How to Transfer Data to a New Phone

Both Apple and Google make moving to a new phone almost one-tap — but a few apps need manual care. Here is every transfer route, and the steps people forget until it’s too late.

Mustafa Bilgic · Editor, TudugUpdated 2026-06-13 · 11 min read · Sources cited

Getting a new phone should be the fun part — but the prospect of moving years of photos, messages, apps and logins across can be daunting. The good news is that both Apple and Google have made device-to-device transfer remarkably smooth, and in most cases your new phone can pull everything across in a single guided step. The catches are a handful of apps — banking, messaging and especially two-factor authenticator apps — that deliberately don’t transfer automatically. This guide walks through every combination of old and new phone, and flags exactly what you must move by hand before you wipe the old device.

Before you start: prepare both phones

Five minutes of preparation prevents the most common transfer headaches. Do all of this before you begin:

• Update both phones to the latest software. Transfer tools work best — and sometimes only — when both devices are current.
• Back up the old phone to iCloud or Google. This is your safety net if anything goes wrong, and our backup guide walks through it. A backup can also be used as the transfer source if a direct connection fails.
• Charge both devices above 50%, or keep them plugged in. A full transfer of a large library can take 30–60 minutes or more.
• Connect to Wi-Fi and keep the phones close together — most modern transfers use a direct Wi-Fi or cable connection between the two.
• Know your passwords: your Apple Account / Google Account password, and your old phone’s passcode. You’ll be asked for them.

iPhone to iPhone (Quick Start)

Moving from one iPhone to another is the smoothest transfer of all, thanks to Quick Start. It copies almost everything — apps, settings, photos, messages and Home Screen layout — directly from the old iPhone to the new one.

Android to Android (Google & maker tools)

Android offers two good routes. The universal method uses your Google Account during setup; phone makers add their own tools that copy even more, even faster.

The Google way: when you power on the new Android phone, the setup wizard offers to copy apps & data from your old phone. You can connect the two phones with a cable (fastest) or transfer wirelessly, and Google brings across apps, contacts, messages, call history, photos and settings tied to your account. Anything already backed up by Google One and Google Photos is restored automatically when you sign in.

Maker tools go further: Samsung Smart Switch, for instance, copies items the generic flow can miss — including some app data, your home-screen layout and more — over a cable or Wi-Fi. Other brands have equivalents (such as those built into their setup apps). If both your phones are the same brand, use that maker’s tool for the most complete result.

Android to iPhone (Move to iOS)

Switching from Android to iPhone is handled by Apple’s free Move to iOS app, which you install on the Android phone. It transfers contacts, message history, photos and videos, mail accounts, calendars and more, and even matches free apps available on both stores.

iPhone to Android (Google data transfer)

Going the other way — iPhone to Android — is now well supported. During Android setup you can connect your old iPhone with a cable and Google’s transfer tool copies photos, videos, contacts, calendars and messages across. If you skip the cable, you can still move the essentials by signing into your Google Account and using Google Photos and Google Contacts.

One important housekeeping step when leaving iPhone: turn off iMessage so SMS texts from iPhone users reach your new Android number. On the old iPhone go to Settings → Messages and toggle iMessage off (Apple also offers a “Deregister iMessage” web page if you’ve already wiped the phone). Otherwise some texts may keep being routed through Apple’s system and never arrive.

WhatsApp, photos and the apps that need manual moves

Here is the part people forget — and regret. The bulk transfer tools handle your photos and most app installs, but several categories of app store their data in a way that does not come across automatically. Sort these out while you still have the old phone working:

• Two-factor authenticator apps (Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, Authy and similar). The codes they generate are tied to the device. If you erase the old phone without migrating them, you can be locked out of every account they protect. Use the app’s built-in export/transfer feature, or re-enroll each account on the new phone, before wiping the old one. Our explainer on two-factor authentication covers doing this safely and why backup codes matter.
• WhatsApp and other messengers. WhatsApp chat history doesn’t always move with a phone transfer, especially across platforms. Use WhatsApp’s own chat transfer / backup feature (to iCloud or Google Drive) before switching, and verify the same phone number on the new device.
• Banking and payment apps. Many require you to log in again and re-verify your identity on a new device for security; some deactivate on the old phone once set up on the new one.
• Photos and video. The safest route is cloud-independent of the transfer: have iCloud Photos or Google Photos fully backed up, so even if the direct transfer misses something, every picture is recoverable. If you’re short on space first, see how to free up storage.

SIM, eSIM and the final checks

Finally, your phone number. If you use a physical SIM of the right size, simply move it from the old phone to the new one. If you use an eSIM — increasingly the default, and the only option on newer iPhones in some regions — the number is stored digitally and must be transferred. Recent iPhones and Android phones can move an eSIM during setup; otherwise your carrier provides a QR code or an app step to re-provision it. Contact your carrier in advance if you’re unsure.

Once the number is live on the new phone, run through a quick checklist: send and receive a call and a text; open your photos and confirm they’re all there; sign into email, your bank and your most-used apps; and generate a code in your authenticator to be certain it migrated. When everything checks out — and only then — back up the new phone and safely erase or trade in the old one.

Frequently asked questions

Sources & further reading

• Apple — Use Quick Start to transfer to a new iPhone or iPad
• Apple — Move from Android to iPhone with Move to iOS
• Google — Switch to a new Android phone
• Samsung — What is Smart Switch and how to use it

This guide is independently produced. We reference primary documentation from device makers and security authorities. Tudug is reader-supported and may earn from ads.

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