New iPhone Won’t Restore From Backup, Software Too Old Issue? Fix!

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restore data new iphone

You’ve just got a new iPhone and you’re excited to set it up and get it working. However, when you try using the restore option to get your backup from the old phone to the new iPhone, you are getting the message that the backup cannot be restored to this iPhone because the software on the iPhone is too old. It’s frustrating I know and that’s why I’ve created this quick guide to help you fix the problem.

A little about iPhone data restoration to a new iPhone

While it is convenient to restore your previous backup to an iPhone of a different generation, it isn’t recommended since changes in software can damage your data. Your new device might end up being buggy and slow. Now that you’ve learnt something about backups, lets proceed to solve this issue when your new iPhone won’t restore from backup.

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How to fix the iPhone cannot restore backup issue

A working option in this case is to update your iPhone to the latest version of iOS before you do a restore. Follow these steps:

  • Connect your new iPhone to your computer and instead of choosing Restore from backup, select Set up as a new iPhone. Click continue
  • Uncheck the two boxes on the next page then click Done. The reason here is that you want to update the OS first before performing a restore. Enabling these two boxes will just eat into your precious time.
  • Wait for it to complete the set up. Once done, it should load iTunes with two options; Update and Restore. Click on Update.
  • Wait for the update to complete then click OK on the warning message that appears. Terminating it in the middle could brick your iPhone. Therefore, make sure it is connected to a power source during this process.
  • You will know the update is complete when it returns to the previous screen on step 3 and instead of Update, there is Check for Update.
  • Click Restore this time round and then Restore on the warning that appears. A progress meter should appear after some time. Give it enough time to restore your backup.
  • Once the restoration is complete, your iPhone will restart and the data will show up on your iTunes.

Restoring iTunes backup from iCloud

Sometimes when restoring an iPhone from iCloud a message appears saying your restore is incomplete or some items will not restore. This could mean that during the restore process, your Wi-Fi got disconnected or there was an issue with Apple servers causing the restore to be partially successful. When this happens, restart the restoration process again.

iTunes restore backup greyed out error

A greyed out restore backup option is an indication that your Wi-Fi connection isn’t working properly. Ensure you’ve connected to a reliable network connection before you continue with the restoration.

Read Also: Change your iPhone’s backup location Windows 10

In Conclusion

If you’ve followed this guide, you should have restored your iPhone backup to your new device by now. Always keep your iOS version up-to-date to prevent “software too old” errors when dealing with various apps.