Phone storage is not one thing. Photos may be on the device, messages may be in a platform backup, downloads may live only in a folder, and some app data may depend on the app developer. A useful comparison therefore asks two questions: how completely can the data move, and who controls the account and recovery path?
Map each storage layer
List device-only storage, removable media if supported, synchronized cloud folders, photo backup, device backup, and app-specific accounts. For every layer, record the owner, administrator, storage limit, recurring cost, encryption or screen-lock dependency, export method, retention rule, and recovery contact. This exposes situations in which a company phone is backed up to a worker's personal account or a family archive depends on one person's credentials.
Compare what actually transfers
Google's Android backup guidance says backups are uploaded to a Google Account, that not every app backs up or restores all settings and data, and that a backup from a higher Android version cannot be restored to a phone running a lower version (Android backup guide). Google's device-copy guidance also lists categories that may not copy, including downloads such as PDFs, hidden-folder media, apps outside Google Play, and data from apps that do not use Android backup (Copy data to a new Android device). Treat those exclusions as test cases, not fine print.
Apple Quick Start offers either an iCloud download or direct transfer and instructs users to keep the devices near each other and connected to power until migration completes (Apple Quick Start). The existence of a transfer assistant still does not prove that every app's data arrived. Build a short verification list: recent photos and videos, contacts, messages, authenticator or recovery access, downloaded files, voice recordings, notes, health records if applicable, and three high-value apps.
Score ownership and recovery
A storage option earns stronger ownership marks when the intended owner controls the account email, recovery factors, subscription, export permission, and encryption keys or recovery codes. Record whether a managed work device restricts transfers and whether the organization can reassign access without using a former worker's personal identity. For household storage, name a second trusted recovery person without sharing one password.
Score portability separately: export formats, bulk-download capability, transfer exclusions, platform compatibility, time required, and the success of a restore drill. Give extra weight to data that cannot be recreated. A low-cost option is not a bargain if retrieving a complete copy requires manual downloads from every app.
Verify before erasing
Do not use a factory reset as the transfer test. Google's factory-reset guidance states that a reset erases all phone data and advises confirming the Google Account credentials and backup beforehand (Android factory reset guide). Complete the move, open the important files and apps on the destination, compare counts where practical, and preserve the old device until the verification window ends.
A simple comparison table should have one row per data category and columns for current location, owner, backup status, transfer route, known exclusions, destination check, recovery method, and exit cost. The right option is the one that passes this evidence-based transfer and ownership review for the data you actually have.
Sources
- Back up or restore data on your Android device — Google
- Copy apps and data from an Android to a new Android device — Google Android Help
- Use Quick Start to transfer data to a new iPhone or iPad — Apple, July 20, 2026
- Reset your Android device to factory settings — Google