To move your Orma circles to a new iPhone, sign in on the new phone, then approve it from your old phone by checking that the codes on both screens match. If you no longer have your old phone, ask someone in your circle for a new invite link and paste it into the new phone. Nothing is lost either way, and your circle is told when a new phone joins.
Why there is a step to approve
Orma encrypts what you share on your iPhone, with a key that only the phones in your circle hold. Your new phone does not have that key yet. So the old phone, which does, has to hand it over. The code check makes sure the key goes to your new phone and not to someone pretending to be it.
That is also why a new phone cannot just sign in and see your circles. It is a feature, not a hurdle. For more on how the keys work, see what end-to-end encrypted location sharing means.
Move to a new iPhone when you still have the old one
Keep your old phone nearby, switched on and unlocked, until you are done.
- Install Orma on your new iPhone and open it.
- Tap Continue with Apple and sign in with the same Apple Account you used before.
- The new phone shows Approve this iPhone. It tells you to open Orma on your other phone, and it shows two codes.
- On your old phone, open Orma. A sheet asks Is this your new phone? It shows the same two codes.
- Compare the codes on the two screens, character by character. Both phones show the same two codes, one for each phone.
- If they match, tap Approve on the old phone.
- On the new phone, tap Codes match.
- Your circles appear on the new phone.
If your old phone is not in front of you when the sheet appears, tap Later. The question will be there when you open Orma again.
Why compare the codes
The codes are short fingerprints of each phone's public key. Matching them confirms that nobody in the middle swapped a key. Do not approve or confirm without looking. If the codes do not match, stop, do not approve, and write to us through support.
If you see a phone you do not recognise
If Orma asks Is this your new phone? and you have not just signed in on a new iPhone, tap It's not mine. Then choose Remove phone. That phone will not get your circles' keys. It may also mean someone else has access to your Apple Account or email, so consider changing your Apple Account password.
Move to a new iPhone when your old one is lost
If the old phone is lost, broken or stolen, you cannot approve from it. You can still get back in, but another member of your circle has to help.
- Install Orma on your new iPhone and sign in with Continue with Apple.
- On the Approve this iPhone screen, look for no other phone?
- Ask someone in your circle to open Orma and tap Invite someone, then send you the link.
- Paste the link into Paste an invite link and tap Join circle. You can also just open the link on the new phone.
- Repeat for each circle you were in. An invite link belongs to one circle.
Invite links work once and expire after 7 days. Tell your circle that a new phone is joining, so nobody is surprised by the notice.
Protect a lost phone
A lost phone can still hold your circle keys, so act on it.
- Use Find My to mark it as lost, or erase it if you are sure it is gone.
- If someone might have your passcode, change your Apple Account password.
- Write to us through support if you need help with a phone that should no longer be on your account.
Before you pass the old phone on
Once your new phone shows your circles, the old one is no longer needed.
- On the old phone, open Settings in Orma and tap Sign out.
- Erase the phone from iPhone Settings before selling, trading in or giving it away.
If you do not plan to use Orma again at all, you can instead go to Settings › Delete account. That removes you from every circle and permanently deletes your account, phones and shared locations. It cannot be undone, so only do it if you mean it.
What your circle sees
Everyone in a circle gets a notice when a new phone joins, such as "[Name] added a new phone". If you added the phone, that is expected. If anyone in your circle sees one they did not expect, they can tell the person.
If something goes wrong
- The new phone never shows the codes. Check that you used the same Apple Account on both phones and that both have internet.
- The old phone does not show the question. Open Orma on it and wait a moment. If it still does not appear, use the invite link route above.
- An invite link does not work. Links work once and expire after 7 days. Ask for a new one.
More answers are on support. Once you are back in, check your sharing and places are as you left them. How to get an alert when your kid arrives covers places and alerts.
FAQ
Do I lose my circles when I get a new iPhone?
No. Sign in on the new phone with the same Apple Account, approve it from your old phone, and your circles come back. If you no longer have the old phone, a new invite link from someone in the circle gets you back in.
Why does my old phone ask "Is this your new phone?"
Because a circle's key is only passed from phone to phone. Your old phone asks you to confirm that the new phone is really yours before it shares the key. Compare the codes on both screens and approve if they match.
Can I move to a new iPhone without my old phone?
Yes. Ask someone in your circle to send a new invite link with Invite someone, then paste it on your new phone. You need one link for each circle you were in.
Does Orma work on Android or other devices?
No. Orma is iPhone only. A new phone has to be an iPhone, signed in with Sign in with Apple.