How do I transfer SMS and other data from my old phone to my new one?

October 21, 2024 8:24 AM

How can I move my SMS texts and other data from my old phone to my new phone? They're both running Android (old phone is Android 10, new one is Android 13). Complication: I cannot get Google to backup the data on the old phone and I cannot figure out why.

I bought a new phone and would like to transfer my texts and other data from my old phone to my new one. It seems like I should be able to use Google One/Google backup to do this, but I have been unable to get Google to back up the data from my old phone, and I don't know why. Is there some other way to do this? More relevant data:
--old phone is an unlocked Samsung Galaxy S9; I have confirmed (per a spreadsheet published by Google and linked in their support documents) it is compatible with Google One
--new phone is an unlocked OnePlus Nord N30 5G
--I'm on t-mobile
--my google account/backup/whatever is backing up my tablet for some reason. Trying to add my phone in addition to or instead of the tablet has not worked.
--I tried using the "clone phone" app on the N30, but could not get the S9 to download and install the corresponding app
--On my old phone, the option to use google's backup is greyed out, so I cannot force a backup from there.

I've tried installing Google One on my phone; it didn't help. I haven't been able to find a way to add my old phone to my Google account, despite it being listed as a supported device. The only device of mine that Google seems to know about is my tablet. I've turned off the backup option for the tablet, but still can't get a backup from the phone. At this point I think Google is completely out as a solution, which is a problem because every article I've found about this process describes using Google backup to handle this transfer.

I've spent the last two days searching for solutions. I've talked to support people from t-mobile and OnePlus to no avail. I'm starting to feel like I'm going in circles looking for answers. This seems like it should be pretty straightforward, but I don't know how or where to find the solution. I'm hoping someone here does.

posted by Janta to Technology (5 answers total)

There are independent SMS backup & restore apps. It’s been a minute since I had an Android phone but they worked well for me when I used them.
posted by needs more cowbell at 8:28 AM on October 21

I just went to the Verizon store and they transfer it from my old moto to my new one. There was a small charge
posted by Czjewel at 9:32 AM on October 21

Are you signed in to your Google account on your of phone (check in settings)? What does it say under Backup in settings?
posted by ssg at 9:55 AM on October 21

Response by poster: Are you signed in to your Google account on your of phone (check in settings)? What does it say under Backup in settings?

I am signed in on my phone. In the backup and restore setting, under the Google account setting, it says that "back up my data" is on, and it lists my google account as the backup account. When I look at my Google account information there, it shows that backup by Google One is on, but that no data has been backed up. There is a button labeled "back up now" that is greyed out (and has been through this entire process no matter what I've tried).

I'll try a third party SMS backup app and see if that yields results.
posted by Janta at 2:28 PM on October 21

This post (and that thread in general) has some suggestions that might solve your Google problem.
posted by ssg at 2:31 PM on October 21