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Tutorial to Transfer Photos from iPhone to iPhone

"I just got my new iPhone 15, and I have saved many photos and selfies on my old iPhone, can I get photos from old iPhone to new iPhone and how to do it, please help." Apple has established a unique business model, and customers share higher loyalty than other brands. So, it is not surprising that some iPhone owners are eager to upgrade to the latest versions of iPhone as soon as Apple launch them. On the other hand, according to a recent survey, iPhone users are more likely to search for how to transfer photos from iPhone to iPhone, partly because Apple has integrated serious system permissions into iOS.

Transfer Photos from iPhone to iPhone

At the same time, Apple also developed several services and features to help users sync data between iOS devices. iTunes, for example, is the most commonly used iPhone toolkit. People could purchase contents, download apps, troubleshoot and sync photos to iPhone within iTunes. Plus, iCloud is another useful service to expand iPhone storage, back up files and transfer photos between Apple products. In this tutorial, we are going to show you how to transfer photos from iPhone to iPhone with iTunes/iCloud. Moreover, you can grasp more options to complete this job simply. If you are ready, let's start the awesome journey.

Part 1: How to transfer photos from iPhone to iPhone using iCloud

iCloud is a web-based service. So, if you do not have USB cables but a good Wi-Fi network, it is a good option to get photos from one iPhone to another. When we talk about syncing photos using iCloud, it involves with two functions, iCloud Photo Library and My Photo Stream.

How to transfer photos from iPhone to iPhone via iCloud Photo Library

Step 1. Unlock the old iPhone, swipe upward from bottom of the screen, tap on Wi-Fi to turn it on and enter your Wi-Fi credential to put your iPhone online.

Turn on Wi-Fi

Step 2. Open the iOS Settings app from your home screen, tap on your Apple ID and go to "iCloud" > "Photos". Put the switch of "iCloud Photo Library" to ON position. Then the process bar will show you uploading photos from old iPhone to iCloud Photo Library. It may take a while depending on the number of iPhone photos and your Wi-Fi network.

Turn on iCloud Photo Library

Step 3. Next, turn on your new iPhone and connect it to a Wi-Fi network. Head to "Settings" > "iCloud", tap on "Sign In" and enter the same Apple ID and password attached on the old iPhone. If you have registered the new iPhone with another account, you have to tap on "Sign out" on iCloud settings screen, and then sign in the previous account.

Restore from iCloud

Step 4. After sign in iCloud account, locate to "Settings" > "iCloud" > "Photos" and enable "iCloud Photo Library" to trigger the process of transferring pictures from iPhone to iPhone.

How to transfer photos from iPhone to iPhone via My Photos Stream

Step 1. If your iCloud does not have enough space, you can use My Photo Stream to transfer all photos from iPhone to iPhone. On the previous iPhone, head to "Settings" > [your name] > "Photos & Camera", turn on "My Photo Stream". Your photos taken in 30 days will go to iCloud Photo Stream as soon as your iPhone is online.

My Photo Stream

Step 2. Switch to the new iPhone, start the Settings app from your home screen, go to iCloud and sign in Apple ID and password that you used to stream your photos previously.

Sign in

Step 3. Connect the new iPhone to a Wi-Fi network, go to "Settings" > "Photos & Camera" and toggle the slide next to "My Photo Stream" to right to turn it on. Next, open the Photos app, and then you will get the photos in My Photo Stream album.

Pros

  • 1. The biggest advantage of iCloud is convenient. You do not need to take the Lightning cable here and there.
  • 2. There is 5GB free storage for each account.
  • 3. My Photo Stream does not take up your iCloud or have limitations on storage.

Cons

  • 1. Both iCloud Photo Library and My Photo Stream rely on internet connection to transfer all photos from iPhone to iPhone. It does not only need a Wi-Fi network, but also take much longer time.
  • 2. You have to upload photos to iCloud server from the old iPhone.
  • 3. It only shares photos between iPhones, but not downloads photos to your memory. Once your iPhone is offline, your photos will be gone from your iPhone.
  • 4. If free storage is not enough, you have to manage iCloud storage or purchase more iCloud space.
  • 5. My Photo Stream only supports up to 1000 photos shooting in 30 days.

Part 2: How to get photos from one iPhone to another using iTunes

To get photos from one iPhone to another through iTunes, you have to download photos from old iPhone to your computer, and then sync them to the new iPhone from computer. So, the workflows are a bit different on Windows and Mac.

How to get photos from old iPhone to Windows

Step 1. Connect your old iPhone to your PC using Apple's Lightning cable. If prompted, tap on "Trust" on your iPhone. Once the AutoPlay window pops up, select "Import pictures and videos" to open iPhone Camera Roll. If the AutoPlay does not show up automatically, open My Computer on desktop, right-click on your iPhone under "Portable Devices" area.

iPhone Camera Roll

Step 2. Drag and drop the photos that you want to sync to your new iPhone to a folder. Wait for the download process to complete, remove the old iPhone from your PC.

Autoplay

On Windows 8, you will be presented two options after clicking Import pictures and videos, Review, organize, and group items to import, and Import all new items now. Choose the first one to download all photos to local hard drive. On Windows 10/11, you have to turn on "AutoPlay" in "Settings" > "Devices" first.

How to get photos from old iPhone to Photos on Mac

Step 1. Also link your old iPhone to your MacBook/iMac with a USB cable and unlock your iPhone. By default, the Photos app should open automatically.

Step 2. Then all photos in your Camera Roll will load into Photos app on Mac. You can select specific photos and click the "Import [number] Selected" button at upper right side to download them to Mac. The "Import All New Photos" button will save all photos from iPhone to Mac.

Step 3. When it is done, disconnect the old iPhone and your Mac.

Photos on Mac

How to sync photos to iPhone with iTunes on PC/Mac

Step 1. In order to sync photos from iPhone to iPhone, hook up your new iPhone to your computer with Apple Lightning cable, and open the latest version of iTunes. After your handset is detected, click on the iPhone icon at upper left corner.

Tip: If have set up the Wi-Fi syncing feature in iTunes for your new iPhone, you only need to put the iPhone and your computer to the same Wi-Fi network, iTunes will discover it.

Step 2. Select the "Photos" option under "Summary" on left hand column to open photo syncing window.

Step 3. Check the box in front of "Sync Photos", unfold the dropdown menu and select "Choose folder" on Windows. Then pick the folder that stored photos downloaded from old iPhone. If you have a Mac, choose Photos app from the dropdown menu.

Step 4. Click the "Apply" button at bottom right corner and then hit "Sync" button to start sharing photos between iPhones.

Sync Photos

Pros

  • 1. iTunes uses USB cable to sync photos between iDevices, which is faster than iCloud.
  • 2. It does not require internet connections.

Cons

  • 1. Though iTunes is able to sync photos to iPhone from computer, you cannot download photos from iPhone to computer with it.
  • 2. iTunes will cover existing photos on your iPhone with the new photos. You should make a backup before transfer photos from iPhone to iPhone with iTunes.
  • 3. Many people reported that iTunes not working when syncing photos, iPhone not show up in iTunes and other problems.

Part 3: How to share photos between iPhones with iPhone transfer

Apparently, iTunes and iCloud have some unavoidable downsides on sharing photos between iPhones. That is why some people search for how to transfer photos from iPhone to iPhone without iTunes or without iCloud. From this point, we recommend Apeaksoft iPhone Transfer, which has more benefits, such as:

  • Easy to use. This iPhone transferring application allows you to transfer pictures from iPhone to iPhone in one click. Even novice users could grasp it within a few seconds.
  • Two-way transfer. With iPhone Transfer, you can share pictures from iPhone to iPhone/iPad, from iPhone to computer, and add photos from computer to iPhone simply.
  • Preview for selectively syncing. It has the capacity to display all photos saved on your iPhone. Users can preview, manage, and transfer certain photos from iPhone to iPhone.
  • No damage on existing photos. The application will not damage or interrupt current photos on both old and new iPhones during transfer. And all photos will be saved to the target iPhone in original quality and formats.
  • Faster and safer. It uses physical connection to share photos between iPhones, which is quicker and safer and does not require internet connection.
  • Higher compatibility. iPhone Transfer works for iPhone 15/14/13/12/11/XS/XR/X/8/7/6/6s/5s/5c/5, iPad Pro/Air/Mini or earlier generation, and iPod touch.
  • There are two versions, one for Mac OS and the other for Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7/XP.

In a word, it is the best way to transfer photos from old iPhone to new iPhone without iTunes/iCloud.

How to transfer photos from iPhone to iPhone with iPhone Transfer

Step 1. Connect your iPhones to iPhone Transfer

Download the right version of the best iPhone transferring application based on your operating system, and install it on your computer. Plug your old and new iPhones to your computer using Apple's Lightning cable. Once you launch iPhone Transfer, it will recognize both devices automatically.

Tip: To avoid data loss and device damage, you'd better use original USB cables or products authorized by Apple.

Interface

Step 2. Preview photos on old iPhone before transferring

Click on the name of the old iPhone at left sidebar, and choose the Photos tab to display all photos on old iPhone. You can preview them on right detail window. If you want to get rid of unwanted photos first, select them and click on the "Delete" button at top ribbon.

Preview

Step 3. Transfer photos from old iPhone to new iPhone

Hold the Ctrl key on Windows or Cmd key on Mac and highlight all photos you'd like to transfer to the new iPhone. Click on the "Export to" menu, and select "Export to [new iPhone's name]". A few minutes later, the photos on old iPhone will be synced to your new iPhone. Then disconnect both iDevices from your computer. Now, unlock your new iPhone and go to the Photos app to check whether all desired photos are downloaded.

Transfer

iPhone Transfer does not limit how many photos are transferring. According to our testing, it only takes a few minutes to transfer hundreds of high quality photos at one time.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we have talked about how to transfer photos from iPhone to iPhone. No matter you just upgrade to a new iPhone or have two iPhones, syncing photos between iDevices is a useful skill. There are a lot of approaches have such abilities, and it is a waste of time to try each one. Luckily, we have shared 3 best methods above, iCloud, iTunes and Apeaksoft iPhone Transfer. They have unique advantages and meet various demands. iTunes is a good option if you do not have a Wi-Fi network and not worry about current pictures being overwritten. iCloud is worth to try when you have a lot of time. On the other hand, iPhone Transfer is a versatile application to share photos between iPhones faster. After making a decision, you can follow our guides to complete this job simply.

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