10 gaps in the iPhone's set-up process

When I initially thought of writing this piece, I was thinking back to how frustrated I was setting up my iPhone 15 Pro last year. I remember being so irritated with the amount of setup prompts there were and how many additional steps I had to complete even after transferring my data from my iPhone 14 Pro.

Last week, I transferred my data from my iPhone 15 Pro to my iPhone 16 Pro, and a few days later, I moved my girlfriend's data from her iPhone 13 Pro to my (now hers) iPhone 15 Pro. To my pleasant surprise, Apple has exponentially improved the iPhone setup experience. It's not perfect, mind you, but it's not terrible either.

Here are the gaps in the iPhone setup experience that Apple can still improve, and you should be prepared for when setting up a new device.

Update your software if needed

Your new phone needs to run the same or later version of iOS

Before transferring your data from your old iPhone to your new one, you need to make sure your iPhone is running the same or later version of iOS than your old iPhone. While this process is supposed to be able to happen during the setup prompts, when setting up my girlfriend's iPhone, the update wouldn't complete on the setup screens. Instead, I had to set up the iPhone 15 Pro as new, update it, erase it, and then transfer her data.

Be prepared to do a little troubleshooting, as Apple seemingly has a little more work to do here.

Transferring your data to your new phone

I recommend transferring directly from your previous device

There are five ways to set up a new iPhone:

Unless you're switching from an Android device or this is your first iPhone, I recommend using Quick Start. Quick Start is part of the initial iOS setup experience, which links your old and new devices to transfer your passcode, Apple ID, and other information. Once verified, you can select how you want to transfer your data.

I strongly recommend transferring data from your previous device when possible. When it was first released, transferring from a previous device was notoriously unreliable. However, now I find it one of the best ways to transfer as much data as possible.

Restoring from an iCloud backup is excellent in an emergency. Still, it won't bring over as much data as restoring from a previous device for security reasons. Before restoring from your previous device was an option, I would do an encrypted backup of my iPhone to my Mac and restore it to my new phone, as it'd bring over more data.

Of course, you'll also have several prompts you'll need to tap through, including location permission and diagnostics.

Connect your cellular service

You either need to move your SIM card or transfer to an eSIM

I've been using an eSIM for a few years now, so I've transferred my eSIM to another phone many times. My girlfriend, on the other hand, still had a physical SIM. Like many of you, I was going to move her physical SIM over to her new phone. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that my carrier supports Apple's eSIM Quick Transfer feature, allowing us to migrate her phone number over to an eSIM without needing to contact her carrier.

When setting up your new iPhone, you'll either need to move over your physical SIM card using a SIM ejection tool (or bent paperclip) or transfer over your eSIM as part of your phone's migration. Remember that you may need to contact your cellphone provider if you encounter any issues transferring your eSIM.

Face ID set up and passwords

There might be a lot you need to sign back into

One of the reasons I choose to transfer data from my old iPhone is that many apps will automatically have me signed in to my new phone -- in contrast to iCloud, which doesn't do that. Because of the way Apple stores biometric data like Touch ID and Face ID, it can't come over to the new device. Instead, you need to set it back up on your new phone. While there may be legitimate security or technological reasons as to why Apple can't transfer this data, it's still disappointing. When you have up to five fingerprints or multiple Face ID scans, having your biometrics transferred over could save a lot of headaches.

Moreover, every app that relies on Face ID will require you to sign back in using your username and password. Then, you must re-authorize the app to use Face ID. For example, I was automatically signed in to Amazon on my new iPhone 16 Pro. Still, my banking app, which I usually use Face ID with, required me to sign back in and re-authorize its use of Face ID. This tedious process often happens at the most inconvenient times, resulting in people combing through their apps and trying to sign back in as needed, only to inevitably miss one (or more).

Outlook, YouTube, and Fantastical were just three apps I needed to sign back in to, even though they don't use Face ID. Meanwhile, my email app, Spark, continued functioning as if it were still on my iPhone 15 Pro. Results seem to vary between apps for automatically signing you in.

Installing apps and setting them up

Apps need to be re-installed and content needs to be re-download

Speaking of apps, the most frustrating part of setting up a new iPhone is waiting for your apps to be re-installed from the App Store rather than transferring them from your previous device. Again, perhaps this is a technical thing, but it's disappointing to think you're about to use your new phone after your data has been transferred, only to find that your apps are slowly re-installing.

Even once installed, you'll need to wait for critical content like your messages, photos, and files to sync within their respective apps over the next day or two while running plugged in and connected to Wi-Fi overnight. Other apps like WhatsApp may need to be restored from their own backups. I don't often use WhatsApp, so the last time I set up a new phone, I didn't realize I was missing messages from friends because I hadn't signed back into the app.

Weirdly, Apple thinks you want iMovie and GarageBand back on your device even if you deleted them. Despite not having them on my previous device, I had to re-delete these two apps on my new iPhone. You'll even need to launch music and re-download all of your songs because, apparently, Apple hasn't figured that problem out yet, either. Another strange problem I had was with Messages, where there was a bug where many of my deleted conversations were restored, requiring me to sort through and re-delete them.

Pairing your Apple Watch(es)

Apple Watch setup has dramatically improved

If you're an Apple Watch wearer and get a new iPhone, you'll be impressed at how easy pairing has gotten. When setting up my and my girlfriend's phones, I was shocked to find our Apple Watches paired without any interaction. It's a significant step up from needing to approve the pairing process during previous years. I've even had Apple Watches that needed to be unpaired and re-paired to a new iPhone, but the watch's backup did not appear, requiring me to set up my watch from scratch.

The only asterisk to this is if you aren't wearing your watch during the transfer or have a second one. In those cases, you'll need to put on your watch, open the Watch app on your iPhone, and initiate the pairing. You'll be prompted to authorize your watch and then see a progress screen for a few minutes. But, again, I can't stress how amazing it is for Apple to have removed this for people who're wearing their Apple Watch at the time of setup.

Configuration HomeKit key and notification

Home Key and notifications probably need to be set back up

I'm a huge HomeKit enthusiast. It's annoying that every time I get a new iPhone, my door lock and camera notification preferences get reset. Maybe this is just an issue for me, but still, every time I get a new iPhone, I have to turn off settings like offline alerts, status change notifications, and when I want to be alerted about a door unlocking or a camera detecting motion. Worst of all, Apple doesn't have an "apply all" option, so it's an annoying, repetitive task for a house like mine with over a dozen cameras.

Re-adding your Home Key if you had one on your previous iPhone is less annoying but still necessary. Fortunately, you'll be prompted to add it during setup.

Apple Pay setup and activation

CVV required; activation might be too

People who use Apple Pay must re-add their CVV and possibly re-authorize their card via their mobile banking app or phone call. I was fortunate to only need to re-enter my CVV with no additional activation steps required -- which was great, considering I use half a dozen cards with Apple Pay.

My girlfriend did have to use mobile banking apps to activate two of her three Apple Pay cards, but the process was smooth enough. Hopefully, Apple can make it so that future transfers don't require the card's CVV number or any form of activation. Entering the CVV for multiple cards is annoying, and people who forget to activate their card won't likely remember until they're trying to pay for something at a store.

Bluetooth accessories and car keys

Everything needs to be re-paired

Like needing to sign back into an app, Bluetooth accessories must be re-paired with your new iPhone. Fortunately, AirPods auto-magically pair with your other Apple devices. Still, accessories like Bluetooth speakers or Meta Ray Bans must be re-paired. If you connect to your car's entertainment system via Bluetooth, you'll need to re-pair with that, too. This can be time-consuming, especially if the accessories don't want to pair easily.

Equally, if you unlock your car using your iPhone as the key, like a Tesla, you'll need to reactivate your Bluetooth car key. Tesla also makes this process pretty painless -- you just need to launch the Tesla app on your new iPhone and set up your new key. There's no need to go all the way out to your car. Still, this is something that'd be unfortunate to forget about if you're in a rush only to realize your key needs to be set back up.

MDM work profiles and apps

Don't forget your two-factor authentication apps or BYOD enrollment

As if my list wasn't long enough, here's one more for you. Make sure to configure your work apps before erasing your old iPhone. Many of us use two-factor authentication apps like Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, or Okta Verify to access work-related tools. If you're one of those people, you'll want to ensure your new phone has your codes before erasing your old device, or you may be reaching out to IT the next business day.

Some organizations have Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) programs, where employees enroll their personal devices into a Mobile Device Management (MDM) solution to gain access to work apps for communication, cloud storage, and other work-related activities. Suppose your workplace requires you to enroll your device to access work apps. In that case, it's best not to forget before you wonder why you aren't getting any more Slack notifications.