8 ways to quickly transfer photos from iPhone to iPhone

There are many different ways to transfer photos between iPhones . The methods below will save you considerable time when switching phones or simply when you want to share cherished photos with family and friends.

Transfer photos from your old iPhone to your new iPhone.

When you upgrade to a new iPhone, Apple offers several different ways to transfer photos from your old iPhone. The best method depends on how long you can wait to start using the new device, your internet connection speed, the amount of iCloud storage you have, and whether you want to transfer everything or just your photos.

When you transfer photos from one iPhone to another using any of these options, you will overwrite the photo library on the new iPhone. This means you shouldn't use these methods if you already have photos on the new iPhone that you don't want to lose.

1. Use Quick Start to transfer data.

When you have a brand new iPhone that hasn't been set up yet, you can use Quick Start to conveniently transfer photos and other data to it. Quick Start uses Wi-Fi to transfer all data from your old iPhone to your new iPhone, including apps, messages, settings, and photos.

You cannot use either of your iPhones while the Quick Start transfer process is underway, which can take an hour or more depending on the amount of data you have. To begin the Quick Start transfer, move your new iPhone close to your old iPhone after it has booted up. Then, follow the on-screen prompts to transfer data from your old iPhone to your new iPhone.

Using iCloud allows you to use your iPhone again sooner, but it's only a good idea if all your data has already been synced with iCloud. Once the Quick Start process is complete, all your photos, apps, and other data will be ready to use on your new iPhone.

2. Restore from iCloud or a local backup.

If you don't have access to your old iPhone, you can use an existing backup to transfer photos to your new device. An iPhone backup includes all photos, apps, messages, and other data stored on your iPhone.

The backup will not include any photos if you use iCloud Photos with storage optimization enabled on your iPhone. This is because your photos are stored in iCloud, not on your iPhone's internal storage.

If you haven't already, you can create a new iPhone backup using iCloud, Finder on your Mac, or the Apple Devices app on your Windows PC. To create an iCloud backup, go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > iCloud Backup and tap Back Up Now .

To create a local backup, connect your iPhone to your computer, open the appropriate application, select your device, and click Back Up Now .

After creating the backup, follow the setup prompts on your new iPhone until you reach the Apps & Data page . From this page, select restore your iOS backup; this process may take an hour or more. During this time, you can continue using your old iPhone if you still have one.

3. Sign in to iCloud Photos

When iCloud Photos is enabled, your iPhone will upload all the photos you take to iCloud. This makes your entire photo library available on any other device using your Apple ID. So, use iCloud Photos if you only want to transfer photos to a new iPhone without touching other apps and data.

On your older iPhone, go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Photos and turn on the switch next to Sync This iPhone . Your iPhone will upload all your photos to iCloud. Monitor the upload progress by scrolling to the bottom of the Photos app.

Once all your photos are on iCloud, open Settings on your new iPhone and sign in with the same Apple ID. Then, go to [Your Name] > iCloud > Photos and turn on Sync This iPhone .

How to transfer photos to someone else's iPhone

The methods above won't be useful if you want to transfer photos from your iPhone to a friend's iPhone. In this case, you usually only want to send a few photos at a time, not your entire photo library.

You can use any of the following methods to conveniently send photos to your friend's iPhone without overwriting existing photos on their device.

4. Transfer photos using AirDrop or NameDrop

AirDrop uses WiFi and Bluetooth connections to wirelessly transfer files between any two Apple devices. When you send photos using AirDrop, they are transferred in full quality at high speed.

Fortunately, using AirDrop on an iPhone is quite simple.

Another easy way to do that is to use NameDrop. While NameDrop is primarily used for wirelessly sharing contact information, you can also use it to share photos from one iPhone to another, as long as both devices are running iOS 17 or later.

Simply select the image you want to share and place your iPhone next to the top edge of the other iPhone. Once done, you'll see your device name appear on the receiving iPhone. All you need to do is tap Share and wait for NameDrop to work its magic!

Unfortunately, if one of the two iPhones doesn't support iOS 17, you'll have to use a different method.

5. Share the iCloud link to your photos.

If you use iCloud Photos, one of the easiest ways to transfer photos to another iPhone is to use an iCloud link. After creating an iCloud link for your photos, you can share that link with anyone via text, email, and instant messaging.

To create an iCloud link, open the Photos app and select the photo(s) you want to share. Tap the Share button , then scroll down and tap Get iCloud Link . Your iPhone will take a moment to prepare those photos in iCloud and save the link to your clipboard.

Paste the link into a message for your friends so they can download the photos to their iPhones.

6. Upload your photos to a cloud storage service.

The best way to transfer photos from one iPhone to another without using iCloud is to save them to another cloud storage service , such as Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive.

Download and sign in to the relevant cloud storage app on your iPhone. Then, select the photo(s) you want to share in the Photos app. Tap Share and scroll through the second row of apps in the sharesheet to find your cloud storage app. You may need to tap More at the bottom of the row to see more apps.

After selecting a cloud storage application, a pop-up window will appear allowing you to choose where to save those photos. Once the upload is complete, share the link to those files from within the relevant cloud storage application. For example, if you want to save images to Google Drive, all you need to do is select the application from the sharesheet and press Upload .

7. Create an iCloud shared album.

Whether or not you use iCloud Photos, you can use iCloud to create photo albums to share with others. This allows you to share albums with up to 5,000 photos with up to 100 different people.

Open the Photos app and select the photo(s) you want to share. Then, tap the Share button and select Share in album . Enter a name for the album and tap Next . Choose recipients and tap Create .

Anyone you share photos with on your iPhone can also add their own photos or comments and download the photos you add to the shared album.

8. Send your photos via message.

Perhaps the easiest way to transfer photos from your iPhone to someone else's is to send them via iMessage. If iMessage isn't available, you can still send photos via MMS in the Messages app. However, your mobile carrier may charge for MMS messages, and the quality will be poor.

Open the Messages app and start a conversation with the person you want to send the photos to. Tap the plus (+) icon next to the text box and select Photos from the list of options. Then, select the photo(s) you want to send and tap the Send button .

Depending on your internet speed and service plan, Messages may compress the images you send to reduce transmission time and data usage.

Using the methods above, you'll be able to transfer photos from one iPhone to another without any difficulty. Use them when setting up a new iOS device or when you need to share photos with friends.

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