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How do I move everything to my new phone?

Turn on your new phone and hold your old one next to it. On an iPhone, Quick Start copies everything across. On Android, tap Copy when the new phone asks, and connect the two phones with a cable if you can. Keep both phones charged and on Wi-Fi.

Beginner3 min readUpdated

Before you start

  • Charge both phones, or keep them plugged in.
  • Connect both phones to Wi-Fi.
  • Have your Apple Account or Google Account password ready.
  • Set aside some time. Google says it can take from a few minutes to a few hours.

Do it when you first switch the new phone on. Google says the Android option may not be there after setup is finished.

iPhone to iPhone: Quick Start

Your old iPhone needs iOS 11 or later. Apple suggests updating both phones first.

  1. On your old iPhone, check Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are on. Unlock it and go to the Home Screen.
  2. Turn on your new iPhone and put it next to your old one. Follow the instructions on the screen.
  3. Connect your new iPhone to Wi-Fi or your mobile network. You may be asked to activate your mobile service.
  4. Set up Face ID or Touch ID.
  5. Choose how to move your data. Download from iCloud lets you use the new iPhone straight away while the rest arrives in the background. Transfer directly from your old iPhone means waiting until it finishes.
  6. Keep both phones close together and plugged in until it’s done.

Android to Android: Copy

This works on Android 10 and up. Samsung phones also have their own app for this, called Smart Switch.

  1. Turn on your new phone and tap Start.
  2. Connect to Wi-Fi when it asks.
  3. When it asks about your apps and data, tap Copy.
  4. Connect the two phones with a cable (Google recommends this), then tap Copy on your old phone.
  5. Sign in to your Google Account, choose what to copy, and tap Copy.
  6. Wait. When it’s finished, your old phone says “Copying’s done”.

No cable that fits both? Tap No cable on the new phone and follow the “Transfer wirelessly” steps. Google says both ways copy the same things: apps, photos, videos, music, contacts, text messages, call history and most settings.

If it didn’t work

  • The setup message vanished from my old iPhone. Apple says to restart both phones and try again.
  • My WhatsApp chats didn’t come across. Google says they only come back if WhatsApp backups were turned on in the old phone. Open WhatsApp on the new phone and sign in.
  • My old phone is broken. On Android you can restore from a Google backup instead: tap Cable doesn’t fit or No adapter? when it asks for a cable. It only works if backups were on.

Keep your old phone until you’ve checked your photos, contacts and messages are all on the new one.

Next: back up your photos on the new phone, and make the text bigger if you need to.

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