Technologies

I Used to Dread Transferring My Data to a New iPhone, Until I Learned the Right Steps

These are the best no-hassle approaches to safely moving your information between phones, even including Android.

I’ve been shuffling my personal data from iPhone to iPhone since the very first model. I’d get anxious about whether I was moving everything over safely, or if I’d need to start over and lose hours of waiting. Because when you get a brand-new phone, you’d rather spend your time configuring the most important settings the way you like, or exploring new features, like Apple Intelligence.

Fortunately, it’s easier than ever to shift data to a new iPhone from the phone you have now — even if it’s an Android model.

I’m here to break down the four ways to easily transfer your data from your old phone to your new iPhone, whether you’re starting with a new iPhone 16 or a different model replacing your old device.

If you’re upgrading your current phone to the latest operating system, here’s how to download iOS 18, and here’s our review of iOS 18. And if it’s an iPhone 15 Pro or later, get up to speed on what Apple Intelligence offers.

For more, explore a bunch of hidden iOS 18 features, and learn everything you can do with the iPhone 16’s new camera button.

Apple’s iPhone 16, 16 Plus Show Off Bolder Colors and Buttons

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1. Restore from iCloud

During the setup process, you’ll be asked if you want to directly transfer apps and information from your old iPhone to your new one using Quick Start. This feature was first rolled out with iOS 12.4, so if it’s been several years since you’ve upgraded phones, it’ll be the first time you’ve seen the option. The easiest and quickest method to set up your new iPhone is to restore from a recent iCloud backup. As you walk through the initial setup process, tap Restore from iCloud Backup, sign in with your Apple Account (previously called Apple ID before iOS 18) and then pick the most recent backup of your old iPhone.

If the backup is more than a day or two old, take an extra few minutes to create a new backup. To do so, open the Settings app on your old phone, search for iCloud Backup in the Search field at the top of the screen and then click the matching result. Click Back Up Now to update the cloud backup.

Once that finishes, go back to your new iPhone and select the backup you just created as what you want to use to restore from.

Your phone will then restore your settings and preferences, and you’ll be able to start using it in about 15 minutes. It will continue downloading your installed apps in the background.

Once everything is restored, you’ll need to sign back into any accounts you added to your phone, as well as go through your apps and make sure you’re still signed in.

2. Apple direct transfer

If you do not have a recent iCloud backup or your Internet connection is slow, you can transfer everything from iPhone to iPhone, either wirelessly or via cable. When the Quick Start process asks for the source, choose the direct transfer option.

Make sure you have both phones (preferably plugged in and charging to ensure they don’t run out of battery), a Wi-Fi connection and enough time for the process to finish — it could take over an hour. You can speed up that process by connecting both phones using a USB cable, but note that you might need an adapter if your current phone is an iPhone 14 or earlier with a Lightning port. Apple has more details on how to make a wired transfer work.

The more information you have on your phone, like photos in your camera roll, the longer it will take. When the transfer starts, the phones will show you a time estimate. Every time we’ve used this tool, that estimate has been accurate within a couple of minutes. It’s worth taking the time if you don’t use Apple’s iCloud service to back up your phone.

3. Use a Mac or PC

The method I use with every new iPhone is to restore from an encrypted backup using a Mac or PC. Not only does this process transfer all of your apps, settings and preferences, but it also means you don’t have to sign into the countless apps you have on your phone.

Before you can use this method, you’ll need to create an encrypted backup of your current iPhone. I know that may sound intimidating or overly complicated, but it only means you have to check an extra box and enter a password.

On a Mac, you’ll use Finder to back up your old iPhone. We outlined the steps when Apple killed iTunes. Just make sure to check the Encrypt backup box and enter a password you’ll remember when prompted. Let your Mac go to work, creating a backup file. It will let you know when it’s done.

On a PC, you’ll need to use iTunes (it’s not completely dead) to create a backup. That process is explained here. Again, you’ll need to make sure the Encrypt backup box is checked and enter a password.

To restore your new phone, open Finder or iTunes, and connect your phone to your computer. Click Trust when prompted, and then follow the prompts, selecting the backup you just created as what you want to use to restore the phone. You will need to enter the backup’s password before the process begins, so make sure you don’t forget it.

Once it’s done, your new phone will be an exact copy of your old phone and you won’t have to spend any time signing into apps or random accounts.

4. Move to iOS for Android users

Apple doesn’t have many Android apps listed in Google’s Play Store, but Move to iOS is one of them. This free app will connect your Android phone to a new iPhone and allow you to transfer the most important information from one phone to the other.

Here’s the entire step-by-step process, as well as some caveats, like the fact that it won’t transfer any locally stored music or PDF files.

Apple said it has redesigned Move to iOS to make it faster and easier to migrate from your Android phone to your new iPhone. The company goes on to say it has sped up Wi-Fi migration with transfer speeds up to 5GHz, and you can use Wi-Fi on your iPhone to connect to your Android phone. You can also connect your Android phone to your new iPhone with a USB-C or USB-C to Lightning cable to move everything over more quickly, Apple said.

No matter the process you used to set up your new phone, you’re in for excitement and fun as you explore what it can do.

Here is what you can do with the new iPhone 16 camera button and your monthly reminder to clear your iPhone cache.

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Technologies

Google I/O 2025: How to Watch and What to Expect

With Android 16 out of the way, Google I/O will certainly be all about AI.

Google I/O 2025 takes place on May 20 and 21 with Google’s big keynote happening on day 1. We expect Big G to talk about its myriad innovations across its ever-expanding portfolio of products — almost certainly with a huge focus on AI every step of the way. If we collectively cross our fingers, promise to be good and eat all our vegetables then we may even be treated to a sneak peek at upcoming hardware.

Read more: Android 16: Everything Google Announced at the Android Show

Google also hosted a totally separate event that focused solely on Android. The Android Show: I/O Edition saw the wrappers come off Android 16, with insights into the new Material 3 Expressive interface, updates to security and a focus on Gemini and how it’ll work on a variety of other devices.

By breaking out Android news into its own virtual event, Google frees itself to spend more time during the I/O keynote to talk about Gemini, Deep Mind, Android XR and Project Astra. It’s going to be a jam-packed event, so here’s how you can watch I/O 2025 as it happens and what you can look forward to.

Google I/O: Where to watch

Google I/O proper kicks off with a keynote taking place on May 20, 10 a.m. PDT (1 p.m. EDT, 6 p.m. BST). It’ll almost certainly be available to stream online on Google’s own YouTube channel, although a holding video is yet to be available. There’s no live link on the I/O website yet, either, though you can use the handy links to add the event to your calendar of choice. Expect links to a livestream to be available closer to the day.

What to expect from Google I/O 2025

Little chat about Android 16: As Google gave Android 16 its own outing already, it’s likely that it won’t be mentioned all that much during I/O. In fact at last year’s event, Android was barely mentioned, while uses of the term «AI» went well over a hundred.

Android XR: Google didn’t talk much about Android XR during the Android show, focusing instead on the purely phone-based updates to the platform. We expected to hear more about the company’s latest foray into mixed-reality headsets in partnership with Samsung and its Project Moohan headset, so it’s possible that this is being saved for I/O proper.

Gemini: With Android being spun out into its own separate event, Google is evidently clearing the way for I/O to focus on everything else the company does. AI will continue to dominate the conversation at I/O, just as it did last year (though hopefully Google can make it more understandable) with updates to many of its AI platforms expected to be announced.

Gemini is expected to receive a variety of update announcements, including more information on its latest 2.5 Pro update which boasts various improvements to its reasoning abilities, and in particular to its helpfulness for coding applications. Expect lots of mentions of Google’s other AI-based products, too, including DeepMind, LearnLM and Project Astra. Let’s just hope Google has figured out how to make this information make any kind of sense.

Beyond AI, Google may talk about updates to its other products including GMail, Chrome and the Play Store, although whether these updates are big enough to be discussed during the keynote rather than as part of the developer-focused sessions following I/O’s opening remains to be seen.

Technologies

You Can Now Buy Nike’s $900 Workout Shoes for Compression and Heating

The Nike Hyperboots, designed to help you warm up and recover from workouts, launched Saturday.

Those workout shoes with compression and heating that Nike and Hyperice showed off at CES 2025 earlier this year weren’t just a concept. The Hyperboot is now available to buy online in North America, so they’re within reach, as long as you’re willing to spend $899.

The high-tops, which Nike and Hyperice call a wearable much like your smartwatch, help your feet warm up before a workout, and then recover after it. The shoes do this with heating and air-compression massage technology, taking the idea of heating pads and compression socks and making them mobile.

«You can definitely feel the heat in here,» CNET former mobile senior writer Lisa Eadicicco said when she had the chance to try these workout shoes on in January. She walked across a demo room in Las Vegas wearing the fancy footwear to test out the compression and heating features.

The boots massage and compress your ankles and feet, and in CNET’s test, we could especially feel the heat around the ankles. Buttons on the shoes let you adjust compression and the amount of heat with multiple settings for each.

«The Hyperboot contains a system of dual-air bladders that deliver sequential compression patterns and are bonded to thermally efficient heating elements that evenly distribute heat throughout the shoe’s entire upper,» Nike said.

The battery lasts for 1 to 1.5 hours on max heat and compression settings, or 8 hours if you’re only using the massage setting. It takes 5 to 6 hours to charge via USB-C cable. The boots come in five sizes: S, M, L, XL and XXL.