ElenaRaq

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

I've had my iphone for a while and am just now connecting it to itunes to load music.  I've got SMS, apps and photos on it already.  When I connect to iTunes, it asks if I want to set up as new or restore from backuo (no backups).

 

 

If I set it up as new will iTunes erase the apps, SMS, and photos?

iPhone 4, Windows Vista

Posted on Jul 9, 2012 8:06 PM

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

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  • by Logan Pulintharakunnel,

    Logan Pulintharakunnel Logan Pulintharakunnel Feb 2, 2015 7:53 PM in response to roaminggnome
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 2, 2015 7:53 PM in response to roaminggnome

    *psst* doesn't work the way you're describing, next time you should try it first

  • by Logan Pulintharakunnel,

    Logan Pulintharakunnel Logan Pulintharakunnel Feb 2, 2015 7:58 PM in response to Mark Salomon
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 2, 2015 7:58 PM in response to Mark Salomon

    Exactly right.  ElenaRaq's investigation helped me too and I'm an software development manager. 

     

    I notice this kind of unhelpful attitude like dieselvdubs far too often in these forums.  Not only was the comment unnecessarily snarky but worse, it was wrong.

  • by roaminggnome,

    roaminggnome roaminggnome Feb 2, 2015 8:12 PM in response to Logan Pulintharakunnel
    Level 10 (96,843 points)
    Feb 2, 2015 8:12 PM in response to Logan Pulintharakunnel

    What doesn't work?  I have restored as new.

     

    I didn't describe anything or how it would work, other than restoring as new, leaves the iPhone with no content just as when it was new.  It does work exactly like that.

     

    psst.  you responded to a nearly 3 year old post.

  • by b.o.b.ber,

    b.o.b.ber b.o.b.ber Mar 20, 2015 10:17 AM in response to ElenaRaq
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 20, 2015 10:17 AM in response to ElenaRaq

    Gad I found this post. I wasted hours on iClouded-up "solutions". I was a-scared to set up as new phone. I can't believe this issue persists after (at least) 3 years. Simply adding the words "or first time sync" to the set up button is all you need - boom, thousands of man hours saved across the world!

  • by ashred44,

    ashred44 ashred44 May 25, 2015 1:52 PM in response to ElenaRaq
    Level 1 (0 points)
    May 25, 2015 1:52 PM in response to ElenaRaq

    THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS!!! I am trying to put music on my dad's phone that he uses for work and I would be so dead if I erased all of the data!

  • by Amir0902,

    Amir0902 Amir0902 May 29, 2015 8:18 AM in response to ElenaRaq
    Level 1 (0 points)
    May 29, 2015 8:18 AM in response to ElenaRaq

    I'Ve choose restore back-up and now all my pictures is gone. And all the photos on my old iphone is restored in my new iphone. Can i retrieve the photos? Please please help.

  • by ~ruka ,

    ~ruka ~ruka Aug 16, 2015 6:34 AM in response to ElenaRaq
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 16, 2015 6:34 AM in response to ElenaRaq

    I deeply appreciate the information that was shared too! This has allowed me to heave a big sigh of relief! Thanks!!

  • by nerval,

    nerval nerval Oct 30, 2015 9:05 AM in response to ElenaRaq
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Mac OS X
    Oct 30, 2015 9:05 AM in response to ElenaRaq

    Thanks. I've been using Macs since OS 7.1 and don't think this was a silly question at all. It helped me very much.
    As many have said: there are no silly questions, just silly answers.

  • by Rex HW S,

    Rex HW S Rex HW S Nov 2, 2015 7:14 AM in response to ElenaRaq
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 2, 2015 7:14 AM in response to ElenaRaq

    Dear Apple,

     

    After 3 years, it still continue to confuse people.

    As a user, I expect some help text to these kind of "mission-critical" options.

     

    This is not a silly question.

    I'm a software engineer and I was confused as well at the first time.

     

    This is totally a CX issue that your company should consider to handle.

  • by MacHound,

    MacHound MacHound Dec 25, 2015 1:46 PM in response to Steve M.
    Level 2 (265 points)
    Dec 25, 2015 1:46 PM in response to Steve M.

    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.

  • by djbonany,

    djbonany djbonany Jan 21, 2016 6:13 PM in response to ElenaRaq
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 21, 2016 6:13 PM in response to ElenaRaq

    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

  • by hannahmaryfresia,

    hannahmaryfresia hannahmaryfresia May 4, 2016 10:56 PM in response to roaminggnome
    Level 1 (4 points)
    May 4, 2016 10:56 PM in response to roaminggnome

    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.

  • by guyff,

    guyff guyff Sep 5, 2016 9:04 AM in response to diesel vdub
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iTunes
    Sep 5, 2016 9:04 AM in response to diesel vdub

    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.

  • by turingtest2,

    turingtest2 turingtest2 Sep 6, 2016 10:10 AM in response to guyff
    Level 10 (85,298 points)
    iPod
    Sep 6, 2016 10:10 AM in response to guyff

    Set up as a new device won't change any data on the iPhone, it is simply the alternate choice to restoring from a backup, which you won't want to do on a new computer. If your phone has never been synced with another library then set up as a new iPhone is all you need to do. If it has been synced with another library in the past then either copy that library to the current computer or see Recover your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device.

     

    tt2

  • by guyff,

    guyff guyff Sep 6, 2016 10:15 AM in response to turingtest2
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iTunes
    Sep 6, 2016 10:15 AM in response to turingtest2

    Brilliant - many thanks for this helpful answer. Best wishes.

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