If you recently bought a new Android phone, you have two options: restore your old data backup or set up the device from scratch. Both options have their pros and cons.
The right choice for you will depend on the importance of your old data, the purpose of the new phone, the type of user you are, and other factors. Let’s find out what’s best for you.
Why you should restore data to a new phone
If you back up everything on your phone regularly, data restoration will let you get all your old stuff back, including photos, videos, songs, documents, and more, when you switch to a new phone. In this way, you don’t have to waste time sorting all your files and transferring them one by one through a third-party application.
When people buy a new phone, they often sell their old one as well. If that’s the case for you too, restoring your data is absolutely crucial. After all, you’re going to factory reset the old phone (ie wipe all data) before handing it over to the buyer, which means you won’t be able to transfer files afterward.
Talking about factory reset, it is an effective solution against common Android phone problems like apps stuck, screen flickering or the like. After performing a factory reset, data restoration will ensure that you don’t lose anything and can continue to use your phone normally.
Also, if you tend to upgrade to a new phone frequently, say every year or so, restoring the data is the smart thing to do, as you would otherwise have to bother with manually transferring your files every time you change. The latter is time consuming and inconvenient.
Lastly, be aware that not all third-party file transfer apps are trustworthy, and some even collect your personal data for advertising purposes. Therefore, it is safer to use the built-in data restoration tool that comes with most Android phones. Alternatively, you can sign in to your Google account and all your data linked to it will be automatically restored.
Why you should set up a new phone from scratch
We’ve seen how restoring data can help, but it’s not always the best approach. For example, setting up your new Android phone from scratch can help you save a lot of storage space.
If you’re transferring data manually, you can choose to skip junk files and old media, and only transfer what’s really important to you, saving space for new files.
Second, some people carry two separate phones, namely for work and personal use. And to keep them isolated from each other, it’s best to set them up from scratch. That way, you can be more careful not to accidentally restore data from one phone to another.
Another reason why you might want to avoid automatic data restoration is that it can sometimes reduce the quality of media items. Your photos may not look as sharp as before as their quality has been lowered to reduce file size and restore them much faster.
In some cases, network fluctuations during data restoration may cause some files or application data to be lost. Manual transfer ensures that you can bypass all files transferring successfully.
Restoring old data is easier
Restoring backed up data usually makes more sense than setting up a phone from scratch. That’s because, for most people, a phone is simply a portal to your favorite apps and a tool for accessing your photos, videos, and contacts.
Also, lack of storage space isn’t such a big problem these days considering that the base model of most modern phones starts at 128GB, which is enough space for the average user.
Setting up a new phone from scratch makes sense in certain situations, but it also requires more active involvement from you as a user, which is inconvenient for most people and not worth it.