How do I transfer app data from my old iPad to my new iPad?

Question

How does one transfer app data (e.g., Notetaker HD books, game progress, etc.) from an old iOS device to a new one?

While I'm sure this issue is relevant to iPhones, it seems that with the advent of the iPad, this issue gains particular significance. How do I keep my Battlehearts game when I get my new shiny?

What I'm Not Asking: Obviously, exchange data will migrate seamlessly to the new device upon provision of login credentials, and same goes (maybe without the "seamlessly") to data (music, video, etc.) associated with my iTunes account.

Answer 1

I am assuming this process will work out to be the same as the current situation with iPhones:

1. Backup your iPad using iTunes.
2. Plug new iPad into same computer.
3. Restore new iPad from old iPad backup.

When this is done with an iPhone, the new iPhone will be configured exactly as the old one - save games, email apps, photos, everything is transfered.

What happens is actually that the backup contains all app data + configuration. The rest is basically a list of stuff that should be synced from your computer to the device (e.g. music, photos, apps).

Answer 2

I had this exact same problem and can answer specifically for Battleheart. I had started playing on iPhone but want to keep playing on my iPad. The developer was kind enough to respond to me and tell me how.

There is a file on your device var/mobile/applications/<Battleheart Folder>/library/preferences - it isn't encrypted and you can just copy it to the same location on your other device.

You don't have to jailbreak. You can use iExplorer app to access your iPad/iPhone filesystem on your Mac.

Obviously you've got some great answers and have accepted one already but this may be helpful if iPhone-iPad is what you want - I don't believe you can restore a backup made for iPhone to an iPad, or vice versa..

Answer 3

I agree with gman above....to start with. And you have to tell iTunes to include apps in the backup or sync.

But if your phone won't backup for some reason ( like having upgraded to iOS 8 too early ) or whatever, then try this app for transferring iPhone or iPad files to your Mac & creating a manual rescue backup of your game. "iFunBox". It is awesome, simple, and can handle transferring huge files quickly, ( unlike Phoneview ... which crashes with the least little file transfer).

iFunBox opens, you select your App from the list of applications, and it shows you all the visible files in the App. You can copy all your data files to the Mac to preserve your progress, history, levels, scores, etc. If your app is corrupted for some reason, then you can download a new fresh app to your phone from the App store/Cloud. Then use iFunBox to transfer your game data, history, etc to the fresh app. Voila!

You have succeeded in creating a manual backup of your game files, and repaired your game....which should now backup.