How to Transfer Data from iPhone to iPhone Wirelessly

This guide will show you how to transfer data from iPhone to iPhone wirelessly. Whether you want to transfer everything or selected files, you will find a way to do it here.

By @Lena Last Updated September 30, 2024
 

How Do I Transfer Data from iPhone to iPhone Wirelessly

My new iPhone just arrived. Is there an easy way to transfer data from old iPhone to new iPhone over Wi-Fi? I want to transfer from iPhone 12 to my new iPhone 15 Pro. Thanks.

- Question from Reddit

In the early years, if Apple users want to transfer data from old iPhone to new iPhone, they can choose to restore from iTunes backup or iCloud backup. The whole process will take a long time. After all these years, things have changed. Now users can choose to directly transfer data from iPhone to iPhone over WiFi. This post will show you how to transfer data from iPhone to iPhone wirelessly in 3 simple ways.

How to Transfer Data from iPhone to iPhone Wirelessly

Here are three ways to guide you on how to transfer files from iPhone to iPhone wirelessly. You can read first and then choose the method that best suits your situation.

Way 1. Use Quick Start to Transfer Everything from iPhone to iPhone Wirelessly 

If you just took your new iPhone out of the box, you can let Quick Start help you transfer everything from iPhone to iPhone wirelessly.

Apple introduced Quick Start in iOS 11 to help users set up new iPhone from old iPhone. Later in iOS 12.4, Apple made it possible to directly transfer data from old iPhone to new iPhone over Wi-Fi.

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If you have already set up your new iPhone, you can go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone and choose Erase All Content and Settings to begin the transfer.
Make sure your old iPhone has been updated to iOS 12.4 or later. In addition, The system version of the new iPhone should be higher than the old one. Or you may go to the next part to see how to transfer everything via USB cable if your old iPhone does not support Quick Start.

Step 1. Turn on your new iPhone and place it near your old iPhone > Wait for Set Up New iPhone screen appears on your old iPhone and tap Continue to confirm your Apple ID. (Make sure that Bluetooth is turned on so you can see this option.)

Step 2. Wait for an animation to appear on your new iPhone > Capture it with your old iPhone. When it’s done, you will see a message that says Finish on New iPhone.

Step 3. Enter passcode of old iPhone on new iPhone and set up Face ID or Touch ID > On the Transfer Data from iPhone screen, tap Continue and it will start to transfer data from old iPhone to new iPhone.

Keep your iPhones near each other until you see the Transfer Completed message.

Way 2. Use iCloud to Transfer Data from iPhone to iPhone Wirelessly

If you want to sync certain types of data from iPhone to iPhone, then iCloud can be a good choice. However, there is only 5 GB of free storage space, which may not be enough to store all your data. Before that, you should first manage iCloud storage to free up more space. Then here is a full guide on how to transfer data from iPhone to iPhone with iCloud:

  • Connect two iPhones to Wi-Fi.
  • On your old iPhone: Go to Settings > your account > iCloud and turn on the toggle of the data you want to sync.

  • On your new iPhone with the same Apple ID: Do the same above to turn on the sync option and wait for the sync.

Way 3. Use AirDrop to Transfer Files from iPhone to iPhone Wirelessly

Can you transfer from iPhone to iPhoneusingAirDrop? Certainly yes! It can help you transfer photos, videos, contacts, Passbook passes, Voice Memos, Map locations, etc. Here is how to transfer data from one iPhone to another via AirDrop:

  • Turn on AirDrop on two iPhones: Open Control Center > Press and hold on the wireless control box > Tap AirDrop and choose Contacts Only, or Everyone.
  • On the source iPhone: Go to Contacts app and tap the contact you want to transfer > Choose Share Contact > Tap AirDrop and select the target iPhone.

  • On the target iPhone: Tap Accept to receive the contact and the contact will be saved to Contacts app.

Bonus Tip: An Easy Way to Transfer Data from iPhone to iPhone

How to transfer iPhone to iPhone? Different ways can help us transfer data from iPhone to iPhone wirelessly. However, these methods all have some limitations.

● If your old iPhone is running iOS below iOS 12.4, you can't use Quick Start to transfer everything. ● iCloud can help you sync certain types of data, however, two iPhones should use the same Apple account. ● AirDrop can help you transfer files between two iPhones in a flash but it can only transfer one contact at a time.

If you have a computer at hand, you may use one professional iPhone data transfer tool to move data to a new iPhone via a USB cable, such as AOMEI FoneBackup. It can help you transfer everything or only selected files from iPhone to another one. It supports all iPhone models and all iOS versions.

● No Apple ID limitation. It’s possible to transfer data from iPhone to iPhone with different Apple ID. ● The iPhone to iPhone Transfer feature is able to transfer everything from iPhone to iPhone in one click. ● You can choose to transfer selected photos, videos, contacts, music, messages from iPhone to another one.

It’s only a matter of a few clicks to transfer data from iPhone to another one. Below are the steps to transfer data from iPhone to iPhone.

Step 1. Click the download button to install Aomei FoneBackup on your computer > Launch AOMEI FoneBackup and connect two iPhones via the USB cable.

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Step 2. Choose Phone Transfer > Locate iPhone to iPhone and click the Get Started option.

Step 3. Confirm the source device and target device. Finally, click Start Transfer.

β˜…Tips:
If you want to selectively transfer data from iPhone to iPhone after setup, you can first transfer data from source iPhone to computer and then transfer data from computer to the target iPhone.
If there is only one USB data cable, you can use the "Full Backup" function in AOMEI FoneBackup to back up old iPhone to PC, and then restore the backup to the new iPhone to realize the switch.
If you don't have any data cable to connect your iPhone to a PC, you can use AOMEI FoneBackup for iOS to transfer specific data between two iPhones wirelessly.

Final Words

That’s all about how to transfer data from iPhone to iPhone wirelessly.

  • If you have not set up your new iPhone, you can use Quick Start to transfer everything during the setup process.
  • If you have already set up your new iPhone, you can let iCloud or AirDrop transfer certain types of data from old iPhone.

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