How to Transfer Data to a New Phone Before Selling Your Old One

Getting a new phone is straightforward until you realise you need everything from the old one too. This guide covers how to transfer data to a new phone before selling your old one, whether you are moving between iPhones, switching between Android devices, or crossing platforms entirely. Do this first, confirm it worked, then wipe. Not the other way around.

Do this before you wipe anything

The most common mistake is rushing the reset. A factory wipe is permanent. Photos, messages, WhatsApp chat history, and app data are gone the moment you confirm it. Take the time to transfer everything across to your new phone and verify it is all there before you touch the erase option on your old device.

If you have not yet backed up your old iPhone, read our guide on how to back up your iPhone before selling before continuing here.

iPhone to iPhone

Quick Start (direct device transfer)

Quick Start is the easiest way to move to a new iPhone if you have both phones at the same time. It transfers everything directly over a local connection, no iCloud storage limits involved.

1. Turn on your new iPhone and hold it near your old one. A blue animated circle should appear on the old phone's screen.
2. Use your old iPhone to scan the pattern shown on the new one, then follow the prompts.
3. Choose Transfer from iPhone when asked how you want to set up. This transfers directly rather than via iCloud.
4. Keep both phones close together, plugged in if possible, and on the same Wi-Fi network. Transfer time depends on how much data you have; a full phone can take 30 to 60 minutes.
5. When the new phone restarts and shows your home screen, check that your apps, photos, and messages are present before moving on.

Quick Start requires both phones to be running iOS 12.4 or later. If the prompt does not appear automatically, restart both devices and try again with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi enabled on the old phone.

Restore from iCloud backup

If you no longer have your old iPhone or prefer not to use Quick Start, you can restore your new iPhone from a recent iCloud backup during setup.

1. On the setup screen of your new iPhone, tap Restore from iCloud Backup.
2. Sign in with your Apple ID and choose the most recent backup from the list.
3. Leave the phone plugged in and on Wi-Fi. Apps will continue downloading in the background after the initial restore completes.

For this to work, you need a recent backup and enough iCloud storage to hold it. If your iCloud is full, you can either upgrade temporarily or use a computer backup instead. See our iPhone backup guide for both options.

Android to Android

Samsung Smart Switch

If you are moving to a Samsung Galaxy, Smart Switch is the most reliable option. It works with Android phones from most manufacturers, and it also supports transferring from an iPhone.

1. Install Smart Switch on both phones from the Google Play Store if it is not already present. On newer Samsung devices it comes pre-installed under Settings > Accounts and backup.
2. On the new Samsung, open Smart Switch and select Receive data. On the old phone, open Smart Switch and select Send data.
3. Connect the two phones with a USB-C to USB-C cable (or use the wireless option). A cable transfer is faster for large libraries.
4. Choose what you want to transfer: contacts, messages, photos, apps, call logs. Tap Transfer and keep both phones connected until it finishes.

Smart Switch also supports transferring from an iPhone via cable, which is covered in the cross-platform section below. You can find more Samsung-specific guidance on our Samsung buyback page.

Google's built-in copy data feature

Most Android phones support Google's built-in transfer flow during initial setup, sometimes shown as Copy apps and data or Copy your data. The exact label varies by manufacturer and Android version.

1. When setting up a new Android phone, select the option to copy data from another Android device.
2. If you use a cable, connect the two phones directly. Otherwise, sign into your Google account and restore from a recent backup.
3. Select which apps and data to copy, then wait for the transfer to complete.

Google automatically backs up contacts, call history, SMS messages, app data, and Wi-Fi passwords to your Google account. Restoring from this backup during setup is the quickest route if you do not have a cable handy.

Cross-platform transfers

Moving between iPhone and Android takes a few extra steps because the operating systems use different formats for messages and some app data.

iPhone to Android: Google publishes a free iOS app called Switch to Android (available on the App Store). Connect your new Android to your old iPhone with a USB-C to Lightning cable or USB-C to USB-C cable using an adapter, follow the prompts, and the app copies contacts, photos, videos, calendar events, and certain message threads. Samsung Smart Switch for iOS works similarly and can be installed from the App Store.

Android to iPhone: Apple publishes Move to iOS (available on the Google Play Store). Install it on your Android, open it during iPhone setup when prompted, and it transfers contacts, message history, photos, videos, web bookmarks, mail accounts, and calendars over a private Wi-Fi connection.

In both cases, app purchases do not transfer because the App Store and Play Store are separate ecosystems. You will need to reinstall apps on the new platform, though your account data within those apps (where cloud sync is supported) should carry over when you log back in.

Things people forget

WhatsApp chat history

WhatsApp does not transfer automatically with most phone migration tools. On iPhone, WhatsApp backs up to iCloud Drive; on Android, it backs up to Google Drive. Both backups need to be triggered manually from inside the app:

1. Open WhatsApp and go to Settings > Chats > Chat Backup.
2. Tap Back Up Now and wait for it to finish.
3. On your new phone, install WhatsApp, verify your phone number, and choose to restore from backup when prompted during setup.

If you are moving from iPhone to Android or vice versa, WhatsApp has a built-in cross-platform transfer feature. On iPhone, go to Settings > Chats > Move Chats to Android. On Android, look for Move Chats to iPhone under the same path. You need a cable connection for this and both phones need to be present at the same time.

Authenticator app codes

Two-factor authenticator apps are the most commonly lost item in a phone upgrade. If you wipe your old phone without moving these codes first, you can be locked out of email, banking, and other accounts.

• Google Authenticator: tap the three-dot menu, choose Transfer accounts, then Export accounts. On your new phone, tap Import accounts and scan the QR code.
• Authy: enable multi-device backup in Authy settings on your old phone, install Authy on your new phone, and log in with the same phone number.
• Microsoft Authenticator: go to Settings > Backup on your old phone to enable cloud backup, then sign in to Authenticator on the new phone and choose to restore.

For any accounts where you are not sure which authenticator method was used, generate backup codes from that account's security settings before wiping the old phone.

Photos

If you use iCloud Photos, your library is stored in iCloud and will sync to your new iPhone automatically once you sign in. If you use Google Photos, the same applies: sign in on the new phone and your library appears. Check that sync is up to date before you reset the old device.

Password managers

Apps like 1Password, Bitwarden, and Dashlane store data in the cloud and restore automatically when you sign back in on your new phone. If you use the built-in Apple Keychain or Google Password Manager, those sync with your Apple ID or Google account and transfer automatically.

Pre-wipe checklist

Before you reset the old phone, go through these quickly:

• Open your new phone and confirm photos, messages, and contacts are all there.
• Open WhatsApp on the new phone and check that recent conversations transferred.
• Open your authenticator app and confirm your accounts are listed.
• Sign into any apps that need reauthorisation (banking apps, for instance, typically require this regardless of transfer method).
• Check your password manager is accessible on the new phone.

Only once you have confirmed everything is on the new phone should you back up and wipe the old one. See our phone preparation checklist for the full sign-out and erase steps.

Now sell your old phone

With the transfer done and the old phone wiped, it is ready to sell. Cash My Tech buys iPhones, Samsung Galaxy, and Google Pixel phones in any condition, from pristine to cracked screens. Get an instant quote on our devices page: your price is locked for five days, postage is free with a prepaid label, and payment arrives in your bank account the same day your phone is inspected before 2pm. Every device goes through a certified data wipe in line with UK GDPR and the WEEE Regulations 2013. Rated 4.8 out of 5 from over 1,250 UK customers.