Got two new iPhone 15s delivered on Thursday. I give my daughter the choice, pink or baby blue, she picks the pink one.

We take her broken down iPhone tap a few things on the screens and away it goes transfer everything from her old phone to her new one. We have a glitch at the end activating it which I overcome by using my iPhone as a hotspot and using the Verizon Assistant chat bot. The whole process takes about an hour.

Go to do mine yesterday figuring I got this now. Nope. Blue iPhone says it needs to update IOS which it can’t do via cellular because it hasn’t progressed to the point where we set that up yet. Won’t do the update using my old phone as a hotspot either. I tried a multitude of ways to get it to work. I finally get the phone activated and updated. It asks me if I want to enable some security feature; sure, why not? I then I go to reset it to factory and it says there’s a 1 hour lockout preventing me from doing that because that security feature is active. That’s why not!?!?!

The phone is now finally in a state to do the transfer from my old phone, but yet again, it says it needs a wifi network connection. That’s a lie because it really needs that wifi network connection to be connected to the internet. Now, because I activated my new phone, the old phone has no cellular connection, so I can’t use it as a hotspot. It says I can use a computer with iTunes installed. That’s another lie. I installed iTunes on my computer a few weeks ago and backed my phone up. Last night though, iTunes recognized neither phone. My computer sees them, but not iTunes. My guess is iTunes needs an internet connection.

I tried using my wife’s phone (hers is nowhere near her hotspot cap) as a hotspot, again no go. On a whim, I try my son’s phone as hotspot and it works. The transfer starts and seems to work. Wake up this morning to find none of the apps transferred and all have to be downloaded. Once that’s done, I find none of my login information for the apps has transferred.

So here I sit, day two trying to get my new iPhone to work. At least I can charge it by plugging the included USB-C to USB-C cord into my computer though.

I want the pink one now.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: trapper189,

^^^^^
Apparently there’s no Apple Store near you. But if your cellular provider has an office near you they would likely be able to set your iPhone up. T-Mobile has done that for me.

Define near:
Apple Store - fastest route 3hr 18min 236 miles
Verizon store - fastest route 1hr 4min 59 miles

If I had known I was going to have issues, I could have swung by the Verizon store on the way home from dropping one of my son’s friends off at the airport in Flint. It would have only added 26 miles to the 410 mile round trip.

quote:

My daughter’s phone said our cellular connection was not good enough to back up her phone. Upload speeds are around 5mbps.

I doubt I would've endeavored to activate any new iPhones considering you're practically 'off the grid' there apparently.

It sounds like your MI property might be a good candidate for Starlink though...


ETA - Not sure what just happened here...Perhaps a 'Glitch in the Matrix'?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: nhracecraft,

Except our phones are our only internet source up here. The utility company was supposed to have hooked us up to fiber optic that just became available this past spring. We got up here first week of June, they marked the gas line to meter on the house, but they only marked the electric line to the meter and not the additional 400’ from the meter to the house. The earliest I could get an electrician out to mark the line from the meter to the house is next week.

My daughter’s phone said our cellular connection was not good enough to back up her phone. Upload speeds are around 5mbps.

It’s done. Only a few financial apps need my login info.

What's the nearest location that you can get a good Cellular connection for your phone or WiFi like a library etc? And try to complete the phone setup from there.

20 miles at McDonalds. After being up at 2am and driving 410 miles round trip to drop my kid’s friend off at the airport, I didn’t feel like driving in the rain anymore to McDonald’s.

After taking for-fucking-ever to do one iPhone upgrade via the iCloud transfer, I did the second one by backing old phone up via USB connection to computer, activating new phone, then restore computer backup to new phone via USB cable.

Zippity lickety split, WAY faster than cloud method!

^^^Got Dial-up???

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:
After taking for-fucking-ever to do one iPhone upgrade via the iCloud transfer, I did the second one by backing old phone up via USB connection to computer, activating new phone, then restore computer backup to new phone via USB cable.

Zippity lickety split, WAY faster than cloud method!

Yep. That's how I usually do it.

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:
After taking for-fucking-ever to do one iPhone upgrade via the iCloud transfer, I did the second one by backing old phone up via USB connection to computer, activating new phone, then restore computer backup to new phone via USB cable.

Zippity lickety split, WAY faster than cloud method!

When I connect my Kindle to my MacBook via USB-C the Kindle mounts on the MacBook desktop. Then a Time Machine backup operation backs up the MacBook AND the Kindle.

But when I connect my iPhone to my MacBook via USB-C to Lightning, the iPhone doesn’t mount on the MacBook desktop.

Please explain “backing old phone up via USB connection to computer”.

Thanks in advance.

quote:

Originally posted by Pipe Smoker:

Please explain “backing old phone up via USB connection to computer”.

support.apple.com:

How to back up your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch with your Mac

How to back up your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with Windows

quote:

Originally posted by nhracecraft:
I doubt I would've endeavored to activate any new iPhones considering you're practically 'off the grid' there apparently.

It sounds like your MI property might be a good candidate for Starlink though...


ETA - Not sure what just happened here...Perhaps a 'Glitch in the Matrix'?

Stupid Matrix glitch. I just went to reread which Spigen thing you suggested.

I looked at Starlink for years, but it wasn’t available until last year. By that time, the local utility had plans for fiber. Last summer the underground cable work was being done and finished this past fall.

We’ve been able to make do with using our phones as hotspots.

I really thought using iTunes on my computer was going to work. I installed it in Florida and did a backup as well. For whatever reason, iTunes on my computer won’t recognize the phones now.

^^^Spigen Tempered Glass Screen Protector [GlasTR EZ FIT]

https://www.amazon.com/Spigen-...signed/dp/B0C9RX4MLV

It's practically foolproof...As long as the screen is clean w/ NO dust! I did three of them last week, and and they all came out perfect!

Thank you. Amazon prime says if I order in the next 3 hours, I can get it by Tuesday.

Re screen protector -- Last time I was at Apple store for battery replacement, I asked the dude about screen protectors.

He told me that there were several on display, and if I wanted to buy one, the techs would install it at no additional charge while they were replacing the battery.

"Great," sez I. "Uh, which one do you use?"

"None," replies the Apple dude. "The later iPhones use Corning Gorilla glass, and it's practically bullet proof. Doesn't scratch, and with minimal case for protection, it's not likely to crack if dropped."

So, wife and I have eschewed screen protectors on all iPhones since the iPhone X, and we have not had any damage of any kind.

For case, I use a slim silicone thing, that I think was around ten bucks on Amazon. The only reason that I use a case at all, is that my hands don't work too well because Guillain Barré, and with my numb fingers, the naked phone (which I would really prefer) is too slippery for me to grasp reliably. The thin silicone case makes the phone relatively non-slip, so I'm less likely to drop it, and it does provide some protection if (when) I do drop it.

I’m getting a case and a screen protector. The case makes it easier to hold. We’re on the beach everyday for two months and sand gets everywhere, so a screen protector is in order. According to Amazon, that Spigen is the same one I used on my iPhone 12 Pro over 3 years ago.

quote:

Originally posted by Pipe Smoker:
Please explain “backing old phone up via USB connection to computer”.

Open iTunes (newer versions of macOS use Finder instead). Connect phone using whatever variety of USB/Lightning cables is necessary. Phone should show up in iTunes or Finder. Go to phone's screen (on computer) and click Backup. As a safeguard and in case you need it later (beyond just restoring to new phone), go to Manage Backups, right-click on the BU you just made and select Archive.

^^^^
Thanks V-Tail and henryaz. SIGforum is a great resource.

For Windows users, I just found out there’s an Apple app called Apple Devices that will do the whole backup and restore thing. Unlike iTunes on my computer, it recognized both phones and works on my computer. I did a backup and restore to verify. Unfortunately, there was no difference transferring the login credentials for my financial apps. I still had to reenter those manually.

Screen protector can’t get here soon enough. Phone got knocked out of my hand, landed face down on the hard floor, and sure enough there’s three tiny nicks in the screen.