How to Transition to an Android Based Phone Using Google
Android devices have becoming increasingly popular in the last year and if you are considering purchasing one, you may be concerned about moving data from your old phone. Often contacts are the most important when it comes to transitioning and fortunately there are a couple of easy ways to move your data to your new Android device.
Instructions
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1
Firstly you should make a Google account. Android devices are designed to integrate your online accounts into services and a Google account gives you a lot of added benefits. Your device will function normally without a Google account, but in order to utilize it fully, you need one.
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2
If you are currently using a smart-phone (iOS, Windows etc) you should use Google Sync with your device to save your contacts, mail and calendar entries. You should always backup your device on your computer to ensure that you have a copy of contacts and data saved.
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If you are transitioning from an older device and do not have access to Google’s Sync Services you can use another method to back up all your contacts. If you have a GSM device (using a SIM card) you can go to contacts on your phone and choose to export or copy all of them to the SIM card.
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The SIM card has a capacity of 250 contacts, once it is full. You can insert the SIM card into your Android device (more on this later in the guide). Ensure that your Android device is charged and the SIM card inserted. Switch it on and wait for it to boot.
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On first start the device will present you with a set up screen. You can choose your language, region and enter your full name. The OS will then prompt you to login using your Google account. Enter the details of the account you made earlier (or the account you already use).
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Once you login with the Google account, your device may prompt you to select data to restore. Once your device is functional, you can go to Contacts from the home screen or the app drawer. Inside the contacts app, press the menu key and choose Import/Export.
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From the new dialogue box, choose Import from SIM card. Now the device will copy all contacts from your SIM card (250 maximum). The Contacts app also has an ‘Account’ option, using which you can add other accounts (Facebook etc) and Sync your contacts with them.
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You can also select the ‘Merge with Google’ option in the contacts app to Sync your Google contacts data with the existing list.
