My understanding is it'll come "unlocked" so should work with any provider (I'm currently with US Cellular but will likely be switching). I've bought my prior phones from US Cellular and one nice thing was they shifted over my contacts, photos, and basically handed the new phone to me ready to use. Any tips or suggestions? It'll be a 13 Pro replacing my 8 Plus, and I have a Mac laptop.

I'm an Android user, but I believe you just need a current iCloud backup & on the new phone you'd restore from iCloud & it would bring everything over?

I've always bought mine at a B&M Apple store and the worker/drones there would walk me through the setup without any issues.

I'm on AT&T/Firstnet

My wife’s 13 just showed up in the mail. She swapped the SIM card into the 13 and the set up instructions onscreen told her to place her old iPhone next to the new one. The two phones initiated a direct wireless connection automatically, presumably via Bluetooth, and everything in the old phone fully transferred to the new one. It took about 20 minutes from opening the box to using the new phone.

Be sure you have an icloud account setup with the correct amount of backup storage to handle all your data, apps, pictures etc.

Once you get the new phone activated you can restore from the icloud backups.

I bought a 12 pro max about 6 months ago, upgrading from a 6 and it was stupid easy.
From what I recall, I turned it on and it had me take a picture of the screen of the 6 where it showed one of those square code things (as you can tell, I'm not much of a techie) and it took over from there.
The process took 10 minutes or less and was flawless, moving everything on my old phone to the new one.

Actually apple makes it easy. When you start setting up your new iphone you can just transfer from old iphone to new by having them close to each other and following the prompts. What the videos below show. You can search and view others.

Or you can back up your current iphone to your mac and then setup your new and select setup from backup and pick the 8 backup. The cloud is another backup location, but I don't use it so can't really comment on it, but I assume it is as easy. Again videos showing it done this way are online.

Don't reset your old until you are sure you have everything you want on the new. If going to another carries you will need their sim card. If staying with same carrier just swap it in.

Thanks everyone! BTW I don't have enough iCloud storage I'm too cheap to pay for additional.

quote:

Originally posted by TXJIM:
My wife’s 13 just showed up in the mail. She swapped the SIM card into the 13 and the set up instructions onscreen told her to place her old iPhone next to the new one. The two phones initiated a direct wireless connection automatically, presumably via Bluetooth, and everything in the old phone fully transferred to the new one. It took about 20 minutes from opening the box to using the new phone.

Wow I'm convinced that I *may* be able to accomplish this! Ordering now.

OK iPhone 13 Pro, 128 GB estimating to arrive end of this month. I put it on my Apple Card for 3% back.

quote:

Thanks everyone! BTW I don't have enough iCloud storage I'm too cheap to pay for additional.

bump the storage for a month, get the new phone, update, then cancel the extra storage amount. $5 is cheap for insurance of backing up everything.

Not a bad idea I may do this, thanks HRK.

I must be the lone person still backing up to...um...a computer.

With that said, back up however you want, go to the store, they'll help you wipe the old (if'n you're selling back to them) and when you get home with new phone, you can load everything back up from computer. It's pretty self explanatory.

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:

quote:

Thanks everyone! BTW I don't have enough iCloud storage I'm too cheap to pay for additional.

bump the storage for a month, get the new phone, update, then cancel the extra storage amount. $5 is cheap for insurance of backing up everything.

This ^^^^^, except 50GB is merely $1/month. 200GB: $3/mo.

I don't pay for it, anymore, because I've decided to no longer keep that much stuff in Apple's care (photos get downloaded and deleted), but it is trivially cheap.

I just did the process two days ago that boss302 posted. I did take it to e Verizon store to activate. I have extra storage for 99 cents/mo.

Just upgraded my 12 to a 13. Swapped the sim card out, new phone detected old phone, off it went. 30 minutes I was up and running. Maybe 60 minutes later all my apps/photos/emails/texts were pulled from the cloud.

They gave me $550 trade-in for a 12. I figured "why not". For a couple hundred $ I have the latest with a new battery.

I think I actually prefer the 12 in size and feel. Zero difference in performance (as far as I can tell).

quote:

Originally posted by TXJIM:
My wife’s 13 just showed up in the mail. She swapped the SIM card into the 13 and the set up instructions onscreen told her to place her old iPhone next to the new one. The two phones initiated a direct wireless connection automatically, presumably via Bluetooth, and everything in the old phone fully transferred to the new one. It took about 20 minutes from opening the box to using the new phone.

I just traded my iPhone 8 in for an iPhone 13 mini, and set it up just like this ^^^ - it was stupid easy and took about 30 minutes while the 8 and 13 talked to each other. I am THE WORST at this kind of stuff, if I did it anyone can do it.

quote:

Originally posted by ridewv:
Thanks everyone! BTW I don't have enough iCloud storage I'm too cheap to pay for additional.

quote:

Originally posted by TXJIM:
My wife’s 13 just showed up in the mail. She swapped the SIM card into the 13 and the set up instructions onscreen told her to place her old iPhone next to the new one. The two phones initiated a direct wireless connection automatically, presumably via Bluetooth, and everything in the old phone fully transferred to the new one. It took about 20 minutes from opening the box to using the new phone.

Wow I'm convinced that I *may* be able to accomplish this! Ordering now.

OK iPhone 13 Pro, 128 GB estimating to arrive end of this month. I put it on my Apple Card for 3% back.

Cloud storage is really cheap. You can buy the phone with the basic storage and save hundreds by storing things on the cloud instead of in the phone.
I'm as thrifty (my wife says cheap) as they get and even I pay for I-cloud storage. Saves you a lot of money in the long or short run.

quote:

Originally posted by aileron:

I just traded my iPhone 8 in for an iPhone 13 mini, and set it up just like this ^^^ - it was stupid easy and took about 30 minutes while the 8 and 13 talked to each other. I am THE WORST at this kind of stuff, if I did it anyone can do it.

Thanks aileron good to hear. I'm looking forward to getting rid of my 8 Plus (too big) and getting a better camera. The lens was replaced a year ago and has never taken as good of pictures since then, plus the display is cracked. It looks like it's been in a phone demolition derby! I will buy a case and attempt to take better care of this one.


In spite of me requesting the order ship complete, Apple has shipped the magnetic charger today while the phone that utilizes it won't ship until end of the month. Probably too complicated to do.

I just changed from iPhoneX to 13Pro max. I took the two phones to my USCellular shop and they set it up for me. I don't use a lot of data so elected to stay on my old plan with them. USC was way cheaper for my monthly plan than any of the other providers and I know their service works at my home in the valley unlike several others. The nice lady there suggested I take a walk through the mall and return in about 1/2 hour. Did that and came back to a working phone. Packed up X and sent it in to Apple for a reasonably decent refund towards my new phone.

quote:

Originally posted by ridewv:

13 Pro replacing my 8 Plus, and I have a Mac laptop.

Easy peasy. When wife and I got new iPhones, I just backed the old ones up on the Mac, then restored the back-up to the new phones. Simple and straightforward.

If you encounter a problem you can call or "chat" with Apple support; they'll walk you through it, step by step, or if you're anywhere near an Apple store, you can make an appointment and they'll do it for you.

Side note: If you get your internet service through the Time-Warner / Spectrum / Comcast consortium, check their cell service plans. We have three iPhones in the family, all using this service. Cost is unbeatable, customer support is great, and the actual service is very good -- it rides on the Verizon network.

quote:

Originally posted by bettysnephew:
I just changed from iPhoneX to 13Pro max. I took the two phones to my USCellular shop and they set it up for me. I don't use a lot of data so elected to stay on my old plan with them. USC was way cheaper for my monthly plan than any of the other providers and I know their service works at my home in the valley unlike several others.....

Thanks I had assumed US Cellular was expensive? I'll shop around and if not I may stay with them. My other option which WILL save a good bit is to piggy back on my daughter's plan as an extra phone.

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:
....If you get your internet service through the Time-Warner / Spectrum / Comcast consortium, check their cell service plans. We have three iPhones in the family, all using this service. Cost is unbeatable, customer support is great, and the actual service is very good -- it rides on the Verizon network.

Thanks, internet is local and they only seem to bundle land line phone but I'll talk with them.