Apple considered giving Apple Upgrade buyers iPhones preloaded with their previous data, but it didn’t make the final cut. Apple Upgrade is a lease in the US rather than a loan, differing from the program it replaces.

According to Bloomberg, Apple at least considered preloading a user’s data. It was described as a “white‑glove component” to mark Apple Upgrade as a premier service, similar to the 20th Anniversary Mac delivered and set up.

If enabled, it would ship an iPhone with all the data already on it, eliminating setup and transfer. However, it would also suggest Apple holds all your data, raising privacy concerns.

Turning on Advanced Data Protection would block Apple from doing this. Because some users enable it and others don’t, Apple Upgrade would need to offer different service levels, complicating implementation.