Upgrading my wife to a newer iPhone

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Dave Merrill

Axe-Master
Windows Android guy here, Apple ignorant, could use some assistance.

My wife has an old iPhone, a 6s+, running iOS 15.8.2, which can't be upgraded to 16 because too old. That's really the only driver for her to upgrade; sites and apps she needs are blocking her.

Here are my questions:
  • If she buys a newer model, probably next-to-latest (I guess?), will she be able to move her apps and data to the new phone, including 3rd party stuff?
  • Will Apple help, or ideally, just do it for her?
  • Any suggestions on which one to buy?

Thanks in advance.
 
1. Mostly - if the apps are not deprecated there should be no problem.
2. Yes. But it's really easy. Google it and it's a piece of cake.
3. The latest usually. But when my phone decided to stop working, I went for the 13 last year - not pro. Sufficient for virtually anything one would do with a smartphone.
 
As long as her apps are still available in the App Store, they can be installed on the new phone.

Data management on Android phones is kind of all over the place, so it's a much bigger pain in the ass to transfer things. Apple keeps things locked down pretty tight so there's a lot more consistency in things.
 
The only thing I can think of that could be a problem is if her old phone is too old to support migrating. But it's on iOS 15, should work fine.

FWIW, not sure who your provider is, but Verizon seems to be offering the iPhone 15 with deep discounts / practically free to upgrade or open a new line... trying to clear them out before the 16 drops. Could be worth looking at.
 
Hi Dave,


Dave Merrill said:
Windows Android guy here, Apple ignorant, could use some assistance.

My wife has an old iPhone, a 6s+, running iOS 15.8.2, which can't be upgraded to 16 because too old. That's really the only driver for her to upgrade; sites and apps she needs are blocking her.

Here are my questions:
Click to expand...

Dave Merrill said:
  • If she buys a newer model, probably next-to-latest (I guess?), will she be able to move her apps and data to the new phone, including 3rd party stuff?
Click to expand...
Yes - unless the apps are no longer available for the current iOS version.
Dave Merrill said:
  • Will Apple help, or ideally, just do it for her?
Click to expand...
You won’t need help - the phone walks you through it.
Dave Merrill said:
  • Any suggestions on which one to buy?
Click to expand...
I recently updated my 6s+ to a 14 and it went seamlessly. Amazingly well executed in my opinion.
Dave Merrill said:
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
 
'Upgrading my wife to a newer iPhone'.

I guess people all call their spouses different things. Still, bit of a weird one here. Can't imagine it'd go well, so maybe don't call her the 'old model'. Make sure you tell her you at least got full value for the trade in on her too.
 
Dave Merrill said:
Thanks folks.

If she buys a new phone at Verizon, will she still be able to call Apple support about whatever?
Click to expand...
From my experience here in Canada, Apple will help with migrating new iPhones (either in-store or by phone) regardless of where the iPhone is purchased. To ensure the process goes as smoothly as possible before the session:
  • Know your passwords (email(s), apple-id, device passcode, restrictions passcode if any, simlock passcode if any).
  • Ensure an iCloud backup beforehand to facilitate faster migration to the new phone ( direct data transfer mechanisms may work also, but I'm not sure with 6s+ - you can call apple in advance (or visit Apple store) to be sure of best method). If iCloud backup is needed for data transfer, check if phone contents will fit into your available iCloud space - if not, you can clean up the phone of unnecessary items or purchase added iCloud space for 1 month ($1.29 Cdn).
  • Make sure 2nd factor authentication devices are available during the migration session to ensure you can get signed into everything on the new phone.
  • The only time I've seen issues with app migrations is if the app is no longer available in the app store, or when apps were initially installed with an apple id other than the current apple id used on the phone. Can't remember if there is some sort of solution to this 2nd situation (maybe setting up family sharing between the two apple ids that had installed to that phone - hopefully this is not a case you'll run into).
  • If you have apple watch, have it available for the data migration which would include pairing apple watch to the new phone along with apple watch restore from backup take on the old phone.
I like to buy the earliest standard sized phone still sold in Apple stores just after a new lineup is announced (usually around Sep / Oct) because the announcement is sometimes followed by price drops on older models. So for example, if I'm looking to buy this year, I'll wait until the new linup of IPhone 16s is announced, and look to purchase an iPhone 14 (standard size) at reduced price. Good chance also (but not necessarily) that iPhone13 could be discontinued along with iPhone16 announcement, so I might also look for a really good deal on those, but something like that would not likely be on for long. If opting for the oldest model continuing to be sold in Apple stores into the next year (ie iPhone 14), then I'll also consider holding out until black Friday when there has sometimes been descent gift card rebate deals on older models also.
 
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If she likes the smaller form factor of the iPhone 6s, the iPhone 13 Mini might be a good choice. I got a 13 Mini a couple of years ago, and it's held up very well. Good camera, good battery life, plenty of processing power and storage. The other iPhone models are larger and will be more of a change from a 6s.
 
I literally just did this with all of my iPhones last week! Moved from AT&T to Verizon and the in store guy moved everything for me. I went to the 15 Pro max, the Wifey went to a 15 Pro so did the daughter, the son is an Android guy so he moved to a Galaxy S24. I realize the 16's are due for release in September but the trade in on the 12's we had was a really good deal! I figure we are good to go on phones for another 3 years.

I also moved my Internet service to Verizon as well which is a cellular based service. So far so good I haven't had any connection issues as of yet with 2 TV's and 3 computers running.
 
pedalbuilder said:
If she likes the smaller form factor of the iPhone 6s, the iPhone 13 Mini might be a good choice. I got a 13 Mini a couple of years ago, and it's held up very well. Good camera, good battery life, plenty of processing power and storage. The other iPhone models are larger and will be more of a change from a 6s.
Click to expand...

I like the 13 mini. Wife has a 13. They are good phones and priced well. Coming from a 6S is a big upgrade. The phones paired wirelessly and my old phone transferred to the new. It turned out easy.
 
Dave Merrill said:
How soon does the 13 go out of support, landing us right back here again?
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Depends to on what is meant by support - typical considerations:
  • When will it not be able to run the most recent OS?: Afaik, the current IOS (17) will run on phone models going back 6y ago to 2018 (Xr, Xs). More info here.
  • For phones running an older iOS versions, how long will the older OS keep receiving security updates? The current oldest supported IOS version is 15 released 3y ago this fall. More info here
So adding the 2 above provides a rough guestimate of 9 years support (6+3) from initial phone release; 7 years for the 13 since its 2 gens back. I don't get the sense these are strick standards though as Apple may support one device or OS longer than "usual" for whatever known / unknown reasons.

As far as repair support, apple considers a product obsolete 7 years after they stop selling it - so total I'guess around 9 years since most iphone models are sold in store for a couple of years. More info here.

So, with iPhone 13 when will you land back here? My best guess: apprx 7y
 
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Apple makes the transition easy with their Quick Start feature. She can transfer all her data, including third-party apps, to the new phone seamlessly.
 
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