4 ways to transfer data to your new Android phone
Phones last longer than ever, but sooner or later you move away from your old friend and opt for a new device. You want to get started with that new smartphone as soon as possible. Here are four ways to quickly transfer your data.
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Switch to new phone
A particular niche skill that every tester of Android phones possesses is how to quickly set up a new phone. Of course, with a new phone you want to take all your apps, app data, settings, photos, files and contacts with you. There are several ways you can do this. We explain.
1. Connect the phones with a USB-C cable
When you set up your new phone and sign in with your Google account, Google suggests two ways to transfer your data from an old phone. The first is by connecting both phones using a USB-C cable. You often get an adapter from USB-A to USB-C in the box that you plug into the new device. You can also use this method if your old phone is an iPhone. You connect it to the adapter via the Lightning cable and then plug the adapter into the USB-C port of your new smartphone.
This is the method Google recommends for setting up a new device and for good reason. This way all your data is transferred and you are also immediately logged in to all your Google accounts. It is also by far the fastest method, because once you have checked which data you would like to copy, copying is very fast. A third advantage is that most of the current data is immediately taken over, and that is with option ‘2.’ not the case in this article.
Only if this method doesn’t work, for example because you don’t find an adapter in the box of your new smartphone, should I recommend method ‘2.’ or ‘3.’ recommended in this article.
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2. Restore a backup from the cloud
If option ‘1.’ is not a success, you can tap on installing your new smartphone Don’t have cable. You will then be given the option to restore a backup from the cloud. By default, every Android phone backs up your data associated with your Google account.
You will be given the option to restore your data using such a cloud backup and you will always see the date and time of the last backup. You do not transfer any data that has been changed after that time to your new smartphone. You will also have to log in with any other Google accounts you may have.
If you have not set up backups on your old phone, you can still change this before you continue setting up your new smartphone. You can also manually start a cloud backup in the settings. That is how it works:
- On your old phone, go to Institutions
- Choose an option called Accounts either Users and Accounts
- Choose Google and tap your Google account email address. You may have to get up Accounts and sync tapping or something like that
- Check all types of data you want to back up
- You can force a backup immediately by pressing the menu with the dots and then Synchronize now
Cloud backup connected to your Google account
3. Use a smartphone manufacturer’s app
This tip does not apply to everyone. Some brands, including OnePlus, Samsung and OPPO, offer you to transfer your data to the new device during installation using their own application. You then have to install it on your old device from the Play Store. The transfer is sometimes done using a cable, but it can also be done wirelessly. As with Google’s methods, you can decide for yourself which data will be transferred.
Below you will find a series of apps that smartphone manufacturers offer:
4. Launchers lend a hand
When you have taken all your data with you via one of the above ways, there is usually one aspect that remains. Chances are you’ll need to set up the home screen layout from now on, and depending on the number of apps, widgets, and folders you’re using, that could be a daunting task.
Fortunately, a third-party launcher can help you bring your home screen layout with you to the new device. It makes setting up a new phone a lot easier, because you can immediately use your new smartphone as you were used to on your old device. All your apps, folders, and widgets will be exactly where you’re used to on the new device.
Apps like Smart Launcher 6 and Nova Launcher let you make such a backup on your old device. Share the backup file with your new phone and then restore it by opening the respective launcher on that device. You can read more about it in our article:
Nova Launcher’s backup feature
Extra tip: the password manager
With this last tip you can get started with all your apps even faster. A password manager helps you to automatically fill in your login details and that can save you a lot of time. You can read more about the best free password managers in this article:
In addition, Google can give you a helping hand to log in faster thanks to the Smart Lock function. Apps like Netflix and Facebook automatically log in to your new device as soon as you open them. That only works if the apps are also active on your old phone at the same time.
Do you have any more tips you can share for Androidworld readers who want to set up a new phone? Which of these methods do you use when setting up a new smartphone? Let us know in the comments at the bottom of this article.
