How to Transfer Data to a New Phone (2026): Every Method

The fastest way to transfer data to a new phone is the transfer tool built into setup: switching Android to Android, use the cable-based transfer during setup; going Android to iPhone, use Apple's Move to iOS app; going iPhone to Android, use Google's Switch to Android app. All three move contacts, messages, photos and most app data in one pass. This guide covers every direction, what each method will and won't carry across, and the two preparation steps that prevent most failed transfers.

Quick answer: Charge both phones, connect them with a cable, and run the transfer during the new phone's setup — that's when the tools are offered. Android → Android: tap "Copy apps & data". Android → iPhone: choose "Move Data from Android" and install Move to iOS. iPhone → iPhone: hold them near each other and use Quick Start. iPhone → Android: install Switch to Android first, and turn off iMessage before you start.

Do these two things first

Skipping these causes most of the transfers that stall or arrive incomplete:

1. Check the space. On the old phone open Settings → Storage and note how much is used. The new phone needs at least that much free. A 128 GB phone that's 110 GB full will not fit onto a new phone that only has 64 GB free.
2. Back up first anyway. On Android: Settings → Google → Backup → Back up now. On iPhone: Settings → [your name] → iCloud → iCloud Backup → Back Up Now. If the transfer goes wrong, you've lost nothing.
3. Charge both phones past 50% and keep them plugged in. A transfer that dies at 80% has to start over.
4. Update both phones if prompted — mismatched versions are a common cause of the tools refusing to pair.

Android to Android

Every Android phone ships with a transfer step in its setup wizard, and a cable is faster and more reliable than Wi-Fi.

1. Power on the new phone and work through language and Wi-Fi until you reach "Copy apps & data". Tap it.
2. Choose a backup from an Android phone, then connect the two phones with a USB-C cable (most boxes include an adapter for this). If you have no cable, pick the wireless option.
3. On the old phone, unlock it and tap Copy when prompted.
4. Choose what to bring: apps, photos and videos, messages, contacts, call history, settings and Wi-Fi passwords.
5. Wait. A full transfer is usually 15–45 minutes depending on how many photos you have. Apps continue downloading in the background after setup finishes.

Already finished setup? You can still restore: Settings → System → Backup on the old phone, then on the new phone factory reset and run setup again — the transfer only appears during setup.

Samsung to Samsung: use Smart Switch instead. It carries across extras Google's tool skips, including your home-screen layout, alarms, and Samsung Notes.

Android to iPhone

This is the most-searched switch of the lot, and Apple's free Move to iOS app handles it properly — it builds a temporary private Wi-Fi network between the two phones and copies straight across.

1. On the new iPhone, go through setup until you reach "Transfer Your Apps & Data", then choose "From Android".
2. On the Android phone, install Move to iOS from the Play Store and open it.
3. The iPhone shows a ten- or six-digit code. Type it into the Android phone.
4. Pick what to move: contacts, message history, camera photos and videos, mail accounts, calendars and display settings.
5. Leave both phones alone until the iPhone's loading bar completes — the Android bar often finishes first, which does not mean it's done.

What comes across: contacts, messages, photos, videos, calendars, mail accounts, web bookmarks and some free apps if they exist on the App Store.

What doesn't: paid Android apps (you have to rebuy on iOS), app data for most third-party apps, and anything DRM-protected. WhatsApp needs its own step — use WhatsApp's built-in Transfer chats to iPhone option before you switch.

Missed the window? Move to iOS only appears during setup. To use it after you've finished, you must erase the iPhone (Settings → General → Transfer or Reset iPhone → Erase All Content and Settings) and set it up again.

iPhone to iPhone

The easiest transfer of them all, because it's device-to-device with no apps involved.

1. Turn on the new iPhone and hold it next to the old one. A Quick Start card appears on the old phone.
2. Tap Continue and point the old iPhone's camera at the animation on the new screen.
3. Enter your old passcode, then choose Transfer from iPhone for a direct copy (rather than restoring from iCloud, which is slower and needs enough iCloud space).
4. Keep them side by side and plugged in until it completes.

This carries almost everything — apps, data, layout, settings and Health data. Some banking and authenticator apps deliberately don't transfer and must be set up again; check your two-factor codes before you wipe the old phone.

iPhone to Android

Google's Switch to Android app (on the App Store) does the work, and there is one step you must not skip.

1. Turn off iMessage first: on the iPhone, Settings → Messages → iMessage off. Also turn off FaceTime. Skip this and texts from iPhone users keep routing to iMessage and never arrive on your Android — sometimes for weeks.
2. Install Switch to Android on the iPhone.
3. On the new Android phone, start setup and choose to copy data, then connect the two with a cable (a USB-C to Lightning cable if you're coming from an older iPhone).
4. Follow the prompts and pick your contacts, photos, videos, calendar and messages.

If you've already sold the iPhone, you can still pull most things from iCloud: photos via iCloud.com, contacts and calendars by adding your iCloud account to the Android phone.

What each method actually moves

Switching	Tool	Messages	Apps	App data	Typical time
Android → Android	Setup wizard / Smart Switch	Yes	Yes	Most	15–45 min
Android → iPhone	Move to iOS	Yes	Free apps re-downloaded	Rarely	20–60 min
iPhone → iPhone	Quick Start	Yes	Yes	Nearly all	15–40 min
iPhone → Android	Switch to Android	Yes	No	No	15–45 min

Moving WhatsApp — the one everyone forgets

WhatsApp chats do not reliably ride along with the phone transfer. Handle it separately, before you wipe the old phone:

• Same platform: back up inside WhatsApp (Settings → Chats → Chat backup) to Google Drive or iCloud, then restore when you install WhatsApp on the new phone with the same number.
• Across platforms: use WhatsApp's own Transfer chats feature in Settings → Chats. It requires a cable and both phones present.
• Do this before deactivating the old SIM — WhatsApp verifies by SMS.

When a transfer fails

• Stuck at "1 minute remaining": normal on large photo libraries — give it another 20 minutes before restarting.
• Phones won't pair: turn off mobile data on both, keep them within a metre, and disable any VPN.
• Not enough space: the transfer will refuse. Delete some video or move photos to the cloud, then retry.
• Messages missing after moving to Android: you left iMessage on. Turn it off on the old iPhone, or deregister at Apple's own deregistration page.
• Photos arrived but nothing else: you likely used a file-copy tool rather than the setup transfer. Reset and run setup properly.

Before you wipe the old phone

1. Open the new phone and check contacts, messages, photos, WhatsApp and your banking apps actually work.
2. Move your two-factor authenticator codes across — these almost never transfer automatically, and losing them locks you out of accounts.
3. Sign out: on iPhone remove your Apple Account; on Android remove your Google account. This clears activation locks for whoever gets the phone next.
4. Only then: factory reset the old phone.

Bottom line

Every modern phone has a transfer tool built into setup, and it's always better than copying files by hand — it's the only route that carries messages and settings. Check your storage, back up, use a cable, and run the transfer during setup, because that's the only time most of these tools are offered. Then verify everything on the new phone before you reset the old one.

Just moved in? Two things worth doing next: get your screen onto the TV, and if the new phone is the reason you're here, our guides to the best budget phones and best phones under ₹15,000 in India cover what to buy next time.