How do I transfer data to a new Android phone?

Last reviewed: September 28, 2026 · Markdown version

Do it while you set up the new phone: Android offers to copy from the old one, by cable or over Wi-Fi, and a new Samsung Galaxy can use Smart Switch instead. Two things catch people out. Google says the copy can be done once, and its own list of what does not copy includes your downloads.

Google's setup copy

When the new phone asks, tap Copy. Google recommends a cable, but says both routes are equal in what they carry: "You can use the cable or wireless option to transfer data. Both methods support the same data." Its conditions are worth reading before you start — "You need an internet connection to copy data from one device to the other", and "You can only perform data transfer once. We recommend you do this during setup as the option may not be available afterwards" (Copy apps & data from an Android to a new Android device, read 28 September 2026).

Without a cable, the new phone offers "Transfer wirelessly"; on the old one you open the Google app, search for set up my device, and check "that shapes and numbers match on both phones" before tapping Copy. The same page warns the whole thing can run "from a few minutes to over an hour", so plug both phones in first.

What the copy leaves behind

Google publishes a "What won’t copy during setup" list, and it is the part to read twice. It includes:

"Downloads, like PDF files"
"Photos, videos, and music stored in hidden folders"
"Apps that aren’t from the Google Play Store"
"Data from apps that don't use Android backup"
"Accounts other than Google Accounts and their data", and "Ringtones"

(All from Google's copy page above.) Our reading: anything you saved yourself into the Download folder should be treated as not coming across. Move it separately — over Wi-Fi with Quick Share, or through a computer with a cable — before the old phone is wiped. WhatsApp is a separate case: its chats come back from the cloud when you sign in, and Google's page adds that to restore them "you must first turn on WhatsApp backups on your old device".

If you skipped it during setup

Google's troubleshooting page offers a way back. For a few days after setup, open Settings and tap "Finish setting up" at the top. Later, look in Settings under Accounts & backup for the option to copy data from another device — which Google says "is available for all devices running Android 17 and later as well as select devices running previous versions of Android". Where neither exists, "you may have to factory reset your device in order to transfer data within setup" (Can't transfer data to a new Android device, read 28 September 2026). The same page says that if setup hangs for more than 15 minutes, tap Stop copying.

A new Samsung Galaxy: Smart Switch

Google's own page points Galaxy owners to Samsung's tool. Samsung calls a cable "the recommended method because it can transfer the most types of data", but notes the catch: a wired transfer does not let you keep the phones on charge, so for a lot of data it suggests going wireless, with the phones "within 4 inches of each other". After a scan you choose Everything; Just accounts, calls, contacts, and messages; or Custom (Transfer content with Samsung Smart Switch, read 28 September 2026).

Three answers from Samsung's FAQ that settle common worries: the old phone keeps its copy — "When the transfer is complete, the data will exist on both devices"; games come back without their progress — "Smart Switch will reinstall the game app but cannot transfer the game data"; and the direction is one-way — "You may only transfer content from a non-Galaxy phone to a Galaxy phone with Smart Switch; it does not work the other way around" (Smart Switch frequently asked questions, read 28 September 2026). If you use Secure Folder, move it with Smart Switch too: Samsung says "backing up your data is no longer supported in Secure Folder", and names Smart Switch as the way to "transfer your Secure Folder to a new device" (Use the Secure Folder on your Galaxy phone or tablet, read 28 September 2026) — getting files out of it by hand is covered separately.

When the old phone is broken

A direct copy needs a working old phone. Without one, Google's route is the account backup: "If you don’t have your old device available, you can restore from a previous backup of your old device stored in your Google Account", chosen during setup via "Cable doesn’t fit or No adapter?". Google's tip on the same page is the condition: "To find backups available to restore, you need to turn on backups on your old device". The same page does not cover getting files off a phone that will not turn on; it is silent on that case. Our view: if there was no backup, a repair shop is the realistic next call, not a setup screen.