Hey folks,

I’m currently in the market for a new Android phone and I want to make sure I can seamlessly transfer all of my data from my old phone to the new one. I’m open to the idea of cloning the old phone to the new one if that’s the most reliable way to ensure nothing gets left behind.

My current phone is Realme 5 running Android 13, and I’m still researching options for my new phone.

I’m particularly concerned about not missing any data - obscure files, contacts, photos, apps, messages, you name it. I’ve heard about methods like using Google’s backup, third-party apps, or even manual transfer, but I’m leaning towards cloning for peace of mind.

Do any of you have experience with cloning Android phones? What tools or methods would you recommend for ensuring a smooth and complete transfer of all data? Any advice or insights would be greatly appreciated!

  • @GenderNeutralBroEnglish
    8•8 months ago

    The short answer is that you can’t without rooting. If ALL your apps use Google cloud backup, then it’ll work great. But that’s not very likely.

    Here’s what I do when I switch phones, without root:

    Use Google cloud restore. This gets app data for supported apps.

    Run the built-in backup and restore features for any apps that have them. A few examples of such apps off the top of my head are Lawnchair, Eternity for Lemmy, Relay for Reddit, and Signal.

    Copy internal storage (like downloads, photos, etc.) using a USB cable with MTP or ADB. This gets non-app-specific files.

    Your contacts app should have an export feature. If you’re using your Google account to store contacts, then you don’t need to bother with this.

    That gets almost everything. Over the years I have mostly stopped using apps that lock data in protected locations with no way to export. The biggest problem is that there’s no easy way to see which apps use Google backup. IIRC there’s a way to check in your Google settings on the web but not directly on Android.

    Edit: a little historical context in case you find outdated results in web searches: this used to be a lot easier. On older OSes, adb backup could pull ALL app data, and the were some user-friendly apps like Helium that used the same mechanism to back up and restore arbitrary app data. Google locked that down at some point (I forget when, maybe Android 10?) and it’s not possible without root now.