How to move to a Samsung Galaxy from any Android phone

If you're moving to a new Samsung Galaxy from a Sony Xperia, HTC, LG, or indeed any other Android handset, then you'll want to transfer your music, pictures, videos and other media across to your new handset. The Samsung Smart Switch app is the best solution to help you move all of your content across – here's how it works.

If you've previously been using another brand of Android handset, there's a simple way to move all of your bookmarks, apps, pictures, music and other media over to your new Samsung Galaxy.

Samsung have created Smart Switch, an app-based tool to move not only pictures and music but other data, too – such as contacts, calendars, apps and messages.

The steps and screenshots described below represent what you'll see and do on your Samsung Galaxy. Where reference is made to your old device, the wording or appearance of items on your old phone may differ slightly depending on the device you're switching from.

Get both devices ready for the transfer

1. On both of your handsets, open the Play Store and download Samsung Smart Switch. (If your new phone is an S7 or S7 Edge, Smart Switch is pre-installed and can be launched by going to Settings> Backup and reset> Open Smart Switch.) Open the app on both phones by tapping the icon on the Home screen or in the Apps tray.
2. On both handsets, tap Start on the welcome screen.
3. The End User License Agreement (EULA) will be displayed on both devices for you to inspect. On each one, you'll need to tap Agree in order to proceed.
4. On your new Samsung handset, select the source handset by highlighting Android device, then tap Start. On your old Android phone, select Samsung device as the device you wish to transfer to and tap Start.

Now that the devices are ready with Smart Switch installed, you're ready to move your data.

You can transfer your data and media wirelessly between your handsets, but if you have a lot of data to move you may find it quicker and easier to use a USB on-the-go (OTG) cable to connect the two devices and transfer your media. This will allow for a faster transfer when moving a large quantity of data.

Wirelessly transfer your media and other data

1. You must choose to set up the new Samsung as the 'Receiving device', as this is the phone you're sending data to. Tap Receive when you're ready to pair the two phones together.
2. Press Send on your old phone and make sure the PIN code matches on both phone screens. The two phones will pair up together – but if this doesn't seem to work for you, don't worry. Just turn up the volume on both handsets, as the smartphones connect to each other using an audio signal!
3. Your new phone will show that the handsets are now connected. On your old phone, tick each box for the type of data you wish to transfer. Press Send to start the transfer.
4. On your new Samsung Galaxy phone, make sure to confirm you wish to receive content by pressing the Receive button on the screen.

5. The data will start to copy across, with a progress indicator to show you the approximate time remaining before the transfer is complete.
6. The data you've transferred will then be installed onto your new handset, again displaying a progress bar.
7. When the transfer has finished, both phones will show a 'Completed' confirmation screen. Tap Close app to finish.

You may notice that your apps themselves didn't copy across, although any saved app data should have.

The Play Store app on your new Samsung phone will allow you to check all the apps you've downloaded or purchased in the past, and re-download as many of them as you wish. We'd recommend connecting to a Wi-Fi network if you're doing this, as downloading apps can consume a large amount of data!

Using an OTG cable to transfer your media and data

1. When you've selected Android and tapped Start, connect the USB OTG cable to your new Samsung Galaxy, then connect the two devices together with a regular USB cable. You may need to put your old handset into media transfer (MTP mode) by tapping that option on-screen.
2. When the devices have connected, your new Samsung will scan your old phone for content that can be transferred, and show the types of content found on-screen. All will be ticked by default, so uncheck any items you don't want to copy across, then tap Transfer.
3. The data will copy across, with a progress bar showing you how things are proceeding.
4. When you see the screen telling you that the content has been transferred, you're ready to tap Close app on both of your phones and disconnect them.

The Play Store app on your new Samsung Galaxy will allow you to check all the apps you've downloaded or purchased in the past, and re-download as many of them as you wish. We'd recommend connecting to a Wi-Fi network if you're doing this, as downloading apps can consume a large amount of data!

Now it's time to look in the Gallery for your pictures, and start listening to your music!

So there you have it - a simple, step-by-step guide to moving from an Android phone to a new Samsung handset. However, if you're having problems with any of the above steps, we're here to help! Let us know your issue in the comments box below and we'll get back to you as quickly as we can.