How to transfer data from Android to Android

From photos and numbers to apps and music, what we store on our devices is often integral to our day-to-day lives. Many of us change phones every few years though, meaning our data needs to come with us too. If you have an Android phone, this guide will show you how to transfer data from Android to Android with a few easy steps.

If you’re still in the market for a new Android handset, we sell a varied collection of Android phones to suit many uses, be it for gaming, photography or streaming videos.

Things to check

Before you begin transferring data between Android phones, make sure you:
• Have fully charged both devices
• Can connect to your Wi-Fi network
• Can unlock both devices

1 – How to backup data on Android

With each of your Android phones charged, it’s time to back up the old device’s data, including messages, call history and app data. Most of this can be retained in cloud storage and moved across to your new phone with a few taps, regardless of whether your new model is a Samsung, Google or other handset.

Google accounts work across all Android devices, so you don’t need to rely on having an account for your new phone’s specific manufacturer.

To back up data from an older device:

1. Go to ‘Settings’ and scroll down to ‘System’
2. Select ‘Backup’
3. Toggle ‘Back up to Google Drive’ to On
4. Tap ‘Back up now’
   a. If your phone’s menu layout is different, type ‘backup’ in the settings search bar
   b. Select ‘Google Drive’ so you can easily move old data across via your Google account. Some devices will offer other backup options too,such as Samsung Drive, which are useful options if staying within the same family of phones

2 – How to back up Google Photos

In this step, we’ll demonstrate how to back up photos on Samsung and similar devices with Google Photos. This will enable you to retain all of your photos and videos already stored via Google’s cloud storage, or in your phone’s internal gallery:

1. On your old phone, go to the Google Photos app. Download and install it if it’s not already available
2. Sign into your Google account
3. Once signed in, select your profile picture in the top corner of the screen
   a. If you want to manually upload specific photos or videos, instead press and hold each one. Tap ‘Back up’ at the bottom to upload
4. Choose ‘Photos settings’ and then ‘Back up’
5. Switch the ‘Back up’ toggle to On

As your photos or videos are uploading, you can monitor the upload progress and check it is working correctly by selecting your profile picture again.

3 – Transfer data from Android to Android

Now that your old data and photos are backed up, you are ready to transfer it all to your new phone.

You can transfer data Android to Android wirelessly via the Cloud, even if you don’t have your old phone, or copied across manually.

Some manufacturers include apps that also make it easy to transfer data between phones of the same range i.e., Samsung and their Smart Switch app. This method is useful if you often buy Samsung Galaxy phones for example.

Move data across during setup

1. Turn on your new phone and select ‘Start’
2. Connect to your Wi-Fi network
3. Select the data you want to transfer
   a. If you don’t have a cable to connect your old and new devices with, such as USB-C, tap ‘No Cable’ and follow the prompts to transfer data from a backup

Transfer data from the Cloud

If you don’t have access to your old phone, it may have automatically backed up data over time, which can be transferred across from the Cloud with your Google Account:

1. Switch on your new phone
2. Select ‘Start’
3. Follow the instructions to log into your Google Account

Transferring data manually

You can also move data to your new phone by logging into each app and syncing with the old data. Many apps and services will automatically do this, making it incredibly easy to get set up.

Download each app on the new device that you want to use i.e., Google Photos and log in. It will then begin to sync data with this device; repeat with other apps you need.

This also works with your contacts, whether they’re synced to an account or on the SIM card you are bringing across to the new device.

Your old data has now been transferred across to your new Android phone. Whilst a lot of this data can be stored in the Cloud, you might need a certain amount of internal storage space to fit your needs.

You can find the latest Android handsets from Samsung, Google, Oppo, and other top brands at Mobiles.co.uk.