How to activate your new iPhone: My quick setup in simple steps

Getting a new iPhone is exciting for everyone. 

I remember how thrilled I was to upgrade from an iPhone 11 to an iPhone 15. Opening the box and seeing the glossy new screen was an amazing feeling. But then it hit me: activating it could take an hour or more. 

If you want to know how to activate a new iPhone quickly and stress-free so you can explore all the features sooner, read on.

Before diving into the details, make sure you check out my step-by-step checklists to get your iPhone activated without a hitch:

Prepare your old iPhone for transfer

Here are some steps you need to take if you want to transfer data from your old iPhone to your new iPhone, like your files, apps, layouts, and more.

Clear unneeded files

You don't need to transfer everything to your new phone unless you really want to. But I always see buying a new iPhone as an opportunity to start fresh and clear out any files and apps that I no longer need. 

The downside is that sorting through your notes, reminders, and photos to decide what to keep and what to delete can be a very time-consuming process.

To speed things up, I use CleanMy®Phone. It scans your Photos app for blurry images, old screenshots, and duplicates, then lets you choose what to delete.

Sync with iCloud

Before setting up your new iPhone, it’s a good idea to make sure all the stuff you want is synced. That way, you won’t lose any important data. Unless you prefer the traditional method of connecting your phone to a laptop and saving everything to a hard or external drive, the next step is to sync with iCloud. It’s the safest, quickest, and easiest way to keep your data backed up.

To sync with iCloud:

1. Go to Settings on your iPhone.
2. Tap Apple Account > iCloud.
3. Tap See All next to Saved to iCloud.
4. Make sure the apps and features you need on your new iPhone are turned on.

Put your SIM card into a new iPhone

The final step you need to take is to transfer your SIM into your new iPhone. 

Here’s how to activate your phone number on a new iPhone:

1. Use the SIM ejector tool that comes with your iPhone to open the SIM tray and take your card out. 
2. Do the same for your new phone and place it into the tray.

How to activate a new iPhone without feeling overwhelmed 

Now that you know how to switch iPhones effectively, it’s time for the fun (and for some of us, also a frustrating) part: activating your new iPhone!

I’ve split up the instructions into three major steps: 

• Choosing a setup method
• Configuring your Apple Account and other settings
• Setting up your privacy and security settings (which many often skip) 

No more delays! Here's how to activate a new iPhone.

Choose the setup method

Your setup method depends on whether you want to transfer your data, where it's coming from, and whether you want to transfer it at all.

To start:

1. Turn on your new phone by pressing and holding the power button until you see the white Apple logo.
2. Follow the on-screen instructions until you get to the data transfer part of the guide.
3. Choose from the transfer methods available:

Source: support.apple.com 

• From iCloud Backup: Tap Restore from iCloud Backup and sign in with your Apple Account (this should be your choice if you used iCloud in the first section).
• From another iPhone: If you’re wondering how to activate a new iPhone from an old iPhone, just use the Quick Start option to hold both phones together and follow the prompts.
• From Mac or PC: For computer backups, choose Restore from Mac/PC and connect your phone to that computer.
• From Android: Follow the instructions to move data from an Android to your new iPhone.

If you don’t have another iPhone to transfer from or would prefer to start entirely from scratch, you can tap Set Up Manually.

Set up Apple Account and other settings

Your Apple Account gives you access to everything that you store on your iPhone. You need it to access apps like iCloud, Messages, FaceTime, the App Store, and more. This is how your data will be synced across every device you use. 

To set up your Apple Account and other key settings, follow these steps:

1. Connect to a Wi-Fi network. Simply select it from the list and enter the password.
2. Set up your Face ID. You can use Face ID to unlock your phone and to access other features seamlessly. The iPhone will scan your face at different angles. This should take a minute or two. 
3. Sign in to your Apple Account or choose Create New Apple Account if you don't have one already set up.
4. Set up iCloud to enable backup for things like contacts, apps, photos, and more. At this stage, you can also set up services like Apple Pay.
5. Set up Siri.
6. Adjust your iPhone preferences. 

Source: support.apple.com 

The perk of having an iPhone is that it's highly customizable and lets you tailor the device to your preferences. So make the most of it! 

Configure security and privacy settings

When it comes to privacy and security on our phones, we’re all a bit cautious, but can you blame us? We store a mountain of data on them, from private messages to financial details. 

What's more, we often connect to other Wi-Fi networks when we're at a restaurant, in a co-working space, or at work. Understandably, we want our data to stay secure. 

So, if you want to make your smartphone experience more secure, follow these steps: 

1. Set up Find My by going to Settings > Apple Account > Find My and turning on Find My iPhone. From there, you can choose whether to share your location with family and friends.
2. Adjust tracking and access settings for apps. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security and check out what each app is able to access and to what degree.
3. Download a VPN for extra privacy online.

I've relied on a VPN for more than four years because privacy is important to me. There are many VPN options available, but I go with ClearVPN for its no-nonsense, easy-to-use interface. I can switch on my VPN with one click and have peace of mind while using any network that's not my home. 

Solved: How can I activate my iPhone at home?

And there you have it! Now, you no longer have to wonder, "How do I activate my new iPhone?" With this easy-to-follow step-by-step process, you can set up your new iPhone without a hitch. 

As a long-term iPhone user, my personal tip for anyone switching to Apple is to learn the ins and outs of the iPhone like the back of your hand. That way, you can take advantage of all the incredible features it has to offer.

For an even better iPhone experience, try CleanMy®Phone for decluttering your photos, ClearVPN for online safety, and AnyTrans for iOS for iPhone management. You can gain access to these apps and 250+ more by subscribing to Setapp. It’s a cool service that offers a bunch of handpicked apps for both Mac and iPhone. It’s got everything you need to get stuff done, be creative, and tackle your daily chores — all in one convenient spot.

There's a 7-day free trial that lets you test out the apps and see if they’re a good fit for your needs.