How to Transfer Settings From One Android Phone to Another

By Michael Butler

Updated September 28, 2017

Setting up a new phone usually takes a lot of your time. If both your old and new phones use Google's Android operating system, you can save some time by backing up your settings on Google and letting Google transfer them to your new phone. Google cannot transfer all of your data, but it can get most of it. You need to back up your old phone before turning on the new phone for the first time.

Press the "Menu" button on the old phone and tap "Settings." You might need to tap "More" before "Settings."

Tap "Accounts & Sync." You should see your Google Account listed. Tap it to see a list of Google services you can sync on the phone. Tap any that are listed as having sync turned off to turn sync on.

Press the "Home" button and then go back to the Settings menu. Tap "Privacy." If the Back Up My Data box is not checked, tap it to check it. Press "Home" again. Wait a few minutes for your data to back up.

Turn the new phone on for the first time. As part of the initial setup process, you need to enter a Google Account. Enter the same account information that you used on the old phone. Finish setting up the phone according to your wireless carrier's instructions. Set the phone aside for awhile. Google sends information to your new phone, including your Google services, your apps and data. You should also see some settings change. How long this takes depends upon how many apps you have.

Go to the Apps menu on the new phone. If you are not sure where to find it, check the manual. Different manufacturers put it in different places. Look through your apps to see what transferred. Most, if not all, of the apps you had on the old phone should be installed. If the two phones do not use the same version of the Android OS, apps not optimized for the new phone's OS version will not have transferred. You can still download them from the Android Market.

Tips

You can also get third-party apps in the Android Market to transfer settings between Android phones.

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