[Samsung Galaxy S8+ Guides, News, & Discussion] Averix:
Nothing works 100% right when you transfer. It's just a fact. I've gone from S6 to S7, S7 to Note, Note back to S7, and other Android to Android transfers. Inevitably some app or setting screws something up. It might be minor, it might cause reboots. Not worth the risk. SmartSwitch is very slick, but it still can cause grief.

This is what I'd suggest based on past experiences.

1) Use an unencrypted SD card to copy photos, music, ringtones, and anything else media related between phones. There is no downside to this. You can save new pics to the SD card on the new phone while keeping all your old pics and it will just work. (Make sure and back stuff up. Phone or SD card, you never know when things will die.) You're coming from an S7, so you have that SD card option. If other users don't have an SD slot, copy the files to your computer and then to the new phone.

2) Make a list of all the apps that are relevant to you. There is likely a lot of baggage on your current phone you just left there. That app you downloaded once for one purpose that you never deleted. The app that is specific for the phone you're coming from and has no use on the new one. The picture editing app you downloaded but then started using something else. Bottom line, only bring along the baggage that you use. Adding back unnecessary stuff can just slow down a phone.

3) Set up your shiny new S8. Get it on your network. Get your Google account signed in. Go through ALL the system preferences. Turn off garbage settings you won't ever use (Edge sports for instance...). Set the timeout and security settings you will use.

4) Look over the apps that are on the phone already. Disable the ones you don't need/want. You can keep it basic and just do it in the app list settings or you can go a bit deeper and use an app from the Play Store to disable apps or go all old school and use pm on the phone's shell to do it. (pm -hide com.vznavigator.Generic for example) Once you've done that, your phone will be as pure as it can be without putting a custom ROM on it. Update the apps now or later.

5) Log into your Google account on a desktop browser and go to the Play Store. Use that list of apps you made before to bring them all up in the browser. Hit install there and choose your shiny new S8 as the destination. (This is just quicker than going into the Play Store on your phone and searching for each of them.) They'll download in the background on your phone as you choose them.

6) The crappy part. Set up the apps again. They're all installed fresh and clean so you'll need to launch them and put in passwords, accounts, settings, etc. It's painful, but it is the only way to guarantee that no gremlins on the phone came along with transfers.

7) Pop in that SD card you had with all your pics, music, ringtones, etc. on it.

8) Finish set up. Set your camera to use the SD card, choose the SD card as the storage location for offline YouTube and Netflix videos, etc.

9) Enjoy your new phone.

---------- Post added at 06:43 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:31 PM ----------

Don't do it. It seems so nice and slick, but it's caused grief every single time I've used it. Subtle glitches sometimes, force quits other times.