How to Set Up a New Android Phone the Right Way (Galaxy, Pixel and Switching From iPhone)

The order matters more than any single setting. Google says the copy step during setup is a one-time option that may not come back later, and wiping your old phone too early is the easiest way to lose two-factor codes or chats. This guide covers moving from another Android phone, from an iPhone, and starting with no old phone at all.

We test on a Samsung Galaxy, so Galaxy menu paths come first. Pixel and other Android phones use very similar screens, and the iPhone steps are based on Google’s and Apple’s support pages rather than our own testing.

Before you start: a 5-minute checklist

• Back up the old phone: Settings → Google → All services → Backup and restore → Backup (this is Google’s path; on a Galaxy you may also find it under Settings → Accounts and backup).
• Charge both phones, ideally above 50%, and keep the chargers nearby.
• Make sure you know your Google account password and the old phone’s PIN, pattern or password. Setup asks for both.
• Connect both phones to the same Wi-Fi network.
• Open your authenticator app and check how it moves to a new phone (more on this below). This is the step people most often regret skipping.
• If you use an eSIM, check your carrier’s app or website for how to move it before you start.

Why bother backing up if you’re copying directly? Because the backup is your safety net. If the transfer fails halfway, or the old phone dies, you can still restore from your Google account.

Set up new Android phone from your old phone

This is the most common case: you’re moving from one Android phone to another. Google’s own setup flow works on any recent Android phone. According to Google, some of these steps need Android 10 or later, and your new phone should be on the same Android version as the old one or a newer one.

1. Turn on the new phone and tap Start.
2. Connect to Wi-Fi when asked.
3. When you’re asked whether to copy apps and data, choose to copy from your old phone and pick Android device.
4. Scan the QR code shown on the new phone with your old phone, and follow the prompts to pair them.
5. Connect the phones with a cable if you have one that fits both, or tap No cable to copy over Wi-Fi.
6. Unlock the old phone when asked, then pick what to copy (apps, photos, messages, contacts and so on) and tap Copy.
7. Sign in to your Google account and finish the remaining setup screens while the copy runs.

On a Samsung Galaxy: Smart Switch

On a new Galaxy, the copy step hands over to Samsung’s Smart Switch. It moves contacts, photos, messages, call logs, apps and many settings from almost any Android phone or iPhone, wirelessly or with a USB cable, and it can also restore from a microSD card or USB drive.

Samsung recommends a cable because it supports the most data types. Wireless is handy if you have years of messages and photos, because the phones can stay on their chargers while it runs. If you skipped the copy step during setup, you can still open the Smart Switch app on both phones afterwards.

What doesn’t copy across

Google’s help page lists a few things that stay behind, so check these before you wipe the old phone:

• Files in your Downloads folder and media in hidden folders.
• Apps you installed from outside the Google Play Store.
• Apps that don’t support Android backup (usually banking and some authenticator apps, which need you to sign in again).
• Non-Google accounts and contacts or calendars synced by third-party apps.
• Ringtones and some settings.

Moving from an iPhone to Android

We haven’t tested this direction ourselves; these steps are based on Google’s and Apple’s support pages. The most important step happens on the iPhone before you start: turn off iMessage (in the iPhone’s Messages settings), or texts from other iPhone users can keep going to iMessage instead of your new number.

1. On the iPhone, turn off iMessage and make sure it’s charged and on Wi-Fi.
2. Start setup on the Android phone and choose to copy from an iPhone when asked.
3. Connect with the iPhone’s charging cable (you may need a USB-C adapter for an older Lightning cable), or use Google’s Android Switch app on the iPhone for a wireless transfer (iOS 15 or later).
4. Follow the prompts. On a Galaxy, Smart Switch handles the iPhone transfer and can also pull from an iCloud backup.

Google says newer Android versions copy more from an iPhone than before, including Wi-Fi networks and saved passwords. Exactly what moves depends on your Android version and phone. Samsung also suggests moving your iCloud photos to Google Photos first to save time.

Setting up without your old phone

Lost, broken or already traded in? You can still restore most things, as long as the old phone was backing up to your Google account.

1. During setup, choose not to copy from another device, or pick the option to restore from a cloud backup.
2. Sign in to the same Google account the old phone used.
3. Choose the most recent backup from the list and select what to restore. Google says this can take up to 24 hours to finish in the background.
4. Open Google Photos and check that backup is on, so your photos appear.
5. On a Galaxy, you can also restore from a Samsung Cloud backup if you made one.

Update the phone and every app

New phones often sit in a warehouse for months, so the first update can be a big one. Do it now, while you’re on Wi-Fi and the phone is charging.

• Galaxy: Settings → Software update → Download and install. Our guide to getting the One UI 9 update covers what to expect from the newest version.
• Pixel: Settings → System → Software updates.
• Apps: open the Play Store, tap your profile picture, then Manage apps & device → Update all. Galaxy users should also check the Galaxy Store.

Secure your Google account and two-factor codes

Your phone is now the key to most of your accounts, so this step is worth ten minutes.

• Screen lock: use a 6-digit PIN or longer, then add fingerprint or face unlock on top.
• Passkeys: a passkey lets you sign in with your screen lock instead of a password. Here’s how to set up passkeys for Google, Microsoft and Apple accounts.
• Google Authenticator: if you signed in to your Google account inside the app, Google says your codes sync automatically when you sign in on the new phone. If not, use Menu → Transfer codes → Export codes on the old phone and Import codes on the new one.
• Other authenticator apps: each has its own transfer or backup option. Check it in the app before you wipe anything.
• Theft protection: on recent Android phones, go to Settings → Google → All services → Theft protection and turn on Theft Detection Lock, which locks the screen if someone snatches the phone and runs.

Turn on Find Hub and lost device protection

Google renamed Find My Device to Find Hub in 2025, so older guides use the old name. It’s on by default once you sign in, but it’s worth checking because it’s the only way to locate, lock or erase the phone if you lose it.

1. Go to Settings → Google → Find Hub and make sure Allow device to be located is on.
2. On a Galaxy, also go to Settings → Security and privacy → Lost device protection and turn on Allow this phone to be found, Send last location and Offline finding. This is Samsung’s own service, so it works alongside Find Hub.
3. Check it works: open Find Hub on another device or in a browser, signed in to the same Google account, and confirm the new phone appears.

New Android phone settings worth changing first

You don’t need to visit every menu on day one. These are the ones that make the biggest difference:

• Spam call protection: turn on caller ID and spam filtering in the Phone app. Our guide to blocking spam calls walks through it.
• Notifications: the first week is when restored apps start pinging. Turn off the ones you don’t need under Settings → Notifications.
• Battery: battery life is often worse for the first few days while the phone indexes photos and updates apps. If it doesn’t settle, see battery settings to check first.
• Galaxy AI: decide which AI features you actually want, and which should process data only on the phone. Here’s how to turn off Galaxy AI features you won’t use.
• Backup: confirm Google backup is on for the new phone too, so your next upgrade is just as easy.
• Date and time: leave automatic date and time on. If the clock is ever wrong, here’s how to fix the wrong time.

Move your WhatsApp chats

WhatsApp chats don’t always come across with the rest of your data. WhatsApp offers two routes: a direct chat transfer between two Android phones (both on Wi-Fi, close together, with the same phone number, scanned with a QR code), or restoring from a backup to your Google account, which you make in WhatsApp under Settings → Chats → Chat backup. Either way, use the same phone number on the new phone.

Wipe the old phone safely

Once you’ve used the new phone for a day or two and nothing’s missing, prepare the old one for sale, trade-in or recycling.

1. Check that your photos, messages, WhatsApp chats and two-factor codes are on the new phone.
2. Remove your Google account: on a Galaxy, Settings → Accounts and backup → Manage accounts, tap the Google account, then Remove account. Sign out of your Samsung account too.
3. Take out the SIM card and any microSD card. A factory reset doesn’t erase the SD card.
4. Galaxy: Settings → General management → Reset → Factory data reset → Reset, then Delete all. Pixel: Settings → System → Reset options → Erase all data.

Removing your accounts first matters because of Factory Reset Protection. If you reset while still signed in, the phone will ask the next owner for your Google password, and a trade-in may be rejected.

If the transfer stalls or fails

• Stuck on pairing: keep the phones close together, make sure both are on the same Wi-Fi, and restart both before trying again.
• Cable not detected: try a different cable or switch to wireless. Some charge-only cables can’t carry data.
• Very slow: leave both phones on charge and let it run. Google says a big transfer can take from a few minutes to a few hours.
• Skipped the copy step by mistake: on a Galaxy, try the Smart Switch app. Otherwise, if the new phone has nothing on it yet, a factory reset of the new phone brings the setup screens back so you can copy again.
• Low storage on the new phone: unlikely, but if it happens, see how to free up storage on a Galaxy.

More phone guides live in our Android section.

FAQ

Sources

• Copy apps & data from an Android to a new Android device — Android Help
• Copy apps & data from an iPhone to a new Android device — Android Help
• Samsung Smart Switch — Samsung US
• How to locate your lost Samsung Galaxy phone or tablet — Samsung US
• Get verification codes with Google Authenticator — Google Account Help
• Protect your personal data against theft — Android Help