How to Set Up Your Pre-Owned iPhone: Move Your Data, WhatsApp and SIM the Easy Way

Your pre-owned iPhone has arrived. Here’s how to move everything across from your old iPhone or Android phone, bring your WhatsApp chats with you, set up your SIM or eSIM, and run a few first-day checks.

By Prime Phones
4 min read
Two iPhones side by side on a table, ready to move data across

Your pre-owned iPhone has arrived, and it’s waiting on the Hello screen. Setting it up takes about as long as setting up a brand-new iPhone, and you can bring almost everything across from your old phone: photos, messages, apps, settings and your WhatsApp chats.

Key takeaways

  • From another iPhone, Quick Start is the easiest way: put the phones side by side and follow the prompts.
  • From Android, Apple’s free Move to iOS app brings your contacts, messages, photos and more.
  • WhatsApp chats come with you through an iCloud backup (iPhone to iPhone) or Move to iOS (Android to iPhone).
  • Keep your old phone until you’ve checked everything arrived.

Before you start

  • Charge both phones, or keep them plugged in during the transfer.
  • Connect to Wi-Fi. Transfers are much faster than on mobile data.
  • Know your Apple Account password (your Apple ID). You’ll need it during set-up.
  • Back up your old phone. On an iPhone: Settings > [your name] > iCloud > iCloud Backup > Back Up Now.

Coming from another iPhone

Option 1: Quick Start (the easiest)

If your old iPhone runs iOS 11 or later:

  1. Turn on your new iPhone and place it next to your old one.
  2. A Quick Start screen appears on the old iPhone, offering to set up the new one with your Apple Account. Tap Continue.
  3. Hold the old iPhone over the animation on the new one, then enter your old passcode on the new phone.
  4. Set up Face ID or Touch ID, then choose how to transfer your data.

Direct transfer or iCloud? Transferring directly from your old iPhone moves everything in one go, but you wait until it finishes before using either phone. Downloading from iCloud lets you start using the new iPhone straight away while apps and data arrive in the background.

Option 2: Restore from an iCloud backup

No old phone to hand? During set-up, on the Transfer Your Apps & Data screen, choose From iCloud Backup, sign in, and pick your most recent backup.

Option 3: Use a cable

You can also connect the two iPhones directly with a cable for a wired transfer, which is handy if your Wi-Fi is slow.

A white iPhone and a black iPhone next to each other
Old phone and new phone side by side: all Quick Start needs.

Coming from Android

Apple’s free Move to iOS app does the heavy lifting:

  1. Install Move to iOS from the Google Play Store on your Android phone.
  2. On the new iPhone, during set-up, choose From Android on the Transfer Your Apps & Data screen. A code appears.
  3. Open Move to iOS on the Android phone and enter the code.
  4. Choose what to bring across, such as contacts, messages, photos and videos, and wait for it to finish.

Bringing your WhatsApp chats with you

From iPhone to iPhone: make sure WhatsApp is backed up to iCloud on your old phone (in WhatsApp, Settings > Chats > Chat Backup). On the new iPhone, sign in to the same Apple Account, install WhatsApp, verify the same phone number, and restore when WhatsApp offers your backup. A direct Quick Start transfer also brings app data across.

From Android to iPhone: WhatsApp chats can be moved with the Move to iOS app during set-up. Use the same phone number on both phones and follow the WhatsApp prompts on the Android phone when Move to iOS asks.

Setting up your SIM or eSIM

If you use a physical SIM, move it from the old phone to the new one using the SIM tool (or a paperclip) in the small hole beside the SIM tray.

If your number is on an eSIM, your iPhone may offer to transfer it from your old iPhone during set-up, if your network supports that. If it doesn’t, ask your network to issue a new eSIM for your new phone. Keep the old phone until your number works on the new one.

Your first-day checklist

  • Update iOS: Settings > General > Software Update.
  • Turn on Find My: Settings > [your name] > Find My, so you can locate the phone if it’s ever lost.
  • Check iCloud is backing up: Settings > [your name] > iCloud > iCloud Backup.
  • Note the battery health under Settings > Battery > Battery Health. Our battery health guide explains what it means.
  • Use it properly for a day or two: calls, camera, Face ID, charging, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, so you know everything works the way you use it.

Selling or passing on your old phone

Once everything’s on the new iPhone, prepare the old one properly: sign out of your Apple Account, then go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase All Content and Settings. That removes your data and Activation Lock, so the next owner can set it up. Our second-hand iPhone checklist shows what a careful buyer will look for.

Set-up FAQs

Will there be any of the previous owner’s data on my pre-owned iPhone?

Not on a phone from us. Every device is factory reset with a secure data erase before it’s listed, so it reaches you on the Hello screen, ready for your own Apple Account.

Can I keep using my existing Apple Account?

Yes. Sign in with the same Apple Account during set-up and your purchases, iCloud data and subscriptions come with you.

How long does a transfer take?

It depends on how much data you have and your connection. Choosing to download from iCloud during Quick Start lets you use the phone while the rest finishes in the background.

What if something isn’t working after set-up?

Get in touch on WhatsApp or by email. Every phone from us comes with a 6-month warranty, and you have 7 days from delivery to return it if you change your mind.

Still choosing your next iPhone?

Every phone is tested, reset and ready for your Apple Account the moment it arrives.

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  • 6-month warranty
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