Want to highlight a helpful answer? Upvote!

Did someone help you, or did an answer or User Tip resolve your issue? Upvote by selecting the upvote arrow. Your feedback helps others! Learn more about when to upvote >

Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

Settings from iPhone to new iPad

Hi Everyone


So I have my iPhone4S 64gb and I really like it. I bought a iPad2 32gb today but have had some trouble getting my settings from the phone to the iPad. Basically the only reason I got the iPad was to use the features of my phone but on a bigger screen.


I want to get my iPad looking exactly like my iPhone, with all the photos, settings, apps, mailbox accounts etc all there and in the same place as on my phone.


There is an option to use a backup of my phone to 'restore' the iPad, but since my backup is larger than 32gb this doesnt work. I tried taking all the music off my phone so the backup is less than 32gb but I STILL can't get it to transfer my mailboxes, past sms/iMessage messages. The apps transfer when synced to my pc, but they're not in their folders or anything. I don't really care about music on the iPad which takes up the bulk of space on my iPhone


So here's my question:


How do I transfer EVERYTHING from my iPhone to my iPad, so that my iPad looks and feels exactly like the iPhone?


Thanks!!!

Posted on Apr 12, 2012 8:20 AM

Reply
12 replies

Apr 12, 2012 8:31 AM in response to James, The 3rd Earl of Coast

You already know what to do - restore from the backup of the phone. You will have to remove whatever content from the iPad that you do not want on it from the phone.


I can't imagine that the phone's backup is really that large. The backups don't contain any media - just app data and settings, the email and text messages, Safari history, calendar entries, contacts, notes, etc. - but if you have a ton of photos and some videos in the Camera Roll - that could take up a fair amount of space in the backup. No purchased content is included in the backup and that is where most of the storage capacity is taken - apps, music, Movies, TV shows, books - and of course synced photos can take up a fair amount of space - but none of those things are in the backup.

Apr 13, 2012 6:44 AM in response to James, The 3rd Earl of Coast

James ...l the email accounts themselves are backed up but not the messages. However, the iMessages are backed up. My post was inaccurate - I typed email and text messages but meant email account settings and text messages. You can read about what is backed up here.


http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4946


Having said all of that - I have restored from backups several times in the past and I'm pretty sure that the email messages downloaded again from the server - except for any messages that I had deleted.


Did you launch mail since you restored and try to get the messages to download again? According to the support article - The iMessages should be in the backup.

Apr 13, 2012 7:11 AM in response to James, The 3rd Earl of Coast

Yeah, the restore from backup definitely isn't working.


I'm following all the steps here: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2109


but it's not transfering messages, email accounts, wifi passwords, map bookmarks or anything that is listed in the list of backup-ed items here:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4946


Super frustrating!


PLEASE HELP.

Apr 13, 2012 7:12 AM in response to James, The 3rd Earl of Coast

Maybe I am getting a little confused now myself. Did you do a complete backup of the phone with iTunes yet? Assuming that the iPhone is up to date with all of your content - and that would have to be a pretty good assumption since that is the device that you have been using all along.


Connect the phone to your computer and launch iTunes. If you use automatic syncing - that's fine - go ahead and sync. Don't disconnect the phone after the sync completes. Right click on the phone name on the left side under the devices heading and select - Transfer Purchases from XXX's iPhone. Let the transfer process complete. Then right click on the phone name again and select - Backup. Let the process complete and eject the phone.


This should now be the most up to date backup that you can have for the phone and when you restore the iPad from the backup - the settings and data SHOULD appear on the iPad. The email accounts should be on the iPad, the iMessages, all app data and app settings and all of the other stuff that the article spelled out.


If you backup with iCloud - that restoring process is just a little different. However, if you are syncing the calendar, notes, bookmarks - all of that stuff from iCloud - all of that should sync to the iPad if you set up iCloud on the iPad as well.

Apr 13, 2012 7:25 AM in response to Demo

Yeah, I've done all that. I synched, transfered purchases, backed up many times. The backup from the iPhone is 100% there.


I'm also doing the restore and then not chosing 'set up as new ipad' but restore from backup (and using the iPhone backup i just did). But it doesn't seem to transfer anything!


So i'm not sure if the backup to my pc is failing, or if the restore from my pc to the iPad is failing.


I'll try it on another pc now.

Jul 25, 2014 6:27 AM in response to James, The 3rd Earl of Coast

I was trying to do the same and came across this....

Way down at the bottom of http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4946 I found this tidbit:


Learn more


Only app data from App Store apps and sync settings will be restored to your device when you do the following:


Restore your iPad from an iPhone or iPod touch backup.

Restore your iPhone or iPod touch from an iPad backup.


So it looks like you can't do what you (and I ) want to do. 😟

Settings from iPhone to new iPad

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple ID.