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Question

Transfer all data from iPhone 5 to iPhone 6s

Oct 6, 2015 11:22AM PDT

Hello,

I'm trying to transfer all the data on my wife's iPhone 5 to her new 6s but the process is not as easy as I thought it would be. It seems Apple assumes that the iPhone user will be forever using one computer as the main iTunes computer. However, in this case, the original computer iTunes was installed on has been upgraded and no longer contains the iTunes library, so I want to first sync the contents of the iPhone 5 to a new iTunes library, then sync that library to the new iPhone 6s.

Thanks,
Nate

Discussion is locked

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Answer
There's always iRip.
Oct 6, 2015 11:43AM PDT

If you have tunes to sync back to a computer, try iRip. Don't run it or connect without reading the instructions.

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Thanks for the suggestion
Oct 6, 2015 3:43PM PDT

I hate to use this thread to take a slight jab at Apple, but the fact that 3rd party software is required to perform this basic task is incredibly frustrating and one reason I don't own an Apple device.

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Not Apple's decision.
Oct 6, 2015 4:08PM PDT

I would be guessing if you are unaware of the long history about DRM, MP3s and more. One of the design concessions to keep the wolves at bay was to make the movement of songs one-way to the iPod.

If you have knives and axes to sharpen, take it to the studios and lawyers.

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Interesting
Oct 6, 2015 5:46PM PDT

So iTunes is designed in such a fashion to prevent piracy? Is it fair for Apple to assume media acquired outside of iTunes was illegally obtained?

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I apologize
Oct 6, 2015 6:55PM PDT

I can't rewrite this to avoid any hurt feelings but in the beginning the iPod was done that way to keep the content from leaking out of the iPod. It was never an issue that the media acquired out of iTunes was illegal or such. You had your original files to use so the iPod was a way to carry them securely.

Your reply tells me you are new to this area. There's a lot to absorb, it's all out there for us to read the history of how this came to be.

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Possible solution
Oct 7, 2015 8:54PM PDT

Of course, you may feel rather frustrating if you do not use the suitable software. You can use this wireless transfer tool AirMore to transfer data from iPhone 5 to iPhone 6s.

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Answer
Provided your iTunes library isn't massive
Oct 6, 2015 12:12PM PDT

I would opt for backing up BOTH via iTunes *AND* via iCloud. Why? Because both are free, and you can still pick and choose what gets backed up where. Well, mostly. I find many people with very modest sized, non-exotic media libraries are able to work just fine inside the free 5GB of iCloud space that Apple provides with all their iOS devices.

A little more specifics- http://www.intego.com/mac-security-blog/should-you-back-up-your-ios-device-to-icloud-or-itunes/

Bob is right on the money though. With the issue of a new computer, you should learn how to use iRip to safely set aside songs/media from your wife's phone to a backup that cannot be overwritten/erased. You can always re-add that content later on when you set up her 6S. External 1TB drives hover around the $50 mark now, so there's no excuse not to own one (along with multiple USB 3.0 flash drives, that are even cheaper).

If you have additional questions, feel free to ask.

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Library is about 25 GB in size
Oct 6, 2015 3:47PM PDT

The library is about 25 GB large (most of which consists of content not purchased from iTunes) so iCloud won't work unless I pay. Also, why is an external drive required? Can't I just use an adequately sized internal drive? Or is it for the portability factor?

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Of course you could use an adequately sized internal drive,
Oct 6, 2015 5:53PM PDT

but why not use the external that you are backing up that computer to.
You are backing up the computer?

If you browse the forums for a short while you will find many a sob story about irreplaceable data being lost because it was apparently not important enough to backup.
Then same applies to an iPhone, was the data (music/photos/contacts/notes/calendar/etc) not important enough to consider that the iPhone may just crash on you?

We only lose what we don't back up and in your case you have no backup and appear to be fighting suggestions as to how to proceed with a minimal, if any, loss of data
Don't drop the ball into Apple's court, it most assuredly does not belong there

P

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I've just a simple task to perform
Oct 6, 2015 9:21PM PDT

I have an iPhone 5 with all the data I want on it. I want to transfer this data to a new iPhone. Apple should provide an easy way to accomplish that task. I don't have a backup now but I am willing to make that backup now so I can restore that backup on the new iPhone 6s. What exactly am I dropping into Apple's court? Is the ability to back up my phone on a new computer too much to ask from Apple? Even BlackBerry (yes, the same BlackBerry that people keep saying is going out of business soon and that has only 1% market share) allows one to do that via BlackBerry Link.

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Hard to feel sympathy here
Oct 6, 2015 9:44PM PDT

You simply have a massive chip on your shoulder.

If you truly want help feel free to ask though.

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Answer
thanks you
Oct 6, 2015 8:02PM PDT

I hate to use this thread to take a slight jab at Apple

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Actually I think it's OK.
Oct 6, 2015 8:46PM PDT

How we got here is interesting. Many folk new to this didn't live through the early days of MP3 players so they may think oddities like how the iPod/iPhone/iPad get music to be really bizarre.

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Answer
I think we're good to go
Oct 7, 2015 9:22AM PDT

Turns out the music and video library somehow made its way to the new iPhone 6s during the debugging process. The basic data like contacts, reminders, etc. was restored via iCloud. The only data left is photos and for that we thought of a solution which is to pay $0.99 a month for 50 GB of iCloud storage which is a reasonable price.

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Good to hear,
Oct 7, 2015 3:16PM PDT

Backups are still important though.

P