I just purchased a new iPhone and want to start fresh. No contacts, no messages, no pictures, no apps, etc. I want to add those new as they come up. How do I do this without making a mess of my other devices? Is it as simple as not backing up when I start up the phone? Thanks!
iPhone 11
You can do backups because they do not affect your other devices. When you start the phone, do not restore from a prior backup. If the other devices are syncing with iCloud, do not turn on iCloud syncing on the new phone. If you do not want to share Messages and other data, consider using a different Apple ID. If you do that, you can then sync with iCloud. If you do create a new ID, if you later decide to share with the other devices, a new ID can present challenges.
You can do backups because they do not affect your other devices. When you start the phone, do not restore from a prior backup. If the other devices are syncing with iCloud, do not turn on iCloud syncing on the new phone. If you do not want to share Messages and other data, consider using a different Apple ID. If you do that, you can then sync with iCloud. If you do create a new ID, if you later decide to share with the other devices, a new ID can present challenges.
Thanks Eric Root! I mainly don’t want iTunes, pictures, apps and contacts to transfer over. Maybe messages are okay to come over. In that case not backing up and not syncing from iCloud will do the trick then?
You are welcome. You can back up, just don't restore a backup from another device. If the other devices are syncing with iCloud, do not sync with iCloud.
Fresh start with iPhone
