone, then tap Continue.

Method B: With the Move to iOS app (older Android phones)

1. On the Android phone, install Move to iOS from the Google Play Store.
2. Turn on the new iPhone and follow the setup screens.
3. On the Transfer Your Apps & Data screen, tap From Android, then Transfer with App.
4. Open Move to iOS on the Android phone. Tap Continue, then Agree.
5. Then tap Continue on the iPhone and wait for a six or ten digit code.
6. Type that code into the Android phone.
7. The iPhone creates its own temporary Wi-Fi network. When the Android phone asks, tap Connect.
8. On the Android phone, choose what to bring over, then tap Continue.
9. Wait for the loading bar on the iPhone to finish, even if the Android phone says it’s done.
10. Tap Done on the Android phone, then Continue on the iPhone.

A USB-C cable between the two phones makes this faster, if you have one.

Two rules that stop most failed transfers

• Leave the Android phone alone. Don’t open another app or answer a call until it finishes. If you do, the transfer stops.
• Do it during setup. If you already finished setting up the iPhone, you have to erase it and start again.

What comes across, and what doesn’t

Move to iOS brings contacts, messages, call history, calendars, photos, videos, albums, files, bookmarks, mail accounts, Voice Memos, and WhatsApp messages and media. Some free apps also come across if they are on both app stores.

However, music, books and PDFs don’t transfer, so you will need to move those yourself. Paid apps need to be downloaded again from the App Store.

What the transfer won’t save

None of these are hard. They just don’t happen by themselves, so go through each one before you erase the old phone.

Authenticator codes

Two-factor authentication is the six-digit code some accounts ask for after your password. If those codes come from an authenticator app, they may live only on the old phone. Erase it and you can lock yourself out of email, bank and work accounts.

If you use Google Authenticator:

1. Install Google Authenticator on the new phone.
2. Then sign in with the same Google Account you used before. If sync was on, your codes appear on their own.
3. If your codes don’t appear, go back to the old phone and open Google Authenticator.
4. Tap the menu, then Transfer accounts, then Export accounts.
5. Choose the accounts to move and tap Next. A QR code appears.
6. On the new phone, open Google Authenticator, tap the menu, then Transfer accounts, then Import accounts.
7. Tap Scan QR code and scan the code on the old phone.

If you use a different authenticator app, look in its settings for a transfer or backup option before you wipe anything.

Then test it. Log in to one real account using a code from the new phone. Only trust the move once that works.

Cards in Apple Wallet

Your debit and credit cards need to be added again on the new phone.

1. Open the Wallet app.
2. Tap the Add button.
3. Then tap Previous Cards.
4. Pick the cards you want and tap Continue.
5. Follow the prompts. Your bank may ask you to confirm it’s you by text, email or its app.

WhatsApp

First, open WhatsApp on the new phone after setup and check whether your chats are there. If they are missing, use WhatsApp’s own Chat Transfer. WhatsApp says the new phone must not be registered on WhatsApp before you start the transfer on the old phone.

On the old iPhone:

1. Open WhatsApp.
2. Tap your profile picture.
3. Tap Chats, then Transfer Chats to iPhone, then Start.
4. Allow camera access if asked.

On the new iPhone:

1. Open WhatsApp and tap Agree & continue.
2. Next, verify your phone number.
3. Tap Continue on the transfer screen and allow local network access.
4. Use the old phone to scan the QR code on the new phone.
5. Keep both phones unlocked, close together, and inside WhatsApp until it says the transfer is complete.

Call history, peer-to-peer payment messages and media from WhatsApp Channels don’t come across.

Apple Watch

If your watch isn’t connected to the new phone after setup, open the Apple Watch app on the new iPhone and pair it from there.

Banking and payment apps

Open every bank, payment and money app on the new phone. Sign in all the way until you see your balance or account. Don’t assume they work. Check each one.

Trading in the old phone

The money is real. Apple Trade In is offering $175 to $885 in credit for an iPhone 13 or later. Through select carriers, Apple says you can get up to $1,200 toward an iPhone 18 Pro. That applies to an iPhone 14 or later, in any condition.

Still, nobody puts this on the trade-in page. Your old phone is the only full copy of whatever you forgot.

Our advice is to use the new phone for a week before the old one leaves your hands. That matches the 7 days Apple keeps your temporary backup after a restore. Apple and each carrier set their own deadline for sending the phone in, so check yours. If you have to hand it over the same day, finish the checklist below first.

Checklist before you erase

Tick each one on the new phone.

• Look through a few of your oldest photos and a few from this week.
• Log in to one account using a code from the new authenticator app.
• Make a call and send a text.
• Open WhatsApp and check your chats are there.
• Check that your cards are in Wallet.
• Sign in to every banking and payment app.
• If you have an Apple Watch, confirm it’s paired to the new phone.

How to erase the old iPhone

Only do this once every box above is ticked.

1. On the old iPhone, open Settings.
2. Tap General.
3. Next, choose Transfer or Reset iPhone.
4. Finally, tap Get Started and follow the prompts.

Erasing also removes Activation Lock, a security lock tied to your Apple Account. As a result, the next owner can set the phone up.

Then, and only then, let it go.