How to Upgrade From an iPhone Running iOS 13.1 Beta to iPhone 11 or 11 Pro Without Losing Any Data - MacRumors
Skip to Content

How to Upgrade From an iPhone Running iOS 13.1 Beta to iPhone 11 or 11 Pro Without Losing Any Data

by

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

kegan forbes Avatar
kegan forbes
87 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)
steve31 Avatar
steve31
87 months ago
Missing live wallpapers.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
adammusic Avatar
adammusic
87 months ago
nice. Just in time. Wouldn’t have known to do this
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Paandrews Avatar
Paandrews
87 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)
GadgetBen Avatar
GadgetBen
87 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)
Read All Comments

Popular Stories

Dynamic Island iPhone 18 Pro Feature

11 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 18 Pro

Monday May 11, 2026 9:01 am PDT by
We're only four months out from the launch of Apple's premium next-generation smartphone lineup, and while we're not expecting a sea change in terms of functionality, there are still several enhancements rumored to be coming to the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth noting is that Apple is reportedly planning a major change to its iPhone release cycle this year, adopting a...
Read Full Article • 35 comments
iOS 26

iOS 26.5 Features: Everything New in iOS 26.5

Monday May 11, 2026 5:09 pm PDT by
Apple released iOS 26.5 after a few months of beta testing, and while it doesn't have the Siri features we were hoping for since those are being held until iOS 27, there are a handful of useful changes worth knowing about. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. End-to-End Encryption for RCS Support for end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for RCS messages between iPhone and...
Read Full Article • 65 comments
General Apps Reddit Feature

Reddit Starts Blocking Mobile Website, Pushing Users to App Instead

Monday May 11, 2026 6:10 am PDT by
Social network Reddit recently began blocking mobile visitors to its website while pushing them to download the official Reddit app, and it's fair to say that the move is not going down well with users. If you visit reddit.com on your iPhone today, you may see a new popup that can't be dismissed, asking you to "get the app to keep using Reddit." A Reddit spokesperson told Ars Technica...
Read Full Article • 125 comments