iPad New iPad Setup Best Practice???

[iBighouse]

My current iPad is an OG 2015 12.9” iPad Pro. Today I should be receiving its 2021 M1 replacement. I often, with my phones, take this opportunity to just setup from scratch and then only install apps as I need them, as 90% of my screens are filled with apps I no longer use. Does anyone else use the upgrade cycle as a time to purge their flotsam by NOT doing a backup/restore?

What’s your setup process??

 

[kazmac]

I do not do backup restores on new iPads, but I will transfer some Procreate and Notability files and documents over.

 

[meDANOcine]

I also set my new devices up from scratch. Gives me an opportunity to rethink my layout and purge apps. Also adds to the excitement of getting a new device! Just remember to delete your old device’s backups from iCloud so it doesn‘t hog unnecessary space once you’re confident you no longer need the backup.

 

[Wags]

I’m old school with clean installs.

 

[Lobwedgephil]

I transfer everything with no issues, don't have time to setup things again. But understand those that do, probably need to purge a bunch of apps.

 

[JayMysterio]

I always start fresh, and only add files as I think I need them.

Why not get a nice restart after years of accumulating stuff on older units?

 

[rui no onna]

Normally, I'd just backup and restore but I've been getting battery drain issues on my 2017 12.9 so I'll be taking the time to setup the 2021 12.9 from scratch.

 

[tekchic]

iPhones I restore from backup (except this last go round since my XS Max had issues), iPads I set up as new, and just connect to iCloud.

Then I manually AirDrop over files like Procreate, specific reference images, PDF's, ebooks, etc. Good time to clean up.

 

[AutomaticApple]

I’m old school with clean installs.

I only do that with Windows. It usually ends in a disaster.

 

[metalsiren]

yea I do a backup and restore, the system should be designed to handle that so I use it. right now I dont have the time to do everything from scratch so thats how I will roll on my 2020 transfer to my 2021

 

[Wando64]

It is my understanding that the backup restore process on an iPad/iPhone will not backup/restore the OS nor the apps, but only your data.
iOS/iPadOS will install before the restore process (you cannot restore without first installing the latest version of the OS), and the apps themselves will download after the restore has completed.
That is why the backup files are so small.

Taking all of that into consideration there is nothing to be gained from doing a fresh install.
The restore process is doing a fresh install for you and copying over your data.

 

[rui no onna]

It is my understanding that the backup restore process on an iPad/iPhone will not backup/restore the OS nor the apps, but only your data.


Taking all of that into consideration there is nothing to be gained from doing a fresh install.
The restore process is doing a fresh install for you and copying over your data.

Of course, if you have any corrupted data or settings, the restore will potentially copy those over, too.

 

[one more]

Depends on how much stuff you need to tweak. I usually backup my previous idevice on a Mac and then restore from this full (encrypted) backup. Much faster in my case than having to setup everything from scratch. ?

 

[Wando64]

Of course, if you have any corrupted data or settings, the restore will potentially copy those over, too.

Well, maybe, but I am not going to throw away my data on the off chance it might be corrupted.
As for settings, I am not sure how that could happen as the apps are reinstalled.

 

[Wando64]

Normally, I'd just backup and restore but I've been getting battery drain issues on my 2017 12.9 so I'll be taking the time to setup the 2021 12.9 from scratch.

I was having battery drain on my SE 2020 and a network settings reset has made a huge difference.
It went from not lasting a day to getting at the end of the day with 60% to 70% charge available.

That’s huge.
Worth a try.

 

[CrazySuzyn]

I’ve tried to do a copy from my old iPad & it has been a disaster. Literally a disaster. I may have to delete everything to do a clean install, even if that’s the last thing I want to do. It took an hour to transfer all the files & now it’s updating every app even though the apps were up to date. I’m worried I won’t get ALK the stuff off my old iPad by the trade in deadline.

 

[Runs For Fun]

I’ve never had a problem doing a device to device transfer. It’s just too much of a PITA to set everything up from scratch.

 

[the5rivers]

Used to set up as new way back when, but now just restore from latest back up and it has served me well. No issues and agree its too cumbersome to set everything up again.

 

[kazmac]

Update: tried Quick Start to transfer data btw my 2020 Air and the M1, and I was delighted to see the iPad Air Procreate and Notability files I wanted on both iPads on the M1.

This is the first time I’ve tried using Quick Start and it worked like a charm.

 

[CrazySuzyn]

Another update - when I opened settings to make sure wifi. Was working, it wanted my Apple password. Once I typed that in, a lot of stuff started coming back. I’ve never had a problem before doing a copy, don’t know what happened this time.

 

[Caviar_X]

I was unable to restore from backup during the initial setup process since my last back up was on a beta profile. Once I updated my new iPad to the beta profile I figured it wasn't worth it to back up from iCloud. This is my first time ever starting fresh on a device. It's not really an issue but figuring out what settings I had previously is taking time.

 

[rui no onna]

Well, maybe, but I am not going to throw away my data on the off chance it might be corrupted.
As for settings, I am not sure how that could happen as the apps are reinstalled.

I'm not throwing away data, though. All data on my iOS devices are stored on either NAS, Dropbox or iCloud or content provider and will be synced during the initial setup process or are easily redownloaded. Indeed, an iPad migration doesn't really copy, say, my Kindle ebooks or Amazon Prime Video downloads. I still need to handle those manually.

It's only the apps themselves that are reinstalled but settings are restored from backup/migrated from other device. On my old iPad, Siri is misbehaving. I already have Hey Siri disabled but it's still consuming a good chunk of battery when the device is on standby.

Common suggested fixes for standby battery drain issues are: Reset Network Settings, Reset All Settings and Erase All Content and Settings. Instead of messing around the old iPad that was in active use and then needing to troubleshoot two devices in case the fix doesn't work, I figured a fresh start on the new iPad and just manually copying over the settings from the old one is a better option.

 

[doboy]

Haven't clean installed in ages. For the past 5+ years, whether it's iPad or iPhone, I've always backed up to my Mac and restored to the new device from that backup. Haven't ran into any noticeable issues and I upgrade frequently.