When you have a new Android smartphone in your hand, we may find ourselves stunned, particularly if we come from a rather old phone or if we have only used Apple iPhone so far. If we are still inexperienced in the Android world and want to learn quickly, in this guide we have collected all the steps and things to know as soon as we get our hands on a new Android smartphone.
This guide can also be a valid help for users who already used phones with Android but who find it difficult to move their apps and data from one phone to another, since many of the illustrated steps can be used even if already we use an older Android smartphone.
At the end of the reading Android will no longer have any secrets and we can use it to the full as real experts, without having to ask anyone for help.
READ ALSO -> Configuration and startup of the new Android phone or tablet (Samsung, Google or other brands)
1) Associate Google Account
The first step, the most important one, is certainly to immediately associate a Google account with the Android smartphone, so that you can install the new apps (from the Google Play Store) and recover all the data already used on another Android smartphone.
At the first start the phone will ask us for the system language, ask us to access a Wi-Fi network (make sure there is one usable nearby) then it will show us the screen where to enter the Google account.
We insert the credentials of the account already in our possession or, if we do not have one, click on Create a new account to be able to immediately create one on the fly.
We accept all the conditions that will be shown in the screens and enable the synchronization and backup system, then confirm to enable all the features of our new Android smartphone.
If this account was already associated with an old Android phone, we will have all our contacts, our apps and the data of the other Google apps already synchronized (Gmail and YouTube for example).
If instead we used an iPhone before switching to Android, we recommend reading our dedicated guide to quickly move all the fundamental data -> Transfer phonebook, photos and apps from iPhone to Android on the new smartphone.
2) Automatic backup of the photos taken
All the photos taken with the cameras of the old phone are stored in the internal memory or on the microSD (if provided).
But if we wanted to save the photos to the cloud to be able to review them on the PC or to view them on the newly purchased Android smartphone, we will have to rely on the Google Photos app, downloadable from the following links -> Google Photos (Android) and Google Photos (iOS).
All we have to do is install this app on the old phone (whatever the operating system used) and back up our shots; the app allows you to upload an unlimited number of photos with the High quality parameter (the original photos will be resized, in order to maintain a good print quality and take up little space) and perform the operation in a completely automatic way every time there we connect to a new Wi-Fi network (we can also enable the transfer via LTE or 3G if necessary, but a very large data plan is required).
Backed up, all that remains is to install the Google Photos app on the new phone, so you can view all the previous shots and proceed with the backup of the new photos that we will take with the new cameras.
We will never run the risk of losing photos again!
3) Restore WhatsApp chats
If we enable automatic backup on WhatsApp (via Google Drive), we can quickly restore all the chat and media files of the app with a few clicks.
On our old smartphone, make sure that the Google account is up and running, connect to a fast Wi-Fi network, open the WhatsApp app and go to Settings -> Chat -> Chat backup .
If we don't have a recent backup yet, we immediately click Run Backup to upload all the necessary data to Google Drive.
Let's wait a few minutes (it may take time to upload the backup), then let's go to the new smartphone, log in with the same Google account used on the old device, connect to a Wi-Fi network and install the WhatsApp app for Android .
In the newly downloaded app, enter the phone number already associated with the old phone and, at the appropriate time, confirm the restoration of the backup taken online (the app is able to check for itself if there is a backup, just log in with the Google Account in advance).
More information on this type of backup can be found in our guide -> How to transfer Whatsapp from one phone to another or to another number.
4) Understanding the basic functions
If it is the first Android smartphone phone (or in any case the first with Android updated to the latest version), you must understand immediately how it works, also considering the profound differences compared to old phones or iPhones.
To do this, we recommend reading the guides below:
- 20-point guide to Android to get started on your mobile or tablet
- Switch from iPhone to Android, guide to change mobile phone
- Android guide to be an expert on the new smartphone
5) Install the basic apps
Some apps are essential to install for any Android smartphone, especially if we have never owned one before.
So let's open the Google Play Store and install what we personally consider the Android Apps to have on the new mobile phone or tablet absolutely.
These include Facebook, WhatsApp, a torch app, Livescore, Google Translate, Snapseed, Office and many others.
6) Update system and apps
To get Android updated, you just need to receive app updates, even better if completely automatically when we are under Wi-Fi and the phone is charging (for example at night).
The automatic update avoids the hassle of having to update the apps manually and allows you to always have a secure mobile phone with the latest features available.
To enable the update we open the Google Play Store app, scroll the left side menu then go to Settings and activate the automatic update only when connected to a Wi-Fi network, so as to always have the apps updated with new features and we will avoid to run into bugs or security holes that can compromise the security of the Android system.
To update the operating system, please refer to our guide -> Check for updates on Huawei, Samsung and Android phones.
7) Activate the anti-theft detection system
The new smartphone has its commercial value and great personal value, because it stores data and passwords to access personal accounts and all our daily data; it goes without saying that if it ended up in foreign hands it could be a big problem.
In Android we have an integrated burglar alarm that allows you to locate the position of the phone at any time and, if necessary, allows you to delete all data remotely in case of loss.
In a dedicated guide we have seen how to activate Find my device, the functionality integrated in all Android phones, excellent for checking its position, make it ring loud and delete data -> With "Find my Android" the app to find the mobile phone.
READ ALSO -> Best Android Apps free to download for each category
