Quick Start not working from iPhone 13 to iPad gen 6

[RandySea]

I am posting this after spending hours on many days with 7 different Apple support people, and waiting a week for a call that never came from higher level support. No one has said what I want to do is unusual or can't work.

Background:

I have a brand new iPad Mini gen 6 purchased directly from Apple Store online two weeks ago. After the 4th support person couldn't help, I returned the iPad to Apple and got a new one. That was in case the original one was defective. Made no difference.

I currently have an iPhone 13 mini. It is backed up with iTunes on a Windows 10 PC. No iCloud backup. I do not want to use iCloud

iPhone running iOs 15.7, bluetooth working, internet connected. As far as I know, iPad is running latest OS version, too.

As soon as I got the new iPad mini, I tried to set it up from the iPhone using Quick Start. I've done this many times for myself and others, when upgrading to a new iPhone. I'd never tried it with an iPad.

At first, it proceeded as expected. For example, the wifi credentials transferred immediately. Soon my iPhone said something like "Done. Let the ipad take it from here."

Then I got to the screen that gives options for transferring apps and data. The only choice that could apply was a bit oddly worded. Despite initially recognizing that I was transferring from an iPhone, the menu said "transfer apps and data from iPad". Clicking on that choice just had the little activity circle turning for a minute or so. Then I was returned to an unchanged transfer apps and data menu. No apps or data transferred.

Note: At no point in the Quick Start process did I see any error message.

Next I tried using an iTunes backup. I made a fresh backup first. My default was an encrypted backup, so I did this. Then I wiped the iPad, erasing everything back to factory settings. Next I started up the iPad with it connected to the PC. I can't remember the exact sequence, but in iTunes I got the option of restoring the iPad from the iPhone backup I had just made.

I ran the restore. It got most of the apps onto the iPad, at least to the point where they would begin downloading in full. A few apps didn't appear. Maybe they are incompatible with the iPad. But I got almost no data restored. No photos, no emails, no messages. The only data I could find that restored was my bookshelf of books I had gotten from my library and put on my iPhone using iTunes.

I tried the restore one more time, this time making a fresh, unencrypted backup first. No difference.

The last support person I spoke with was supposedly at a higher level. I even let her screen share. She couldn't do anything more than I had. She created a new ticket and referred it to an even higher level. I was supposed to get a reply from them in 2-3 business days. That was a week ago.

Is it possible that direct (not iCloud) apps and data transfers just don't work between an iPhone (iOS) and an iPad (iPadOS) and Apple Support just doesn't realize it and the Quick Start developers forgot to include relevant warnings and error messages?

Or what else?

 

[J. A.]

Welcome to iPad Forums!

A backup from an iPhone won‘t transfer all the data to the iPad. Data not transfered includes photos, messages and their attachments, voice memos, and apps that are not compatible with the iPad. They won‘t appear on the new device.

 

[RandySea]

Welcome to iPad Forums!

A backup from an iPhone won‘t transfer all the data to the iPad. Data not transfered includes photos, messages and their attachments, voice memos, and apps that are not compatible with the iPad. They won‘t appear on the new device.

Well, J.A., that sounds pretty definitive. But just to be clear, are you also saying that Quick Start cannot make a direct transfer of any data from an iPhone to an iPad?

If an Apple support person had told me that from the start, I could have saved a hell of a lot of time. It would also be nice if Quick Start gave that info, instead of just going ahead and failing without any message at all.

Do you think any third party programs could transfer the data that the iTunes backup and Quick Start can't? I'm thinking of the ads for Fonetools and a couple of other, similar transfer programs.

 

[J. A.]

I suppose Quick Start can transfer data from iPhone to iPad, but not all of them. I couldn‘t find anything to confirm this, though.

I‘ve never tried third party tools, because Apple‘s Quick Start/backup and restore works flawlessly, in my case. In addition, most of those third party tools need a backup. Maybe another member knows more about one of these programs.

 

[RandySea]

Well, I still don't have any clear answer about Quick Start. But I did just find this about restoring from a backup made on a different device:

Can I use my device's backup for another kind of device, like an iPhone backup for an iPad?
You can restore a device from a backup of another kind of device, like using an iPad backup for an iPhone, but certain types of content won't transfer. This content includes photos, Messages and attachments in Messages, Voice Memos, and apps that aren't compatible with the device that you’re setting up.

This does seem consistent with my recent experience. Too bad not a single one of the seven Apple support people knew this. `They told me just the opposite!

One article I found about Quick Start transferring data is entitled
Use Quick Start to transfer data to a new iPhone or iPad

That clearly says "data". Unfortunately, this article says nothing about what data will transfer. My experience is that no data will transfer, as described in my OP. Also, this article doesn't give any clue that iPhone to iPad (or vice versa) will cause additional problems. After the title, it says:​

Set up your new iOS device automatically using an iPhone or iPad.
Quick Start occupies both devices,

It does not say "Set up you new iOS device automatically only with a similar device. That is, use an iPhone to Quick Start a new iPhone, or an iPad to Quick Start a new iPad."

By the way, the call from Apple Support "higher level" promised for last Wednesday never happened.