So, you’ve got a new Android phone. Good choice. But before you unbox it and message all of your mates to share the good news, here's how to transfer all your files and apps across from your old phone…
First thing’s first, you need to back up your data. Whether your current phone’s an Android or an iPhone – here’s what you should be backing up and how to do it. Just make sure you’re connected to Wi-Fi before you start the back-up process as it can drain quite a bit of the old data.
Please note: different makes of Android phones sometimes have different settings. Our guide below is based on Samsung's way of doing things. If you've got a different make of phone the names may differ slightly, but they should be called something very similar.
Backing up from one Android to another
If you’re using an Android, chances are you’ve already added your Google account and it’s backing up your data automatically. If you don’t have a Google account, you won’t be able to download apps from the Play Store. It’s easy to double check that everything’s safely backed up though. There are three things you need to do.
1. Make sure everything is synced to Google
Head to Settings > Accounts > Google (your email) > Account sync. Once you’ve done that, you’ll be able to see which apps back up data automatically to your Google account. Then it’s just a case of making sure everything you want to keep is switched on.
2. Back up your apps and settings with Google
Not sure whether your settings and apps are backed up? Don’t spend ages adjusting your settings and trying to remember which apps you had, do this instead:
Go to Settings > System > Backup to turn the service on. If it isn’t already on, tap Account and switch on your Google account. Then make sure the ‘Back up to Google Drive’ switch is on. Finally, just tap Back up now and all your apps and settings data will be immediately backed up.
3. Back up your photos to Google
If you haven’t already, you’ll need to download the Google Photos app from the Play Store. Once it’s installed on your phone, just open the app and tap the menu icon in the top left (three lines). Then, choose Settings > Backup & sync. Make sure the correct ‘Backup Account’ is selected and tap the switch to turn on Backup & sync.
Backing up from iPhone to Google
Transferring your data from iPhone to Android isn’t as complicated as you might think. The easiest way to make sure everything moves over to your new Android seamlessly is to back up your iPhone to a Google account. Here’s how:
1. Download the Google Drive from the App Store.
2. Open Google Drive (you might need to sign into your Google account).
3. Tap the menu icon (three lines).
4. Tap Settings > Backup > Start Backup.
It might take some time for everything to back up, depending on how much data is stored on your device and how fast your Wi-Fi is.
Once it’s finished doing its thing, simply sign into your Google account from any connected device to check that the device was successful. You should be able to see all of your photos at www.photos.google.com.
Restoring your data to your new Android
Now for the easy bit. When you’re going through the set-up process on your new Android, you’ll be prompted to log into your Google account:
1. When you see the ‘Google Sign in’ screen, put in your Gmail address and select Next.
2. Type in your password and tap Next.
3. Agree to the Ts and Cs and privacy policy.
4. You’ll then see any backups you’ve made. Choose the most recent backup to restore all of your data to your new Android phone.
We hope this has helped you make sure all of your important data is backed up and ready to go from your brand-new Android.