Switching to Android: how to transfer everything without losing a thing

Switching phones is always a moment of excitement, but the prospect of moving several years of photos, conversations and apps can quickly become a source of dread. Whether you are leaving Apple’s closed ecosystem (iOS) or Samsung’s One UI for a Xiaomi, Vivo, Oppo or Honor, the transition now happens wirelessly in under an hour. On one condition: knowing what each utility can and cannot do, anticipating what never transfers, and preparing both devices properly.

1. The one prerequisite: an official Global Version

This is a trap we see regularly with frustrated users: if you bought your new device from a cut-price parallel import platform, you are probably holding a Chinese version (CN ROM). On those models, built exclusively for the domestic Chinese market, Google Mobile Services (GMS) and the Google Play Store are either missing or installed through unstable workarounds.

The result: automatic Google sync fails, cloning tools crash while transferring encrypted databases, and cloud backups become unusable. For your migration to go through without a software wall, the device must run an official European or Global ROM certified by Google. If you have any doubt about where your model came from, read our full guide to spotting the pitfalls: Chinese version smartphones: the import pitfalls to avoid.

2. Same-family cloning vs switching brands: what to expect

One technical reality shows up as soon as you open a transfer tool: how complete the copy is depends directly on how closely related your old and new phones are.

Perfect cloning within the same family

If you stay within the same manufacturer group, the sync tool does not merely copy your files: it clones your entire app environment. In practice:

• Between Oppo, OnePlus and Realme: thanks to the shared software base behind ColorOS, OxygenOS and realme UI, Clone Phone automatically reinstalls your apps and faithfully restores your home screen layout — icons, folders and widgets.
• Xiaomi to Xiaomi (or Redmi / Poco): Mi Mover recreates the exact home screen structure under HyperOS.
• Vivo to Vivo: EasyShare produces a near-mirror duplicate of your settings and screens.
• Honor to Honor: Device Clone provides the same continuity on MagicOS.

In this scenario you unlock your new device and find everything exactly where you left it, with no folders to rebuild.

Changing brand: raw data only

The moment you cross between two different brands — from an iPhone or a Samsung Galaxy to a Vivo or a Xiaomi, for instance — the cloning tool transfers raw data only: contacts, call log, text messages, photos, videos and personal documents. Apps are not copied as they are: the system downloads fresh versions from the Google Play Store. You will therefore have to set up your home screens and reorganise your folders by hand.

3. What NEVER transfers: the list to plan for

This is the first source of panic when unboxing. Whatever cloning tool you use, and even with both devices joined by a cable, some items stay strictly locked inside your old phone’s secure memory for hardware encryption reasons:

• Banking and two-factor authentication apps: for obvious security reasons, your banking sessions are not migrated. You will have to re-link your new phone to your account, which often requires a confirmation text message, approval on the old handset, or — at some institutions — a physical code posted to your home. Likewise, if you use Google Authenticator or Microsoft Authenticator, export your accounts through the app’s QR code function before parting with the old phone.
• Digital payment cards: the cards saved in Apple Pay or Samsung Wallet do not follow. You will need to add them again manually in Google Wallet on your new device.
• Proprietary health data: if you are leaving an iPhone, the metrics stored in Apple Health stay locked in iCloud.
• The iCloud Keychain (passwords): Apple provides no automatic export of the keychain to Android. If all your passwords live there, plan a .CSV export from a Mac, or move your credentials to a secure cross-platform manager such as Bitwarden, 1Password or Dashlane.
• App Store purchases and licences: an app paid for on iOS grants no rights to its Android version. You will have to pay again on the Google Play Store for any one-off paid software.
• Native iMessage history: only standard text messages are imported. Apple’s own iMessage reactions and animations are not reconstructed in Android’s Messages app.

4. The four official utilities, examined

Vivo: EasyShare

Vivo offers one of the fastest wireless transfer solutions around. EasyShare creates a standalone 5 GHz Wi-Fi hotspot between the two devices, allowing real-world transfer rates that can exceed 40 MB/s. The app comes preinstalled on your Vivo and is available free on the Play Store and the App Store for the old handset. It handles complete migration of media albums, WhatsApp files and internal storage without needing any external internet connection.

Oppo, OnePlus & Realme: Clone Phone (ColorOS / OxygenOS / realme UI)

The unified tool of the Oplus ecosystem, Clone Phone stands out for its clarity. It sorts what needs transferring into two categories: core system data (contacts, messages) and bulk data (videos, music). Its main strength remains its ability to recognise another phone of the same family immediately, and clone the exact home screen arrangement.

Xiaomi, Redmi & Poco: Mi Mover (HyperOS / MIUI)

Thoroughly optimised for HyperOS, Mi Mover takes over at first boot. Paired with an iPhone, the tool smoothly retrieves iCloud contacts and calendar entries by simply entering your temporary credentials, sparing you any sync cables.

Honor: Device Clone (MagicOS)

Built for large, secure transfers, Device Clone favours point-to-point WPA2 encryption. It gives a notably accurate time estimate and handles accidental interruptions: if the connection drops halfway through a 4 GB video file, the transfer resumes exactly where it stopped as soon as the link is restored.

5. The tricky case of WhatsApp

To move your WhatsApp conversations without risking your backup:

• Android to Android: open WhatsApp on the old device, go to Settings > Chats > Chat backup, then run an immediate backup to Google Drive. On the new phone, insert your SIM card, download WhatsApp and enter your number: the cloud backup will be detected and restored automatically.
• iPhone to Android: connect the two devices with a USB-C to Lightning cable (or USB-C to USB-C for iPhone 15 and later). At first boot of the Android phone, choose “Import from iPhone”. A dedicated QR code appears on screen: open WhatsApp on the iPhone, go to Settings > Chats > Move Chats to Android and scan it to authorise the physical copy of the database.

6. The post-migration checklist: what to do with the old phone

Transfer showing 100 %? Do not rush to wipe your old handset. Work methodically through these four checks:

1. Test your critical logins for 48 hours: keep the old phone switched on at home on your Wi-Fi network. Make sure you have reconnected every banking app, every work mailbox and all your two-factor codes.
2. Turn off anti-theft protection before resetting: this is essential to avoid an FRP (Factory Reset Protection) lock. On an iPhone, open your iCloud profile, turn off Find My iPhone, then sign out of your iCloud account. On an older Android, remove your Google account under Settings > Accounts. Skip this step and whoever gets your old phone will never be able to set it up without your original password.
3. Run a factory reset: once the accounts are unlinked, perform a full data erase to wipe the flash memory irreversibly.
4. Sell, trade in, or keep as a spare: your old phone can be sold on the second-hand market or traded in during an upgrade. If it has little resale value, remove the SIM card, charge the battery to 50 % and keep it in a drawer: it makes an invaluable backup if your main device is ever broken or lost.