The new iPhone 15
knrewing's profile

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Monday, July 30th, 2012 4:50 PM

Sync my new iPhone 4S to old iPhone 3G.

How do I Sync my new iPhone 4S to my old iPhone 3G. I need all my applications transferred to my new phone.

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Master

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7.1K Messages

12 years ago

That could be tough because the software versions may not match. Try backing up the old iPhone in iTunes then backup the new iPhone in iTunes to be safe. Next restore the new iPhone then use the backup from the old phone. If the restore can work you should be good to go.

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ACE - Expert

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64.7K Messages

12 years ago


@youngjm wrote:
That could be tough because the software versions may not match. Try backing up the old iPhone in iTunes then backup the new iPhone in iTunes to be safe. Next restore the new iPhone then use the backup from the old phone. If the restore can work you should be good to go.

If I remember correctly when I transferred my 3G to an iphone 4, when you connect a new iphone to itunes for the first time, the options you get are to "set up as new device" or "restore from backup". In other words, there is no option to first backup the new iphone but if it truly is new, there really is nothing to backup. You can always set it back to factory settings. Of course, this may have changed with the introduction of ios 5 since any new iphone user can now initially set up their phone and start backing up to iclould without ever connecting to itunes.

In any event the process described should work. Backup old iphone, then restore from backup to new iphone. However, you need to make sure you have the latest version of itunes before you backup the old phone. If you have an older version of itunes and backup the old phone on that version, then upgrade to the new version, you won't be able to use that backup to restore to the new iphone. I knew someone who found that out after they had reset their old phone back to factory settings and there was no way to use the last backup.

Former Community Manager

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5.2K Messages

12 years ago

youngjm nailed it. 

 

You'll need to sync the 3G to iTunes which will automatically back up the data, then restore the 4S with that backup. 

 

You'll need to make sure the 4S is updated to the latest iOS before you restore it. iTunes will tell you if it isn't

 

Also, some applications may not work with an older model of phone so keep that in mind if you run across something that isn't working properly. 

 

Edited - I read OP's post as if s/he were going from a 4S to a 3G. Thanks for the heads up sandblaster. 😄

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1 Message

11 years ago

Transfer all data from an iPhone 4 to a new iPhone 4S using iTunes

 

I have an iPhone 4 backed up in iTunes. I tried to sync my new iPhone 4S with information in iTunes (data from my older iPhone4) but only some of the pictures transferred and many apps were transferred to the iPhone 4s but they had NO app icons. I know at least some of the apps were transferred because when I do a search on my iPhone 4S I can find some of the apps. Why are the apps invisible? I've read in other forums of people having the same problem but no one has a solution. Apple forums are useless and Apple provides zero solutions to this problem. 

 

As a long time Apple user I can say with certainty that iTunes is the worst interface software ever created by Apple. It's a nightmare and I'm obviously not alone in my beliefs. If you search the net you'll see countless people who have problems with iTunes and how ridiculous it was designed. It's definitely not user friendly and it appears Apple has intentionally made it overcomplicated so they can control what a user can or cannot do with THEIR iphones (which are the customer's property). 

 

Are there other software programs that could replace iTunes so I'd never have to use it again? I'm thinking of selling both iPhones and ending my service with ATT and get another smartphone that doesn't use the massively defective iTunes. Apple obviously doesn't care about customers to have designed the worst software in history (iTunes) for customers to try to manage the content of iPhones. If Apple geniuses had any brains they would have designed a drag and drop feature so the user could merely transfer apps, songs or any other data, but iTunes is as unflexible as a 20 foot thick sheet of titanium. How could a company like Apple make massive amounts of profit by making crap? Oh yeah, they use overseas slaves so the cost of iPhones cost Apple only $7 to make, but sell them for $600 to $900. That's gouging and by preying on the most vulnerable is unconscionable. I just found out about the cost of $7 or I wouldn't have bought any more Apple products. 

 

Thank you for any help in what should be a simple situation of transferring data from my old iPhone 4 to my new iPhone 4S. 

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