Upgrading this fall? Nine things to save before the old phone gets wiped. Skip the last one and whoever gets that phone next is locked out at setup.
Open Settings and search backup. On Pixel it sits under Accounts and backup, Google Backup. Tap Back up now on Wi-Fi so the cloud copy is from today.
Starting in July, texts, call history, settings and app data in Android backups count against your Google storage. A full account can stall the backup, so check space first.
In Google Photos, tap your profile picture. It says whether backup is complete or how many items are still waiting. Leave the phone on charge and Wi-Fi until it is done.
Chats move with WhatsApp's backup, not your phone's. Open WhatsApp, Settings, Chats, Chat backup and tap Back up. If you use an encrypted backup, have its password ready.
In Google Authenticator, sign in so codes sync to your Google Account. Or tap Transfer accounts, Export, and scan the QR code it shows with the new phone.
When the new phone offers to copy apps and data, connect both with a USB-C cable. It is usually the fastest route for big photo libraries, apps and messages.
Moving to a new Samsung? Smart Switch copies apps, messages, settings and your home screen by cable or Wi-Fi, and it can also save a full backup to a computer.
At setup, choose Can't use old device? and the new phone restores from your latest cloud backup instead. That fallback only works if step one happened.
Remove your Google account under Settings, Accounts before a factory reset. Skip it and Factory Reset Protection asks the next owner for your password.
Nine steps, one evening, nothing lost. Hold on to the old phone for a few days before selling it, in case one app or chat didn't come across.