Where are my apps that I transferred from my Galaxy S5 my new Galaxy S5?

[erthling]

Transferring apps from Galaxy S5 to same - can't find them

Stop the madness! I've been trying to solve another problem (that of Google Navigator only working on wi-fi connecction). Verizon has replaced my phone. About six times I've put the old SIM and the old SD card into the new device, and each time I can't access the downloaded apps; only the ones that came with the phone. My latest attempt was to move all the downloaded apps back onto the old phone and off of the SD card. No difference. Looks like music, contacts, photos I can get, but not the apps and their data (pretty important). Verizon tells me the data is surely on the SD card/SIM depending on which iteration I'm curently trying. But they don't really seem to know. Please help! :'(

 

[Rukbat]

Re: Transferring apps from Galaxy S5 to same - can't find them

When you move an app to the SD card, you're moving part of it. You're leaving a link in internal storage pointing to where that part is on the SD card.

When you move everything to another device, there's no link in its internal storage, so it doesn't know that the app is installed.

Before switching phones, unlink all the apps back to internal storage and back them up to the external SD card. When you've switched phones, install them from the backups and move them to the card. (Or, if you want to risk it, install TWRP or CWM, back up the entire ROM, reinstall the stock recovery, then install TWRP or CWM (choose one - they're not cross-compatible) on the new phone and restore the ROM. It'll have the links still in it.)

You're right about Verizon not knowing - they're great as far as not knowing goes. No matter what the subject is. An IQ prevents you from getting a job with Verizon.

 

[erthling]

Re: Transferring apps from Galaxy S5 to same - can't find them

Thank you for your reply; there is still hope!
Okay, so far so good. I can backup the apps on the external SD card with Helium. But what do you mean by "...unlink all the apps back to internal storage?"

 

[erthling]

Re: Transferring apps from Galaxy S5 to same - can't find them

The continuing story goes like this: I still can't do it. This must be a problem everyone will have at one point or another. Given that I have a Samsung Galaxy S5 that doesn't work very well and Verizon gave me a new phone, how do I transfer apps AND their data to the new S5? I have tried SmartSwitch, Kies 3, Helium (carbon). I've tried to run a backup on the SD card, but am not permitted to do that because of some software limitation with Galaxy. I ran a backup to my PC and moved it to the new phone with SmartSwitch, but NO data came over from the apps, and the only app help I got was a pleasant list of all the apps I needed to download again from Google Play. I've been all over Samsung's site, Verizon's (waste of time), and Android Central. I wish I'd stayed with iPhone, even though I hated the rotten battery I had with my iPhone 5. Your suggestion of TWRP or CRM - whatever they are - might be helpful, but I don't know anything about them. This is something that someone with half a brain should be able to do without all of this angst. F me. I give up.

 

[AZgl1500]

Re: Transferring apps from Galaxy S5 to same - can't find them

Kies will as you have found, reinstall all of the apps that your phone had on it.

however, the data for those apps is not captured by Kies.... and they have to know that, I just cannot understand why they did not do the full Monty and provide data backup.

* Super Backup : SMS & Contacts - Android Apps on Google Play

Super Backup does a pretty good job, but still, I am not confident that it will faithfully capture the data. It says it will, so give that a try.

I only have one S5 to play with as of now, so haven't been brave enough to zilch my good phone and then experiment with restoring it.

I have a 2nd S5 coming up though for my wife, I am going to try and see if I can use Super Backup to upload all the stuff to her phone... but that is another day.


Depending on the launcher you use, you may or may not be able to back up your home screens.

I am using Nova Prime and it does a perfect job of backing up your home screens and allowing you to store them any place on the this planet that you want to send the backup to.

I send them to myself via email and then save them to my PC.

 

[erthling]

Re: Transferring apps from Galaxy S5 to same - can't find them

I use Nova Prime too, and didn't realize they would let me back up the screens. I can at least do that. Thanks for the idea.

Can't use Super Backup because my phone isn't rooted. Not ready to go there yet.

 

[WAWood8]

From what I've read, you must have root access to backup the data. I've used My Backup Pro several times and it never restored the data.

 

[AZgl1500]

Re: Transferring apps from Galaxy S5 to same - can't find them

I use Nova Prime too, and didn't realize they would let me back up the screens. I can at least do that. Thanks for the idea.

Can't use Super Backup because my phone isn't rooted. Not ready to go there yet.

My phone is not rooted either, and Super Backup is working just fine, within the limitations of what 4.4.4 will allow.

 

[Kelly Kearns]

Re: Transferring apps from Galaxy S5 to same - can't find them

The continuing story goes like this: I still can't do it. This must be a problem everyone will have at one point or another. Given that I have a Samsung Galaxy S5 that doesn't work very well and Verizon gave me a new phone, how do I transfer apps AND their data to the new S5? I have tried SmartSwitch, Kies 3, Helium (carbon). I've tried to run a backup on the SD card, but am not permitted to do that because of some software limitation with Galaxy. I ran a backup to my PC and moved it to the new phone with SmartSwitch, but NO data came over from the apps, and the only app help I got was a pleasant list of all the apps I needed to download again from Google Play. I've been all over Samsung's site, Verizon's (waste of time), and Android Central. I wish I'd stayed with iPhone, even though I hated the rotten battery I had with my iPhone 5. Your suggestion of TWRP or CRM - whatever they are - might be helpful, but I don't know anything about them. This is something that someone with half a brain should be able to do without all of this angst. F me. I give up.

Have you asked Samsung tech support?

 

[erthling]

Re: Transferring apps from Galaxy S5 to same - can't find them

Problem (sort of) solved.

I was able to recover most of what I wanted by doing this in pieces. I tried SmartSwitch again. Although it didn't recover any data, some of the apps had ways to do that. My most urgent need was to recover all my passwords without having to re-enter them. I was able to get them back using a method supplied by the maker of the password app.

The image and most of the settings were transferred over via mail from Nova Launcher (thank you AZgl1500). That helped a lot as I couldn't even begin to remember all the changes I'd made to my image.

So with some work and a lot of frustration, I'm almost back to where I was but this time my phone works for navigation (that was the original problem). I stand by what I said: this should be a much easier process.

 

[AZgl1500]

Re: Transferring apps from Galaxy S5 to same - can't find them

Problem (sort of) solved.

I was able to recover most of what I wanted by doing this in pieces. I tried SmartSwitch again. Although it didn't recover any data, some of the apps had ways to do that. My most urgent need was to recover all my passwords without having to re-enter them. I was able to get them back using a method supplied by the maker of the password app.

The image and most of the settings were transferred over via mail from Nova Launcher (thank you AZgl1500). That helped a lot as I couldn't even begin to remember all the changes I'd made to my image.

So with some work and a lot of frustration, I'm almost back to where I was but this time my phone works for navigation (that was the original problem).

I stand by what I said: this should be a much easier process.

You are quite correct, and it is a major problem with Android. There is absolutely no way of creating a "disk image" of the phone and retaining every little nuance of how you have it set up, and preserving all of our data.

To me, this is totally unacceptable and a pathetic situation that should have been resolved 10 years ago.

It is totally assine that you cannot destroy your S5, buy a new one, and then reimage the new S5 to the exact moment in time that you last made an image of your old one.

I will never meet the designers of Android, but I sure wish I could put a boot in their arse for this situation.

As poor as MicroSloth is, at least you can make a disk image and rebuild your PC after a hard drive failure.