If you've got a new iPhone 13 to replace your current iPhone, there are a few ways you can migrate your data across to the new device. You can restore your apps, data, and settings from your most recent iCloud backup, restore from a backup on your computer, or you can use device-to-device migration to transfer your data directly from your previous ‌iPhone‌ to your new one. There are currently known issues with restoring your data from a backup, so this article focuses on how to perform a wireless device-to-device migration.

iphone 13 vs iphone 12
Without doubt, device-to-device migration will be the most convenient option for most owners of a new ‌iPhone 13‌. It transfers over information like photos, app data, login credentials, device preferences and settings, and more. As with an ‌‌iCloud‌‌ backup, apps themselves are downloaded directly from the App Store rather than from your existing ‌‌iPhone‌‌. It may take a little longer than restoring from a backup, but the time saved from not having to log into all your apps again makes it worth the wait, which is why this process trumps the other transfer methods.

The following steps outline the Quick Start process that you can use to perform a wireless device-to-device migration. As always when transferring data between devices, make sure you have made a backup of your current ‌iPhone‌, just in case anything untoward happens during the migration process.

  • How to Back Up Your iPhone to a Mac
  • How to Back Up iPhone on Macs Running Mojave or Earlier
  • How to Back Up Your iPhone Using iCloud
  • How to Back Up Your iPhone to a Windows PC

It's also worth noting that if your current ‌iPhone‌ has an eSim plan, you'll be asked to "Transfer Cellular Plan" while setting up your ‌iPhone 13‌: You can either select the numbers you want to transfer or opt to Decide Later to complete the plan transfer after you've set up your ‌iPhone‌.

  1. Plug both iPhones into a power outlet, turn on your new ‌iPhone 13‌ and place it near your current ‌iPhone‌, which needs to be running iOS 12.4 or later for the transfer to work. The Quick Start screen will appear on your current ‌iPhone‌ and offer the option of using your Apple ID to set up your new device. Make sure that it's the ‌Apple ID‌ that you want to use, then tap Continue.
  2. Hold up your current ‌iPhone‌ and center the camera's viewfinder over the animation that appears on your ‌iPhone 13‌. Wait for a message that says "Finish on New ‌iPhone‌."
    set up iphone 13
  3. When prompted, enter your current passcode on your new ‌iPhone 13‌.
  4. Follow the instructions to set up Face ID on your ‌iPhone 13‌.
  5. Tap Transfer from ‌iPhone‌ to start transferring your data to your ‌iPhone 13‌. You should be given the choice of whether to transfer some additional settings, such as Apple Pay and Siri, to your new ‌iPhone‌.
  6. If you have an Apple Watch paired to your current ‌iPhone‌, you'll be asked if you want to transfer your Apple Watch data and settings.
  7. Keep the two iPhones near each other and plugged into power until the data migration process is finished.

The amount of time that it takes to transfer data from one ‌‌iPhone‌‌ to another will vary based on what's on the existing ‌‌iPhone‌‌, but Apple provides a data transfer estimate on the main data transfer screen.

If the wireless network you're relying on is too slow, you can perform the data migration using a wired connection, but for that you'll need a Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adaptor and a Lightning to USB Cable. Connect the Camera Adaptor into your current ‌iPhone‌, then plug the Lightning to USB Cable into your ‌iPhone 13‌ and the other end into the adaptor. You'll then be able to follow the steps outlined above.

If you plan to sell or trade in your old ‌iPhone‌ to get a bit of extra cash, make sure to adequately erase everything on it to get it ready for its next owner.

Related Stories

How to Transfer Data From Your Old Mac to a New Mac

Friday December 3, 2021 4:41 pm PST by Tim Hardwick

When you want to move data from an old Mac to a new one, the most reliable method is to use Apple's Migration Assistant. Found in the Utilities folder of your Applications folder, Migration Assistant copies all of your files from your old Mac to your new Mac, so you don't have to transfer them manually. The first set of steps in this article assume that you have both the old Mac and the new...

How to Export Facebook Notes and Text-Based Posts

Tuesday April 20, 2021 1:13 am PDT by Tim Hardwick

Facebook has introduced a tool that lets users export notes and text-based posts to third-party services, making it easier than ever to leave the social network without saying goodbye to your content. The new "data portability types" mean people can now directly transfer their notes and posts to Google Docs, Blogger and WordPress. The updates are extensions to Facebook's existing tool that...

How to Erase All Content and Settings on Mac

Wednesday October 27, 2021 8:33 pm PDT by Tim Hardwick

Following in the footsteps of the iPhone and iPad, Apple silicon Macs and Intel Macs with a T2 security chip (2017-2020 models) now have an "Erase All Content and Settings" option available in macOS Monterey. This article explains what the option does and how and when to use it. Traditionally, wiping a Mac and returning it to factory settings involved manually signing out of a range of...

How to End-to-End Encrypt Your WhatsApp Chat Backups in iCloud

Friday October 15, 2021 1:03 am PDT by Tim Hardwick

WhatsApp end-to-end encrypted backups are now rolling out for iPhone users, Facebook has announced. Until now, WhatsApp let users back up their chat history to ‌‌iCloud‌‌, but the messages and media contained in the backups weren't protected by WhatsApp's end-to-end encryption while in ‌‌Apple's cloud servers‌. End-to-end encryption ensures only you and the person you're...

iOS 15: How to Add a Hotel Room Key to iPhone and Apple Watch

Thursday December 9, 2021 8:02 pm PST by Tim Hardwick

In iOS 15, Apple has introduced the ability to add a hotel room key to the Wallet app on your iPhone, allowing users to consult their phone or Apple Watch for reservation details, as well as use them to check in and unlock their room. For example, Hyatt, a well-known hotel chain, in December 2021 announced its adoption of Apple's Wallet technology, with guests able to use Apple Wallet room...

How to Transfer Your Apple iCloud Photos to Google Photos

Thursday March 4, 2021 9:02 am PST by Tim Hardwick

If you're looking for a quick and easy way to transfer your iCloud photos to Google Photos, look no further. Apple now offers a service that's designed to streamline the process of moving your photos and videos to Google's cloud platform. Keep reading to learn how it works and how to get started with it. First of all, make sure that Apple's iCloud-to-Google Photos transfer service is available ...

How to Test Your Internet Speed in macOS

Thursday December 9, 2021 8:05 pm PST by Tim Hardwick

Since macOS Monterey was released, Apple has included a tool to check the quality of your Mac's internet connection without having to rely on benchmarks from third-party websites. After you've joined the Wi-Fi network that you want to test, the tool is accessed via the command line, so you'll need to open the Terminal console (found in Applications/Utilities) and type in the following at the...

How to Clean Install macOS Monterey Easily Using the New Erase Mac Option

Monday October 25, 2021 1:45 pm PDT by Tim Hardwick

Apple today released macOS 12 Monterey, and whenever a new operating system is released for the Mac, some users prefer to perform a clean installation. This article explains how to perform what is effectively a clean install of Monterey using a brand new option that's available on Apple silicon-powered Macs and Intel Macs with a T2 security chip. Clean installing macOS is often done to...

Popular Stories

Apple Will Finally Kill the Notch With the iPhone 14 Pro

Apple will finally begin removing the notch from the iPhone starting in 2022 with the iPhone 14 Pro, according to recent reports. Last week, Korean website The Elec reported that the 6.1-inch iPhone 14 Pro and the 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Pro Max will feature a hole-punch display design, much like those seen on some high-end Android devices, instead of the notch. The notch, which Apple calls...

Top Stories: Five New Macs in 2022, iPhone 14 Pro and AirPods Pro 2 Rumors, and More

It was another busy week for Apple rumors, with Mark Gurman and Ming-Chi Kuo spilling a range of details about Apple's Mac roadmap, the next AirPods Pro, Apple's AR/VR headset plans, and more. In other news, it looks like the next round of Apple software updates will be arriving shortly with iOS 15.2, macOS 12.1, and related releases. The updates will bring several new features like the...

2022 'MacBook' and 'iMac Pro' Could Help Apple Simplify Its Naming Strategy

Apple could be looking to simplify the naming of its product lineups, most noticeably with the launch of a "MacBook" and "iMac Pro" in 2022, according to recent rumors. Apple is believed to be preparing to launch five new Macs in 2022, including a new high-end iMac, a redesigned MacBook Air, an updated Mac mini, entry-level MacBook Pro, and Mac Pro with Apple silicon. While multiple...

Deals: AirPods 3 Drop to New Low Price of $139.99

Amazon today is beating the Black Friday price we tracked on Apple's AirPods 3 last month, now available for just $139.99, down from $179.00. On Black Friday and Cyber Monday, we tracked the AirPods 3 at $149.99. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running. ...

Apple Stores Getting Tool for Updating AirPods Pro to Latest Firmware Version

Friday December 10, 2021 6:33 pm PST by Joe Rossignol

Starting early next week, Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers will gain access to a new AirPods Firmware Updater diagnostic tool for updating AirPods Pro to the latest firmware, according to an internal memo obtained by MacRumors. The tool will allow technicians with access to Apple Service Toolkit 2 to download the latest firmware on a customer's AirPods Pro during repair...

Apple Updates AirPods, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max Firmware

Thursday December 9, 2021 11:16 am PST by Juli Clover

Apple today released a new 4C165 firmware update for the AirPods 2, AirPods 3, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max. The second-generation AirPods and AirPods Max were previously running firmware version 4A400. The AirPods Pro previously had 4A402 firmware available, and AirPods 3 were running firmware version 4B66. Apple does not offer information on what's included in refreshed firmware updates...

iPhone 14 Pro Models to Feature Hole-Punch Display

Wednesday December 8, 2021 3:40 pm PST by Juli Clover

The high-end iPhone 14 Pro models launching in 2022 are expected to have a hole-punch display, according to Korean website The Elec. The 6.1-inch iPhone 14 Pro and a 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Pro Max are expected to feature the upgraded display, which will do away with the notch used in the current iPhone models. The hole-punch cutout will allow Apple to provide a larger display area while still...