How to transfer stuff from your old phone to your new Moto X using Motorola Migrate

The Moto X has plenty of cool features, but one feature that doesn’t get as much buzz is Motorola Migrate. Motorola developed this application to make it easy for you to transfer text messages, call history, SIM contacts, pictures, video, and music from your old phone to your brand new Moto X. It works wirelessly and is quite easy to setup. Hit the break to get started.

[Scroll down if you want to skip the written part and watch the tutorial video]

Motorola Migrate comes preinstalled on the Moto X, but you will need to download and install it on your old phone via the Play Store. As long as you have Android 2.2 or higher, it should work on any phone.

Open the “Migrate” app on your Moto X and make sure that it says the following under Migrate:“Don’t want to start from scratch? Copy your stuff from your old phone to this one.” If it doesn’t say this, then it thinks your Moto X is the old phone. Hit the three dot menu and tap on settings. Under “Choose Mode” it should say “Transfer data TO this device.” Tap on that and you should be all set. Now tap Next and Next again. You should see a QR code on the screen.

Now start the “Migrate” app on your old phone and tap on Start. The “Scan to connect” screen will now appear. Just hold your phone over the QR code that is on the Moto X display. Once it locks in, the transfer process will begin. You can go about your other business on either phone, but they should be kept within 20 feet of each other. If you’re having difficulty pairing the devices with the QR code, then you can opt for NFC. Hit the three dot (or menu key) on the old device and tap settings. Under “Choose connection method” you should see “Switch to NFC.” Tap that and you will now be able to pair the devices by touching their backs (make sure NFC is turned on for both devices). Once the “Touch to Beam” prompt is shown on both devices, tap the Moto X screen. After a few seconds the transfer will begin.

If you’re wondering if you can select what types of stuff you want to transfer, the answer is no. Motorola Migrate will transfer everything from the categories I mentioned above. It could take some time, especially if you have a lot of photos and videos on your old phone.

I put together a tutorial video showing you how Motorola Migrate works. You can also check out our other Moto X guides by clicking here.