Free family checklist

A new phone.
The same everyday access.

Work through the change with your parent, from the first backup to the final handover. Keep the old phone secure until the important checks pass.

Read the phone replacement guide

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0 of 19 items reviewed.

Before you start

Keep the old phone available. Choose a time when missed calls or account setup will not interrupt something important.

Agree on the help and the everyday essentials.

Ask your parent what must work on the new phone and what the helper may see. Let them enter private information themselves where possible.

Check that a recent backup completed.

Follow the device maker’s backup instructions and check the completion status. A backup setting being switched on is not proof that the backup finished.

Check the account and recovery routes.

Confirm the parent can access the main Apple or Google account and its recovery methods. Keep passwords and recovery codes in their existing secure place, never on this checklist.

Check how the mobile number will move.

Ask the carrier about the exact phones, SIM or eSIM, activation and any number change. Do not assume copying the phone’s content activates mobile service.

Prepare power, internet and another way to make contact.

Have the chargers and the connection required by the transfer method ready. Agree how the parent and family will reach each other while setup is in progress.

Move data and access separately

Use the official instructions for this pair of phones. What transfers depends on the devices, software, apps and chosen method.

Official transfer instructionsiPhone to iPhone Android to Android iPhone to Android Android to iPhone

Read the transfer route and its exclusions.

Open the official links on this checklist’s web page before starting. The page address is printed at the end. Check the manufacturer’s instructions too, including Smart Switch for a Galaxy phone.

Let copying and background downloads finish.

Follow the instructions about keeping phones nearby, powered and connected. A setup screen may finish before all photos or apps have downloaded.

Handle authenticator codes as a separate move.

If an authenticator is used, follow that app’s migration or recovery instructions and test a normal sign-in on the new phone before removing old access. Otherwise, confirm no accounts depend on one.

Check the route for messages and chat history.

Follow each messaging app’s transfer instructions. When leaving an iPhone, check the official iMessage steps. Confirm what history is supported instead of assuming every conversation was copied.

Complete the carrier’s activation steps.

Confirm the intended number is working on the new phone. If activation stalls, use the carrier’s official support route and keep the old phone secure.

Try real tasks on the new phone

An app icon or a transfer-complete message is not enough. Ask the parent to perform the ordinary actions they rely on.

Make and receive an ordinary call and text.

With Wi-Fi switched off briefly, check the mobile connection too, then restore the preferred setting. Check the expected number. Do not place a test call to emergency services.

Open email and other essential accounts.

Try the normal sign-in and verification method. If a bank or another service requires new-device activation, complete its official steps. A copied icon does not confirm access.

Inspect a few contacts, photos and conversations.

Choose both old and recent examples your parent values. Resolve missing content before retiring the old phone.

Try the parent’s regular apps and accessories.

Check the calendar, reminders, video calls and any paired watch, hearing device or alert app they use. Follow the provider’s setup and non-emergency test instructions where relevant.

Check reading, sound, unlocking and charging.

Let the parent read a message, hear a call, unlock the screen and connect the charger. Adjust text size and controls together rather than relying on how the helper uses the phone.

Pause before retiring the old phone

Keep the old phone secure until unresolved data and access problems are addressed. Ticking every box does not verify a backup or guarantee recovery.

Check backup and recovery on the new phone.

Confirm the intended backup account and a completed backup. Recheck recovery details after any number change.

Resolve missing content or access first.

If a sign-in, code, photo, message or essential task is still missing, pause and use the relevant provider’s official help. Do not erase the remaining working copy.

Read the old device’s official retirement instructions.

Follow its sign-out, unpairing and erase sequence when ready. Do not manually delete synced photos or contacts as a substitute: deletion can also affect the cloud and other devices.

Agree on handover and a follow-up check.

Let your parent explain the new routine and who to contact if something stops working. Agree when to review it together and when the helper’s temporary access should end.

Haven & Signal · Phone replacement checklist · September 9, 2026
havenandsignal.com/tools/phone-replacement-checklist

Two conceptual phones and a stack of blank cards connected by a copper ribbon. — A new phone, with familiar contacts and everyday access. Check data transfers and account access separately. Conceptual illustration.

How to use this checklist

Follow the instructions for your devices.

This is an editorial planning aid based on official documentation checked September 9, 2026. It has not been tested through a hands-on phone migration. Device compatibility, carrier activation and individual apps need their own checks.

Adjust text and readability on the new phone · Agree on the helper’s access