Apple has announced the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max devices, and they will be available in stores from Sept. 21st. The device may face a shortage in stock initially, so be sure to get in line to be the first to get the latest and greatest from Apple.

When you receive your iPhone XS or iPhone XS Max, you might want to know the best ways to set it up. If you have owned an iPhone before, the chances are you’ll back up and restore your apps and data from your current iPhone to the iPhone XS using iCloud or iTunes. But if you’re looking to start fresh, we might have some tips to get the best out of your iPhone XS.

Chances are you might be coming from an Android device, so we’ve included instructions for switching from an Android device to iPhone XS as well.

How to Set Up iPhone XS from another iPhone

There are three ways to set up iPhone XS from another iPhone. You can either connect the two devices directly to each other to set up the basic stuff and then choose to restore from an iCloud backup of your current device. Or you can you can set up the iPhone XS without your current iPhone and then restore via iCloud or iTunes manually.

TIP: If you’ve access to a computer, it’s best to take a backup of your current iPhone using iTunes and then set up your iPhone XS using the iTunes backup.

Note: If you have an Apple Watch paired to your current iPhone, make sure you unpair the Watch before you pair it to your iPhone XS. Unpairing will automatically backup your Apple Watch so you can restore it back when you pair it to iPhone XS.

Use Quick Start to Set up iPhone XS from another iPhone

Note: Your current iPhone should be running on iOS 11 or higher for this to work. If not, follow the instructions to set up iPhone from an iCloud or iTunes backup.

Let’s get started…

  1. Make sure your current iPhone is connected to WiFi.
  2. Insert SIM card on your new iPhone XS. If your carrier gave you a new SIM, insert that. If not, remove the SIM from your previous iPhone and put it into iPhone XS.
  3. Turn On your iPhone XS and place it near your current iPhone device.
  4. You’ll see the Quick Start screen on your current iPhone with the option to “Use your Apple ID to set up your new iPhone.”, tap the Continue button.
  5. A particle animation will show on your iPhone XS, scan the animation using your current device by holding it over your iPhone XS.
  6. If prompted, enter your current iPhone’s passcode on your iPhone XS.
  7. Set up Face ID on your iPhone XS as instructed on screen.
  8. Enter your Apple ID password when asked.
  9. You’ll get an option to restore apps, data, and settings from your iCloud backup, or an option to update your current device backup to iCloud and then restore. We suggest you chose the later to ensure you don’t miss any recent changes from your current iPhone.
  10. If you’ve got an Apple Watch associated with your Apple ID, you’ll be asked to transfer your Apple Watch data and settings as well to your iPhone XS.

Use iCloud backup to set up iPhone XS

If you can’t use Quick Start to set up iPhone XS using your current iPhone, you could still restore it using an iCloud backup of your iPhone.

  1. Connect your current iPhone to WiFi, then go to Settings » [your name] » iCloud » iCloud Backup. Make sure iCloud backup is enabled, and tap Back Up Now.
    └ It might take some time. Let it complete first and then follow the instructions below.
  2. Insert SIM card on your new iPhone XS. If your carrier gave you a new SIM, insert that. If not, remove the SIM from your previous iPhone and put it into iPhone XS.
  3. Turn On your new iPhone XS, and follow the process until you see the WiFi screen.
  4. Connect to a WiFi network, and then follow the process until you see the Apps & Data screen.
  5. Select Restore from iCloud Backup, and sign in to iCloud using the same Apple ID as your current iPhone which we used in Step 1 above.
  6. Choose the most recent backup on your iCloud account. Match the time of backup with the time you took backup of your current iPhone in Step 1.
  7. Wait for the restore process to finish, then complete the rest of the iPhone XS setup process.
  8. After setup is complete, keep your iPhone XS connected to WiFi and put it on charge. This will help download photos, music, and apps from your iCloud backup to your iPhone XS faster.

Use iTunes backup to set up iPhone XS

iTunes is our preferred method to set up a new iPhone. It is the fastest way to restore your previous iPhone backup to your new iPhone XS without breaking a sweat.

  1. Download and install iTunes on your computer.
  2. Backup your current iPhone on iTunes:
    1. Open iTunes on computer, and connect your current iPhone using the USB cable that came in box.
    2. Select your device by clicking on the phone icon on iTunes.
    3. Under the Backups section, select This computer, and make sure the Encrypt iPhone backup is checked.
    4. Click on the Back Up Now button.
      └ This might take a while. Keep your iPhone connected to the computer.
    5. When backup finishes successfully, disconnect your current iPhone from the PC.
  3. Insert SIM card on your new iPhone XS. If your carrier gave you a new SIM, insert that. If not, remove the SIM from your previous iPhone and put it into iPhone XS.
  4. Turn On your new iPhone XS, and follow the process until you see the Apps & Data screen.
  5. Select Restore from iTunes Backup, and connect your iPhone XS to the computer.
  6. Open iTunes on your computer and select your device by clicking on the phone icon on iTunes.
  7. Under the Backups section, select Restore Backup and select the backup we took in Step 3 above.
  8. Enter the password you used for encrypting the backup.
  9. Wait until the restore process to finish on your computer, then finish the rest of the setup process on your iPhone XS.
  10. Keep your iPhone connected to the WiFi and put it on charge. This will help download apps and music from the iTunes store to your iPhone XS faster.

How to set up iPhone XS from an Android device

Switching from an Android device to the iPhone XS? Fortunately, Apple has an app called ‘Move to iOS’ for Android devices which makes it easier for users to transfer data from Android devices to iPhone.

Move to iOS app lets you transfer the following data from Android to iPhone:

  • Contacts
  • Messages
  • Camera Photos and Videos
  • Web bookmarks
  • Mail accounts
  • Calendars
  • Some of your Apps will also transfer if they’re available on both Google Play and the App Store.

Before you begin:

  • Make sure your iPhone XS isn’t already set up. If it is, you need to hard reset iPhone XS and start again.
  • Make sure WiFi is turned On on your Android device.
  • Put your Android device and your iPhone XS on charge.
  • Make your iPhone has enough storage capacity as your Android device to store the content you’re looking to transfer.

Let’s begin:

  1. Turn On your new iPhone XS, and follow the setup process until you see the Apps & Data screen.
  2. Select Move Data from Android.
  3. Download and install the Move to iOS app on your Android device.
  4. Open Move to iOS app and tap Continue. Read and Agree to the terms and Conditions.
  5. Tap Next in the top-right corner of Find Your Code screen.
  6. On your iPhone XS, tap Continue on the Move from Android screen and wait for a 10-digit or 6-digit code to appear.
  7. Enter the code displayed on your iPhone XS on your Android device and wait for the transfer data screen to show.
  8. Select the content you want to transfer from Android device to your iPhone XS and tap Next.
  9. Now put both your iPhone XS and the Android device aside for until the transfer finishes.
    └ Note: Even if your Android device states that the transfer is complete, leave both devices alone until the loading bar on iPhone XS finishes. If you so much as take a call on your Android device while the transfer is active, it’ll fail, and you may have to start over.  It is best to keep both your device alone until the transfer finishes.
  10. Once the loading bar finishes on your iPhone XS, tap Done on your Android device.
  11. Tap continue on your iPhone XS and follow the onscreen instructions to finish the setup.

How to set up iPhone XS as new

If you’d like to start fresh with your new iPhone XS, you can set it up without using any backup. Setting up an iPhone as new is usually the best way to ensure you don’t encounter any compatibility issues from your previous iPhone’s backup.

Let’s get started…

  1. Insert SIM card on your new iPhone XS. If your carrier gave you a new SIM, insert that. If not, remove the SIM from your previous iPhone and put it into iPhone XS.
  2. Turn On your iPhone XS, and follow the onscreen setup process like selecting language and country or region.
  3. Select Set Up Manually on the Quick Start screen.
  4. Activate your iPhone XS by connecting to a WiFi network. If you don’t have WiFi, tap Use Cellular Connection on the WiFi screen.
  5. Set up Face ID on your iPhone XS as instructed on screen.
  6. Create a passcode to protect your data on the iPhone XS. The default option is a 6-digit passcode, but if you’d like to set a 4-digit passcode instead, tap Passcode Options and select 4-digit passcode.
  7. On the Apps & Data screen, select Set Up as New iPhone.
  8. Sign in with your Apple ID and Password. If you don’t have one, tap “Don’t have an Apple ID or forgot it” and create an Apple ID.
  9. Follow the rest of the set up as per your liking.

That’s all. We hope you find this page helpful. Enjoy your iPhone XS!