do you keep your apps when you get a new phone

[nss510]

do you ? how can you get all of your old apps onto your new phone. do you have to redownload all of them?

 

[milominderbinde]

Yes, you can keep your old apps when you get a new phone...if you know the tricks.

Even if you are not intending to get a new phone, use My Backup Pro and AppBrain to make sure that you don't lose everything if you lose, drown, drop, or otherwise toast your phone.

Before you get the new phone use My Backup Pro to backup all apps and data to their website and create zip files for your SD card. (Must be Pro version, $3.) My Backup Pro will automatically backup your apps and data every day so that you have a current backup if trouble strikes. Do a manual backup to the SD card now and then copy these zip files to your computer. The My Backup Pro data backup zip file includes Contacts, Text Messages, Call log, Bookmarks, Calendar, Home Shortcuts, Alarms, Dictionary, etc. That's just as important as your apps.

ASTRO Manager and SystemPanel Pro ($3) will also let you manually backup apps but will not make automatic daily backups or backup data or backup to a server. Titanium Backup can backup apps and data of rooted phones.

Also before you get the new phone, use AppBrain to create a list of your apps. When you get the new phone, AppBrain should let you automatically install all of your old apps on the new phone.

On the new phone, use the same Gmail account login and password. Most of your contacts, calendar, and certain paid apps should come to your new Android automatically. But note that many of our favorite paid apps are not paid through Android Marketplace but directly through the developer and will not transfer.

Install AppBrain on the new phone and click "Manage my apps" and then "Synch with AppBrain" to copy all apps to the new phone.

Let My Backup Pro Restore your contacts, past Messages, etc. I would NOT restore Settings as at best they will not work on the new phone and at worst could cause problems. No two Androids have the same setting options. You can also use the zip backup it created to reinstall a missing app but that should not be needed.

It is never painless to go to a new phone but AppBrain and My Backup Pro can lessen the blow.

 

[kd0axs]

Any apps that you have paid for are saved to your Google account so you can easily install them on your new phone. Free apps aren't saved to your account.

You can use AppBrain to keep track of all your apps. Install AppBrain on your current phone and sync your apps, then when you get a new phone just install AppBrain on it and it will install all your apps.

 

[Chillout80s]

You can just use Astro file manager too, it's free and backs up all your apps to the SD card. Then when you get your new phone you just install Astro from the market, and it will find all the backed up apps you did previously and you can reinstall them without an issue. The only catch is, while you can select all and install them all if u want, you have to go through each one as it installs and verify the installation, much like you did when you first downloaded the app. originally. That's it though, and it's not a big deal. It worked like a charm for me when I recently got my replacement droid.

All my google settings were of course saved since they are tied to my google account. All my apps, pics, music, sounds, etc. were all saved to the SD card. So I was good to go when the new phone arrived. Between Astro and Google it's fairly painless.

 

[milominderbinde]

These have been good points about ASTRO and AppBrain and I added it in my post above for clarity.

 

[matthewdlyons]

I just picked up the Droid X, but the paid app I had on my Droid Incredible doesn't show up as purchased on the Droid X. I didn't sync before changing phones, and I've already reset the Incredible. Am I just out of luck?

 

[MowDownJoe]

Did you use the same Google Checkout account for the X as the Incredible? Do you know if the app got pulled from the market? (It happens... look at ShapeWriter.)

 

[matthewdlyons]

Thanks. The app is definitely still in the market.

(edited) You know what? I believe I set up my Incredible with my Google apps account, not my Gmail account. Ugh. That means I would need to reset the phone and start over. I have decide if it's worth it for one $5 app.

 

[matthewdlyons]

MowDownJoe - Thanks! It was simply an issue of logging in with my Google Apps account. Since I just got the Droid X, it wasn't that big of a deal to reset and start over.