Getting a new phone is enjoyable until you realise everything important is still on the old one. Contacts, photos, apps, messages, app settings — moving all of it used to mean hours of work. The process is now much simpler if you know which method to use.
iPhone to iPhone
Apple has made same-ecosystem transfers very straightforward. The easiest method is Quick Start, which works when both phones are running iOS 12.4 or later.
Place both phones near each other with the old phone unlocked. The new iPhone should prompt you to begin the transfer automatically. Follow the instructions: you will scan an animation on the new phone using the old phone’s camera, enter your passcode, choose whether to transfer data wirelessly or over a cable, and wait.
Wireless transfer over a 5GHz Wi-Fi connection is slow for large amounts of data. If you have many photos or large apps, a USB cable with a Lightning to USB-C adapter (or the appropriate cable for your models) is considerably faster.
Alternatively, restore from an iCloud backup. Back up the old iPhone to iCloud (Settings > Your Name > iCloud > iCloud Backup > Back Up Now), then set up the new iPhone and choose Restore from iCloud Backup. This works without both phones being physically together but requires sufficient iCloud storage.
Android to Android
Most Android manufacturers include their own transfer tool. Google Pixels use Google’s built-in setup, Samsung devices offer Smart Switch, and OnePlus uses their own app. In all cases, the process is similar: open the transfer app on both devices, connect them either wirelessly or with a cable, and select what to transfer.
Google’s cross-manufacturer backup is also reliable for contacts (stored in your Google account), calendar events, and most app data — because apps that use Google Play’s backup API restore their data automatically when you reinstall them on a new device. Photos sync automatically if you use Google Photos.
The USB cable method is more reliable for large data transfers. Use the cable that came with your new phone, as these are usually designed for data transfer rather than charging only.
iPhone to Android or Android to iPhone
Cross-platform transfers are more limited because the two ecosystems store data differently.
For Android to iPhone, Apple’s Move to iOS app (available on Google Play) transfers contacts, message history, photos and videos, web bookmarks, and some accounts. Apps need to be reinstalled from the App Store — there is no way to transfer the apps themselves.
For iPhone to Android, Google’s setup process can import contacts and photos if you connect your Google account. The Switch to Android app (available on the App Store on newer iPhones) handles photos, contacts, calendar events, and messages if your Android device is running a recent version.
Neither cross-platform path transfers your SMS message history fully, and app data from paid apps may not transfer because the purchase is tied to the original platform’s store.
Photos: The Most Important Thing to Protect
If you use iCloud Photos or Google Photos with auto-sync enabled, your photos are already backed up independently of the transfer process. Verify that sync is up to date before you factory-reset the old phone.
Before doing anything, check that all your photos appear in the cloud library on another device or a computer. Only then should you wipe the old phone.