[iMore Question]

Background: I have a very old iOS install that contains settings, stored WiFi SSIDs, text messages, photos, that go back to iPhone 3G. And I think it's part of the reason why new phones never seem to feel snappy, with me dragging old installs into it.

So I'd like to start fresh, which scares me, but I think what I would like is the ability to keep my old photos/videos, messages, voicemails, etc in some kind of environment on my Mac where I can still access them through some kind of app or something.

Ideally, I'd like to do a fresh format & reinstall, and then somehow retro-download my photos & videos in some clean way right into my Camera Roll. But I'm not even sure if that's possible, or a good idea?

Would love to get some direction on this ahead of the new iPhone & iOS due next month.

[Rob Phillips]

Welcome to iMore! Do you use iCloud Photo Library? Your photos and videos should be safely stored away there for download onto a fresh install. If that's the case, boot into recovery (How to put your iPhone or iPad into recovery mode | iMore), connect to iTunes, and install a fresh copy of iOS. Set your iPhone up as a new device, sign into iCloud, and give it some time for your photos and videos to download.