New phone? Here’s how to transfer your data from your old phone to your new one

Did you or a loved one get a brand new mobile phone over the holidays — but you’re still not sure how to transfer your apps, photos, files, settings and everything else from your old phone to your new one?

Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! Transferring your data to a new phone may seem daunting, but it’s incredibly easy once you get started, if you follow these simple tips.

Moving data from your old iPhone to a new iPhone

With the introduction of iOS 15, Apple has made transferring data to a new iPhone even easier than before, with a new feature called “Prepare for New iPhone.” This feature gives you free temporary cloud storage space for 21 days from when you initiate the transfer, so you have extra space to move all of your photos, videos, data and settings if you don’t have enough cloud storage space available under your current plan. To initiate:

• Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone
• Tap Get Started > Continue
• It may then ask you to tap Turn on Backup to Transfer if iCloud backup isn’t already running.
• If you haven’t backed up your iPhone to iCloud recently, this process may take a while but you can come back to check the status before proceeding to the next steps

Now, to transfer your data to your new iPhone, you will need to use “Quick Start.” Here’s how: 

Before you start:

1. Have your Apple ID and password ready.
2. If you have an Apple Watch, unpair it from your old phone.

Transfer your data (courtesy of Apple)

1. Choose a time when you will not need to use both your old and new devices. The process may take a little while.
2. Make sure that your current device is connected to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth is on. Turn on your new device and place it near your current device. Follow the onscreen instructions to get started. If the prompt to set up your new device disappears from your current device, restart both devices.
3. Connect your device to Wi-Fi or your device’s cellular network.
4. You might be asked to activate your cellular service.
5. Set up Face ID or Touch ID.
6. Choose how you want to transfer your data.
   1. If you download from iCloud, your apps and data download in the background so that you can start using your new device right away.
   2. If you transfer directly from your previous device, you’ll need to wait for the transfer to complete on both devices before you can use them.
7. Keep your devices near each other and plugged in to power until the data migration process is complete. Transfer times can vary based on factors such as network conditions and the amount of data being transferred.

Moving data from your old Android device to a new one

Transferring your important information between two Android devices is just as simple. Here’s how to transfer your data from an older Android phone a newer one (courtesy of Google):

Before you begin:

1. Charge both devices.
2. Make sure you can unlock the old device with a PIN, pattern, or password.
3. On your old device, Sign in with your Google Account.
4. Backup your data. 
5. Ensure your device is connected to a Wi-Fi network.

Now, transfer your data:

1. Turn on your new device.
2. Tap Start. If “Start” doesn’t display, you can copy your data manually.
3. When asked, make sure you connect to a Wi-Fi network.
4. Choose to copy apps and data from your old device.
   • If you have a cable to connect your devices, follow the on-screen instructions to copy your data.
   • If you don’t have a cable:
     • Tap No cable? Ok.
     • Tap A backup from an Android phone.
     • To copy your data, follow the on-screen instructions.

How to transfer your data from iOS to Android — or Android to iOS

Some new and existing CREDO members sometimes make the switch from Android to a new iPhone, or vice-versa. While transferring data to a new operating system isn’t difficult, it does involve a few extra steps.

That’s why we have a separate blog post to walk you through this painless migration. Check out our previous post “How to migrate your phone’s data from Android to Apple iOS — and back.”