Move your contacts
Check where your contacts are stored: in an account, on the SIM card or only in the phone's memory. The most reliable option is to sync them with an account or export them to a common file format that every platform understands.
Guides
Practical guides
Most phone trouble comes not from a breakdown but from rushing: the phone gets reset before the backup is made, the SIM is moved but the verification codes stay on the old device. These guides help you do things in the right order and lose nothing, even if you are switching from one operating system to another.
Your old phone is your insurance: do not reset it until you are sure that everything you cannot go a day without works on the new one.
How this section works: we describe steps in general terms, because menu items are named differently across systems and versions. We do not mention specific models or apps.
Quick guides
Five tasks every smartphone owner runs into sooner or later.
Keep your photos safe
Photos take up the most space and are the most painful to lose. Keep them in at least two places, for example in cloud storage and on a computer or external drive.
Keep your chat history
Many messaging apps have their own backup system, separate from the phone's backup. Check the settings of each one to see whether history backup is on and whether it can move to another platform.
Keep access to accounts
Before you switch, make sure you remember the passwords to your main accounts and that the phone number and backup email in them are up to date. Keep recovery codes separately from the phone itself.
Prepare a phone for a new owner
Sign out of all accounts, turn off the device finder, do a factory reset and remove the cards. That way your data does not end up with the next owner.
Article catalogue for English-speaking readers
This section will feature standalone articles written specifically for the English version of the site. We write them from scratch rather than translating them from other languages.
- Gaming Resources And Editorial Discovery: Beginner-Friendly Checklist
How to find current, trustworthy game information across genres: primary sources, resource types, comparison criteria and a phone-friendly discovery routine.
- A closer look at ARC Raiders collectible tracking: Consumer Decision-Making
ARC Raiders collectible tracking as a consumer choice: in-game logs, phone notes and outside guides compared, with scenarios, risks and checks before paid help.
- GTA 6 Release Date Updates and Official Sources: Player FAQ
What is confirmed about the GTA 6 release date as of October 2026, which sources count as official, and how to check new claims and dodge scams from your phone.
- Aion 2 Kinah farming: Strategies, Limitations and FAQs
A planning guide to Kinah farming in Aion 2: in-game approaches, limits set by patches and servers, paid help versus game rules, and keeping your account safe.
What the editors are working on
- How to set up eSIM when switching phones or travelling abroad
- How to share a family photo library without giving away your account
- How to plan for the end of software support on your phone
- How to keep an emergency contact and medical info on your lock screen
Editorial rules
- Articles in this catalogue are written separately for each language version and are not translations.
- Some articles link to third-party websites, including gaming services; we do not control their content, prices or terms.
- We do not publish advertising for phones, apps or shops, rankings, prices, reviews or files to download.
Moving to a new smartphone without losing anything
Make an inventory
A few days before the move, write down what matters to you: contacts, photos, notes, messages, calendar, work and banking apps, services with sign-in verification. You will use the inventory later to check the result.
A sheet of paper with three columns is enough: what to move, how, and whether it is done.
Update the old phone
Install the latest available system and app updates. Current versions are the most likely to create backups correctly and to support the built-in transfer methods.
Make a backup
Run a full backup and, if you can, also save your photos and documents to a computer. Check that the backup includes all the types of data you need.
Move two-factor protection
For every service where sign-in is confirmed with a code, find out in advance how to move it. While the old phone is at hand this takes minutes; without it, recovery can drag on for days.
If codes arrive by SMS, they will move with the SIM card; if a separate app generates them, you will have to transfer the generator or set it up again.
Set up the new phone
When you first turn it on, sign in to your main account and choose to restore from a backup or use the built-in transfer method. When switching platforms, system developers usually offer their own migration assistant.
Check against the inventory
Go through every item on the list on the new phone: make a call, find an old photo, sign in to your bank and work email, receive a verification code. Only when everything matches, move on to the last step.
Say goodbye to the old one
Wait a few days in case something comes up, then sign out of your accounts, remove the device from the finder and reset it to factory settings.
Related reading
- Tools
Features built into almost any smartphone: device finder, password storage, backup, parental controls, battery saver and system updates.
- Comparisons
Cloud or local backup, PIN or biometrics, update the system or replace the phone: an honest look at the pros and the limits.
- Security
Screen lock and account protection, app permissions, what to do if your phone is lost or stolen, and what the IMEI number is for.
What we relied on
- Official help centres of mobile operating system developers
- Digital security recommendations for users
Dates and definitions were checked against the official help materials of operating system developers at the time of writing. Mobile systems are updated regularly, so menu names and steps on your device may change over time.