If you are ready to upgrade your old iPhone for the newest iPhone on the market take a look at this checklist to make sure you’re ready for the changeover. This will ensure the transfer from your old iPhone to your new iPhone is seamless and that all your data has been successfully transferred over and all of your important information removed from your old iPhone ready to be recycled or handed down to someone else.
Here is a list of things to do to your old iPhone before the upgrade.
Back up your iPhone
To transfer all data from your old iPhone to your new iPhone you will need to do a backup. To find out how to backup your iPhone you can visit one of my other blog posts – How to Backup your iPhone. If you have a laptop and prefer to use iTunes for your backup, then connect your iPhone or iPad to a Mac or pc with your charge cable. You can only back up a device on one computer. Once the device is connected, click on File > Devices > Back Up to begin. Alternatively, you can access the “Back Up Now” button under Summary in iTunes. Double-check your work by clicking the iTunes top menu > Preferences > Devices tab. You should see the name of the device and the time of backup.
You can also backup your iPhone to iCloud if you have enough storage. Apple iCloud will give you 5Gb free and this is never big enough to allow you to back up your iPhone to. On your device, open the Settings app, select iCloud, and tap Backup. Turn on iCloud Backup. After this option is selected, the device will automatically update when it is connected to the Internet via WiFi, the screen is locked, and it’s hooked up to a power source. To do it manually, go to Settings, then iCloud, select Backup, and tap Back Up Now.
Remove your Photos
Remove photos from Camera Roll. Your photos will be backed up if you follow the first step but it is always good to connect your iPhone to your PC and copy your photos off to have a copy on your computer.
Sign out of your iCloud account
Open the Settings app > iCloud > tap “Sign Out.” If you remain signed in, when a factory reset is performed the iPhone can still be locked to your account. By doing this step, the phone can then be set up for someone from scratch without dilemmas.
Log out of Apple ID
By perform the previous step should also automatically log you out of your Apple ID. Always check as a precaution. Open the Settings app >App and iTunes Stores > tap Apple ID and sign out.
Restore to factory settings
Performing a factory reset on your iPhone will erase all data and settings to ensure it is ready for the next owner Open the Settings app > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings.
Hot tips
- Whatever you do, don’t manually delete contacts, photo streams, calendars, or reminders while logged in to your iCloud account. This will also delete the content from the iCloud servers and your iCloud-connected devices (like your iPad or laptop).
- If your phone accidentally runs out of battery during the “restore to factory settings” step, use iTunes to erase data. Connect the device to your computer, then restore the backup. Connect your phone to power, go to Settings app > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings again.
