Problem Setting Up New iPad Air6 from an iPhone 15PM iCloud Backup??

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Level 3

736 points

Problem Setting Up New iPad Air6 from an iPhone 15PM iCloud Backup??

Has anyone with a large number of iPad apps had problems moving an app from one homescreen to another?

Because I have 352 apps on my iPhone 15PM, I chose to initially load my new iPad Air6 from an iPhone iCloud backup, which is the preferred way Apple migrates iPhone users to new iPads. I had 20 folders on the primary iPhone homescreen into which all of those apps fit (see pic). Unfortunately, when installing from an iPhone backup to an iPad, the folder structure does not transfer. As a result, I got 343 apps in seemingly random order across 15 homescreens (9 apps must have been dropped from the App Store).

Furthermore, after some unknown number of apps, the iPadOS simply stops permitting you to transfer an app from one homescreen to another to re-create new folders or simply get the most important apps to the front homescreen.

What BS! Two days and several tech-support phone calls and iPad reset/reinstalls from ground zero, I am fit to be tied. Apple TS says it is studying the problem, however, it appears my only solution is to reinstall iPadOS with the Apple apps that come with it, then download whatever else I need from scratch.

I am somewhat confounded that after 14 years of iPads, Apple has not run into another user with many apps on an iPhone who attempted to load them to an iPad per Apples support documents. Apple TS acts like no one has ever needed to transfer a large number of apps from an iPhone to an iPad before so I’m told they’re now studying the iPadOS setup limitations on how much can be loaded successfully.

Please comment if you’ve had similar problems. More to follow.

Posted on May 20, 2024 11:30 PM

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Answer 1

KaeBFly

Level 5

7,428 points

May 21, 2024 12:28 AM in response to cyberbiker

Never had the problem (but I have been both an iPhone and iPad owner for years so my starting point was never where yours is…plus after the first time many years ago my iPad upgrades used the previous iPads backup) but I want to point out the possibility that some of the 9 apps you said might have been dropped from the App Store…it’s also likely that some of those apps were iPhone only (for example…if the Journal app was one you are referring to it is not available for the iPad).

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Answer 2

cyberbiker Author

Level 3

736 points

May 21, 2024 12:32 AM in response to KaeBFly

You’re right about the loss of apps that didn’t have a corollary iPad version. That’s the smallest part of the problem I’m facing. I’m just amazed that after 14 years iPadOS is so much more limited than iOS.

I bought an iPad back in 2011, but cracked the screen on a motorcycle trip and never replaced or upgraded it until now. The gap between iPhone and laptop has also narrowed so. I no longer carry a laptop when traveling..

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Answer 3

May 21, 2024 6:55 AM in response to cyberbiker

cyberbiker wrote:

Furthermore, after some unknown number of apps, the iPadOS simply stops permitting you to transfer an app from one homescreen to another to re-create new folders or simply get the most important apps to the front homescreen.

Put all the apps on a given page you want to move to another page into a folder. Then, move the folder. This should get around the item number limit. Once you move all the apps out of the temporary folder, it will, of course, disappear.

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Answer 4

May 21, 2024 7:20 AM in response to cyberbiker

As the iPad and iPhone differ considerably in screen layout, the Home Screen locations and/or App-folder structure are intentionally not restored when restoring an iPhone backup to an iPad (or vice versa).

In addition to IdrisSeabright’s suggestion for moving Apps between screens using a folder, be aware that iPadOS drag-and-drop supports multi-select. This function may greatly simplify moving multiple items between Home Screens - or to App folders - in a single action.

To use multi-select, touch and slightly move the first icon that you intend to move; without lifting your finger from the screen, use another finger to tap the icon of an additional App that you wish to move; a green “+” badge should appear. Again, without lifting your first finger from the screen, tap on each additional icon that you wish to move to the stack; the number next to the green "+" badge will increment for each App that you add to the stack.

When you have selected all the icons, drag the stack to the target folder or Home Screen. Multi-select is far more difficult and complicated than the process itself.

Multi-tasking and multi-select tools enable considerable flexibility in selecting and moving items around the UI.

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