The ABC…YZ of moving from an iPhone 6 to a brand new iPhone 7

Using iTunes to move from one iPhone to another requires a computer.

I’ve been using an iPhone 6 since mars 2015. In June of 2015 I got an Apple Watch that I paired to my iPhone. When Apple announced the iPhone 7, I knew I wouldn’t skip this one like I did for the 6S.

I’m currently using all iCloud services like iCloud Photo Library with more than 32 000 photos and nearly a thousand videos. I use iCloud Drive too and I’m an Apple Music subscriber. Before starting the following process, my iPhone 6 was running iOS 10.1. Here how I made the move to the iPhone 7. Prepare for the ride.

Apple packaging, simple, enjoyable to handle.

A) Buy an iPhone 7 at the Apple Store.

B) Unbox the new thing with joy and pride.

C) Unpair my Apple Watch, follow on-screen instructions.

D) Plug the old iPhone to iTunes and select Transfer Purchases in iTunes.

E) Allow all pending app updates from within iTunes to download and complete.

F) Update the iPhone 6 to latest release of iOS as suggested by iTunes (i.e. iOS 10.1.1).

G) Backup the old iPhone (make sure it is encrypted with my password).

H) Remove the SIM card from iPhone 6 and put it in powered off iPhone 7.

I) Power on the iPhone 7 and setup it up as new iPhone.

J) Upgrade iPhone 7 to latest release of iOS (10.1.1).

K) Reset all settings, redo initial setup then choose restore from iTunes backup (takes a few hours to complete, including restoring 300 apps).

L) Verify settings and add back language dictionaries and Siri voices. Oh and make sure health data is restored.

M) Remove unneeded apps restored from iTunes backup.

N) Pair Apple Watch, then select to restore from backup, follow instructions.

O) Delete pre-iOS 10 iPhone backup from iTunes.

P) Change iPhone 7 name

Q) Add all Apple Pay cards as they aren’t restored from iTunes backup.

R) Open Music app and download my favorite music (more than 300 songs).

S) Re-install back the corporate configuration profile for Exchange and passcode policy.

T) Restore in-app purchases for every apps (can’t remember them all, will see as time goes).

U) Do a fresh backup with iTunes.

V) Disable “Locate my iPhone” on my old iPhone 6.

W) Remove old iPhone 6 from list of trusted devices.

X) Enjoy the ride with my brand new iPhone 7.

Y) Don’t forget to pay the upcoming bill.

Z) Wait for the AirPods.

The whole thing went almost perfectly. iTunes gave me a weird error about the number of authorized computers that was exceeded. I went to try and authorize the computer anyway and see what happens. Turns out, there was only two Macs authorized. Weird.

iTunes came up with this warning. I wasn’t sure what would happen by clicking “Buy”.

This is what I got when trying to authorize my computer. Huh?

iTunes backup is way better than iCloud backup: it is faster and more complete (more here). We all know it can act weird sometimes. Apple Watch management was a breeze. I love the Watch app because of its great design, gorgeous graphics. It is a good idea to upgrade devices to the latest release of iOS since they usually include latest fixes and help to get a great experience. Removing unused devices is a must so I went on http://appleid.apple.com to remove my old iPhone 6. this prompted me to enter iCloud password on my new iPhone 7. All went well.

Removing the old iPhone from the trusted devices list is a simple step but a mandatory one.

After two days with the new iPhone 7, my upgrade is well worth it. Since I’m coming from the iPhone 6, a lot of things are new to me. The speed, oh boy, the speed of this device is just unbelievable. But there more. Here is a list of things that I consider well worth the upgrade.

• Twice the speed of the iPhone 6;
• Improved camera optics
• Optical image stabilization;
• 4K Movie recording;
• Wide color gamut;
• Best iPhone design yet;
• 2 GB of system ram;
• Better battery life;
• 3D Touch;
• Live Photos.

I’m going to Dubai in less than two weeks. Can’t wait to put this iPhone to test.