How to Transfer Photos Between Android Devices
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Tested on
- Android 15 - Pixel 9 Pro
- You will need
- Two Android devices, Wi-Fi connection, Google account credentials
Step by step
Enable Backup on the source device
Open the Google Photos app on your source device. Tap your profile icon, select Photos settings, and toggle on Backup. Wait for the sync status to display 'Backup complete' to ensure all images are uploaded to your Google account.
Note: Ensure the device is connected to a stable Wi-Fi network to avoid cellular data charges.Authenticate the target device
Power on your new Android device and complete the initial setup process. Sign in using the same Google account utilized on your source device. The system will automatically link your cloud-synced data to the new device.
Verify photo library availability
Launch the Google Photos app on the target device. Tap the 'Photos' tab at the bottom to view the synchronized library. If the images do not appear immediately, ensure the app has finished the initial sync process from the cloud.
Use Quick Share for offline transfers
For photos not stored in the cloud, open the file manager app on your source device. Select the specific folders or files, tap the Share icon, and choose Quick Share. Select your new device from the list of available targets to begin the direct wireless transfer.
Note: Both devices must have Bluetooth and Location enabled for Quick Share discovery.Accept incoming files
On the target device, a prompt will appear requesting permission to accept the incoming files. Tap Accept to begin the transfer. Once the progress bar finishes, navigate to the Downloads folder or the designated photo directory to verify the files arrived intact.