Phone setup, transfers and backups. Android and iOS.
New phone that needs everything moved onto it, a Czech SIM that won't behave, storage that's permanently full, or photos you'd lose tomorrow if the phone went missing. Sorted in English.
What this covers
Just arrived in Prague?
The phone side of moving countries is its own small headache: a Czech SIM or eSIM to activate, banking apps that want a local number, two-factor codes still going to a number you're about to stop using, and a maps and transport app situation to sort out. It's a common first-week request and it goes quicker with someone who's done it before.
One thing worth flagging: change your two-factor settings before you give up an old number, not after. Losing access to that number while accounts still send codes to it is one of the more painful ways to get locked out of your own banking, and it's a lot of work to undo.
Moving to a new phone
Straightforward transfers between two working phones of the same system are quick. It gets more involved when the old phone is failing, when you're crossing between Android and iOS, or when there are years of app data and messages worth keeping. Those cases get a look first and a firm quote before anything starts, rather than a number I'd have to revise later.
Things that don't transfer cleanly between Android and iPhone, like some app histories and paid apps, get flagged upfront so there are no surprises once the old phone is wiped.
Backups, honestly
Most people think they have a phone backup and don't. Photos syncing to a cloud account that's been out of free space for eight months is not a backup, and neither is a setting you enabled once in 2021. Worth checking properly, because the moment you find out is usually the moment the phone is already gone.
A backup that works means: it runs by itself, you know where it goes, and you've seen it restore something. That's the standard, and it applies to your computer as much as your phone.
Not sure if your photos are actually backed up?
It's a five-minute check and worth doing before you need it. Ask and I'll walk you through it.
What phone help costs
Frequently asked
Can you move everything from an Android phone to an iPhone, or the other way?
Yes. Contacts, photos, messages and most app data move across, though a few things don't transfer between the two systems. You'll be told which before starting rather than discovering it afterwards.
How much does phone setup cost?
A straightforward new-phone setup starts at 690 Kč, and SIM, eSIM or backup setup from 590 Kč. Moving years of data off an old or failing phone varies with what's on it, so that gets a firm quote after a quick look.
Can you help with a Czech SIM or eSIM if I don't speak Czech?
Yes. Getting a Czech number working, activating an eSIM, and setting up mobile data on a new phone is a common request from people who've just arrived.
My phone is full and I don't know what's using the space. Can you fix that?
Yes, and it's usually photos and cached app data rather than anything you'd miss. Storage gets cleared and a backup set up so it stops filling up again.
Do you repair cracked phone screens?
No, that's hardware. Ask and I'll point you to a phone repair shop in Prague. Software problems, setup, transfers and backups are what I handle.
How to get it sorted
- Don't give up your old number or wipe the old phone yet. Two-factor codes are still going there, and undoing that is the slow part.
- Tell me both phones and whether you're crossing between Android and iPhone. That decides what moves cleanly and what doesn't.
- Most setups are done in one sitting, either on-site or drop-off. Large transfers get a firm price once I've seen what's on the old phone.