When you get a new iphone do messages carry over? Or do you start from scratch?

When you get a new iphone do messages carry over? Or do you start from scratch? - 1

If you back up your existing phone using itunes then use the "Restore from itunes" option when setting up the new phone, you get everything back on it just as it was.

I've done it through iphone 4 - 5 - 6.

If you backup the old & restore from that backup on the new, then yes.

You can either restore from a backup or start over.