How to transfer data from your old iPhone to your new iPhone 5s or iPhone 5c

If you’ve just upgraded to a new iPhone 5s or iPhone 5c from an older generation iPhone, transferring your data including contacts, calendars, photos, and more couldn’t be any easier if you’ve been good about creating backups in either iCloud or iTunes. Both make it incredibly easy for you to get the data from your old iPhone onto your new one with little effort on your part.

Here’s how:

• How to transfer data from your old iPhone to your new iPhone with iCloud
• How to transfer data from your old iPhone to your new iPhone with iTunes

How to transfer data from your old iPhone to your new iPhone with iCloud

If you have been backing up to iCloud on your old iPhone, bringing down all your data to your new iPhone couldn’t be any easier.

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.

The backup process could take quite a while depending on how much stuff you’re transferring. It’s also worth noting that certain items such as apps, photos, and videos will only restore when on WiFi in order to not eat through your data plan. If you have to leave WiFi range before the restore is complete, don’t worry, it will pick up where it left up when you enter WiFi again.

How to transfer data from your old iPhone to your new iPhone with iTunes

Coming from an older iPhone but kept your backups in iTunes instead? Not a problem. We understand that not everyone trusts the cloud yet 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. Once iTunes starts bringing your stuff down, just let it do its thing. Depending on how much data you have, especially apps, the restore process could take a while. Just make sure you don’t unplug your iPhone from your computer until iTunes tells you that the restore is complete.