When you buy your very first iPad, Apple makes it super quick and easy to use. As soon as you get your second one, however, there are some steps you need to take to make the new one work the way you want it to.
If you already own an iPad, the more likely you will buy a new 10.2-inch iPad to replace it. If the old one was your daily workhorse, that’s what you want this one to be – and you want it because it’s faster, has a better screen, or because you now know for sure to how much storage capacity you need.
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You can upgrade to the new iPad and give the other one away, or store it somewhere as a spare. You can set up both the new and the old identically, with the same apps laid out in the same places on your Home screen, and all with the exact same settings and documents.
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Or, you can choose to dedicate one iPad to some tasks and the other to something else. Like having an iPad Pro that you use for work and now adding an iPad mini that you mostly read for fun.
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The different ways to configure an iPad
In addition to setting up your very first iPad, there are three different options you need to think about. Complete replacement of the old iPad, set up a twin, or set up the new iPad as a separate device.
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It really is a separate device because no matter how many iPads you have, you need to sign in with an Apple ID.
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There’s nothing stopping you from creating a new Apple ID for every iPad, iPhone, and Mac you own, but it’s madness. You cannot recombine Apple IDs later and you will forever lose track of which account contains which email address.
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So, however you plan to use this new iPad, you need to add it to your current Apple ID. Beyond that, you really need to back up your old one.
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Back up your old iPad to a Mac
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Back up your old iPad first
If you’ve been using Apple devices for long enough, you know there was a problem with whether you backed up your iOS device to iCloud or to a Mac. There aren’t as many of them anymore. You can choose the one that suits you.
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The real difference is that if you back up an iPad to a Mac, everything on it gets backed up, including your apps and any media like books or videos. If you back up to iCloud, your settings are stored, not the content.
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This doesn’t have to be important, because if you back up to iCloud and then restore from it, your iPad will download all the apps and content you had again.
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Inevitably, this is going to be slower than restoring everything from a Mac, however. So the Mac is the best option, but iCloud works quite well.
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Whichever way you do it, back up even if you intend to use the new iPad as a separate device. For one thing, it’s good to do regular backups anyway. But on the other hand, it’s easier to put all your old apps on the new iPad and then delete what you don’t want.
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How to backup your old iPad to a Mac
- Connect the iPad to your Mac
- Open a Finder window and click on the name of the iPad
- Choose either Back up your most important data on your iPad to iCloud
- Or choose Back up all data from your iPad to this Mac
- Click on Save now
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How to backup your old iPad without Mac
- Open Settings on your iPad
- Tap your name at the top
- Faucet iCloud
- To choose ICloud backup
- Faucet Save now
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Either way, you now have a backup of your iPad, which will significantly speed up setting up your new one. Then you need to prepare this new iPad.
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How to set up the new iPad
Begin the process using what Apple calls Quick Start, first introduced with iPhone 8 and iOS 11. Place your new iPad next to your old one and turn on both.
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After a while, the new iPad should recognize that you have an existing one and offer you to use the Apple ID associated with that older device. Faucet Carry on accept that and then hold the new iPad over the old one.
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Back up your old iPad to iCloud
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An animation will appear on the old device. Hold the new iPad on it so that the camera shows you the animation on the screen. When it appears, press Finish on the new iPad.
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You’ll need to manually enter your Apple ID and password on the new iPad, to make sure you’re doing it. Then you will need to go through the setup steps to add Face ID or Touch ID on the new device.
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Restore all your apps
This effectively made the new iPad yours, in that it has your Apple ID on it. Go all the way and have the App Store reinstall all of your apps, which you do throughout the restore process.
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Your new iPad will give you the option of reinstalling apps and restoring data and settings from the backup you just made, and that’s still the fastest way. Tap to choose that and a list of recent backups with their dates will be displayed.
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Choose the latest by saving the most recent date. Then wait for your iPad to restore. This may take a while, depending on the size of the apps you are reinstalling.
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Finish setting up the new iPad
Once all of your apps are on the new iPad, you can delete the ones you don’t want. In the same way, you can now go to the App store to add anything you don’t have on your old iPad.
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In practice, you will find that it is best to do this over time. Don’t delete any apps until you’ve used iPad for a while and learned what you really want to do or don’t want to do with it.
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Finish with the old iPad
If you’re keeping the old iPad, you’re done. The two machines will work perfectly together and you will always forget which one needs to be recharged.
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However, if you want to get rid of this iPad, either by selling it to a stranger or giving it to a family member, there are some things you need to do. Basically, you delete your Apple ID and return the old iPad to its ready-to-use state.
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How to delete your data and iCloud user ID from your old iPad
- Back up your old iPad again to be safe
- Go to Settings and tap your name
- Scroll down and choose Sign out
- Come back to Settings and chosen iTunes and the App Store
- Tap on your Apple ID and choose Sign out
- Come back to Settings and now choose General, Reset, Clear all content and settings
- If prompted, enter your Apple ID and password
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Your old iPad is now ready for someone else to set up. And your new one is ready to be worked on.
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