[andi*pandi]

I got an otterbox Symmetry case in silver specks for the silver iphone8.

While I wait for my phone number to port so I can be completely setup.... should I set up as a completely new phone, or use the itunes backup from the 4s?

advantages: settings, apps, etc
disadvantages: inheriting a lot of culch I don't need

It's a 256 version so plenty of space, but wondering if it's worth starting over ? I'm thinking of photos that I've got in the desktop, etc. Photostream never has worked completely for me.

[andi*pandi]

In case anyone else cares, setting up as a new phone worked well for some things. I didn't mind picking and choosing which apps to reinstall. Mail and contacts worked great.

However, text messages did not come in with any history, even after turning on syncing. I have messages sync'd with ipad and desktop, so thought they would carry over, but nope.

That was kind of a dealbreaker, so after calling apple he encouraged me to use the 4s backup. Now the phone is a cluttered mess, but I have text messages.

Is there no way to get messages otherwise? I googled and got many references to 3rd party apps, but have no idea how reputable.

[ghporter]

Text message history is something I "need" for several reasons. The problem is that I have literally years and years of that history, and while some of it can be deleted, there's a lot I want to save.

Until I find a really useful app to go through those backed up messages and turn them into coherent transcripts, I'm probably going to have to use old phone backups every time I upgrade a phone...

[andi*pandi]

They don't seem to realize folks are using it more for real conversations, not just "get milk and eggs from store".

Any way to delete 2000 photos from a phone besides selecting them one at a time?