How to transfer photos to a new iPhone
Your photo library moves with the iPhone. A vault app may not, unless you check first.
In short
If you use iCloud Photos, sign in with the same Apple Account on the new iPhone and the library downloads by itself. Otherwise, use Quick Start to transfer from the old iPhone, or restore an iCloud or computer backup during setup. Vault apps that encrypt photos with their own keys may need their own restore — check it before you erase the old phone.
Key takeaways
- With iCloud Photos, the library follows your Apple Account.
- Quick Start can transfer directly from the old iPhone.
- Check each vault app’s restore before wiping the old phone.
Before you start
- Make sure you have a recent backup of the old iPhone.
- Have your Apple Account password ready.
- Update the old iPhone to the latest iOS if you plan to use Quick Start.
- Open each vault app you use and find out how it restores on a new device.
Option 1: Quick Start
Quick Start sets up the new iPhone from your current one, which needs iOS 11 or later. It occupies both devices for a while, so pick a moment when you don’t need your phone.
- Connect the old iPhone to Wi-Fi, turn on Bluetooth, and unlock it.
- Turn on the new iPhone, place it next to the old one, and follow the prompts.
- Set up Face ID or Touch ID.
- Choose how to transfer: download from iCloud, or transfer directly from your previous iPhone.
- Keep both iPhones close together and plugged in until the transfer is complete.
Downloading from iCloud lets you use the new iPhone right away while data arrives in the background. A direct transfer must finish on both devices before you can use them.
Option 2: restore a backup
During setup, on the Apps & Data screen, choose Restore from iCloud Backup or Restore from Mac or PC, then pick the right backup by its date and size. If the new iPhone is already set up, you have to erase it first in Settings › General › Transfer or Reset iPhone › Erase All Content and Settings.
A computer backup that isn’t encrypted won’t bring over Health and Activity data. After the restore, keep the new iPhone on Wi-Fi and power for a while: content stored in iCloud, photos included, downloads back in the background.
If you use iCloud Photos
With iCloud Photos on, your library isn’t inside the backup — it is in iCloud. Sign in with the same Apple Account, check that Sync this iPhone is on in Settings › [your name] › iCloud › Photos, and let the library download. Leave the old iPhone untouched until the photo count matches.
Vault apps need their own check
A vault app that encrypts files with its own keys can’t always be moved like ordinary app data. Whichever app you use, find its restore method before you erase or trade in the old iPhone, and confirm that the vault opens on the new one.
In Latent, the vault key is protected by a key held in the Secure Enclave of the iPhone, which stays on that iPhone. On a new iPhone, you install Latent with the same iCloud account, choose to restore a vault and enter its nine-word recovery phrase. The built-in restore test lets you check that this works before the day you need it.