Unboxing a new smartphone is an amazing experience, and the excitement that comes along is inevitable. But to start experiencing a new device, one has to go through the setup process.
The android setup process has become extremely simple over the years, thanks to Google. The process is almost the same for all smartphones, with slight differences among Android skins such as Xiaomi’s MIUI and Samsung’s OneUI.
Pre Requisites To Setup Your Android Device
1. Before starting the setup process, make sure that your old device is with you and is in perfect working condition. Also, your SIM card, Wi-Fi password and an active internet connection will be required to set up your new android smartphone.
2. Ensure that your WhatsApp data and photos gallery are backed up over Google drive.
3, You can also use Google Drive to back up files such as PDFs and other important documents and media files. Google One app can be used for this purpose as well.
Go to Settings > System > Backup on your old device to create or update your backup data.
Other data such as contacts, messages, call history, app list and settings are covered by Android’s built-in backup tool itself.
How to Get Started On Your New Android Smartphone
Stage 1: Getting Started with Setup Process
1. As soon as you switch on your new smartphone, a Welcome screen appears. You can adjust the text size or brightness as per your needs by clicking on ‘ Vision settings’.
In case your preferred language isn’t English, you can change it before proceeding further. Language can be changed by clicking on the ‘English (United States)’ option.
2. Insert your SIM card into the device. If you use an eSIM, click on the option that says ‘Download a SIM instead?’. You can also do this later in the device settings. To move to the next step, click on the ‘Skip’ option.
3. On the connections screen that appears next, connect your device to a Wi-Fi network so that the restoration process can be done in later steps. In case Wi-Fi is not available at the moment, click on the ‘Set Up Offline’ option present in the bottom left corner.
4. Now wait for a few minutes until the device gets prepared for the procedure to follow.
Stage 2: Backup and Restoration
When the waiting window is over, a screen pops up that says ‘Copy apps & data’.
- Tap on the ‘Next’ option to transfer data from your old device to the new one. If you want to start afresh without any data, simply click on the ‘Don’t copy’ button.
- Connect the old and new devices using a compatible cable and follow the instructions that appear next. Alternatively, click on ‘ Can’t use old device’.
- Now, sign in with your Google account which contains all the backed-up data. Make sure that the data from your old device is backed up from your previous device before continuing. Once the login is complete, the device will start downloading the backup data from the cloud.
Also Read: How To Take A Backup Of Your Android Smartphone
Stage 3: Accepting Legal Terms and Signing In
If you had used the wired cable method earlier to transfer data, you will have to sign in now with your Google account. Otherwise, you will be directly taken to the terms of service page. In case you don’t want to sign in with your Google account, click on the ‘Skip’ button. Although the setup process will continue, you won’t be able to access several Google services such as Maps or Play Store without signing in to your Google account. Alternatively, you can click on the ‘Create Account’ option to create a new Google account and proceed afresh.
On the screen that follows, click on the ‘I agree option to agree to Google’s terms of service. If you want to read about the terms in detail, click on the blue hyperlink text ‘ Google Terms of Service’.
On the ‘Google Services’ page, go through every service and disable the ones which you think are not of any use. It is highly recommended to turn off the toggle for the ‘Send usage and diagnostic data’ option. Doing this will restrict Google to
Tap on the ‘Accept’ button to proceed further.
Additional legal terms appear on the next page. Click on the hyperlinks present on the screen if you want to read about the Privacy Policy and other agreements. Or else, simply tap on the ‘I Accept’ button to move on to the next stage.
Also Read: Best Data Recovery Apps For Android
Stage 4: Password Setup & Additional Settings
1. On the ‘Set a PIN’ screen, enter a 4-digit number that you will use every time while unlocking the device. If you want to choose any other type of password such as text or a 6-digit PIN, tap on ‘Screen lock options’ and proceed accordingly.
Also, you can choose not to lock the device by selecting the ‘Skip’ option.
2. From the Setup Pixel Imprint screen, scroll down or tap the More button to reach the bottom of the page. Tap on ‘I agree’ after reading the information and then follow the instructions to set up fingerprint unlock for your device. If you don’t want to use the fingerprint scanner to unlock, simply tap on the ‘No thanks’ button. You can also set up fingerprint unlock in the settings later.
3. On the ‘Continue setup screen’, tap on the ‘Leave & get reminder’ option to enter into your new phone’s home screen. Otherwise, tap on the continue button to fully set up the Android device.
4. Set up Google Assistant, Google Pay, and additional device settings.
5. On the ‘Get tips and tricks’ screen, click on ‘No thanks’ if you are already well versed with all functions and features of the device. Otherwise, select the ‘Yes, I am in’ option.
6. Select the dark or light theme option, then tap the Next button.
7. Tap ‘Try it’ to learn about navigation gestures. If you are already well versed with them, tap ‘Skip’ and proceed to the next steps.
8. Swipe on the screen that appears now, and you are all set to explore your new smartphone!
Apps from your previous device will now start installing in the background if you had chosen to restore the backup in the initial steps.
Also Read: How To Remove Bloatware From OnePlus Devices?
Stage 5: Finish Device Setup
1. Open the notification centre and tap on ‘Finish Pixel Setup’.
2. Tap on the ‘Start’ button and explore the options that you might be interested in. For example, enabling Google assistant and other google services.
3. Now on the screen that says ‘Anything else’, select useful options. You can add another email ID, fingerprint, add info on the lock screen and much more.
4. Most smartphones come with preloaded apps and bloatware. Uninstall the ones which you think are obsolete or fishy.
5. Update all other applications by going to the Play Store app > Profile icon > Manage apps & device > Update all.
6. Google devices (or all Android devices in general) frequently receive Android updates to enhance the functionality and security of your device. To update your new device to the latest version, go to settings > System > System Update. If there is an update pending, download it and wait for it to install.
Also Read: Tips To Capture Great Smartphone Pictures
