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

The fastest way to transfer data to a new phone is the tool built into setup. It moves contacts, messages, photos and most app data in one pass.

Which tool depends on the direction you are going. Android to Android uses the cable transfer during setup, Android to iPhone uses Apple's Move to iOS app, and iPhone to Android uses the new phone's setup with a cable, or Google's Android Switch app without one.

This guide covers the four directions, what each method will and will not carry across, and the preparation that prevents most failed transfers.

Do these four 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 is 110 GB full will not fit onto a new phone with only 64 GB free.
2. Back up anyway. On Android, open Settings → Google → All services → Backup → Back up now (menu names differ on some phones). On iPhone, open Settings → [your name] → iCloud → iCloud Backup → Back Up Now. If the transfer goes wrong, you have lost nothing.
3. Charge both phones past 50% and keep them plugged in. A transfer that stops at 80% has to start over.
4. Update both phones if prompted. Mismatched versions are a common reason the tools refuse to pair.

The cable you need depends on the direction:

• Android to Android, a USB-C cable, or none with the wireless option.
• iPhone to Android, USB-C to USB-C, or Lightning to USB-C for an older iPhone.
• Android to iPhone, no cable, because Move to iOS uses Wi-Fi.
• iPhone to iPhone, no cable, because Quick Start works wirelessly.

Android to Android

Android phones have a transfer step in their setup wizard. 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. With no cable, pick the wireless option.
3. Tap Copy on the old phone when it asks.
4. Choose what to bring: apps, photos and videos, messages, contacts, call history, settings and Wi-Fi passwords.
5. Wait. A full transfer usually takes 15 to 45 minutes, depending on how many photos you have. Apps keep downloading in the background after setup finishes.

Already finished setup? You can still restore. Back up on the old phone (Settings → Google → All services → Backup), then factory reset the new phone and run setup again. The transfer only appears during setup.

Old phone lost or broken? During the new phone's setup, sign in with the same Google Account and follow the on-screen steps to restore your last backup. Google says photos and videos are already in Google Photos, and a full restore can take up to 24 hours.

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

Other brands have their own tools too. Samsung says Smart Switch also moves data from other Android phones and iPhones. Xiaomi and Redmi phones use the Mi Mover app, OPPO uses Clone Phone, and vivo uses EasyShare. Open the app on both phones and follow the prompts.

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" and "Transfer with App".
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 is 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 does not: paid Android apps (you must purchase them again on iOS), app data for most third-party apps, and anything DRM-protected.

WhatsApp needs its own step. In Move to iOS, select WhatsApp on the Transfer Data screen, then tap Start on the Android phone.

Missed the window? Move to iOS only appears during setup. To use it afterwards 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 is 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. Restoring from iCloud instead 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 do not transfer and must be set up again. Check your two-factor codes before you wipe the old phone.

iPhone to Android

The new Android phone's setup moves your data over a cable. Without a cable, Google's Android Switch app from the App Store moves your data wirelessly. There is one step you must not skip.

1. Turn off iMessage first. On the iPhone, open Settings → Messages and turn iMessage off. Turn off FaceTime too. Skip this and texts from iPhone users keep routing to iMessage and never arrive on your Android, sometimes for weeks.
2. On the new Android phone, start setup, choose to copy data, then connect the two with a cable. You need a USB-C to Lightning cable if you are coming from an older iPhone.
3. No cable? Install Android Switch on the iPhone and follow its steps instead. Google recommends a cable, which moves more types of data.
4. Follow the prompts and pick your contacts, photos, videos, calendar and messages.

What does not come across: paid apps and most app data. Google says most free apps move over when you use a cable, and suggests asking the developer about apps you bought.

Already sold the iPhone? You can still pull most things from iCloud: photos via iCloud.com, and contacts and calendars by adding your iCloud account to the Android phone.

Data each method moves

Switching	Tool	Connects by	Messages	Apps	App data	Typical time
Android → Android	Setup wizard / Smart Switch	Cable or Wi-Fi, at setup	Yes	Yes	Most	15–45 min
Android → iPhone	Move to iOS	Wi-Fi, at setup	Yes	Free apps re-downloaded	Rarely	20–60 min
iPhone → iPhone	Quick Start	Wireless, at setup	Yes	Yes	Nearly all	15–40 min
iPhone → Android	Setup transfer / Android Switch	Cable at setup, or the app	Yes	Most free apps (cable)	No	15–45 min

Moving WhatsApp: the one everyone forgets

The phone transfer does not reliably carry WhatsApp chats. 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.
• Android to iPhone: select WhatsApp on the Transfer Data screen in Move to iOS, during the iPhone's setup. You do not need a cable.
• iPhone to Android: on the iPhone, open WhatsApp and go to Chats → Transfer chat history → Transfer to Android. Then connect the phones by cable when the Android phone shows Copy apps and data. WhatsApp says this needs a Samsung phone, a Pixel or Android 12 or later.
• Do this before deactivating the old SIM. WhatsApp verifies by SMS.

Fixes for a failed transfer

• Stuck at "1 minute remaining". Normal on large photo libraries. Give it another 20 minutes before restarting.
• Phones will not 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 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 that contacts, messages, photos, WhatsApp and your banking apps actually work.
2. Move your two-factor authenticator codes across. These seldom 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.

What to remember

Modern phones have a transfer tool built into setup, and it beats copying files by hand. It is the only route that carries messages and settings.

Check your storage, back up, use a cable where the method takes one, and run the transfer during setup. That is the only time most of these tools are offered. Then verify everything on the new phone before you reset the old one.

The one thing worth buying first

The Android setup transfer works best over a cable, and Google recommends one when you move from an iPhone.

• Portronics 100W USB-C to USB-C cable, a proper data-rated USB-C cable. Many cheap charging cables carry power but not data, which is the most common reason a phone-to-phone transfer refuses to start. From an older iPhone with a Lightning port, you need a Lightning to USB-C cable instead.

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