Before You Start: What to Do with Your Old Phone
A few minutes of preparation on your old phone makes the transfer process much smoother.
- Charge both phones to at least 80% before starting
- Make sure your old phone is connected to Wi-Fi
- On iPhone: Go to Settings → [Your Name] → iCloud → iCloud Backup → Back Up Now
- On Android: Go to Settings → System → Backup → Back up now
- Write down your Apple ID or Google account email and password — you will need these on the new phone
Tip: Do not factory reset or trade in your old phone until you have confirmed everything transferred successfully to the new one.
Setting Up a New iPhone
Apple makes iPhone setup straightforward with a feature called Quick Start.
- 1Turn on your new iPhone — a "Hello" screen will appear
- 2Select your language and region
- 3When prompted, place your old iPhone next to the new one — a Quick Start screen will appear on the old phone
- 4Follow the on-screen instructions to transfer your data wirelessly
- 5Sign in with your Apple ID when prompted
- 6Choose to restore from your iCloud backup — this transfers your apps, photos, contacts, and settings
- 7Wait for the restore to complete — this can take 20–60 minutes depending on how much data you have
Tip: If you do not have an old iPhone nearby, you can still set up the new one by signing in with your Apple ID and restoring from an iCloud backup. Choose "Restore from iCloud Backup" during setup.
Setting Up a New Android Phone
Android phones use Google's backup system to transfer your data.
- 1Turn on your new Android phone and select your language
- 2Connect to your Wi-Fi network
- 3When asked to copy apps and data, tap "Copy your data"
- 4Choose how to transfer: from a backup, from a cable, or wirelessly from your old phone
- 5Sign in with your Google account — this is your Gmail address and password
- 6Select what to restore: contacts, apps, call history, SMS messages, and settings
- 7Wait for the restore to complete
Tip: Samsung phones have an additional tool called Smart Switch that makes transfers between Samsung devices especially smooth. Download it on both phones before starting.
What Transfers Automatically and What Does Not
Most things transfer automatically, but a few require extra steps.
- Transfers automatically: contacts, photos, videos, text messages, call history, most apps, Wi-Fi passwords (iPhone), settings
- May need to be set up again: banking apps (for security reasons), two-factor authentication apps, some streaming service logins
- Does not transfer: downloaded music from streaming services (re-download after setup), some app data
Warning: Banking apps and authenticator apps (like Google Authenticator) require special steps to transfer. Do not delete your old phone until you have successfully set these up on the new one.
First Things to Do After Setup
Once your new phone is set up, take a few minutes to complete these steps.
- 1Confirm your contacts transferred correctly — open the Contacts app and scroll through
- 2Check that your photos are there — open the Photos app
- 3Set up Face ID or fingerprint unlock for security
- 4Download any apps that did not transfer automatically
- 5Set up your email accounts if they did not carry over
- 6Test a phone call and a text message to make sure everything works
What to Do with Your Old Phone
Once you have confirmed everything transferred, you have several options for your old phone.
- Trade it in: Most carriers and Apple offer trade-in credit toward your new phone
- Sell it: Websites like Swappa or eBay let you sell used phones
- Keep it as a backup or Wi-Fi device
- Before doing any of these: factory reset the old phone to erase all your personal data
- On iPhone: Settings → General → Transfer or Reset iPhone → Erase All Content and Settings
- On Android: Settings → System → Reset → Factory data reset