geonuc wrote:Dumb question time. I'm looking to buy another cell phone because my Samsung keeps crapping out, the camera won't focus and the face is cracked. I want the latest Samsung Galaxy because all the reviews say cats meow, bees knees. I don't know if I'm going to go the contract route again. In the past, I've gone into the ATT store, pointed at a phone and said I want it. They asked how much money I had and then charged me all of it. And then transferred all my data and contacts to the new phone.
But what if I buy the phone myself elsewhere? Do I just put the SIM card in the new one and voila! I'm good to go?
I'm so ignorant and Googling something like this is like drinking from a fire hose.
Yes... ish. The SIM card will essentially transfer all your AT&T account data to the new phone including the telephone number and your "unique ID". If all the data such as contacts, apps, etc you want to transfer is on an SD card then it would be just a case of take the SIM and the SD card and put them in the new phone and Waa La! But.... Most apps don't automatically save to the SD card. And your photos may or may not either. It depends on how your phone was set up when the AT&T guys helped you out.
The best thing to do if you have a Google Account is link your phone to the account and back up as much as Google will back up. This includes things like your contacts and apps. If you have photos on it it's usually better to save them somewhere before you switch phones. Google doesn't have a native photo transfer/backup feature yet. AT&T probably also has a back up feature and if you go into your local store they can help you set it up and save everything before you switch phones.
In fact, if you buy an AT&T compatible phone your local store will probably let you bring it in and they will switch everything for you.
Samsung also has software that you can back up to your PC and restore your Android with. There are also a couple of third party apps (software) that will do it. KIES is one third party product. I have no knowledge of how well it does or doesn't work.
And of course, there is the Samsung direct method which requires you to have a Samsung Account IIRC
http://www.samsung.com/us/smart-switch/
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