How to Transfer iPhone to iPhone Without iCloud (4 Methods)

Why want to transfer iPhone to iPhone without iCloud?

When updating to a new iPhone, using iCloud makes it very easy to transfer data from old iPhone to new iPhone. However, plenty of users want to transfer iPhone to iPhone without iCloud. There may be the following reasons.

● Storage space is limited. iCloud only provides 5GB of free storage space. If your iCloud storage is full, you will need to pay to get additional space.
● Requires a stable network connection. iCloud only works properly on a good network. If the network is unstable, the sync or restore process may be interrupted at any time. So it may take a long time to complete the transfer.
● Don’t allow the transfer of data selectively. iCloud can’t selectively transfer. You have no choice but to transfer everything from your iPhone, including the data you don't even want.
● There is a risk of data loss. If you have set up your iPhone, you need to erase iPhone before restoring data from the backup. This will cause you to lose the existing data. Also when transferring iPhones, hackers can directly steal the contents of your iCloud backup.
● Can’t transfer data from iPhone to iPhone with a different Apple ID. It only supports transferring data between iPhones with the same Apple ID. If you forget the previous Apple ID, iCloud backup will not be accessible.     

If you're bothered about how to transfer data to new iPhone without iCloud, you've come to the right place. In this guide, we'll show 5 effective methods of how to transfer iPhone to iPhone without iCloud easily.

How to transfer iPhone to iPhone without iCloud?

Want to know how to copy one iPhone to another without iCloud quickly? This next section will help you a lot. You can approach it according to your actual situation, and at least one of them will be helpful for you. Keep reading and check how to transfer everything from iPhone to iPhone without iCloud.

Method 1. Transfer data to new iPhone via Quick Start

If both iPhone devices are running iOS 12.4 or later, you can take full advantage of Quick Start to solve this issue of how to transfer setup to new iPhone. Refer to the steps below to see how to transfer data from iPhone to iPhone without iCloud.

Notes:✎...

Make sure the two devices stay close enough to each other.

Turn on Bluetooth on both iPhones and try to choose a WiFi network to make sure the transfer is in a good network condition, otherwise, it will consume a lot of time.

If your target iPhone has been set up, please erase your iPhone first. Go to Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings to restart the setup process.

Step 1. Open your target iPhone and select your language and location.

Step 2. Bring the two iPhones close to each other and a quick start will appear on the source iPhone.

Step 3. Confirm that it is the Apple ID you are using and tap Continue.

Step 4. Enter the passcode on the target iPhone and follow the instructions to set Face ID or Touch ID, etc.

Step 5. On the Transfer Your Data screen, tap Transfer from iPhone to start transferring.

Method 2. One-click transfer data to new iPhone after setup without iCloud

If you have already set up your iPhone, the easiest way is to use a professional iOS data transfer tool called FoneTool. Developed by a talented team with over a decade of experience in data security, this free software with a user-friendly interface is dedicated to helping users effortlessly transfer everything from iPhone to iPhone, including photos, videos, music, contacts, messages, and more.

It is reassuring to know that it does not erase any original data from the target iPhone. There is no need to use the network during the transfer and no data loss is ensured. It has many remarkable features.

Equipped with advanced technology to transfer data at an amazing transfer speed. It takes only 2 seconds to transfer 100 photos.

It allows users to preview and fully or selectively transfer data to another iPhone to save time and storage space.

In addition to transferring iPhones, it can also backup iPhone, completely erase iPhone, remove duplicate photos, convert HEIC to other formats, etc.

The tool supports all models from iPhone 4 to the latest iPhone 15 and is perfectly compatible with all iOS versions, including iOS 17/16/15/14.

Download and install the tool on your PC. Here we take transferring photos as an example, follow the instructions on how to transfer photos from iPhone to iPhone without iCloud easily.

Meanwhile, we provide the mobile app FoneTool for iOS to guide you on how to transfer one iPhone data to another wirelessly. You can scan the QR code or go to App Store to download FoneTool. 

One-click transfer all iPhone data

Step 1. Launch FoneTool > Connect your iPhones to a computer.

Step 2. Click Phone Transfer > Go to iPhone to iPhone and click Start Transfer.

Step 3. Click Enable backup encryption to keep your private data safer.

Step 4. Click Start Transfer to start the transfer.

Selectively transfer data from iPhone to iPhone (Take transferring photos as an example)

Step 1. Click Phone Transfer > Go to iPhone to PC > Click Start Transfer.

Step 2. Click the Photos icon to select the photos you want to transfer > Click OK.

Step 3. Select the storage path on your PC > Click Start Transfer.

Step 5. Plug in the target iPhone. Click PC to iPhone > Start Transfer > Select the photos you want to transfer.

Step 6. Click Start Transfer. The selected photos will be transferred to the target iPhone at a super fast speed.

Tip: You can also use the Full Backup function in FoneTool to backup iPhone without iCloud, then restore the backup to the new iPhone.

Method 3. Transfer data from iPhone to iPhone using AirDrop

iOS users usually use AirDrop, a built-in feature of iPhone, to share photos, music, videos, and other files, but there are often reactions that AirDrop always fails to transfer. Indeed, AirDrop is limited by many reasons, such as oversized files and interference from surrounding devices, which can cause transfer failure. 

Now, let's take transfer contacts as an example and see how to transfer contacts from iPhone to iPhone without iCloud.

Step 1. On both iPhones, turn on Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and AirDrop and select Everyone.

Step 2. Go to Contacts app and select the contact you want to transfer > Click Share Contact > Tap AirDrop and select the target iPhone.

Step 3. Tap Accept to receive the contact on the target device and the contact will be transferred to the Contacts app.

Method 4. Transfer iPhone to iPhone with iTunes or Finder

Like iCloud, iTunes is a good alternative provided by Apple for how to transfer one iPhone data to another. Take transferring iPhone photos as an example, iTunes can help you fully transfer photos to new iPhone without iCloud. It will export photos from the source iPhone to your computer, and then sync them to the target iPhone.

It's worth noting that syncing photos from iTunes may overwrite the current photo library on the target iPhone. If you don't mind, follow these steps to transfer photos from old iPhone to new iPhone without iCloud.

How to transfer data from old iPhone to new iPhone using iTunes

Step 1. Connect the old iPhone to your PC via a USB cable. Transfer photos to the computer.

Step 2. Then connect the new iPhone to your computer. Launch iTunes. Click the device icon and select the Photos option.

Step 3. Check Sync photos and select Copy photos from folder.

Step 4. Click Apply to start syncing photos to your target iPhone.

How to transfer data from old iPhone to new iPhone using Finder

Meanwhile, Apple provides Finder for Mac users to replace iTunes. As in method 2, it works for iPhone that has not been set up yet, if done, please reset iPhone first. The steps are as follows.

Step 1. Connect your old iPhone to a computer running macOS and launch Finder.

Step 2. Click the iPhone icon and click Trust on your iPhone.

Step 3. Select Back up all of the data on your iPhone to this Mac.

Step 4. Click Back Up Now.

Step 5. Unplug the old iPhone and connect another iPhone to your computer.

Step 6. Set up your new iPhone until you reach the Apps & Data screen.

Step 7. Select Restore from Mac or PC.                       

Step 8. Then, follow the instructions to complete the rest of the steps to transfer data to another iPhone.

FAQs about transferring iPhone to iPhone without iCloud

In addition to the above methods, we outline some related questions frequently asked by users and the corresponding solutions. Hope the following section can help you a lot.

# 1. How to transfer iPhone to iPhone with iCloud?

Make sure you have enough iCloud storage to back up important iPhone data. You can make backup of your entire iPhone to iCloud. Before starting, please connect your iPhone to a stable network.

On your source iPhone: Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > iCloud Backup > Turn on iCloud Backup under Backup and tap Back Up Now.    

On your target iPhone: After resetting the iPhone, start setting up the iPhone. Then click Restore from iCloud Backup.      

# 2. Can you transfer iPhones without backup?

You can still perform the transfer iPhone operation even if you don't have a backup in advance. For example, you can use a third-party iPhone transfer software FoneTool. It has a 100% security guarantee and an extremely high success rate, which enables you to transfer iPhone data to another iPhone quickly.

#3. How to transfer data from iPhone to iPhone wirelessly?

You can use Quick Start or AirDrop to transfer iPhone data to another iPhone wirelessly, but both methods are limited by version. If you are not running iOS 11 and above, they will be useless. At this time, you can use an iPhone app FoneTool for iOS. Follow the steps to figure out how to transfer data from iPhone to iPhone wirelessly.

Step 1. Install FoneTool for iOS App on both devices from Apple App Store.

Step 2. Click OK to allow it to access Photos, Contacts, Apple Music and media library.

Step 3. Click Connect Device to search for other iOS devices, and select the target iPhone to establish a connection.

Step 4. Go to File Transfer, select the files you want to transfer and click Send. 

Step 5. You can go to Transfer List to view the progress of receiving and sending.

In the end

This guide introduces 4 methods on how to transfer iPhone to iPhone without iCloud. By contrast, you will find that the easiest and fastest way is to use FoneTool to assist you in safely transferring everything to your new iPhone without storage space limitations.

Furthermore, we also explain how to transfer iPhone to iPhone with iCloud. If this comprehensive guide is helpful, you can share it to help more people.