Switching Phones Isn’t As Daunting As Before

In the past, switching phones used to be a dreaded affair. Prior to the switch, one would need to spend several hours backing up their data to a computer or cloud back up. This was needed to facilitate the download of said data onto the new device. It was an unreliable process marred by data corruption and system crashes.

This was especially true of older Android devices. Unlike Apple’s more reliable iTunes back up system, Google’s OS simply wasn’t polished enough to inspire confidence for said task. Thankfully, as of Android 8.0, that has changed. Many manufacturers have homebaked apps to help smoothen the process.

Huawei, Samsung and Sony are some of the pioneers in this area, each publishing their own individual apps that help take the tedium out of the entire process. Take for example, Samsung’s Smart Switch. It allows two phones that are connected to the same WiFi network to transfer data effortlessly.

The app has to be installed on both phones, and have to remain running during the entire process. Then, a user needs to choose the new phone from the list of devices and transfer the selected files – it’s that easy. The process should be a little more difficult on non-Android devices, but the helpful guides do a decent job of leading users through the process.

I managed to initiate the transfer process in a matter of minutes (Samsung to Samsung). However, the time needed to complete transfers depends on the amount data a user wishes to move. But that, in essence is the entire process of switching over to a new phone. It’s a relatively uneventful task, requiring only a minimal amount of patience from a user.