10/03/2026
How to best prepare for your new iPhone
Once you’ve decided on your new iPhone, you want to take a few steps to ensure your transition to the new device is smooth. First - give yourself time to get into the new iPhone before you really need it. For example, you don’t want to do it the day or even a few days before a big trip. I’ve worked with people who wanted to purchase a new iPhone on the way to the airport. Big mistake.
��While the process of setting up a new iPhone and transferring your data into the new device has become more smooth, it’s still a process, and you want to make sure everything is set up the way you expect (and want) before you’re in another country or on a big trip, etc.
1. Make sure your current iPhone is backed up. I recommend using iCloud. I know some people think it’s risky or unsafe, but with all I know and have experienced, it remains a safe and secure way to back up (and sync) your data on your iPhone. �
A. To do this, go into the ‘Settings’ app on your iPhone,
B. click on your name at the top (opens your Apple account page)
C. Click on ‘iCloud”
D. Scroll down and click on ‘iCloud Backup’
D. Make sure the green slider is enabled by ‘Back Up This iPhone’,
‘Back Up Now’ in blue letters allows you to create a backup in the moment, underneath this it tells the last time you had a successful back-up.
2. Ensure you know your Apple Account Password (sometimes called your Apple ID, iCloud, or iTunes password). This is the key to your backup and many other Apple settings and functions. If you want to set up your new iPhone at the Apple Store - or anywhere else, make sure you bring this with you.
��If you don’t know your Apple Account password or have an incorrect password, you can use the steps on this page: https://support.apple.com/en-us/102656 .
Note: as long as you have an Apple device signed into your Apple Account (iCloud), the easiest method to change or reset your password is on that device. The webpage above can help with those steps.
3. Make sure you also know your passwords to your email account/s and any other apps or accounts you use regularly. You will very likely need to sign into these apps/accounts on your new device (to verify and ensure you’re really you trying to access your stuff).
NOTE: Transferring Gmail and Google accounts is _way_ easier when you have both the old and new iPhone in your possession, before erasing the old one, to set up the new one.
4. There are some third-party apps and services you may have on your iPhone that you depend on or need. Here are just a few that can be important to ensure you have backed up or transferred onto your new iPhone BEFORE you erase/trade-in your current device:
* WhatsApp - make sure your data is backed up.
* If you use an e-key (electronic key) for your vehicle, make sure you transfer that to your new iPhone.
* Cryptocurrency - not my speciality, but I have heard you could possibly lose $$ if not properly addressed.
5. I strongly recommend trading in your current/old iPhone _after_ you have time to verify that all that is important has successfully moved over to your new iPhone. This is why I prefer Apple’s methods of getting into a new iPhone… whether it’s the iPhone Upgrade, iPhone Payments, or iPhone Lease program. You have 14 days (2 weeks) to keep your old iPhone before trading it in and receiving value for your old device.
