I'm trying to avoid going to a physical Verizon store and maybe trying to avoid having to call their tech support.
I'm currently using a Galaxy S4 and just bought a Verizon new-in-box S7 unlocked off eBay. I've read up on data migration and it looks simple enough. But can I actually just swap the SIM card out of the S4 into the S7 and go on my merry way, or do I need to involve tech at Verizon? If I DO need tech involvement, can it be phone support (from a land line) or do I have to actually go into a Verizon store and let their inefficient customer service system suck my soul away?
Any advice is much appreciated!
I think they have an app you can use to migrate your data.. Might be able to do it over the phone.
I keep my contacts (phone numbers of friends and email addresses) backed up to my Gmail account.
I keep my photos backed up to Google Photo account.
I have a proper log-in and account with GooglePlay (the app store)
When I get a new handset, which is truly unlocked, I do not need VZ's help.
I take the sim out of the old handset and place it in the new handset.
- sign into gmail and all my contacts come over
- sign into google photo and all my photos are accessible
- sign into Google Play and all my apps come over
Actually, really just sign into Google once and all these 3 items come over automatically.
Direct answer to your question...No, I do not need the involvement of a VZ tech. No need to visit the store.
Sim card most likely different size.
But, here's a free $10 for owning an S4
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/09/30/samsung_benchmarking_settlement/
I've DIYed all my cell phone upgrades (apart from having to get a SIM cut once), and I've never used a Google account on an Android phone so I do it the hard way. If you do have a Google account registered on an Android phone (RIP Your Privacy), most of the stuff can be transferred across automatically when you register that account on the new phone.
Samsung has a transfer app that's great. Takes all of the stuff from your old into your new. Should be in the app store. It's from Samsung directly.
Javelin said:
Samsung has a transfer app that's great. Takes all of the stuff from your old into your new. Should be in the app store. It's from Samsung directly.
It's called Samsung Smart Switch. I used it recently when upgrading from a S8 to a S10+, and it worked great! I don't know if it will work with something as old as a S4, but it's worth a shot. If not, like John Welsh said, a Google account will back up all your stuff as well.
Thanks for the comments! Based on what you’ve told me and some more reading, my S4’s SIM is bigger than what the S7 uses. My eBay S7 did not ship with a SIM and I’m not willing to cut the S4 down and risk being without a phone if I screw up the cutting. So I’m probably going to have to suck it up and go to a Verizon store and buy a SIM for the S7.
I had not considered difference in SIM size. Yes, you may need to make the visit to store for replacement SIM.
But, before doing that, if you have Wi-Fi available to you, see what info you can transfer over before the store visit.
Get the new handset logged into your wifi connection. Follow the prompts on the handset and get the new handset signed into Google. Once that is signed in, all your old contacts, photos, apps should follow to the new handset. The only thing that will not come to the new handset will be your new phone calls and new text messages. Those will not begin to happen on your new handset until you have the correct sim placed into the new handset.
What you will then temporarily have will be a S7 that operates like a tablet. All your emails and web surfing will come to the S7 via wifi connection. Actually, new emails will come to both the S4 and the S7.
You don't need to get a new SIM if it's too big, everything outside of the gold contact area is just excess plastic and can be cut on a cutting machine that most any cell phone store will have.
