Cannot restore backup to iPhone 12 Pro

Hi HelloMello!

It sounds like you’re unable to migrate data from your old device to your new one, and we're happy to help. You may need to first set up the new iPhone as a new device and update it before you are able to migrate the data.

Update your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

Cheers!

Had issues just trying to restore the iPhone 12 Pro Max to a past backup for the past five hours. It turned out that all I had to do was remove the SIM card and put it back into the old phone, accept a carrier update, and proceeded to restore the iPhone 12 Pro Max with the backup without the SIM card in it. After restoring, I moved the SIM to the new phone and it worked.

If the 7+ has iOS 14.6 then the 12Pro needs to be updated to 14.6. To do this set up the 12Pro as NEW, then go to Settings/General/Software Update and update it. After you have done that go to Settings/General/Reset - Erase all content & Settings. The phone should go back to the Hello screen after a few minutes, and you can start the transfer over.

If it doesn’t reset to the Hello screen after 10 minutes, do a forced reset:

• Press and quickly release VOLUME UP
• Press and quickly release VOLUME DOWN
• Hold the SIDE button until an Apple logo appears (15-30 seconds)

The operative word here is QUICKLY

There is one other less likely, but possible problem. If you have a beta version on the 7+ you will have to install the beta version profile on the 12Pro and update it to that also.

Then follow these instructions→Transfer data from your previous iOS device to your new iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support

the latest update of ios is 14.2.1 wich is only for 12. And 11 pro has only 14.2 as latest update.Its showing error while direct transfer from iphone.

Could be some iOS bug with this specific version. Try downgrading to iOS 14.2 on 12, it's still signed and device is still clean in any case so nothing to lose.

You need to connect the new device to the same WiFi network as the old one.

I have done a factory reset on the new phone with iTunes and then managed to transfer data from Cloud (iTunes or Quick start between the 2 phones still didn’t work)

unfortunately they could not give me an answer/ solution. I had to set it up as new, if you sign in to your apple ID on your new phone your contacts, msgs, notes, calendar, etc., should be there. However, photos, apps etc. wont be

As far as I can tell there is no issue to resolve. In those 4 months hundreds of millions of new phones have had no problem updating, so if there is a problem with your phone it is a problem with your phone, nothing more.

And this is a user-to-user forum, not a way to get help from Apple, but instead from other users. If you actually describe your problem another user may be able to help.

I’m also confused; you said your new phone never backed up. But you don’t back up new phones; you restore a backup of the old phone to the new phone.

So if you want another user to help describe all of the steps you have done. Have you started here, for example→Transfer data from your previous iOS device to your new iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support

And if you still can’t do it make a genius bar appointment→https://www.apple.com/retail/geniusbar/

11 has older iOS than 12 so should be no troubles. What's the issue in iTunes? You can't make a backup of 11 or restore it to 12? What's the error?

I spent (no joke) 13 house yesterday working on the same thing. Both devices (iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 Pro max) are updated to 14.4. I tried backing up my 11 via iCloud back-up, my Mac, data migration (cloud), data migration via USB3/lighting cable - all of which didn't work. The first Apple technician was AMAZING, however he recommended me going to buy the USB3/lighting cable since the 3 other back-ups failed me. Naturally, I went out and bought one. Unfortunately, it did not work. I was told that there is a back-up in the cloud that is "locked" on Apple's end and it takes 48 hours to allow me to delete that. This back up is dated 2/12/2021. On my iCloud backup - I am showing 9.6 GB dated yesterday at 6:21p. I try deleting that back up and it won't let me. When I click in to the iCloud backup dated 1/28/21 - it says 10.6 GB worth of back up. CLEARLY Apple needs to get their house in order. Their own tech department says "our cloud doesn't work like a cloud should" - Well Tim Cook, stop developing portless iPhone's and have your product team figure out how to back up my iPhone and address these cloud infrastructure problems. I have mad love for Apple, but this is not right. The answer "we will have to hear back from engineers but we don't know when that will be" is not okay. I'm without a phone. It's sad - the Sr. Advisor was very quick to jump to hardware issues. Let's be honest - this is an infrastructure issue and I'm not enjoying being the hamster on the wheel. Please resolve these issues for all of us.

Hi Mello, did you find the solution ?

RIght now at 4/14/21 I'm having the same problem, trying to restore from Iphone 11 pro max to Iphone 12 pro max, and all the way had failed (Itunes, Icloud, proximity)

If you had started from scratch the new Iphone is working well ? I'm afraid that is a hardware problem, or something like this

It's been almost 4 months since this poster commented and Apple still hasn't resolved the issue. I just bought a 12 Pro Max 10 days ago - it never backed up. I've called Apple, I've DM'd Apple, no one has any clue what I'm talking about when I speak with them. I just took the phone back to my carrier to get a new one (since I'm still in my return window) hoping against hope that maybe it might be a hardware issue. I'm on hour 15 of backing up this new phone connected to my high speed wifi, plugged in and unused and it's still BACKING UP MEDIA.