No one wants to spend forever moving all their stuff to a new phone. Here's a quick and painless guide to get you up and running fast:
Moving to a new phone can be a pain. For all the ways that Android outperforms iOS at tight integration with cloud services, Google still has some ways to go when it comes to getting all your stuff off of your old phone and onto the new one.
However, with the right Google tools, third-party apps, and perseverance, you should be able to squash most of the misery that usually comes with prepping for a new device.
First things first: make sure you’re signed in to your Android phone with your Google account.
Head to the Settings and then find Backup and reset (the categorization will vary by device).
Make sure Back up my data and Automatic restore are both flipped on and that your Google account is linked. The former ensures that your application data, Wi-Fi passwords, and various phone settings are sent to Google servers. They’ll be at the ready for you when you sign in to a new phone. This way you won’t have to re-enter passwords to networks you’ve already saved. Yes, that means Google probably has all the world’s Wi-Fi passwords.Some device makers, like Samsung,
offer their own backup solutions.
If you have a Samsung device, you can also use the Back up my data option to your Samsung account. This will save your text messages, phone logs, contacts, or email accounts that you’ve used with Samsung’s apps.
Get your music ready
You don’t want to start from scratch with music. It’s easiest if you use a streaming service: Just install Spotify, Amazon Music, Groove, or another favorite.
Yet even if Google Play Music isn’t your streaming service of choice, it’s the best way to transfer music to your new phone.
This is done best through your computer. Play Music will save up to 50,000 songs in your own personal music locker. You can play them them on any device where you sign in to the app. It’s like iTunes without the bloat.
In the browser, go to the settings and then upload your music to the desktop version of Google Play Music.
Photos:Keep those sweet memories safe
The other key piece to look at right now is Google Photos Backup. This will send all your images and videos into the safe arms of Google Photos . You’re granted unlimited storage, as long as you can put up with a little compression. Otherwise any content will count against your Google Drive storage, which includes 15GB to starI still feel the strongest option is to keep your critical data in a Google account as the primary home for your email, photos, and contacts. Microsoft, Dropbox, and other services work great as standalone Android apps, but given that it’s Google’s operating system, going Google will always have its own perks.
Transfer SMS and MMS messages
Moving over text messages is usually the wonkiest and most inconsistent part of this process. My main advice is this: use an over-the-top service . With Facebook Messenger or Hangouts all you have to do is sign in and voilà! All your messages are right there. Same goes with WhatsApp, which just launched backup with Google Drive .
If you’re dead-set on moving your SMS and MMS messages, a favorite solution of mine is SMS Backup & Restore . It takes some patience to work through the options. Also, the design is more suited to Android Jelly Bean, but it gets the job done. The app will offload your messages to a microSD card (if your phone has one). Otherwise, export them to a PC and then use the app to restore them on your new phone by using Android’s ability to connect to a PC .
Apps can be easily backed up using ESFILE EXPLORER from play store for android users and App store for iphone users
Some software to ease the move
Some phones may offer more of a helping hand when it comes to moving over your stuff. Samsung offers its own app called Smart Switch , which promises to move your messages, contacts, photos, and more over to a new Galaxy phone.
I still feel the strongest option is to keep your critical data in a Google account as the primary home for your email, photos, and contacts. Microsoft, Dropbox, and other services work great as standalone Android apps, but given that it’s Google’s operating system, going Google will always have its own perks.
No comments:
Post a Comment