Megan Ellis / Android Authority
I set up a new phone fairly often — whether it’s moving to a new daily driver or secondary phone, or setting up one of the new best Android phones to review. Since I’m a creature of habit, I like to ensure that switching devices isn’t too jarring, so I have created a bit of a routine when it comes to setting up a new device.
While I may tweak my approach depending on whether I plan to use the phone as my new daily driver or as a secondary device (such as a camera smartphone), these are the essential steps I take with every phone.
What is your most important step when setting up a new smartphone? 26 votes Syncing my accounts and restoring backups. 50 % Changing my UI. 8 % Removing bloatware. 31 % Setting up my most-used apps. 12 %
1. Using my Google backup to restore certain apps
Megan Ellis / Android Authority
Many Android manufacturers offer a phone clone utility that copies the data directly from your previous device. However, I prefer using my Google account to restore a backup from my main device for a number of reasons. Firstly, the cloning utilities on smartphones often require the new and old phone to be connected or near each other for some time. This means that I often feel like I can’t use either phone during the transfer, which cuts me off from things like my chats and notifications. A minor issue, but still.
Secondly, when restoring apps from my original phone, I am able to select which ones to install. This is a great feature, since I often accrue apps that I test for work that I don’t necessarily use anymore but forget to uninstall.
Restoring a backup from a Google account includes many of the beneficial features of cloning your phone.
Furthermore, restoring a backup from a Google account includes many of the beneficial features of cloning your phone, such as copying over SMS messages, contacts, device settings, and call history. And since I use Google Password Manager, syncing my Google account with the new phone also gives me access to the login details I use for various apps. However, I have found that my mileage may vary depending on which manufacturers I’m switching between. In cases where my login details haven’t transferred, I use the Chrome app to access the password manager.
... continue reading