Thursday, March 28, 2024

How to set up and start using your new iPhone 5s or iPhone 5c

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How to set up and start using your new iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, or iPhone 4s

Everything you need to know to set up and start using your new iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, or iPhone 4s

So you have a brand new iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, or iPhone 4s in the palm of your hands. You’ve just taken it out of the box and peeled the wrapping off. But now what? If you’re new to iPhone, we can get you up and running in just a few easy to follow steps. For those of you coming from an older iPhone, you can easily transfer all your contacts, apps, photos, and more from your iTunes or iCloud backup. Coming from BlackBerry or Android? We’ve got you covered there too!

Follow along to get your new iPhone up and running in virtually no time.

  • How to set up your iPhone as new
  • How to restore your new iPhone from an iCloud backup
  • How to restore your new iPhone from an iTunes backup
  • How to transfer data from an Android or BlackBerry device to your new iPhone

How to set up your iPhone as new

If you’ve never owned an iPhone before or you’re brand new to using a smartphone, you’ll want to set your iPhone up as new in order to start using it.

If you’re transferring from another platform such as Android or BlackBerry, you can transfer some of that data after your iPhone is up and running. Follow the steps below and then check out our guides on how to transfer data from Android and BlackBerry as well.

  • How to transfer data from a BlackBerry 10 phone to your new iPhone
  • How to transfer data from an Android phone to your new iPhone

Some of the steps above are our personal preference. You can of course choose not to use iCloud or you can choose not to send usage information to Apple. Bear that in mind when making your choices.

  • After your new iPhone powers on, you’ll see a welcome screen, Slide your finger across the bottom where it says slide to set up.
  • Now choose your language from the choices presented to you.
  • Select the country or region you are in.
  • Now choose your WiFi network and enter the password for it if there is one. If you don’t have access to WiFi or no networks are found, you can choose Use Cellular instead or wait until you’re within range of an accessible WiFi network.
  • Now on the Location Services screen, choose whether you’d like to have location services on by default. Make sure you read the description of what location services are before deciding whether or not you’d like to enable or disable them. Keep in mind that certain apps like Maps need location services to operate properly.
  • On the next screen, tap on Set up as New iPhone.
  • Now choose to either sign in with an existing Apple ID or create a new, free one. If you don’t want to do either right now, you can tap on Skip This Step.
  • If you didn’t choose to skip signing into an Apple ID, do so on the next screen. If you use two separate IDs for iCloud and iTunes, you can choose that option as well under the login by tapping on Use different Apple IDs for iCloud and iTunes.
  • Agree to Apple’s Terms and Conditions on the next screen. The following screen will ask you to confirm that you agree one more time.
  • On the next screen, choose whether or not you want to use iCloud to access data on other iOS devices and to store your photos, contacts, and calendars.
  • Now choose whether or not you’d like to enable Find My iPhone. We highly suggest that you do.
  • The next screen lets you choose what phone numbers and emails associated with your Apple ID that you’d like to use on your new iPhone on conjunction with iMessage. Simply tap on them to enable or disable them. You can always change these choices later in Settings.
  • Next you can Create a Passcode for your iPhone if you’d like. If not, just tap on Don’t Add Passcode above the keypad.
  • Now choose whether or not you’d like to activate Siri. We recommend enabling Siri unless you really have a reason not to.
  • Lastly, choose whether or not you’d like your iPhone to send diagnostic information to Apple. Read the description before making your choice.
  • On the Welcome to iPhone screen, just tap on Get Started and your iPhone Home screen will be displayed for the first time.
  • That’s all there is to it! You’re all set up and ready to start using your new iPhone! If you’re coming from Android or BlackBerry, make sure you check out our guides on transferring your stuff over that are linked above.

    How to restore your new iPhone from an iCloud backup

    If you’re moving to a new iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, or iPhone 4s from an older generation iPhone and you’ve been creating iCloud backups, it’s simple to bring all your stuff down without fussing with iTunes or re-downloading things.

  • After your new iPhone powers on, you’ll see a welcome screen, Slide your finger across the bottom where it says slide to set up.
  • Now choose your language from the choices presented to you.
  • Select the country or region you are in.
  • Now choose your WiFi network and enter the password for it if there is one. If you don’t have access to WiFi, you can choose Use Cellular but keep in mind, only some things in your iCloud backup will be restored without WiFi. Others won’t be triggered until you’re on WiFi. Or you can choose to restore from an iTunes backup if you have access to one.
  • Now on the Location Services screen, choose whether you’d like to have location services on by default. Make sure you read the description of what location services are before deciding whether or not you’d like to enable or disable them. Keep in mind that certain apps like Maps need location services to operate properly.
  • On the next screen, tap on Restore from iCloud backup and enter your credentials when asked.
  • Now agree to the Terms and Conditions. You will be asked to verify that you agree to them a second time.
  • If you have iCloud backups, your iPhone will now show them. Tap on the backup name that you’d like to restore from.
  • That’s all there is to it. Your iPhone will begin restoring from your iCloud backup. Keep in mind that the more data you have, the longer it will take. iCloud will start by just restoring your system settings so you can start using your iPhone as soon as possible but apps, photos, videos, and other types of media may take a while to finish coming down from iCloud. Just be patient and if you have to jump off of WiFi, no worries, iCloud will pick up right where it left off next time you are connected to WiFi.

    How to restore your new iPhone from an iTunes backup

    How to restore your new iPhone from an iTunes backup

    Coming from an older iPhone but kept your backups in iTunes instead? Not a problem. We understand that not everyone trusts the cloud and if you prefer traditional hard backups in iTunes over using iCloud, that’s fine too. We can help you get all your data to your new iPhone just as quick.

    Just remember to make sure you’re on the most current version of iTunes 11 before continuing.

  • After your new iPhone powers on, you’ll see a welcome screen, Slide your finger across the bottom where it says slide to set up.
  • Now choose your language from the choices presented to you.
  • Select the country or region you are in.
  • Now choose your WiFi network and enter the password for it if there is one. If you don’t have access to WiFi, you can choose Use Cellular but keep in mind, only some things in your iCloud backup will be restored without WiFi. Others won’t be triggered until you’re on WiFi. Or you can choose to restore from an iTunes backup if you have access to one.
  • Now on the Location Services screen, choose whether you’d like to have location services on by default. Make sure you read the description of what location services are before deciding whether or not you’d like to enable or disable them. Keep in mind that certain apps like Maps need location services to operate properly.
  • On the next screen, tap on Restore from iTunes backup.
  • If you aren’t already connected to your computer containing your iTunes backups, your iPhone will prompt you to do so now.
  • Follow the prompts in iTunes in order to select your most recent backup.
  • That’s all there is to it. Let iTunes do its thing and bring all your data down again. Just as with iCloud, depending on how much data you have, the backup could take a while. So be patient and make sure you don’t disconnect your iPhone until iTunes tells you that your restore is complete.

    How to transfer data from an Android or BlackBerry device to your new iPhone

    Coming from BlackBerry or Android? No problem! We’ve even got separate guides for both that can help you pull as much data as you possibly can to your new iPhone.

    • How to transfer data from a BlackBerry 10 phone to your new iPhone
    • How to transfer data from an Android phone to your new iPhone

    Still need help?

    If you’re running into issues with any of the methods above, the iMore forums are an excellent place to find answers to common problems and ask about other ones. If you’re brand new to iPhone and iOS, make sure you check out some of the other features below as well!

    See also:

    • Complete iOS 7 review
    • More iOS 7 tips and how-tos
    • iOS 7 help and discussion forums

    Read more

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