If you have a new Android phone and want to make sure all the data from your old one can be transferred over, it’s probably easier than you think.
You shouldn’t have to worry about many complicated processes because Android has a built-in feature that allows you to seamlessly transfer files, apps, and data from one Android device to another while you set it up .
Depending on the amount of data you’re moving, the process may take a while, but actually getting it started is relatively simple.
Prepare your Android phones for data transfer
Before you begin, you need to get a few things in place. First of all, you need to make sure that both new and old phones have enough charge. If it runs out during the transfer, you may need to start again, and some phones require you to have a certain amount of battery before you can continue.
You will also need the password, PIN or biometric data to unlock the old phone, as this prevents someone from picking it up and moving all your data to one of their devices.
On the old device, sign in with your Google account or create one if you don’t have one, but since it’s Android, there’s a good chance you will.
Of course, you will need to make sure that all your data has been backed up recently. On many Android phones it can be found via Settings > Google > Backup > Back up nowalthough this method may vary slightly.
If you can’t find it, just search for “backup” in your Settings app.
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Martyn Casserly
Martyn Casserly
Wait for the backup to complete, which may take a few minutes
WhatsApp is generally not included, so do the same. Open the app, tap the three dots in the top right corner, then Settings > Chats > Chat Backup and tap the green “Backup” button.
Well, once you have your backup done, your phones charged and connected, you are good to go.
How to transfer data from one Android phone to another
Power
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Turn on your new phone and select the To start option.
To log in
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You should be prompted to connect to a Wi-Fi network. Make sure you do so, as it is an important part of the process.
Let Android do its job
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This will now take a few minutes of waiting, while the phone configures Android and prepares to import files.
It’s time to start the import
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You will now see a page that asks you to copy apps and data from your old phone. Select the Following button to start. Then, on the next page that says “Use your other device”, select Following Again.
Grab your cable
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If you have a cable that can connect to both your old phone and your new one (usually the charging cable will do the trick), you should now prepare it and then click Following. On the next page, you will be asked to plug the cable into the old device and then click Following.
If you don’t have a cable, press the No cable? and go to step 8.
Connect your phones
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You will now need to plug the cable into your new phone so that the two are connected. Then click on the Copy option on your old phone.
Complete the process
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From this point you will need to select what you want to copy and other details. So just follow the instructions on the phones and you should soon have your data nestled safely on your new device’s hard drive.
Copy files over Wi-Fi
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If you don’t have cable, you can still import your data using Wi-Fi and the backup you made earlier. To do this, choose Following on the page titled Use your old device to transfer data wirelessly.
Then follow the on-screen steps to import your data.
How long does it take to transfer data from Android to Android?
We can’t state precise speeds here, only that using a cable will be significantly faster than the Wi-Fi method.
So, if you can find the right cable to connect your two phones, the data will transfer relatively quickly.
As an example, during testing, the estimated time to import files onto our test devices was about 13 minutes over cable, but the better part of an hour over Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi speeds depend of course the speed of your connection, so it may be faster or slower.
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