Setting up a new iPhone can be an exciting experience, but also raises questions about what will happen to your existing data and settings. When you choose “Set Up as New iPhone” during the initial setup process, it means your new iPhone will be clean and empty, without any of your old content.
This option is great if you’re looking for a fresh start or got a new iPhone. However, it also means none of your contacts, photos, apps, or settings will transfer over automatically. You’ll need to manually move any data you want to keep from your old iPhone to the new one.
Here are some key things to know about what happens when you set up an iPhone as new:
Your data and settings are not transferred
Choosing “Set Up as New iPhone” means your new device starts completely fresh, with none of your existing data or settings. Everything on your old iPhone remains on the old device only.
So your contacts, photos, videos, music, apps, iMessages, emails, Health/Activity data, and customized settings do not automatically transfer to the new iPhone. Any content you want to keep needs to be transferred manually from the old device.
You’ll start with a blank slate
When you power on your new iPhone for the first time, you’ll go through the standard setup process just like setting up a new device out of the box. This includes choosing your language, connecting to a Wi-Fi network, creating a new Apple ID or signing in to your existing one, and other basic setup steps.
None of your old data or customized settings will carry over. So you are starting completely fresh with a blank Home screen, no imported contacts, no apps except built-in Apple ones like Messages and Photos, and default settings. It’s like having a brand new, untouched iPhone.
You can manually transfer some (but not all) data
While your settings and data don’t automatically transfer when you set up as new, you can choose to manually move over certain types of content from your old iPhone:
- Contacts: You can transfer your contacts by importing them from iCloud or your old iPhone.
- Photos: Your camera photos and videos can be transferred manually from your iCloud photo library, image backup on your computer, or synced from the old iPhone.
- Music: Any music you purchased from Apple (iTunes or App Store downloads) can be downloaded again after signing in to your Apple ID. Other music would need to be synced from a computer.
- iCloud data: Calendars, reminders, notes, and some app data can be synced from iCloud after signing into your Apple ID.
- Backups: You can use iTunes or iCloud backups to restore certain data like messages, WhatsApp history, and Health data.
However, many types of data cannot be transferred at all when you set up as new. This includes:
- App data and settings
- Messages history
- Email accounts and mail data
- Home screen layout and folders
- Activity and Health data
- Keychain passwords
- Accessibility settings
So while you can manually move over some basics like contacts and photos, expect to start from scratch reconfiguring many things on your new iPhone.
You’ll need to reinstall apps
When you set up your new iPhone as new, no third-party apps get transferred from your old device. The only apps on your Home screen out of the box will be built-in ones from Apple like Messages, Mail, Calendar, Photos, Camera, and the App Store.
You’ll need to re-download any third-party apps you want from the App Store and reconfigure them with your accounts and preferences from scratch. Unfortunately, no app data or settings transfer over either. And you’ll have to sign in to each app again and reset preferences.
So expect to spend time reinstalling and setting up apps if you want the same selection as your old iPhone. Downloading dozens or hundreds of apps again takes time.
You can sign in to your Apple ID and re-download purchases
Although your apps themselves don’t transfer from your old iPhone, you can sign in to your Apple ID on your new device and re-download any apps, music, books, and other media purchases for free.
The purchased section of the App Store and iTunes will let you get all Apple content you paid for previously at no additional cost. This makes reinstalling apps a bit less painful.
But as mentioned above, the app data itself won’t transfer over. And you’ll still need to take time setting up the apps with your accounts and preferences again.
Your settings revert to defaults
With your iPhone set up as new, all settings will revert to the default values when you first turn on the device. This includes:
- System settings like wallpaper, Siri preferences, Gestures, Sound profile
- Privacy and security settings like Face ID, passcode, Apple Pay cards
- App settings and notifications
- Messages settings like SMS signatures, iMessage effects
- Camera settings like Live Photos and formats
- Home screen layout, dock apps, and folders
You’ll have to go through and customize all your settings from scratch on the new iPhone. Expect to spend time personalizing and tweaking everything to your preferences again.
Your call and message history won’t transfer
Unfortunately, when you set up as a new iPhone, your full call history and iMessages/SMS text history do not carry over to the new device.
You’ll start with a clean slate with no records of past conversations. The only way to transfer your call and messages history is to restore your iPhone from an iTunes or iCloud backup. But that process is not compatible with the “Set Up as New iPhone” option.
So if keeping your long-term call and chat records is important, setting up as new means you lose access to that historical data.
You get a fresh start for troubleshooting
On the plus side, choosing Set Up as New iPhone gives you a completely clean slate if you wanted to start fresh and troubleshoot any issues from your old iPhone.
Software issues, system glitches, storage problems, and other headaches that may have plagued your old device get wiped clean with the new setup.
It’s essentially a factory reset giving you a fresh iPhone experience. This makes it easier to isolate and resolve any problems that lingered from your previous device.
Should I set up my new iPhone as new?
Given what happens when you choose the “Set Up as New” option, is it the best idea for your new iPhone? Here are some pros and cons to consider:
Reasons to set up as new
There are some benefits to using the fresh start option when you get a new iPhone:
- Resolve issues or glitches from your old device
- Start completely fresh if giving your old iPhone to someone else
- Experiment with customizing a blank-slate device from scratch
- Force yourself to review and prune any unused apps and data
- Tutorial experience of learning iPhone basics from the beginning
For troubleshooting purposes, or if you enjoy the fun of customizing a brand new device, the new setup gives you that opportunity.
Downsides to setting up as new
However, there are also some clear downsides to starting your new iPhone from scratch:
- Major time investment to reinstall apps, settings, etc.
- Missing data that cannot transfer at all (messages, Health, Activity data, etc.)
- Potential loss of data if you don’t manually back up your old device
- Frustration if you rely heavily on existing settings and app configuration
- Downloading and reconfiguring hundreds of apps takes patience
Unless you absolutely want or need a fresh slate, transferring your data and settings from an existing iPhone backup is usually much quicker and convenient.
Alternatives to try first
Setting up your new iPhone using your iCloud or iTunes backup is typically faster and easier for most people versus starting from scratch.
Here are a couple alternative setup options to try first before deciding on the nuclear “Set Up as New” option:
- Use Quick Start setup – This wirelessly transfers many settings, preferences, and data from your old iPhone to new iPhone when prompted during setup.
- Restore from iCloud backup – You can select this option during setup to download your latest iCloud backup data including messages, settings, app data, and other content.
- Restore from iTunes backup – Connect your new iPhone to a computer with iTunes and restore from a saved iTunes backup file to transfer data.
These options will transfer over most of your settings and data so you don’t have to start completely from scratch. You may still want to set up as new after trying these other methods first.
How to transfer data from old iPhone
If you do choose to set up your new iPhone as new, don’t panic yet. You can still move some data over manually from your old device after finishing the initial setup steps.
Here are key ways to transfer data after the fact:
Contacts
You can transfer your contacts list to your new iPhone:
- Via iCloud – Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Contacts and enable syncing on your new device. This will download your contacts from iCloud.
- From old iPhone – Connect your old iPhone to your new one with the Quick Start cable during setup. You can also sync contacts directly from the old device via Bluetooth or iTunes file sharing later.
- Other methods – Sync contacts from Google or Exchange accounts, import a contacts file from your computer, or use third-party apps to transfer contacts.
Photos
To get your camera photos and videos on your new iPhone:
- Enable iCloud Photos – Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Photos and turn on iCloud Photos to sync your entire iCloud photo library.
- Import from computer – Connect your new iPhone to your computer and import images and videos from your local photo library using the Photos or Image Capture app.
- Sync from old iPhone – Connect the two devices with the Quick Start cable or via Bluetooth and choose to sync photos and videos.
Music, books, and media
You can re-download any music, books, movies, etc. purchased through Apple via the iTunes Store and App Store on your new device:
- Sign in to your Apple ID and look in the Purchased section of the various apps (App Store, TV, Books, etc.) Your previous downloads should be available for free re-download.
- Sync iTunes or Apple Music content from your computer via a USB connection and Apple Music, iTunes Match, or iTunes file sharing.
iCloud data
Enable iCloud on your new device to sync data like contacts, calendars, reminders, notes, bookmarks, and some app data from iCloud:
- Make sure you are signed in to your Apple ID that you used on your old iPhone.
- Go through the various iCloud settings on your new device (Settings > [your name] > iCloud) and enable syncing for each data type.
Backups
You can use iPhone backups from iTunes or iCloud to restore certain data:
- iTunes: Connect your new iPhone to the computer you normally sync with and restore from your iTunes backup in the Summary tab.
- iCloud: After setup, you can erase your new iPhone and choose to restore from your iCloud backup during a new setup process.
iCloud and iTunes backups store data like messages, Health info, WhatsApp data, Activity data, and Apple wallet passes.
Keep in mind app data itself does not transfer via backups. And you cannot restore backups after using “Set Up as New” without wiping the device first.
Key takeaways
Here are some key facts to remember about what happens when you set up an iPhone as new:
- None of your data, content, or settings transfer automatically
- You will need to reinstall apps and reconfigure settings
- Some data like messages history and Health data cannot transfer at all
- Media purchases can be re-downloaded if you sign in to your Apple ID
- Manually moving data requires extra steps after finishing setup
- It gives you a completely fresh start, which can be good for troubleshooting
- But you’ll invest lots of time reconfiguring a new iPhone from scratch
Overall, setting up an iPhone as new takes more effort since you are starting completely fresh. But it may be the right choice if you want to resolve issues from your old device or just enjoy customizing a blank-slate device from the start.
Conclusion
When you get a new iPhone, you have the choice to set it up as a new device or restore your data and settings from an existing backup. While starting fresh may sound appealing, know that it also requires investing significant time reinstalling apps, reconfiguring settings, and possibly losing data that cannot transfer.
Evaluate your personal needs and priorities first. For most users, transferring an iCloud or iTunes backup will allow seamless transition to the new iPhone with minimal disruption. But those who want a completely clean slate may wish to put in the work setting everything up themselves from scratch.
