Two-factor authentication applications

Authenticator applications generate codes locally on a specific device. They are not transferred with other data and are not restored from the default backup. If you reset your old phone to factory settings or sell it without transferring the authenticator, you will lose access to all accounts where it was enabled.

What to do before resetting the old phone:

Open the authenticator application and check if it has an export or transfer function to a new device. Google Authenticator has this option, and modern versions support account synchronization. If there is no export feature, go to every important service and re-release two-factor authentication on a new device while the old one is still running. Find the backup codes you were issued when two-factor authentication was enabled. They exist precisely for this situation.

The same applies to banking applications. Authorization tokens are not portable, so each banking application will have to be installed and re-authorized. Make sure you have access to the phone number to which the confirmations come.

Preparation

Back up your old phone. This is a step whose omission is difficult to correct. Charge both devices to at least half or keep them connected to power. Connect both to the same stable Wi-Fi network. Check if there is enough space on the new phone. Take your time to drop your old phone. Keep it working for a few more days after the transition until you make sure everything is in place.

Android on Android

When turning on a new phone for the first time, select the item about copying applications and data. The system will offer to connect the old device with a cable or via Wi-Fi. The cable connection works faster and more reliably, so if there is an adapter in the kit, use it. Next, choose what to postpone and wait for completion. Contacts, messages, photos, applications, settings, call history and wallpapers are transferred. Manufacturers have their own tools with advanced capabilities. The Samsung Smart Switch carries more settings between Samsung devices than the standard Google engine. If you have already passed the initial setting and missed this step, the data can be pulled through a Google account, but some settings and applications will not be transferred. It's easier to reset your new phone and start over while there's nothing on it yet.

iPhone to iPhone

Quick Start function works here. Put the old iPhone next to the new one and turn on the new one. An offer to configure a new device will appear on the old one. Confirm, scan the animation with the camera of the old phone and then follow the prompts. You can choose to transfer directly from device to device or restore from iCloud backup. Direct transfer is faster and does not depend on the amount of your cloud storage. Almost everything is carried, including the location of icons, settings and application data. The cable connection through the adapter also works significantly faster than the wireless connection at high volumes.

Android on iPhone

The most problematic direction, and the main limitation, must be known in advance. The Move to iOS app only works when you initially configure your new iPhone. If you've already set up your phone and started using it, you'll have to factory reset your iPhone to start this process, erasing everything you already have on it. So decide before you start using the new device. The order of action is as follows. When setting up iPhone, select the item about transferring data from Android. On Android, install Move to iOS from Play Market. A ten-digit code will appear on the iPhone, which must be entered on Android. The iPhone creates a temporary Wi-Fi network to which Android connects. Next, choose what to transfer: contacts, messages, photos, videos, bookmarks, mail, calendar. The process takes from fifteen minutes to an hour depending on the volume. Analogues of your applications from the App Store are queued for installation automatically. Paid applications do not switch between platforms and will have to be purchased again.

If the iPhone is already configured. The alternative without reset is to sync through a Google account. Contacts, calendar and mail will be pulled up, photos are available through the Google Photos app. At the same time, the history of SMS will remain on the old phone.

If the process freezes. The most common reasons and how to fix them are: turn off mobile data and VPNs on Android, turn off automatic switching functions between networks, connect both phones to the power supply and prevent the screens from going out. If nothing helps, reset your iPhone and restart the process from a clean state.

iPhone on Android

Google has its own tool called Switch to Android. When setting up Android, select copy data and specify the option from iPhone. On iPhone, install Switch to Android from the App Store and follow the prompts. Contacts, calendar, photos and videos are transferred through a temporary connection.

Two things must be done separately. Turn off iMessage on the old iPhone, otherwise messages from other Apple users will continue to arrive there and will not reach you. To do this, turn off iMessage in the iPhone settings, and it is better to cancel the registration of the number through the Apple website. The second is messengers, which are discussed below.

Which is never automatically transferred

A list worth checking after the transfer is complete.

History of correspondence in messengers. WhatsApp has its own chat transfer function, which must be run separately in the application settings. Between platforms, the process is more complex than within one. Telegram stores correspondence on servers, so it is enough to simply log into the account there.

Application data. Progress in games, settings, saved states. Some applications are synchronized through their own account, some are not.

Paid applications between platforms. Buying from Google Play is not valid on the App Store and vice versa.

Authorization tokens. All banking applications, operating systems and services with two-factor authentication require re-entry.

Files that were not in standard folders. Documents, downloads, music. The easiest way is to drop them on a computer or in the cloud manually.

SIM contacts. If part of the contacts are recorded on a SIM card and not on an account, check them separately.

After transfer

Check out a few things before saying goodbye to your old phone. Are all contacts in place and are there no duplicates. Fresh versions of iOS have a built-in feature to fix duplicate contacts.

Do banking applications work and are they being authorized. Is there access to all accounts where two-factor authentication is enabled. Have the photos been transferred in full, not in part. Compare the number of files in the gallery. Does the connection work and does not remain registered iMessage on the old number.

What to do with an old phone

After making sure that everything has been transferred, the old device must be prepared correctly.

Sign out of all accounts, especially Google or Apple ID. The device on which your account remains cannot be normally transferred to another person due to theft protection. Extract the SIM card and memory card. Make a full factory reset through settings, not just delete files. Data deleted in the usual way is subject to recovery. If the phone goes on sale, after resetting, you should turn it on and make sure it loads without asking for your password.

Checklist

  1. Transfer or reissue two-factor authentication
  2. Find backup codes from accounts
  3. Back up your old phone
  4. Charge both devices and connect to Wi-Fi
  5. Run the transfer the first time you set up a new phone
  6. Transfer messenger chats separately
  7. Check contacts, photos and banking applications
  8. Disable iMessage when switching to Android
  9. Hold the old phone for the worker for several days
  10. Sign out of accounts and make a full reset

Technically, the transfer takes from fifteen minutes to an hour and requires a minimum of effort if you start it on time, that is, when you first set up a new device. Real problems do not arise with photos and contacts, but with what is mentioned last. Two-factor authentication, banking applications, and messenger history require separate attention, and it is because of them that people lose access to accounts after changing phones. The main rule sounds simple: do not reset the old phone until you are sure that everything is really in place.