I know the procedure to connect a new Mac desktop to an old one, do some fancy button-holding-down and the entire old computer hard drive ( minus the older OS ) ports into the new machine. God I love that.
Do we know if the same setup is a part of iPad OS? Just was gifted a wonderful 11" iPad Pro. I would so dearly love to connect the two devices. Not sure how…since the old iPad is using a Lightning connector and the new one, of course, is USB-C.
Thoughts? Is this a procedure I can do, or do I have to live old-school and manually install ever app, set up all email addresses, all passwords, etc etc ?
I’ve found a Lightning to USB-C on Amazon, so the interface isn’t the issue.
This is an answer from my AI but it includes relevant links to Apple’s own support pages (and those links work, I checked) so this might be a good start:
Yes, you can! It’s not called “sync,” but Apple offers something very similar called Quick Start, which is the closest equivalent to what you can do with a new Mac. Here are the main methods:
Quick Start (Direct Device-to-Device Transfer) This is the most straightforward approach and works similarly to Mac migration. You bring both iPads together, and the new one automatically sets up using your old iPad’s data. Both devices need to be running iOS 11 or later (iPadOS 13+). The devices copy settings, preferences, and iCloud Keychain information, and you can then restore the rest of your data from your iCloud backup.
iCloud Backup Restore You back up your old iPad to iCloud, then restore that backup on your new iPad during setup. This requires having an iCloud backup already created and enough iCloud storage space.
General Setup Information Apple’s comprehensive guide on setting up iPad with options for transferring data:
All Data Transfer Methods Overview A summary of all available transfer options (Quick Start, iCloud, Finder/iTunes):
Quick Start is generally the easiest option if both iPads are working and near each other—just keep them next to each other and plugged in while the transfer completes.
I used Quick Start a month or two ago when I bought a new iPhone. And note that neither was “plugged in” but they were charged, turned on and had Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled.
Many thanks. Poking at the last link in your post, which seems to address my way of living iLife. ( Since this isn’t The Pit, I will restrain my language regarding all things iCloud. They already have my files, images, data, videos, retina scan ( in 8K resolution ), cheek swab and ice cream preferences. I’d rather not haul my entire iPad’s worth of privacy up into it.
Let 'em pine for it. PINE, I say !!!
Due to a previous horrific experience, I won’t be turning this thing on until the case arrives.
I dropped a brand new iPad onto the brick patio at a Starbuck’s in Palo Alto, CA. It had been turned on for less than 90 seconds. Cracked the glass, bent the corner. I was sitting 12 miles from The Mother Ship of Apple in Cupertino. God…what a week.
Anyway, excited to do the data swap once it’s cased.
I noticed it says they have to be nearby and both plugged in. Guessing it uses AirDrop to transfer everything…
Plugged in for power since this is a battery hungry process and you don’t want it to fail partway through. A full charge would almost certainly be enough but they want to err on the side of being safe about it. I know my Android Pixel phone will not update if the battery is below 50% (or some threshold…I forget). Even if likely enough they make me charge it up or plug it in before doing big updates.
Cool. I’m charging the old one now. It’s been dying and unable to hold a charge for a while, and my kindly son gifted me this new machine. Will set up according to the instruction from the Apple link.
I appreciate being old in this situation. I remember sitting on pins and needles at the Verizon store ( and before that, the Bell Atlantic Mobile store… ), watching as the person used a magical device with cables running to the old phone and new phone. JUST to port over the address book/ phone book/ contacts/ whatever it was called before Smartphones.
If the old one isn’t able to hold a charge, I would just leave it plugged in while the transfer is occurring. It’s probably less necessary to have the new one plugged in.
Part of the reason to be nearby is one will make swirly colors, and you have to point the camera of the other one at it. That’s just an authentication mechanism, the actual transfer is over WiFi.
You’ll also want to be someplace with good internet, because the new one will download all of the necessary apps from the App Store.
