How to completely copy data from one Samsung phone to another: from contacts to games

Transferring information from one smartphone Samsung to another may seem like a difficult task, especially when we are talking about tens of gigabytes of photos, hundreds of contacts and dozens of installed applications. Many users waste hours manually copying files or encounter synchronization problems - for example, when WhatsApp messages are not restored or photos lose their original quality. In fact, the process can be automated by 90% if you know the nuances of the work of built-in tools Samsung and third-party services.

In this article we will look at 5 proven methods data transfer - from the official solution Samsung Smart Switch to little-known tricks with ADB and cloud backups. We will pay special attention transferring data between phones with different versions of Android (for example, from Android 10 to Android 14)as errors often occur here due to changes in synchronization protocols. You will also learn how to avoid typical problems: a lost Wi-Fi connection, low memory on a new device, or data loss when resetting the settings.

1. Samsung Smart Switch: the official lossless method

Samsung Smart Switch is a proprietary application for data migration, which is installed by default on all modern smartphones of the brand. It supports the transfer of almost all types of information: from SMS and call log to screen settings and application data (including some games). The main advantage is preservation of the folder structure photo metadata (date of shooting, geotags).

To use Smart Switch, follow these steps:

• 📱 Install application Smart Switch on both phones (if it is not in the system). You can download from Galaxy Store or Google Play.
• 🔗 Connect your phones to each other using USB-C → USB-C cable (recommended) or via Wi-Fi. For a cable connection, you may need USB-OTG adapterif one of the devices has a connector microUSB.
• 🔄 On the old phone, select the role "Send data", on new - "Receive data".
• 📋 Check the boxes for the types of data to be transferred. Please note: applications will be copied only if they are compatible with the new version of Android.

The process can take from 10 minutes to several hours - it all depends on the amount of data. If the transfer is interrupted, check:

• 🔋 The battery charge of both phones (must be ≥50%).
• 📶 The stability of the Wi-Fi connection (if wireless transfer).
• 📁 Free space on the new device (must be 20% more than the amount of data being transferred).

Install Smart Switch on both phones|Charge devices up to 50%+|Prepare a USB-C cable (or OTG adapter)|Free up space on the new phone|Disable VPN and power saving modes-->

⚠️ Attention: If your new phone already had data (for example, you started using it before transfer), Smart Switch will offer to reset the device to factory settings before copying. This will delete all existing files! Make a backup copy of your new phone before confirming.

For users who update their smartphone once every 3-4 years, this problem is relevant incompatibility of Smart Switch versions. For example, if you are transferring data from Galaxy S8 (Android 9) to Galaxy S23 (Android 14), you may need to update the application on your old phone via APK file from the site Samsung. Otherwise, the app will display the error "Unsupported OS version".

2. Transfer via Google Account: universal method

If you do not have a cable or Smart Switch it is unstable, you can use synchronization via Google Account. This method is suitable for transferring basic data: contacts, calendars, notes (from Google Keep), photos (if enabled Google Photos) and some application settings. However, the method has limitations:

• 🚫 Not transferred SMS, call log and application files (except for those that themselves support backup to Google Drive).
• 📸 Photos and videos will be downloaded in Google Photos compressed quality (unless otherwise configured).
• 🎮 Data from games and some applications (for example WhatsApp) is not will be saved.

Synchronization instructions:

1. On old phone go to Settings → Accounts and archiving → Archiving and recovery.
2. Enable the options "Archive data" and "Auto recovery".
3. Select a Google account for archiving and click "Backup now".
4. On new phone when you turn it on for the first time, select "Copy data from old devices" and log in to the same Google account.

Important: the amount of free storage in Google Drive is limited 15 GB. If you have more data, you will have to:

• 💰 Buy additional space (from 100 GB for ~139 ₽/month).
• 🗑️ Delete unnecessary files from the cloud before archiving.
• 🔄 Use another method to transfer media files (for example, USB-OTG).

Up to 10 GB|10–50 GB|50–100 GB|More than 100 GB-->

⚠️ Attention: If two-factor authentication For Google Account, before archiving, check that you have access to backup codes or a second device for confirmation. After resetting the settings on your old phone, logging into your account may require confirmation.

3. Transfer via OTG cable and file manager

For users who want to manually control which files are copied, a method using OTG cable and a file manager (for example, Solid Explorer or standard My files from Samsung) is suitable. This method allows you to transfer:

• 📷 All photos and videos in original quality (including folders DCIM, Pictures, Downloads).
• 🎵 Music and podcasts.
• 📄 Documents (PDF, DOCX, XLSX).
• 🎮 Saves of some games (if they are stored in the folder Android/data or Android/obb).

Step-by-step guide:

1. Connect USB-OTG adapter to the new phone, and to it the old phone via a cable USB-C (or microUSB, if the old phone has such a connector).
2. On the new phone, open the file manager and select "USB device" in the side menu.
3. Copy the necessary folders (DCIM, Downloads etc.) to the internal memory or SD card new phone.
4. To transfer applications copy files with the extension .apk from the folder /data/app (required root access).

Advantages of the method:

• ⚡ Faster than wireless methods (speed is limited only by USB 2.0/3.0).
• 🔍 Full control over which files are copied.
• 🛠️ Does not require Internet or cloud services.

Disadvantages:

• 🚫 Not portable SMS, call log and system settings.
• 🔌 You need to buy OTG adapterif it is not included.
• 📂 Applications will have to be installed manually (without data).

4. Cloud services: Dropbox, Yandex Disk, Telegram

If you have slow Internet or no cable, you can upload data to the cloud and then download it to a new phone. This method is convenient for transferring selected files (for example, only photos or documents), but is not suitable for full migration due to volume and speed limitations.

Comparison of popular services:

* - limited by your cloud storage on the device.

How to transfer data via Yandex Disk:

1. Install the application Yandex Disk on both phones.
2. On the old phone, upload the files to the folder "Startup" or any other.
3. Wait for the download to complete (can be tracked in notifications).
4. On your new phone, download files from the cloud.

⚠️ Attention: When downloading large amounts of data (for example, 50+ GB) via a mobile data operator may block traffic or significantly reduce the speed. Use Wi-Fi or an unlimited tariff.

5. Transferring application data (WhatsApp, games, settings)

One ​​of the most difficult aspects of migration is saving application data: correspondence in instant messengers, progress in games, app settings. Most applications do not save this information in standard backups Smart Switch or Google Account. Let's consider solutions for popular cases:

WhatsApp:

• 🔄 Create a backup of chats on your old phone: Settings → Chat → Backup copy.
• 📁 The copy is saved in Google Drive (linked account required) or locally on the phone.
• 📥 On the new phone, install WhatsApp, log into the same account and restore chats from the backup.

Games (for example Genshin Impact, Clash of Clans):

• 🎮 Most games are linked to an account Google Play Games, Facebook or the developer's own account.
• 🔗 Before transferring, check that the game is synchronized with your account (usually this is indicated in the game settings).
• ⚠️ If the game does not support cloud saves, you can manually copy files from the folder /Android/obb or /Android/data (required root access).

Application settings (for example, Nova Launcher, KeePass):

# Create a backup of all applications and data
adb backup -apk -obb -shared -all -f backup.ab

Restore the backup on a new phone
adb restore backup.ab