How to transfer data to your new iPhone

With so many new options among the bushel of Apple iPhones, many users are going for an upgrade. But before you use the new phone, you need to know what to do with your old model.

If you’re in need of step-by-step instructions for wiping your old iPhone clean before donating or recycling it, you’re in luck. It turns out Apple has a support document explaining the entire process that works for iPads as well as iPhones.

The first step is to transfer your data to your new device. There is a migration assistant called Quick Start for users of iOS 11 and later. Turn on your new phone and place it next to your old one and a dialogue box will appear asking whether you want to set up your new phone. You’ll need to log in with the same Apple ID. Follow the on-screen instructions to move your data to the new phone. If your phone is not yet running iOS 11, you’ll need to use an iCloud backup or an iTunes backup. Once you have the new phone set up with your data, transfer your SIM card to the new device.

Now you need to wipe out the old iPhone. If you have an Apple Watch, unpair it from the phone. Apple’s instructions recommend backing up your phone one more time. It’s difficult to say why this is necessary once you have the data on your new phone, but it couldn’t hurt. If you use iCloud for the backup, you need to sign out of iCloud, the App store and iTunes. Signing out of iCloud will also sign you out of Find My iPhone. This is why you will have to enter your Apple ID password to sign out.

From the Settings app, touch your name at the very top and then scroll down to Sign Out. Then go back to Settings and touch General and scroll down to Reset and then Erase All Content and Settings.

If your phone has a passcode, you’ll be asked to enter it and then tap Erase.

That’s it, a fresh Apple turnover as easy as pie. When the phone is finished resetting, you’ll see a screen that says, "Hello" and then you can power down the phone.

If you’d like to read the Apple support article with links explaining the entire process a bit more in depth, go to support.apple.com.