Congratulations on your new smartphone. Now that you’re a proud owner of a new device, you may be wondering how to get the data from your old handset over to the new one. Unlike Apple’s iOS, which easily allows you to backup your data on iTunes and then restore it to your new handset, it’s a little tad more complicated when it comes to Android.
While Google is able to re-download certain apps from the Google App store, the data from these app may not restored, even if it uses Google’s Android Backup API. Google even mentions it at the Android developer Web site, stating that the “Android Backup Service does not guarantee that it will always back up data using this service from Google”.
However, all is not lost. Manufacturers such as Samsung and HTC provide software that lets you transfer data from your old handset to the new one, but there are caveats.
For one, Samsung’s Smart Switch works best with its Galaxy handsets as well as for transferring data from Apple iPhones and BlackBerry devices. It doesn’t seem to be able to transfer data from another Android smartphone. HTC’s Sync Manager is similar, mainly targeted at former iPhone users and those upgrading from older HTC handsets. Sony’s Xperia Transfer lets you port your iPhone data over, while only letting you transfer contacts from other devices.
So if you really want to make sure you move all your stuff over, you will need to put in a little bit more effort. Here’s what you have to do.
Download this app first
Super Backup (free) lets you backup your SMS, call history, bookmarks, calendars as well as app data, though the latter requires that the phone is rooted. Note that rooting your phone will wipe out your data — so it’s best to root it before you need to back up your app data.
Once installed, you can specify scheduled backups as well as upload the files to your Gmail. The app can also be used to restore your SMS, call history, bookmarks and calendars, but if you want to restore your app data, you’ll need to root your phone first.
Google Restore
Google’s Android operating system has the option to backup some sections of your phone, as well as automatically restoring these parts when your phone is reset. However, as mentioned earlier, that’s no guarantee that it will always backup your data.
Contacts
If you’re signed in to your Google account on your Android smartphone, your contacts are usually synced with your Gmail account. In the event that it isn’t synced, head over to Settings > Accounts > Google > Your Google Account and make sure the Contacts field is checked.
Photos
If you’re using Dropbox, you can easily sync your photos to your Dropbox folder as a backup, or you can use Google+. For DropBox, make sure Camera Upload is activated, and for Google+, turn on Auto Backup. This will automatically upload photos and videos taken by your smartphone to a private album on Google+. Until you choose to share them, the pictures and videos will remain private.
Music and Videos
This one’s slightly tricky. Your songs and video clips are located on your phone, so you will have to manually copy them out if you want to save them. They can usually be found in the Music or Video folder. You’ll have to then copy them back in to the new device. Ideally, you should already have your music and video clips on your PC, so you can skip this step and just manually copy them back into your new phone.
Source : cnet.com by Aloysius Low
