6 things I always do when I set up a new phone

I set up a new phone quite often – whether it moves to a new daily driver or secondary phone, or sets up one of the new Best Android phones to review. Since I am a creation of the habit, I like to make sure it is not too gratifying to splash, so I have created a bit of a routine when it comes to setting up a new unit.

While I can fine -tune my approach, depending on whether I plan to use the phone as my new daily driver or as a secondary device (such as a Camera -smartphone), these are the essential steps I bring each phone.

Many Android manufacturers offer a telephone clone tool that copies the data directly from your previous device. However, I prefer Using my Google account to restore a backup from my main device for several reasons. First, the cloning tools on smartphones often require that the new and old phone be connected or near each other for some time. This means that I often feel that I can’t use any of the phones during the transfer, which cuts me from things like my chatting and notifications. A smaller question, but still.

Second, when I restore apps from my original phone, I can choose which one to install. This is a great feature, since I often accrue apps that I test for work that I don’t necessarily use anymore, but forget to uninstall.

Furthermore, the recovery of a backup from a Google account includes many of the favorable features of cloning your phone, such as copying over SMS messages, contacts, device settings and conversation history. And since I use Google Password Manager, my Google Account Sync provides me with my new phone with me access to the login details I use for different apps. However, I have found that my mileage can vary depending on which manufacturers I switch between. In cases where my login details have not transferred, I use the Chrome app to access the password processor.

It was a time that Android -Skinn felt very similar, but over the years I have noticed more fragmentation when it comes to standard user interface (UI). So when I set up a new smartphone, I make sure to adjust the user interface settings to my ideal setup.

This includes three-button navigation, permanently dark mode, switches to eye-complex mode, selects an app drawer for the home screen if it is not on the standard, and switches the shortcuts’ shortcuts to the ones I use most. Many of the changes I make is to Prevent my smartphone from triggering my migraines, but Some of them are also due to habits I have built up after over a decade with the use of Android phones.

A recent annoyance I found with some Android phone marks is the attempt to switch users to a shared notification panel as standard. On some Android skins, there is no way to switch back to a combined warning and control panel, which really frustrates me. But when the alternative is there, I switch to the combined view. For example, when I recently set up Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, in switched back to the combined notification view in a Ui 7.

Although I have tried to Go away from Google images By harvesting Immich instead, I still have not made the transition fully. This is partly due to how Google images incorporate into my workflow, since I often take pictures on my phone and then get access to them via the web to download and add them to a post I work with, for example.

So at least for now, Google images are still an important tool for me. I back up photos on all my devices, even though I only use the phone in a two-week review period-special since I often use review units to take pictures of scenic areas and my pets. This also means that the images I bring these devices are added to my memories, which is one of my Favorite Google Photos features.

If you have used Android, you will be very familiar with Bloatware-The non-essential, pre-installed apps that OEMs include on their devices. I find that this step is especially necessary when it comes to smartphones in the middle and budget, which tends to wrap much more bloating.

Sometimes these apps are OEM tools that I never use because of preferable apps across platforms instead. But I have also found many social media apps, games and office software come pre-installed on devices whether you use them or not.

Where possible, I uninstall all apps or games that I don’t use. Of course, no bloatware can be uninstalled. In this case, I try to see if I can archive or disable the app so that I do not receive questions about using it instead of my preferred software.

To ensure that I start receiving important notifications on my new device, I log in to my most used apps as soon as possible. These are usually my gmail, asana and slack accounts. However, if the phone is my new daily driver, I make sure to log in to WhatsApp and restore my chat security copy.

If an app is not integrated into getting work notifications or communications from my contacts, I take the time to sign it when I actually use it. For example, I do not hurry when it comes to signing the social media apps, especially since I walk weeks without using any platforms.

But missing a slack notice or an important e -mail to my secondary gmail account (which is different from my backup) means I can miss important information about work or tasks. So I make sure to log in to these as soon as possible.

While two-factor authentication (2FA) undoubtedly has the benefits, I always worry about switching devices and no longer having access to my authenticator app. While I originally only used Microsoft Authenticator for my Microsoft account, over time, I started adding some other apps and websites to the tool.

But I soon realized that the app is not automatically synchronized with the linked Microsoft account, which means that the various integrated services do not move when you log on to a new device. Eventually, I found out that I first needed to create a backup on my old device, and then restore the backup of the new device.

Now, when I set up a new smartphone, I make sure to restore the backup of the account so I can access my linked services. If you use a 2FA or Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) app, make sure you transfer your identification so you don’t lose access.

I often juggle more than one smartphone at a time, but I make sure to follow certain steps when I set them up. This makes alternation between the devices easier for me, while giving myself the best experience when I change the main unit. For many times, I have been trapped by not having the right settings or data on the smartphone I use, which can be a problem when my other devices are not nearby.

Most have only a smartphone to handle, but these steps are useful regardless of how many devices you use. Just make sure to Factory resets your old phone If you are planning to sell it or give it away, when you are first sure you have all the necessary information you need from it.