[General Questions and Answers] samithdfm:
Android to Android​

Android owner, Google, has made it a whole lot easier to transfer data from an old Android phone to a new one in the past few years, to the point where there’s little you have to actually do. That’s true even if you store lots of music and data locally on your phone, though in that case it may just take a few more minutes to complete the transfer process.

Many major Android phone manufacturers include custom migration tools on their devices. Samsung has its Smart Switch app, which helps users migrate to a Samsung phone from another brand. It works very well, and even includes tools to switch from an iPhone.

Perhaps you’re moving to an LG phone, in which case the LG Mobile Switch app is probably the way to go. This app gets installed on your old Android phone, and aids in the switch to a new LG device by transferring data like photos, music, video, call logs, messages, and so on. OnePlus makes OnePlus Switch, which comes pre-installed on some OnePlus devices, and can transfer similar desired data.

The easiest thing to do in most such cases, however, is to simply follow the on-screen instructions when you first set up your new phone. You’ll likely be able to transfer data directly from your old Android device by placing it near your new one, which cuts out many steps. Data transfer usually happens over WiFi, but in some cases you can transfer via a cable. During this process, you’ll be able to select the data you want to transfer, and you’ll be notified when the transfer process has been completed. The transfer process should include app data, though that may depend on the apps themselves.

While using an Android device, it’s a good idea to backup your phone to the cloud, not only so it’s easier to restore your data next time you get a new phone, but also so that you still have your data in case your phone is lost or stolen. If you’ve already backed up your data, you may be able to restore it from the cloud during the setup process by tapping on the Can’t use old phone button when prompted to transfer data from your old device. Through this process, you should be able to transfer all kinds of data, including apps and accounts.

If you have set up your phone already, and want to restore data, it is possible to do so. The exact path to the right settings depends on your manufacturer. On a Samsung phone, you can do so by going to Settings > Accounts and backup, and tapping on the “Restore data” button, for example.

Photos, files, and more​

In case you can’t or don’t want to transfer your photos and local files by using built-in transfer tools, there are other ways of doing so. By far the easiest way is to use cloud storage, like Google Drive and Google Photos.

Let’s start with files. To backup files to Google Drive, open up the Google Drive app and hit the “+” button on the bottom right of the screen. Then tap the “Upload” button, navigate to the files you want to upload, select them, and wait for the upload to complete. On your new phone, you can then view your files in the Google Drive app.

Photos work very similarly. In many cases, your photos will be automatically uploaded to Google Photos already, but you can check if they are or not by opening the Google Photos app and hitting “Allow” when asked if you want to let Photos access your phone’s media. Then, tap your profile picture in the top right, and make sure Backup is on. If you have a lot of photos, you’ll need to wait for your photos to upload to Google’s service, after which you can view and download them on your new device through the Google Photos app.