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Step-by-step guides · phones

What to do before changing your phone

Why the transfer assistant is not enough, and in what order to move backup, accounts, authenticator and eSIM before wiping the old phone.

Ibrahin · Published on 2 September 2026 · 3 min read

Text drafted with artificial intelligence. The topic, the angle and the final review are Ibrahin's. How AI is used here

Two phones and a cable ready for a transfer
Illustration, not a real screenshot.

What has happened

The assistants for moving data from one phone to another keep getting better, and that gives a false sense that everything has been copied. The assistant can finish without a single error and still have moved the apps without their data, without the authenticator codes or without the chat files. And the eSIM, the number and some banking apps have their own separate process.

Why it matters to you

Because the problem shows up when it can no longer be fixed. If you wipe the old phone and the authenticator wasn't on the new one, you won't get into accounts whose password you do know. And having the number active doesn't mean the chats, photos and sessions have come across.

What you can do

1. Write down what you don’t want to lose

  • photos and videos;
  • contacts and calendar;
  • chats and messaging files;
  • notes, recordings and downloads;
  • banking and authenticator apps;
  • email accounts and how to recover them;
  • eSIM or SIM card.

Also note which apps will ask you to verify your identity again. And don't keep recovery codes in an unprotected screenshot.

2. Make the backup, then check it

Check the date and contents of the system's official backup. If it only syncs photos, make a separate copy of documents, downloads and chats. The test isn't that the assistant finishes without an error: it's opening what you need on the new phone.

3. Secure your main email and the authenticator

The email that recovers your other accounts comes first. Have the password, the second verification step and the recovery codes to hand. If you use an authenticator app, check how its accounts move to the new phone before touching the old one. And make sure recovery doesn't depend only on the phone you're about to retire.

4. Move the eSIM and the number

The eSIM may need a process from your carrier. Do it from their official app, never from a link sent to you by message. If you have two lines, check which is the main one. Check you can call, receive messages and receive the codes still sent to that number.

5. Test the important accounts

Open your email, bank, payments, messaging, cloud storage and authenticator, and do one basic thing in each: receive a message, view a photo, open a document or generate a code. If something fails, keep the old phone locked and switched on until you get access back. And don't share codes with anyone offering to help with the switch.

6. Only then, wipe the old phone

Before resetting it, sign out, remove payment cards and the eSIM if needed, and remove the accounts as the system instructs. If you're going to sell it or give it away, use the system's official reset, not a cleaning app. Afterwards, check from another device that it no longer shows up as an active session.

The recommendation

Do it over two days. On the first, copy and test. On the second, check your accounts and only then wipe the old phone. A day's wait is cheaper than losing your photos or getting locked out of your email.

Sources

Review

Responsible for publication: Ibrahin. Date: 2026-09-02. Last checked: 2026-09-02.