Due to Apple seeding the iOS 13.1 beta prior to the public release of iOS 13, upgrading to a new iPhone may be a bit trickier this year.

iphone restore from backup
In a support document, Apple has provided instructions for migrating data from an older iPhone running the iOS 13.1 beta to an iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, or iPhone 11 Pro Max, which run iOS 13.0 out of the box.

The instant option is to set up the iPhone 11 as new, update the device to the iOS 13.1 beta, and then restore from an iCloud or iTunes backup:

  1. Back up the older iPhone via iCloud or iTunes.

  2. Power on the new iPhone, select "Set Up as New iPhone" during the set up process, and follow the steps as prompted.

  3. On the new iPhone, install the iOS 13 beta profile from either the Apple Beta Software Program or the iOS Developer Program, depending on whether you had the developer or public beta installed on the older iPhone.

  4. Upgrade the new iPhone to the iOS 13.1 beta.

  5. After the upgrade is complete, go to Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings on the new iPhone. This will bring the iPhone back to the "Hello" set up screen.

  6. Set up the new iPhone via "Restore from iCloud Backup" or "Restore from iTunes Backup" during the set up process.

The second option is to set up the iPhone 11 as new and sign in to iCloud on the device. When iOS 13.1 is publicly released on September 24, install the update, then restore from your older iPhone's backup:

  1. Back up the older iPhone via iCloud or iTunes.

  2. Power on the new iPhone, select "Set Up as New iPhone" during the set up process, and follow the steps as prompted.

  3. Wait until September 24 and install the publicly released version of iOS 13.1 via Settings > General > Software Update.

  4. After the upgrade is complete, go to Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings on the new iPhone. This will bring the iPhone back to the "Hello" set up screen.

  5. Set up the new iPhone via "Restore from iCloud Backup" or "Restore from iTunes Backup" during the set up process.

These steps are required because Apple does not allow an iPhone to be restored from a backup of a newer iOS version. Since the iPhone 11 models come preinstalled with iOS 13, they cannot be set up based on an iOS 13.1 backup.

If your older iPhone is running a version below iOS 13.1, these steps are not necessary.

Related Forum: iPhone

Top Rated Comments

adammusic Avatar
adammusic
79 months ago
nice. Just in time. Wouldn’t have known to do this
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
steve31 Avatar
steve31
79 months ago
Missing live wallpapers.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GadgetBen Avatar
GadgetBen
79 months ago
I could have done with this guide 6 hours ago! Figured it out.

So where does the data loss aspect come from?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Paandrews Avatar
Paandrews
79 months ago
I did this the same as I did with the X. The one thing I’ve noted is that I don’t have any of the live wallpapers for the 11 pro max. There’s just an empty space. I’m hoping the GM will solve it.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kegan forbes Avatar
kegan forbes
79 months ago

Has anyone tried iTunes/Finder option+upgrading to normal 13? I've heard it works but may be buggy. In between people yelling at me that iT's n0T suppORTed.
i did this to my xs max last night and it worked just fine and as if it was a standard upgrade only issue i had was mail not syncing on the old phone but that's working fine on the new phone. everything else still worked just fine including photo library.


hi
I tried these steps. But since the new iPhone pro max comes with iOS 13 already, I don’t know how to download iOS 13.1 beta? I tried downloading it from the Apple link. But under the software updates it doesn’t show anything?
try "upgrading" to iOS 13 gm on the old phone using the option+click check for updates and selecting the file for your phone. you will have to download the file first but there are a few sites that have it.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments

Popular Stories

M5 MacBook Pro

Apple Announces New 14-Inch MacBook Pro With M5 Chip

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:07 am PDT by
Apple today updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro base model with its new M5 chip, which is also available in updated iPad Pro and Vision Pro models. In addition, the base 14-inch MacBook Pro can now be configured with up to 4TB of storage on Apple's online store, whereas the previous model maxed out at 2TB. However, the maximum amount of unified RAM available for this model remains 32GB. Like...
Read Full Article • 275 comments
Apple iPad Pro hero M5

Apple Debuts New iPad Pro With M5 Chip, Faster Charging, and More

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:16 am PDT by
Apple today announced the next-generation iPad Pro, featuring the custom-designed M5, C1X, and N1 chips. The M5 chip has up to a 10-core CPU, with four performance cores and six efficiency cores. It features a next-generation GPU with Neural Accelerator in each core, allowing the new iPad Pro to deliver up to 3.5x the AI performance than the previous model, and a third-generation ray-tracing ...
Read Full Article • 280 comments
maxresdefault

Here's Everything Apple Announced Today

Wednesday October 15, 2025 3:54 pm PDT by
We didn't get a second fall event this year, but Apple did unveil updated products with a series of press releases that went out today. The M5 chip made an appearance in new MacBook Pro, Vision Pro, and iPad Pro models. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. We've rounded up our coverage and highlighted the main feature changes for each device below. MacBook Pro M5...
Read Full Article • 85 comments
iphone air thickness

Apple Said to Cut iPhone Air Production Amid Underwhelming Sales

Friday October 17, 2025 8:29 am PDT by
Apple plans to cut production of the iPhone Air amid underwhelming sales performance, Japan's Mizuho Securities believes (via The Elec). The Japanese investment banking and securities firm claims that the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are seeing higher sales than their predecessors during the same period last year, while the standard iPhone 17 is a major success, performing...
Read Full Article • 409 comments
HomePod mini and Apple TV

Apple's Next Rumored Products: New HomePod Mini, Apple TV, and More

Thursday October 16, 2025 9:13 am PDT by
Apple on Wednesday updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Vision Pro with its next-generation M5 chip, but previous rumors have indicated that the company still plans to announce at least a few additional products before the end of the year. The following Apple products have at one point been rumored to be updated in 2025, although it is unclear if the timeframe for any of them has...
Read Full Article • 86 comments
Vision Pro M5 Announcement

Apple Updates Vision Pro With M5 Chip, Dual Knit Band, and 120Hz Support

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:14 am PDT by
Apple today updated the Vision Pro headset with its next-generation M5 chip for faster performance, and a more comfortable Dual Knit Band. The M5 chip has a 10-core CPU, a 10-core GPU with Neural Accelerators, and a 16-core Neural Engine, and we have confirmed the Vision Pro still has 16GB of RAM. With the M5 chip, the Vision Pro offers faster performance and longer battery life compared...
Read Full Article • 251 comments
14 inch MacBook Pro Keyboard

New 14-Inch MacBook Pro Has Two Key Upgrades Beyond the M5 Chip

Thursday October 16, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
Apple on Wednesday updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro base model with an M5 chip, and there are two key storage-related upgrades beyond that chip bump. First, Apple says the new 14-inch MacBook Pro offers up to 2× faster SSD performance than the equivalent previous-generation model, so read and write speeds should get a significant boost. Apple says it is using "the latest storage technology," ...
Read Full Article • 64 comments
MacBook Pro M5 Screen

New MacBook Pro Does Not Include a Charger in the Box in Europe

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:59 am PDT by
The new 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M5 chip does not include a charger in the box in European countries, including the U.K., Ireland, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Norway, and others, according to Apple's online store. In the U.S. and all other countries outside of Europe, the new MacBook Pro comes with Apple's 70W USB-C Power Adapter, but European customers miss out....
Read Full Article • 505 comments
airpods max 2024 colors

AirPods Max 2: Everything We Know So Far

Tuesday October 14, 2025 8:43 am PDT by
Apple's AirPods Max have now been available for almost five years, so what do we know about the second-generation version? According to Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the new AirPods Max will be lighter than the current ones, but exactly how much is as yet known. The current AirPods Max weigh 0.85 pounds (386.2 grams), excluding the charging case, making it one of the heavier...
Read Full Article • 90 comments
macbook pro blue

Apple's M5 MacBook Pro Imminent: What to Expect

Tuesday October 14, 2025 4:35 pm PDT by
Apple is going to launch a new version of the MacBook Pro as soon as tomorrow, so we thought we'd go over what to expect from Apple's upcoming Mac. M5 Chip The MacBook Pro will be one of the first new devices to use the next-generation M5 chip, which will replace the M4 chip. The M5 is built on TSMC's more advanced 3-nanometer process, and it will bring speed and efficiency improvements. ...
Read Full Article • 56 comments