The official transfer happens during the new phone's initial setup, on the screen that offers to copy apps and data from the old device. Done over a cable, it is faster and more reliable than wireless (Solution 2). What that copy leaves behind is what makes most people regret rushing: WhatsApp history needs its own transfer (Solution 5), two-factor authenticator apps must be migrated by hand before anything else (Solution 6), and files kept outside synced folders stay put (Solution 7). If the new phone was already set up without the copy, Solution 4 explains what can still be recovered. Only wipe the old phone after the check in Solution 8.
What causes this problem
- The belief that everything is already in the Google account. Contacts, calendar, synced photos and the app list are, but WhatsApp threads, authentication keys and loose files are not.
- The new phone was set up in a hurry, skipping the copy data screen, which only appears during initial setup.
- A wireless transfer interrupted by distance, a screen going dark or a weak battery, leaving the copy half done with no clear warning.
- Not enough space on the new phone, which holds less than the old one and stops partway through.
- A cable or adapter meant only for charging, with no data wires, making the connection fail without explanation.
- The old phone wiped or sold before the check, which makes several losses irreversible.
- Get both phones to at least 70 per cent battery, or keep both plugged in. The copy can take more than an hour.
- Check the free space on the new phone. If the old one holds more than fits on the new one, decide in advance what gets left out.
- Have the Google account password and access to its second factor ready. Without them, initial setup stalls right at the start.
- Set aside a cable that carries data plus whatever adapter you need to join the two phones. Plain charger cables with no data wires will not do.
- Do not wipe or sell the old phone until everything is done and checked. It is your only safety net during the process.
Solutions, in the order to try them
1Refresh the old phone's backup before touching the new one
The direct phone-to-phone copy uses what is on the old handset, but the account backup is what saves you if something goes wrong midway. Doing this first costs ten minutes and avoids the one genuinely bad outcome: losing data during the transfer itself.
- On the old phone, open Settings and search for 'backup' in the Settings search box.
- Confirm that backup is on and tap the option to back up now. Wait for it to actually finish, with the phone on Wi-Fi.
- Open the photos app and check that syncing is on and that nothing is still waiting to upload.
- Open your contacts and confirm they are stored in the account, not only on the SIM or in the handset's memory.
- Update the system and the apps on both phones. Very different versions get in the way of the transfer.
2Use the official cable copy during initial setup
This is the recommended route and the one that brings the most across: apps, settings, wallpaper, contacts, SMS messages, call history, calendar and photos from the device. Over a cable the copy is faster and does not suffer from Wi-Fi drops. The screen that offers this appears only during the new phone's initial setup, which is why it pays not to rush that moment.
- Switch the new phone on and follow initial setup to the screen asking whether you want to copy apps and data.
- Choose the option to copy from an Android device and select the cable transfer.
- Connect the two phones with the cable and adapter. The old phone will ask permission to transfer data: allow it.
- Sign in with the same Google account you used on the old phone.
- On the list of what will be copied, review it item by item. Unticking apps you no longer use makes the process much faster.
- Leave both handsets untouched, screens on, until the end. Interrupting midway means starting over.
3Run the same copy wirelessly if you have no cable
The wireless transfer copies exactly the same content, only more slowly and with a greater chance of interruption. It works well when both devices sit side by side, on the same network, with nobody touching them.
- On the same copy apps and data screen, choose the option without a cable or wireless.
- Keep both phones on the same Wi-Fi network, with Bluetooth and location on. The initial connection uses those to pair.
- Confirm the code or the shape that appears on both screens.
- Put one device right next to the other and do not separate them. Distance is the number one cause of failure here.
- Set the screen timeout to never on both phones for the duration.
- If the copy fails partway, restarting the new phone and starting over is usually faster than trying to resume.
4New phone already set up? Here is what you can still do
The direct copy screen only appears during initial setup, but that does not mean everything is lost. Signing in with the same Google account brings contacts, calendar, synced photos and saved passwords across on their own. What you lose is the settings, SMS and call history that only the direct copy carries.
- Sign in with the same Google account on the new phone and let contacts, calendar and photos sync by themselves.
- In the app store, open the section listing the apps already installed under your account and reinstall whatever is missing.
- If you really want the settings, SMS and call history, you can restore everything from the backup by factory resetting the new phone and running initial setup again. That erases whatever is already on it, so do it before you really start using the phone.
- If the new phone already holds important content, do not reset it: reinstall the apps by hand and use the next solutions for WhatsApp, authenticators and files.
5Transfer WhatsApp separately, because the copy does not carry it
This is the item that causes the most regret. WhatsApp chat history lives on the handset itself and is not part of the ordinary phone-to-phone copy. It has its own process, run inside the app, and it has to happen while both phones still work. Once the number is activated on the new phone without restoring, the old history never comes back.
- On the old phone, open WhatsApp, go into the app's settings and find the chats area.
- Back up your chats to the linked account and wait for it to finish. Include videos if they matter to you, bearing in mind that this greatly increases the time and space used.
- If you prefer the direct device-to-device transfer, look in the same menu for the option to transfer chats to another phone and follow the steps, which usually involve scanning a code on screen.
- On the new phone, install WhatsApp, confirm the same phone number and, when the app offers to restore the history, accept. That offer appears only once.
- Check that the conversations showed up before touching anything on the old phone.
- Apply the same thinking to other messengers that keep history on the device: each has its own route inside the app.
6Migrate two-factor authenticator apps before wiping the old phone
This is the mistake that causes the most grief and is hardest to undo. The six-digit codes you use to sign in to banks, email and social accounts are generated from keys stored inside the authenticator app, not in your account. Wipe the old phone without migrating those keys and you lose access to every account they protect, and recovering each one means support tickets, documents and days of waiting.
- Open the authenticator app on the old phone and look, in its settings, for an option to transfer accounts, export accounts or sync with a cloud account.
- Follow the app's own process, which normally shows a code on the old phone's screen to be read by the new one.
- If the app has no transfer option, sign in to each important service from a computer, turn two-factor authentication off and turn it back on with the new phone in hand. Do one service at a time.
- While you are there, generate and store each service's recovery codes somewhere safe outside the phone. They are your emergency exit.
- Test signing in to at least two important accounts using the new phone before wiping the old one.
7Copy the files that are not in your account
Downloaded documents, PDFs, spreadsheets, audio recordings, media received in messengers and anything saved in app-specific folders are not part of the account backup and may not be included in the direct copy. It is worth opening the old phone's file manager and looking carefully before concluding there is nothing there.
- On the old phone, open the files app and go through the downloads, documents and recordings folders, plus any folders named after apps.
- The simplest route is connecting the old phone to a computer by cable, choosing the file transfer option in the notification that appears on the phone, and copying the folders to the computer.
- Then connect the new phone to the same computer and copy the folders back.
- With no computer, send the files to a cloud storage service you already use, or use Android's own nearby file sharing between devices.
- If there is a memory card, it can go straight into the new phone, provided the new one has a card slot.
8Check item by item before wiping the old phone
This is the step that separates a smooth switch from an irreversible problem. The check takes fifteen minutes and is the last chance to recover anything left behind, because the old handset is still intact.
- Open your contacts and check that the count looks the same on both sides.
- Open the photos app on the new phone and confirm the old photos are there, including those from years ago.
- Open WhatsApp and scroll to an old conversation to confirm the history came across.
- Test signing in to a bank and an email account using the authenticator app on the new phone.
- Open the files app and look for two or three documents you know existed.
- Make a call and send a text from the new phone, to confirm the line is live on it.
9Wipe the old phone safely
Only after the check. A factory reset done without removing the account can leave the handset locked behind anti-theft protection, which stops the next owner using it and is a nuisance to resolve. The order of these steps matters more than it looks.
- Take out the SIM and the memory card, if there is one.
- In Settings, remove your Google account from the device before anything else. That disables the protection that locks the phone after a reset.
- Sign out of messengers and banking apps, and unlink the device in the accounts you use.
- Only then run the factory reset from Settings, in the reset or restore section.
- If you are selling or giving it away, confirm that the handset boots to the initial setup screen and does not ask for the previous account.
Applies to
| System | Status |
|---|---|
| Android 12 to 15 on both devices | Confirmed |
| Old phone on Android 9 to 11 | Confirmed |
| Samsung, Xiaomi, Motorola and other brands | Besides Android's own copy, each brand offers its own transfer tool between devices of the same brand |
Menu names can change slightly between versions. If a step above does not match what you see on screen, the official support page from the manufacturer has the most current wording for your version.
Frequently asked questions
Last checked: Jun 23, 2026 · We review this guide whenever the manufacturer changes the process.