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Mobile phones are an important part of daily life for many of us. They often contain images of the kids’ milestones, essential contact numbers, the app we do our weekly shop on, and much more.
So, when you upgrade your handset, you’re likely to want to move all of this digital data and content over with you.
Here we explain how to transfer the things that are important to you over to a new phone, whether you’re switching from iPhone to iPhone, iPhone to Android, Android to iPhone or Android to Android.
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Before you start moving anything from one phone to another, it’s wise to back-up everything that’s on your current phone in case anything goes wrong.
On an Android device, you can back-up content, data and settings using your Google account. Find out how to do this here.
On an iPhone, you can back-up the content on your phone to the iCloud or to a computer. Find out how to do this here.
To transfer content and data from one phone to another as easily as possible, make sure you have a strong Wi-Fi signal and your devices are connected to a power source.
You should also check that you have enough space on your new device to fit all the content you wish to transfer over.
Apple offers a Quick Start facility which allows you to set up your new phone using your current device. If your current phone is using iOS 12.4 or later, this will give you the option of using device-to-device migration.
To use Quick Start: Turn your new phone on and put it close to your current phone. A Quick Start screen should appear on your current phone giving you the option to set up your new iPhone using your Apple ID. If this doesn’t happen, check your Bluetooth is turned on tap continue and you’ll see an image on your new phone. Hold your current phone over this using your viewfinder and centre it if this works, you should see a message “Finish on New iPhone”. If this doesn’t work, you should get the option to Authenticate Manually enter your current password on your new phone when prompted and follow the set-up steps when you reach the Transfer Your Data screen, tap “Transfer from iPhone” keep the devices close to each other until the migration is complete. You should see a “time to transfer time” which will vary depending on how much you’re transferring and your network connections.
Find out more about Quick Start on Apple’s site.
You can also transfer data using iCloud, iTunes or Finder. Find out more here.
To transfer the contents of your existing iPhone to an Android phone, you’ll need to:
Find out more here.
Your apps won’t automatically move over, so you’ll have to redownload them from the Google Play store.
If you’re swapping your Android phone for an iPhone, here’s how to transfer the content from your existing phone over:
You may have to download your apps again from the App store and music will have to be moved over manually. Find out more here.
If you’re upgrading your Android phone and want to move content over from your existing Android phone (Android 10 and up), follow these steps:
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Cathy Toogood is Forbes Advisor UK’s travel expert. With more than 15 years’ experience across national newspapers and online, Cathy covers everything from the best destinations, right through to the personal finance aspects of getting the right insurance and avoiding rip-offs.
Hire Power Bank I am the UK editor for Forbes Advisor. I have been writing about all aspects of household finance for over 30 years, aiming to provide information that will help readers make good choices with their money. The financial world can be complex and challenging, so I'm always striving to make it as accessible, manageable and rewarding as possible.