How to Back Up Photos and Chats Before Changing Phones

A new phone should feel like an upgrade, not a loss. The most common regret when switching phones is discovering too late that photos, chat history or sign-in codes didn’t come across. The fix is simple: back up first, check the backup, and only wipe the old phone once everything is safely on the new one. This guide covers Android and iPhone, including moving between the two.

The golden rule: keep the old phone until you’ve checked everything

Don’t reset, sell or trade in your old phone the day the new one arrives. Keep it charged and untouched until you’ve opened your photos, chats, authenticator app and banking apps on the new phone and confirmed they work.

What to back up, and where it goes

Android: back up your phone

1. Turn on Google backup

   Open Settings and search for “Backup”. On many phones it’s under Google, then All services, then Backup. Make sure backup is on and tap “Back up now”. This saves apps and app data, call history, contacts, device settings, and SMS and MMS messages to your Google Account.

2. Back up photos and videos

   Open Google Photos, tap your profile picture, and check that backup is on and complete. If you use your brand’s gallery and cloud service instead, check its backup settings. Large libraries can take a long time to upload, so start early and stay on Wi-Fi.

3. Back up WhatsApp

   In WhatsApp, go to Settings, then Chats, then Chat backup, and tap “Back up”. Choose whether to include videos, and note which Google Account is used, because you’ll need the same account on the new phone.

4. Check your storage space

   Google Photos, WhatsApp backups and some other backed-up data use the storage in your Google Account, which is shared with Gmail and Google Drive. If you’re close to the limit, backups can stop. Check your available storage in your Google Account settings or the Google One app before you start.

Samsung phones also include Smart Switch, which copies data directly from your old phone to the new one with a cable or wirelessly, and can back up to a computer. Other brands offer similar transfer apps. A direct transfer doesn’t replace a cloud backup; doing both gives you a safety net.

iPhone: back up your phone

1. Check iCloud Photos: open Settings, tap your name, then iCloud, then Photos, and make sure syncing is on and up to date. If “Optimize iPhone Storage” is on, your full-resolution originals are kept in iCloud.
2. Run an iCloud Backup: in Settings, tap your name, then iCloud, then iCloud Backup, and tap “Back Up Now”. Stay on Wi-Fi until it finishes, then check the time of the last successful backup.
3. Back up WhatsApp: in WhatsApp, go to Settings, then Chats, then Chat Backup, and tap “Back Up Now”.
4. Short on iCloud storage? Look for “Prepare for New iPhone” under Settings, General, Transfer or Reset iPhone. It can give you temporary extra iCloud storage to hold a full backup while you move to a new iPhone.
5. Prefer a computer backup? Connect the iPhone to a Mac and use Finder, or to a Windows PC and use the Apple Devices app or iTunes. Choose to encrypt the backup if you want saved passwords and Health data included, and keep that password safe, because an encrypted backup can’t be restored without it.

When you set up a new iPhone next to your old one, Quick Start can copy your data directly between them. Having an iCloud or computer backup as well means you’re covered if the transfer is interrupted.

Switching between Android and iPhone

From Android to iPhone

Apple’s Move to iOS app for Android copies contacts, message history, photos and videos, calendars and more to a new iPhone during setup. It’s also the official route for bringing WhatsApp chats across. This only works while the iPhone is being set up, before WhatsApp is activated on it, so follow WhatsApp’s own help pages carefully.

From iPhone to Android

Most new Android phones offer to copy data from an iPhone during setup, often using a cable, and Samsung’s Smart Switch also supports iPhones. WhatsApp’s help pages explain the current supported method for moving chats. Before you move your SIM, turn off iMessage and FaceTime on the iPhone in the Messages and FaceTime settings, so texts from iPhone users reach your new phone as normal messages. If you’ve already switched, Apple offers an online tool to deregister your phone number from iMessage.

Easy things to forget

• Authenticator apps: two-step verification codes may not transfer automatically. Use the app’s own sync, export or transfer option, or move each account’s two-step verification to the new phone, before you wipe the old one.
• Banking and payment apps: many ask you to register the new device again and may send a code by text, so keep your number active and your SIM or eSIM ready.
• Other chat apps: some keep your chats in the cloud automatically; others store them only on the phone and need their own backup or transfer step. Check each app’s settings for “Backup” or “Transfer”.
• Files saved on the phone: documents, voice recordings and anything in the Downloads folder may not be included in backups. Copy them to cloud storage or a computer.
• eSIM: if you use an eSIM, check how your carrier transfers it before you reset the old phone.

Before you wipe the old phone

Once everything is confirmed on the new phone, sign out properly. On iPhone, sign out of your Apple Account in Settings, which also turns off Find My and Activation Lock, then erase it under Settings, General, Transfer or Reset iPhone. On Android, remove your Google Account, and any brand account such as a Samsung account, in Settings before the factory reset. If you skip this, the next owner may be blocked by factory reset protection, which asks for the previous owner’s account.