How to Transfer Photos to a New iPhone

To transfer photos to a new iPhone, use Quick Start when you set the phone up. If the old iPhone used iCloud Photos, turn on Sync this iPhone as well. Without iCloud, transfer directly from the old iPhone or restore a computer backup.

Whether iCloud Photos is on decides which of those routes carries your library. It also decides what happens if you delete photos from the old iPhone afterwards, so check it before you start.

Check Whether iCloud Photos Is On

On the old iPhone, open Settings, tap your name, tap iCloud, then tap Photos. Apple says that when Sync this iPhone is on, your photos are stored in iCloud Photos.

That setting changes what each backup holds. With it on, your photos stay out of iCloud Backup, and Apple's list for computer backups leaves them out too. With it off, iCloud Backup may include the photos in your library.

iCloud Photos being on does not prove the whole library is in iCloud. Apple says that once iCloud storage runs out, new photos and videos won't upload. Those photos stay on the old iPhone alone until you clear a full iCloud plan or upgrade it.

Both routes that use the old iPhone start from the same setup screen.

How to Transfer Photos With Quick Start

Does Quick Start transfer photos?

Quick Start transfers photos stored only on the old iPhone, going by a recommended answer on Apple Support Community. That answer, written for an iPad, says there is no way to hold them back. Apple's own Quick Start page speaks of apps and data, and never names photos.

1. Put the old iPhone on Wi-Fi with Bluetooth on, unlock it, and go to the Home Screen.
2. Turn on the new iPhone, place it next to the old one, and follow the setup prompt.
3. Connect the new iPhone to Wi-Fi or mobile data, then set up Face ID or Touch ID.
4. Choose to download from iCloud or to transfer directly from the old iPhone.
5. Keep both iPhones close together and plugged in until the transfer ends.

The choice in step 4 decides when you get the phone back. A download from iCloud runs in the background, so you can use the new iPhone straight away. A direct transfer makes you wait until it finishes on both iPhones.

Optimize iPhone Storage needs care here. Apple says it is on by default with iCloud Photos, and it leaves full-resolution photos in iCloud with space-saving copies on the phone when needed. Apple's Quick Start page does not say what a direct transfer does with those copies. Keep your iCloud plan and turn on sync as well.

Transferring Over a Cable

A cable connects the two iPhones directly. Apple's page on wired transfers lists the hardware for each pairing:

How to Transfer Photos With iCloud

Do photos transfer to a new iPhone automatically?

Photos transfer to a new iPhone automatically only when the library is in iCloud Photos and sync is on. Apple says photos already stored in iCloud Photos become available on a device signed in to the same Apple Account with sync on. Otherwise you cannot view them there.

1. Sign in to the new iPhone with the same Apple Account as the old one.
2. Open Settings, tap your name, tap iCloud, then tap Photos.
3. Turn on Sync this iPhone.
4. Keep the phone on Wi-Fi and plugged in while your photos download.

With Optimize iPhone Storage on, the new iPhone may keep space-saving copies. For full-size copies on the phone, go to iPhone Storage in the same menu and choose Download and Keep Originals.

Using an iCloud Backup Instead

An iCloud Backup can carry photos only with iCloud Photos off, so the backup has to fit your plan. Every account starts with 5 GB free. When you restore, choose the iCloud Backup option during setup. Apple says to erase an iPhone already set up first.

Buying a new iPhone can get you temporary iCloud storage when your plan is too small for a backup. On the old iPhone, go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Get Started. You then have 21 days to restore, and you can ask for 21 more if the new iPhone has not arrived. Apple does not say how much storage you get.

Those limits apply only to iCloud, which leaves the old iPhone or a computer as the way around them.

How to Transfer Photos to a New iPhone Without iCloud

How do I transfer photos to a new iPhone without iCloud?

To transfer photos to a new iPhone without iCloud, run Quick Start and choose to transfer directly from the old iPhone. Apple lists an iCloud backup as a need only for its iCloud route. A computer backup is the second route, and AirDrop suits a handful of photos.

Google Photos sits outside this choice. Once it has backed up the old iPhone, Google says your saved photos are reachable from any device you sign in to.

Restoring a Computer Backup

Back up the old iPhone to a Mac or PC, then connect the new iPhone during setup. In Finder or the Apple Devices app, select the iPhone, click Restore Backup, and pick the backup by its date and size.

A library in iCloud Photos will not be in that backup. To take it out of iCloud first, turn off sync on the old iPhone and choose Download Photos & Videos. That saves a copy to the phone.

Sending a Few Photos With AirDrop

Both iPhones need Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on, with Personal Hotspot off. In Photos, tap Select, pick the photos, tap Share, then tap AirDrop and choose the new iPhone. Tap Accept on it. Apple's page states no limit on the number of photos, and it describes sending to another person, not to your own phone.

Photos Synced From a Computer

Photos put on the old iPhone with Finder or iTunes can go missing on the way. Apple says iCloud Photos doesn't upload them, and its list for computer backups leaves them out as well.

A new iPhone can report that everything has synced while some photos stay behind. A recommended answer on Apple Support Community gives this as the likely cause, and AirDrop as the fix. Live Photos synced back from a computer also lose their effect, by Apple's account.

How to Transfer Photos From Android to a New iPhone

The Move to iOS app carries camera photos and videos and photo albums from an Android phone during setup. Turn on Wi-Fi on the Android phone, plug both devices in, and check that the content will fit on the iPhone.

Apple says you must erase the iPhone and start over if you already finished setup. Apple also describes a route with no app, which needs a compatible version of Android 17 or later.

Check the New iPhone Before You Clear the Old One

The old iPhone is your fallback until the new one shows everything. Apple's order for a sale or trade-in is to back up, transfer, and only then remove your information.

Three checks before you clear it:

• Scroll back to your oldest year in the Library, on both iPhones.
• Open a few albums and a few videos on the new iPhone.
• Look for photos from any computer you once synced with.

Clear the old iPhone by erasing it, not by deleting photos. Apple's same page warns that deleting items by hand while signed in removes them from iCloud and from all your connected devices. Erasing the device does not delete your iCloud content.

To erase it, go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase All Content and Settings. With iCloud Photos on, Apple says a photo deleted on one device goes from all of them. That rules out emptying the old library by hand.

The same rule helps before a transfer, because a photo deleted first never has to move.

Moving Fewer Photos to the New iPhone

Trim the library before you start the transfer, and back up your photos first. With iCloud Photos on, each deletion reaches iCloud too, so that copy is what remains once the 30 days in Recently Deleted end.

Check your iCloud plan as well. Apple says that over the storage limit, deleted photos are removed at once and skip Recently Deleted. That leaves no 30-day window to change your mind.

Screenshots, duplicates, and long videos are the obvious places to start. Fewer photos also change how much iPhone storage you need. On a lower-capacity iPhone, Apple says you might need to remove some content first. The Photos app handles deleting photos in bulk when a whole month or album can go.

The rest of a camera roll comes down to one decision per photo. Photo cleaner apps show the library one photo at a time and delete only what you confirm. Apps such as Swipe Quick do this on the device: swipe left to delete, swipe right to keep.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to transfer photos to a new iPhone?

Transferring photos to a new iPhone takes as long as your library and connection require. Apple gives no figure, and says the time varies with network conditions and the amount of data. A direct transfer ties up both iPhones until it ends, so start when you can spare them.

Can you transfer photos to a new iPhone after setup?

Photos can be transferred to a new iPhone after setup with iCloud Photos or AirDrop. Restoring a backup is different, because Apple says to erase an iPhone already set up first. Anything added to the new iPhone since then goes with it.

How do I not transfer photos to a new iPhone?

To not transfer photos to a new iPhone from iCloud Photos, leave Sync this iPhone off. Photos stored only on the old iPhone are harder. A recommended Apple Support Community answer says a transfer cannot hold them back, so copy them elsewhere and delete them before you start.