Upgrading To A New Android Phone? Do These Things First
March 6, 2022Migrating to a new phone can be a debilitating experience, which is why most people hang on to their devices as long as possible. Manufacturers like Samsung and OPPO have tried to address the problem with their own migration software. The Korean giant’s Smart Switch software takes the tedium out of reinstalling apps and reconfiguring the settings on a new phone.
We’ve covered Smart Switch in a previous article, read it here.
That said, there are still a handful of things you need to do to make the transition to a new phone as painless as possible. As good as software like Smart Switch can be, there are still inherent weaknesses that make them less than ideal for certain applications.
Use A Password Manager
If you are anything like us, then you’ll probably understand the pain of having to manage login credentials of apps that we use every day. Having to input each one again, on a new phone would be extremely time-consuming. That is why it is essential that you use a reputable password manager such as Samsung Pass, LastPass, Google Smart Lock or various others.
Said password managers remember your login credentials and reapply them every time you sign in again or on a new phone. They can turn a day-long job of looking for your login information to one that can be done in mere minutes. As an added security measure some of them employ various authentication measures to prevent identity theft.
Backup Your Chats
One thing Smart Switch can’t do is help back up your enormous chat threads and messages. If you’re a heavy user of Whatsapp or telegram, then you’ll need to make sure you backup your chats and media within the settings menu. For instance, WhatsApp backs up everything to your Google Drive, and downloads said content onto your new phone.
Sync Your Browser History
If you’re using Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox or Microsoft Edge, make sure that you’ve signed into said apps and enabled the sync feature. This will help save bookmarks, saved websites and browsing history to be saved in the cloud. When you sign into said accounts on your new phone, said data will automatically be funneled into the new device.
Backup Authentication Apps
Many of us rely on apps like Google Authenticator as a tool to adhere to 2-Factor Authentication protocols. Losing access to it could keep you logged out of your most secure apps such as cryptocurrency wallets. Make sure you’ve written down or saved the appropriate login details in a secure place.
Keep Fitness Apps Up To Date
If you are using Samsung Fitness or something similar to keep tabs of your fitness activities, make sure that the data is backed up to the cloud. In the case of the Samsung Galaxy Watch4, you are required to initiate a factory reset to enable the watch to pair to your new phone. However, once the phone syncs with your watch, everything should be restored.
