I got an iPhone pro max for Christmas and am trying to move everything from my iPhone 13 to the new one. I knew it could take some time since I have 88 GB free on my iPhone 13 out of 256 GB, so I left it overnight. When I checked the next morning, my old iPhone showed some message, but nothing had actually transferred to the new phone. Normally, I would back it up to my MacBook, but I don’t have enough space to back up my 13 there and restore it to the new phone. I’m really worried because I have texts from my mom, who passed away 9 years ago, and thousands of photos of my son that I don’t want to lose. I’ve never paid for the iCloud upgrade because I don’t have enough space on there.
Do you still have the phone? If so, I’d seriously think about paying for a larger iCloud+ plan, especially if you have sentimental things you don’t want to lose. Paying monthly isn’t ideal, but imagine if your new phone gets broken or stolen in the future. You wouldn’t want to risk losing those important memories, and you could probably get by with the 200GB plan, which is only $3 a month.
@Emerson
This is the best advice. Either pay for cloud storage or make local backups of what’s important.
Emory said:
@Emerson
This is the best advice. Either pay for cloud storage or make local backups of what’s important.
I agree, but the convenience of automatic uploads is really worth it to me.
Emory said:
@Emerson
This is the best advice. Either pay for cloud storage or make local backups of what’s important.
You can get free temporary iCloud storage from Apple to transfer your data. Just reach out to their support and ask.
@Wynn
Even easier: open Settings > General > Transfer or Reset > Prepare for New iPhone. It will back up your data to iCloud for free.
@Emerson
Create local backups. If you forget to back up in the future, you’ll still have your mom’s messages. If $3 a month is too much, go for local storage.
@Emerson
I agree completely. iCloud isn’t just for convenience. It’s about peace of mind. I love not having to worry about losing my data.
Just try resetting your new phone and start the transfer process again.
Transfer does work, unless you didn’t back up correctly. It can take a long time, but the transfer happens in the background. There’s usually a progress bar at the bottom of your Messages app. Your photos should say ‘iCloud sync in progress.’ Apps will show up on the home screen but will be black until they’re fully downloaded. The new phone will only use WiFi to finish the setup unless you change the settings. I always switch mine to use data because I’m not always home. Worst case, you can redo it if you still have your old phone.
You probably noticed by now, but nothing is missing from your old phone. Just try the transfer again.
Joss said:
You probably noticed by now, but nothing is missing from your old phone. Just try the transfer again.
Yeah, nothing was missing from my old phone, but nothing had transferred to my new one. I realized neither phone had the latest iOS, so I updated both and it worked!
I think Apple gives free iCloud storage for 30 days during data transfer. You could back up everything there and then restore it on your new phone.
Drue said:
I think Apple gives free iCloud storage for 30 days during data transfer. You could back up everything there and then restore it on your new phone.
It’s actually 21 days, not 30. You can get unlimited iCloud storage for 21 days by going to Settings > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Prepare for New iPhone.
@Van
Oh, I wasn’t sure about the number of days, but they do offer unlimited cloud storage temporarily.
Drue said:
I think Apple gives free iCloud storage for 30 days during data transfer. You could back up everything there and then restore it on your new phone.
Wow, I didn’t know that. I’ll definitely look into it. Thanks .
Just pay $9.99 for 2TB… it’s worth it for all your memories.
You can use emergency iCloud backup. Link to guide.
If both phones are on iOS 18, try plugging them in directly (Lightning to USB-C) and restarting both phones. Then follow the transfer process on the new phone. Sometimes this method is more reliable than wireless transfer for larger transfers, but only if both phones are updated.
I’ve had this problem too! As you found out, iOS updates usually solve it. I had an issue where my old device couldn’t claim the free iCloud space because the iOS was too old, and I couldn’t upgrade because there wasn’t enough free space. I ended up setting up the new phone as fresh, logging in, updating, claiming iCloud+, and then restoring everything from iCloud.