will itunes erase my iphone if I set it up as new?

The same issue is still present in iTunes 12.3.2 for Mac OS, and iOS 9.2. Late 2015 and Apple still prefers to scare its customers.

I've been an Apple fan since 1980 (Apple ][+), owned a Mac 128K with the original Mac OS, and owned many other Macs and iOS devices through the next 31 years. Nonsense like this is nothing new. I do miss the early days when Apple didn't push customers around as much and they listened really closely. This company now grows to resemble the monstrosity they depicted in that famous 1984 sledge hammer ad. I remember seeing it on TV and knowing exactly what they were talking about.

I am not throwing empty words around here, just expressing thoughts of a long-and-sometimes-weary Apple customer. The mid-1990s was a similarly dark period, as I recall, when the company seemed to be headed the wrong direction.

It can be challenging to remain a loyal Apple customer. Eventually they get their act together (mostly). Sometimes it just takes new leadership.

I know this is an old post but I had this issue today as well.

I had just updated my iTunes to 12.3.2.25 and Apply iOS 9.2

upon plugging in my iphone to my laptop to load some audio books, I got the "New Phone" screen. 2 options.... load as a new phone or restore from back up. Only back up was 7 months ago. no chance I'm doing that.

I selected Set up as a New phone and it just took me in to the normal screen that allows me to see all the info about the phone. nothing changed on my phone at all. now I'm starting to load some new music and books. wish me luck. I've never liked iTunes

You are correct that restoring as new makes the iPhone as it was when it came out of the box, but that is not one of the options in this situation. As many users have said in their posts in this thread, the options are set up as new and restore from backup. Clicking set up as new doesn't erase anything.

You are confusing people.

ps. before you mention it, I know your post is a year old. Deal with it.

Well I have this very same question too and if you search the web many, many other people also. Perhaps "diesel vdub" you should think about not giving silly answers and instead read people's questions properly? Or as ElenaRaq suggests, if it offends you so much, just move on.

To be clear, if you use a new phone for say a week and fill it with contacts, emails, photos etc, and then connect to iTunes for the first time, you might (as I was and others were) only be given an option to Set it Up as a New iPhone, or restore from a previous backup of another device if you have other devices backup there. It is not at all clear from the iTunes platform or the web support and forums whether clicking Set up as New Phone wipes the device or not. Obviously we don't want to wipe devices. It's a simple case of requiring disambiguation - does "new phone" in this case mean a real new phone (which would suggest wiping the phone and setting it up as new) or just a phone that is new to the iTunes account (which would suggest it's fine, it would add the phone without wiping so you could go on to backup all its contents / sync etc.

In fact far from being "silly" this question seems quite difficult to answer. The web doesn't know. You haven't answered it either - instead choosing to dismiss it as "silly" and I just went into a Vodafone store selling and supporting new iPhones and they weren't sure at all. And have just spent half an hour talking to Apple Tech Support in the US directly on the phone, senior tech support people were consulted, various deliberations, and even they couldn't give a 100% guarantee that it would not wipe the phone. So it's odd, if it's so obvious as to be a silly question, than no-one can answer it. Don't you think?

You patronisingly told us to try reading the User Guide. Okay perhaps then you could explain exactly where in the User Guide this particular scenario is explained? I've looked and there's nothing. I'd be keen to know exactly what you think is "silly" about this question? If you fail to point to the user guide section that answers this query, fail to explain why the question is so "silly" and fail to answer it, perhaps you could apologise to ElenaRaq and all the many other iPhone users who are experiencing the same uncertainty and have the same question, who you have so arrogantly insulted with your rude and totally unhelpful answer?

Thank you.

This is without doubt one of the most gratuitously offensive replies I have seen on an Apple forum. If my staff responded to a user like this they would no longer be one of my staff. The only silly question is the one you don't ask.

Jerry

Thank you! This was very helpful for me. I was using my iPad for more than 3 months, when I connected it to my iTunes, it asked me to set it up as a new iPad or restore. Following your suggestion, I set it up as a new iPad, and luckily did not lose my data.

I had same question, would iPhone be erased but I also want to know what about my backup.

Now another question. If I set as new iPhone what about previous backup I made?

After backup I requested and got unlock from AT&T which erases iPhone content and sets it as new iPhone.

Now iTunes is asking that question 'Setup as new iPhone or backup'.

If 'setting as new iPhone' means it will be another iPhone on my account will I not be able to get the backup made when it was old iPhone? That backup has all my content.

With 'set as new', will I have a choice to give it a different name or same name?

If I give it the same name will I be able to get my content?

If I give it a different name will I be able to get my content?

iTunes does show 3 different options for 'Restore' but will the options be there for a new device?

Will 'Restore' undo the unlock and put AT&T back as cellular carrier?

Hi, i have an iphone 4s that previously belonged to a relative so it probably has been synced with another library in the past. I want to use my itunes library with my iphone, can i choose the setup as new phone option even though it's previously been synced with another library?

Thanks

Thanks, Just wanted that little bit more reassurance as it had previously been synced to another library. I've had the phone for a while. Pretty sure i reset the device and am signed in with my ID so am ok on that front.

Cheers

See if this helps. If you don't use separate accounts, Contacts, music and personal data get mixed up.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1495

If you set it up as new it will be as it was when it was new.

Did your iphone have your sms and photos on it when you took it out of the box for the first time.

Thanks ElenaRaq - was banging my head against the wall and was about to do the same with my iPhone.

Obviously not a silly question.

Yep when I selected the 'set up as new' option, it didn't erase anything. And I then had the chance to back the device up.

Thank god, if I hadn't found your post I'd still be banging my head against the wall....Yay!!! Done successfully nothing lost.