I have an older iPhone 5s and I'm ready to switch to a new iPhone. I'm looking to transfer all the data from my old device to my new one without using iCloud. I want to avoid any potential conflicts since both will be associated with the same iCloud account. I'm particularly concerned about transferring obscure apps that may no longer be available. Here are my main questions: 1. Is my iPhone 5s running iOS 12.5.1 too old to use the phone-to-phone Wi-Fi transfer feature? 2. Can I visit an Apple Store to transfer everything with a cable, or is my iOS version a limitation? 3. Can I backup my iPhone using Finder on my Mac Mini (M1 with macOS 11.7) like I would with iTunes? Will I be able to restore all my data, including those obscure apps? 4. Are there other methods I might not have considered? I'm looking for the most reliable way to ensure all my old data makes it to the new phone.
1 Answer
Using Finder to back up your iPhone is a solid choice. It works similarly to iTunes, so once you have your old phone connected, you can back it up and then restore that backup onto your new iPhone. Just make sure you have both devices handy for the process! This way, you can avoid any hiccups with iCloud.
Just so you know, with Finder you won't be able to browse through the files directly on your Mac. You'll need to keep your old iPhone plugged in to see the backup options.