Do you have a new smartphone and want to transfer data from your old phone to it? Or have you lost your smartphone/mobile phone and are worried about your data? More and more PC and smartphone owners are using a smartphone manager, new application software designed to manage and optimize their smartphone, create backups and organize the transfer to new devices or a new device. Smartphone managers are available as an app directly for the respective mobile device, but also as software for the PC.
In this blog post, we show you what smartphone managers can do in addition to transferring data and switching to a new phone, and which well-known PC-based smartphone managers are available.
What tasks can a smartphone manager perform?
The most important functions of a smartphone manager, in addition to moving data to a new phone, are described by the following bullet points:
- Manage data
- Synchronize data
- Create backup
- Optimize mobile phones and smartphones
Let's take a closer look at the individual points.
1. Data management with the smartphone manager
You can organize any files such as photos, videos and other media on your smartphone or mobile phone and copy, move or delete them directly via the smartphone manager. This also works with contacts and messages. With a PC-based version, you can also install, uninstall, update and manage apps via your computer. Some managers also provide functions for managing app permissions.
2. Synchronize data with the smartphone manager
You can also use smartphone managers to synchronize many of the data just mentioned, as well as contacts, calendars and chat histories, between your phone and other devices (Android phone, Android smartphone, Apple smartphone, etc.) or online services. With a PC-based version, you then also have all this information locally on your PC hard drive.
3. Create backups with the smartphone manager
Many smartphone managers offer you the option of creating backups of your entire device or selected data, apps and settings. These backups can be used to restore your data in the event of data loss or a device change.
4. Smartphone managers for optimizing smartphones
Many functions that users know from classic tuning software are also part of the functional scope of some smartphone managers.
Including:
- Tools to improve device performance
- Tools to stop apps or processes running in the background
- Tools to monitor battery consumption or data consumption
- Diagnostic tools to help you find and solve problems on your smartphone
"Securely erase data" - also a classic function on many tuning tools - is also possible with some managers.
Which well-known smartphone managers are there?
1. iTunes
You're probably all familiar with iTunes, Apple's official software for managing iPhones and iPads via Windows or Mac computers. It is probably the best-known example of a smartphone manager. In addition to iTunes, however, there are also other well-known smartphone managers from major manufacturers.
2. Samsung Smart Switch
Samsung Smart Switch is an official software application and app from Samsung. The app works specifically for new Samsung Galaxy models and was developed to seamlessly transfer data, without cables, e.g. via WLAN, from an old smartphone to a newer Samsung Galaxy mobile device, a Samsung Galaxy tablet or a computer. Smart Switch works on both Windows and Mac computers and includes important functions such as data transfer, data backup, data recovery and device updates.
The disadvantage: Smart Switch is primarily designed for use with Samsung devices. While it offers support for importing data from other Android devices and even iPhones, some functions may be more limited or unavailable if you switch from non-Samsung devices. To ensure that everything runs smoothly during the transfer, you should therefore pay attention to the manufacturer of the smartphone. Furthermore - at least this was recently the case for me - chat histories in WhatsApp and Signal could not be transferred from an old to a new smartphone, even though a backup had previously been created in the cloud via the WhatsApp messenger app itself.
3. Android File Transfer
Android File Transfer is a software application developed directly by Android (Google). It allows users to transfer files between a Mac computer and an Android smartphone or tablet. This application is particularly useful if you want to move files such as photos, videos, music, documents and other media back and forth between your Android device and your Mac computer. Transfers to devices (smartphones, new mobile phones, etc.) that are not from Google are also possible.
Google Account
Note: Android File Transfer from Google is a simple application for transferring data. The app does not have advanced features for device management or backing up apps and settings, as some other smartphone managers do. A Google account is not an error for the use, the transfer and the change "old to new devices" and all transfers.
Third-party tools: Our tips
In addition to programs and apps from big players such as Apple (iTunes), Google (Android File Transfer) and Samsung (Smart Switch), there are numerous other third-party solutions on the market that enable quick transfer and setup. Two that we can recommend - especially when it comes to transferring your data from old phones to a new phone - are AnyDroid for Android products (Android smartphones) and AnyTrans for Apple devices.
1. AnyDroid - the clever manager for Android products
The AnyDroid smartphone manager is simpler and more complete than other solutions (e.g. Google Drive): You can transfer your entire smartphone with just one click. Whether from Samsung to new Samsung devices, Samsung to LG, Nokia to Huawei or whatever. All data is securely transferred to the new Android device - including apps and attachments from messages. AnyDroid supports all brands and all models (from Android 4.0) and is therefore clearly superior to many competitors (e.g. Smart Switch). The setup is also very intuitive and no instructions are required.
Further functions of the AnyDroid app at a glance:
Copy all data from iPhone to Android device - including iTunes: The convenient 1-click data transfer also works across system boundaries. iOS data is automatically converted into Android-compatible formats.
Manage photos, songs, videos and documents: You can easily sort, rename, move all files via AnyDroid by drag and drop and import them from other devices to a location of your choice.
Export contacts and messages: With one click you can save all messages and old and new SMS to your computer or to Outlook.
Download online videos: You can download online videos from over 900 sites (YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo, Break, BBC Instagram, Metacafe etc.) directly to your Android device. All common audio formats can be played.
Manage apps: You can read user information, delete unneeded apps simultaneously, update every app via PC or web browser, install a new app, or install new apps in general.
2. AnyTrans - the clever manager for Apple devices
The AnyTrans smartphone manager is your solution for all Apple devices. Regardless of whether the files come from your iPhone, iPad, iPod or your cloud (iCloud): With AnyTrans you can transfer, manage and back up iOS data easily, quickly and completely freely to your computer. Without annoying synchronization via iTunes or manually and with direct access to the file system and your free storage.
Further functions of the AnyTrans app at a glance:
Transfer all data freely to a new iPhone: Whether you're upgrading from an old iPhone or a new Android device: you can transfer all data (music, videos, messages, chat logs and more) with just one click. You can then even transfer your apps in one go to the new device (iOS 5 or higher) including Safari bookmarks and saved URLs.
Organize photos and videos: AnyTrans intelligently organizes various types of photos, images and videos in different folders such as Live Photos, Selfies, Slo-Mos, Time-Lapse or individually created albums.
Transfer music without iTunes restrictions: You can transfer music freely and as you wish from iPhone, iPad or iPod to your computer or to your iTunes media library.
Backup your messages and WhatsApp chats: You can transfer chat history including attachments to your PC or Mac as a backup at any time.
Choose ringtone freely: AnyTrans allows you to bypass the iOS restriction and set up an individual ringtone for your Apple smartphone.
Manage apps: With one click you can update any desired app and delete any app, or install several new apps simultaneously.
And another tip:
These two new products from our partner iMobie are currently significantly reduced in price and cost only €29.99 instead of €69.99 - and that for unlimited licenses. So it's worth taking advantage, because sooner or later everyone will buy a new smartphone and have to prepare for the switch. And it's certainly reassuring if you already have the new tool that you can use to transfer the data.
