"I got the iPhone 12 Pro Max yesterday, and I am trying to migrate all of my data from my iPhone XS Max to my new phone. I have tried iCloud backup, but it took over 12 hours and failed. I have had all kinds of issues setting up my new phone, and it would say 'preparing to transfer' and never do anything. It finally started to transfer after many restarts and re-tries, but it failed when it was about to finish. Manual backup is not an option for me because my laptop is filled with storage. Hopefully, someone can help."
- Apple Support Community
Transferring data from iPhone to iPhone usually works perfectly. However, you may get deeply frustrated when the iPhone Migration is not working. Stop being down right now. With this detailed tutorial, you will be able to resolve the iPhone to iPhone transfer not working issue without a hassle.
Part 1. FAQs about iPhone Migration & How to Use It
Part 2. How to Fix iPhone Data Transfer Not Working
iPhone Migration, or Quick Start, is an Apple proprietary feature built-in iOS 12.4 or higher to transfer data between iPhones during setup. If you are not familiar with this feature, you may have the following queries.
1. What to Transfer and Not to Transfer with iPhone Migration?
You can transfer everything from your old iPhone to your new iPhone with iPhone Migration, like contacts, notes, calendars, reminders, etc. However, you cannot select what to transfer during the process.
2. How to Use iPhone Migration?
3. How to Speed Up iPhone Migration Process?
You can place both iPhones close and connect to a stable and fast Wi-Fi network to speed up the data migration process for a wireless transfer. If you use cable migration, the transfer speed will be faster than the wireless migration.
4. How to Use iPhone Migration if the New iPhone Is Already Set Up?
Suppose you have already set up your new iPhone. In that case, you can erase the iPhone before using this feature by going to Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings. Note that the erasure will delete everything from your iPhone. Back up your iPhone before a factory reset if you don't want to lose data.
5. Why Is iPhone Migration Not Working?
Many factors may contribute to iPhone to iPhone transfer not working, including:
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Below are ten efficacious methods for iPhone transfer troubleshooting.
As mentioned earlier, iPhone Migration only works on iPhones with iOS 12.4 or above. So, if data won't transfer to the new iPhone, your first thing is to check whether both iPhones fulfill the system requirement. If not, you should update both iPhones to iOS 12.4 or higher before performing a data migration.
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Assume the transfer directly from iPhone is not working and there are no prompts displayed on the source iPhone. There might be system glitches to prevent it from responding to the iPhone migration. You can restart the source iPhone and reset the target iPhone before another attempt.
To reboot the source iPhone:
On iPhone X and above:
On iPhone SE (2nd generation), iPhone 8, and below:
To reset the target iPhone:
If your source iPhone is brand new and not activated, you need to put a SIM card into the iPhone. Note that you cannot activate an iPhone without a SIM card. Then, try again to move data from iPhone to iPhone.
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Assume you move data from iPhone to iPhone wirelessly. It would help if you need to place both devices at a close distance. If the iPhone transferring data is not moving, ensure to put them side by side to establish a successful connection.
When transferring from iPhone to iPhone with iPhone Migration, you need to enable Bluetooth on your devices to make a connection between both devices. So, if the transfer from the old iPhone to the new iPhone is not working, ensure that whether you have turned on Bluetooth on your iPhone or not.
You can switch on Bluetooth from Settings or the Control Center. Pull down the drop-down screen or open the Settings app on your iPhone, find Bluetooth and toggle on the Bluetooth icon.
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iPhone Migration automatically moves files from the old iPhone to the new iPhone over Wi-Fi and enough power. If your iPhone battery runs low, you can plug both iPhones into a nearby power source to accomplish the transfer process.
The wired migration is much more stable than the wireless transfer. When you cannot complete data transfer on iPhone 13 over a Wi-Fi connection, try using a USB 3 Camera Adapter and a lightning cable to connect both iPhones and continue moving files.
If the iPhone migration doesn't work still, check whether the USB cable has physical damages or deficit. You can change another Apple-certified cable and try again.
Suppose you tried all the above tips, but iPhone Quick Start continues not working. In that case, try migrating data from iPhone to iPhone with iTunes. The process involves backing up your old iPhone with iTunes to a computer and restoring the iTunes backup to the new iPhone.
How do I manually start migration on iPhone with iTunes?
Another way to copy data from iPhone to iPhone when the iPhone Migration is not working is using Coolmuster Mobile Transfer. This alternative app lets you transfer various files from iPhone to iPhone on a computer after setup and consumes no network.
The highlights of Coolmuster Mobile Transfer:
To transfer data from iPhone to iPhone in one click:
1. Launch the software on your computer after installation and enter the Mobile Transfer module.
2. Connect two iPhones to the computer using two working USB cables and tap Trust on your iPhone if asked. When the program recognizes your iDevices, you will see Connected under the device images.
Note: The sending iPhone should be in the Source position. If needed, tap the Flip button to switch them.
3. Tick off the files you want to transfer and tap the Start Copy button below to migrate data from iPhone to iPhone.
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After moving files with the alternative way, if you still want to fix the iPhone Migration not working error, you can contact the Apple Support team and make an appointment in advance. Later, you can take your iPhone to the nearest Apple Store to see whether they can help you inspect and fix the iPhone software or hardware issues.
As you can see, you have so many options to take to fix the iPhone Migration not working problem. Thus, select one way to resolve your issue right now. If you don't want to take time troubleshooting the error and lose data, use Coolmuster Mobile Transfer to migrate files from one iPhone to another in one click. After that, you can bring your iPhone to the nearest Apple Support Center to get it repaired.
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