Short answer: Use Samsung Smart Switch during the S26 Ultra’s first setup. When the phone asks, pick Galaxy or Android device or iPhone or iPad, scan the QR code with your old phone, choose Everything (or Custom) and keep the phones close until it finishes. From another Galaxy, wireless is best because both phones can stay on their chargers. From an iPhone, the method depends on your software: on One UI 9 with iOS 26.6 or later, a wireless transfer moves the most, including passwords and passkeys. On One UI 8.5, use a cable. WhatsApp and your eSIM are separate steps, covered below.
Updated for One UI 9 (Android 17) · Last checked October 10, 2026 · By Stephen Jacob
Smart Switch is built into the S26 Ultra. What trips people up is everything around it: which iPhone method moves what, missing WhatsApp chats, a setup screen stuck on “transferring SIM”, and Wallet cards that need re-activating. This guide covers all of it, using Samsung’s, Google’s and WhatsApp’s own instructions.
Which transfer method should you use?
| Coming from | Best method | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Another Galaxy phone | Smart Switch wireless, during setup | The most complete copy: apps, much of their data, settings, home screen and Samsung Pass |
| Another Android phone | Smart Switch wireless or cable | Contacts, messages, call logs, photos, videos, documents and apps. Most settings and app data stay behind |
| iPhone, with the S26 Ultra on One UI 9 and iOS 26.6+ | Smart Switch wireless (scan the QR code with the iPhone’s Camera) | Samsung’s “upgraded” transfer: adds passwords, passkeys, call history and Wi-Fi networks |
| iPhone, with the S26 Ultra on One UI 8.5 | Smart Switch with a cable | Samsung’s recommended iPhone method on older software, because it carries the most data types |
| iPhone without a cable at hand | Smart Switch iCloud import | Contacts, calendar, notes, photos, videos and documents only |
| An old phone that’s broken or wiped | Smart Switch PC/Mac backup, or a Google backup during setup | Whatever you backed up before the old phone died |
New to the phone? Start with the Galaxy S26 Ultra owner’s guide. Moving a Galaxy Watch, Buds or tablet over too? Our Samsung ecosystem guide shows how to connect them to the new phone, and our Samsung Galaxy guide to every device family covers the rest of the lineup.
Pre-transfer checklist
Ten minutes here prevents most failed transfers.
- Charge both phones. A cable transfer needs both phones above 20%, and you can’t charge them while they’re connected to each other. If Smart Switch estimates more than an hour, Samsung suggests going wireless so both phones can stay on chargers.
- Update the old phone and its apps, especially WhatsApp and your authenticator app.
- Check free space. The estimated transfer size must fit on the S26 Ultra, which has no microSD slot.
- Know your passwords: Google account, Samsung account, Apple ID, the old phone’s PIN, and your WhatsApp two-step verification PIN.
- Make sure the old phone has a screen lock. Samsung says it should have been on for at least 24 hours so your accounts can be authenticated.
- Back up WhatsApp (Google Drive on Android, iCloud on iPhone) as a safety net.
- Sync Samsung Health on the old phone (details below).
- On an iPhone using iCloud Photos with Optimise Storage, switch to “Download and Keep Originals”. Samsung warns that Smart Switch only copies photos actually stored on the iPhone.
- Find the right cable. The box has a USB-C to USB-C cable and a SIM tool, but no OTG adapter. That cable connects two USB-C phones directly; a Lightning iPhone needs a Lightning-to-USB-C cable.
- Don’t wipe the old phone until you’ve checked everything on the new one, including 2FA codes and bank apps.
Should you transfer during setup or after setup?
During setup is better for most people. The setup wizard moves your Google account and other accounts early, keeps transferring in the background while you finish setting up, and is the only place you can restore a Google backup. Samsung says Google backups can only be restored in the setup wizard, not from Settings.
After setup still works. Open Settings → Accounts and backup → Transfer data for device setup, which is the path in Samsung’s S26 user guide (written for One UI 8.5). Some Samsung pages call it Bring data from old device, and you can also open the Smart Switch app from the Samsung folder. I couldn’t confirm the exact One UI 9 label, so look for either name. Two cautions after setup: you may need to tidy duplicate contacts, and WhatsApp chats only move if you haven’t signed in to WhatsApp on the S26 Ultra yet.
One S26-specific catch: the S26 Ultra launched on One UI 8.5, and One UI 9 only began rolling out to the S26 series on September 16, 2026, so a phone straight out of the box may still be on One UI 8.5. That matters most if you’re coming from an iPhone (see below). See One UI 9 explained for what else the update changes.
How to transfer from a Galaxy or Android phone
Wireless with Smart Switch during setup
These are Samsung’s steps from its Galaxy S26 transfer guide. Screens can vary by carrier and software.
- Turn on the S26 Ultra, choose your language and tap Start, then accept the terms.
- When asked to set up using your old phone, choose Galaxy or Android device.
- Scan the QR code on the S26 Ultra with your old phone and follow its prompts. You may need to enter the old phone’s PIN, pattern or password on the S26 Ultra.
- On Copy apps & data, tap Next, then Agree and Allow.
- Choose Wirelessly (or Cable). For wireless, keep the phones within about 4 inches (10 cm) of each other.
- Pick Everything, Just accounts, calls, contacts, and messages, or Custom, then tap Next.
- Finish setting up while it copies. Tap the Smart Switch notification to see progress.
In Custom view, a red icon on a category means some of it can’t be copied. Tap See what can’t be transferred to see what’s excluded. If you want Samsung Wallet to come across, choose Everything, as Samsung’s Wallet guide advises.
With a USB-C cable
A cable is the steadier option if your Wi-Fi is busy or wireless keeps dropping.
- Connect the phones with a USB-C to USB-C cable (the one in the S26 Ultra’s box works). An older phone with a micro-USB port needs an OTG adapter.
- Open Smart Switch on both phones and accept the terms.
- On the old phone, tap Send from this phone → Cable. On the S26 Ultra, tap Receive on this phone, choose the type of phone, then Cable.
- Tap Connect on the old phone, choose your data and tap Next.
Through a PC or Mac
Use this if you want a backup on your computer first, or the old phone is failing. Smart Switch for PC needs Windows 10 or later or a Mac, and doesn’t work on Chromebooks.
- Install Smart Switch on the computer from Samsung’s Smart Switch page.
- Connect the old phone by USB, tap Allow on the phone, then click Backup on the computer.
- Connect the S26 Ultra, click Restore, choose the backup and click Restore now.
By this route, app data, settings, memos and home-screen layout only come from Galaxy phones. The PC app can also restore an iPhone’s iTunes or Finder backup to the S26 Ultra.
How to transfer from an iPhone to the S26 Ultra
First, check your One UI version
Go to Settings → About phone → Software information. If it says One UI 9, you can use Samsung’s upgraded iPhone transfer. If it says One UI 8.5, you have two choices: transfer now with a cable, or skip the transfer, install One UI 9 (if it has reached your region) and then run Smart Switch from Settings. Samsung’s One UI 9 steps start from the Smart Switch app, so they should work after setup too.
You’ll know you’re on the upgraded flow if the S26 Ultra shows a QR code right after you choose iPhone or iPad and never asks you to install Smart Switch on the iPhone.
One UI 9: wireless, with no app on the iPhone
Samsung says this works with Galaxy phones on Android 17 (One UI 9) and iPhones on iOS 26.6 or later.
- On the S26 Ultra (during setup or in Smart Switch), choose iPhone or iPad.
- Scan the QR code with the iPhone’s built-in Camera app, then tap Continue on the iPhone and enter its passcode.
- On the S26 Ultra, tap Next, Agree, and allow the Smart Switch permissions.
- Choose what to copy on the iPhone. Keep the iPhone’s screen on and stay out of other apps; Samsung says multitasking isn’t available during a wireless iPhone transfer.
- When it finishes, check the results in the Smart Switch notification. Follow-up tiles offer WhatsApp and items such as reminders, Bluetooth devices, blocked contacts and browser bookmarks; these need a cable.
Samsung’s iPhone-to-Samsung guide lists what this moves: contacts, SMS, MMS and iMessages, photos, DRM-free music and playlists, videos, documents, call logs, alarms, voice memos, calendar, notes, home layout and lock screen, compatible apps, passwords and passkeys, and Wi-Fi networks. If the transfer fails midway, Samsung says to start again from the beginning, or switch to a cable.
With a cable (One UI 8.5, or as a fallback)
- Open Smart Switch on the S26 Ultra and tap Receive on this phone → iPhone/iPad → Cable → Next.
- Connect the phones: USB-C to USB-C for an iPhone 15 or later, or Lightning to USB-C for older iPhones.
- On the iPhone, tap Trust and enter its passcode. Then tap Next on the S26 Ultra.
- Choose your data and tap Transfer. Smart Switch then suggests matching apps from Google Play; select them and tap Install.
- Once the transfer finishes and the phone has organised your data, you can unplug.
From iCloud
With no cable to hand, open Smart Switch and choose Receive on this phone → iPhone/iPad → Get data from iCloud, sign in, and enter the verification code your iPhone shows. iCloud only gives you contacts, calendar, reminders, notes (without formatting), photos, videos and documents. For a big photo library, Samsung recommends moving iCloud photos to Google Photos first, so they don’t fill the phone.
What doesn’t transfer from an iPhone
- Passwords and Keychain on the older flow. Samsung’s UK guide says Smart Switch doesn’t move them; only the One UI 9 upgraded transfer does.
- Paid apps and in-app purchases. Google says to contact the app developer. iPhone-only apps come across as suggested Android equivalents where one exists.
- Health data. Google lists it as not transferable.
- Apple Wallet cards, FaceTime and Apple services. Re-add your cards in Samsung Wallet or Google Wallet. Apple Music can be downloaded again on Android.
- DRM-protected media, including iTunes music bought before 2009.
Afterwards, turn off iMessage, or deregister your number with Apple if you’ve already given the iPhone up. Otherwise texts from iPhone users can keep going to iMessage instead of your S26 Ultra. Still deciding whether to switch? Read our S26 Ultra vs iPhone 17 Pro Max comparison.
How to move WhatsApp chats to the S26 Ultra
The rule that catches everyone: WhatsApp chats only move before you activate WhatsApp on the S26 Ultra. If you already signed in, uninstall WhatsApp on the new phone and start again. You can’t merge old chats with new ones. You also need the same phone number on both phones.
From an Android phone
WhatsApp’s own Chat Transfer is the cleanest route. It moves your full chat and media history over a direct Wi-Fi connection, according to WhatsApp’s “How to transfer your chat history” help page.
- Put both phones on chargers, side by side, with Wi-Fi turned on.
- On the old phone, go to More options → Settings → Chats → Transfer chats → Start.
- On the S26 Ultra, open WhatsApp, tap Agree and continue, verify your number, and under Restore or transfer chats choose Transfer from old phone, then Continue → Start.
- Scan the QR code on the S26 Ultra with the old phone, tap Accept on the S26 Ultra, and keep both phones unlocked, with WhatsApp open, until it finishes.
Prefer the cloud? Back up on the old phone (Settings → Chats → Chat backup → Back up), then choose Restore from backup on the S26 Ultra, as Google’s Android Help describes.
From an iPhone
You have two official options.
- WhatsApp’s built-in transfer (WhatsApp Help Center): on the iPhone, go to Chats → Transfer chat history → Transfer to Android. On the S26 Ultra, verify your number in WhatsApp, scan the QR code it shows with the iPhone, then tap Join to connect over Wi-Fi. This moves chats, groups, communities, call history, media and settings. It doesn’t move your display name, status updates, Channel media or peer-to-peer payment messages, and it doesn’t support WhatsApp Business.
- Smart Switch with a cable: choose WhatsApp from the apps list (or the WhatsApp tile after a One UI 9 wireless transfer), scan the QR code with the iPhone and tap Start on it. Then open WhatsApp on the S26 Ultra with the same number and accept the import.
How to transfer your eSIM to the S26 Ultra
You can move an eSIM straight from your old phone if your carrier supports Samsung’s instant transfer. Steps from Samsung’s SIM and eSIM guide:
From a Galaxy or Android phone
- On the S26 Ultra, open Settings → Connections → SIM manager → Add eSIM → Transfer SIM from another phone (AT&T’s S26 tutorial shows it as Transfer SIM from Galaxy/Android phone).
- On the old phone, tap Transfer and enter the code shown on the S26 Ultra.
- Select the number on the S26 Ultra, tap Transfer, then confirm on the old phone.
From an iPhone
- On the S26 Ultra, go to SIM manager → Add eSIM → Transfer SIM from iPhone, then tap Next.
- Scan the QR code with the iPhone (or tap Enter a passcode instead), choose the number and tap Continue twice.
Both phones need current software, and the iPhone method needs Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on. Carrier support decides everything. Samsung’s instant-transfer lists include AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon in the US and O2 and EE in the UK; the iPhone list is much shorter, and no UAE carrier appears on either. If your carrier isn’t listed, or the option doesn’t appear, ask the carrier for a new eSIM QR code and add it under Add eSIM → Scan QR code.
Setup stuck on “transferring SIM”? S26 owners on Reddit report the setup wizard hanging on this screen with no way back. Force restart the phone by holding Side and Volume down together until the Samsung logo appears (Samsung says to allow about 10 seconds). Then skip the SIM step during setup and add the eSIM later from SIM manager.
What transfers and what doesn’t
| Data | Galaxy → S26 Ultra | Other Android → S26 Ultra | iPhone → S26 Ultra |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contacts, SMS/MMS, call logs, photos, videos | Yes | Yes | Yes (iMessage by cable or One UI 9 wireless; call logs on One UI 9 only) |
| Apps | Reinstalled, with app data for some apps | Reinstalled, no app data | Free Google Play equivalents only |
| Settings and home-screen layout | Yes | A few settings only | Home layout yes; few settings |
| Passwords | Samsung Pass transfers; Google Password Manager returns when you sign in | Google Password Manager returns when you sign in | One UI 9 upgraded flow only |
| 2FA codes | Use each app’s own transfer | Use each app’s own transfer | Use each app’s own transfer |
| Separate step (above) | Separate step | Separate step | |
| Samsung Wallet | Yes with Everything; cards need re-activating | Not applicable | Not applicable (Apple Wallet stays behind) |
| Samsung Health | Sync through Samsung Cloud | Not applicable | Apple Health doesn’t transfer |
| Secure Folder | Yes, by direct transfer (Samsung no longer offers Secure Folder backup) | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| DRM media, live wallpapers, themes, SIM-stored contacts | No | No | No |
Notes on the trickier rows:
- Accounts: anything synced to an account (Google contacts and calendar, for example) isn’t copied by Smart Switch; it reappears when you sign in to that account.
- Google Authenticator: sign in to your Google account in the app and your codes sync automatically. If you use it without an account, go to Menu → Transfer codes → Export codes on the old phone and Import codes on the S26 Ultra (Google Account Help). Microsoft Authenticator, Authy and bank apps have their own recovery flows, so check each one works before you reset the old phone.
- Samsung Health: on the old phone, open Samsung Health, then More options → Settings → Sync with Samsung Cloud and tap Sync now. On the S26 Ultra, sign in with the same Samsung account.
- Samsung Wallet: open it, unlock with your PIN or fingerprint, then tap Activate next to each payment card and finish verification in your bank’s app.
- Galaxy Watch: Smart Switch can move a Wear OS watch to the new phone if both phones use the same Samsung and Google accounts.
Smart Switch stuck or failed? How to fix it
Work down this list, retrying the transfer after each step.
- Keep the screens on and the phones close, on a stable connection, with other apps closed.
- Restart both phones and try again.
- Check storage. Samsung says a transfer can fail if the estimated size exceeds the new phone’s free space. Move big photo libraries through Google Photos instead.
- Clear Smart Switch’s cache. Go to Settings → Apps → Smart Switch → Storage → Clear cache, and Clear data if that doesn’t help. This is Samsung’s own fix on its Smart Switch troubleshooting page.
- Reinstall Smart Switch on the old phone (on non-Samsung phones, where it’s a downloaded app), then restart.
- Switch methods. If wireless keeps failing, use a cable, and if a cable isn’t recognised, try another cable. On an iPhone, unlock it and tap Trust again.
- Transfer less at once. Pick Custom and move the essentials (contacts, messages, photos) first, then the rest.
- Apps missing afterwards? Samsung’s Galaxy S26 Smart Switch app notice says to install them yourself from the Galaxy Store or Play Store. If an app still won’t install, it may have been discontinued. For an app from a website, Samsung says to allow it under Settings → Security and privacy → More security settings → Install unknown apps and to turn off Auto Blocker. Only do this for sources you trust.
- Still failing? Back up the old phone to a PC with Smart Switch and restore from there, or contact Samsung support.
More fixes for a new S26 Ultra are in our Galaxy S26 Ultra problems hub.
After the transfer: what to expect on day one
Expect the phone to run warm and use more battery for a day or two while it reinstalls apps, syncs photos and indexes files. If that doesn’t settle, see battery draining fast and overheating. Open your bank, authenticator and messaging apps, re-activate Wallet cards, and only factory reset the old phone once everything works. Then work through the 25 settings to change first and our tips and tricks.
FAQ
How long does it take to transfer data to the S26 Ultra?
Google says a phone-to-phone transfer usually takes under 30 minutes, but it can take a few hours with lots of data. Smart Switch shows its own estimate before it starts.
Can I transfer data to my S26 Ultra after setup?
Yes. Open Settings → Accounts and backup → Transfer data for device setup (also labelled Bring data from old device), or open the Smart Switch app. A Google backup can only be restored during setup.
Does Smart Switch delete anything from my old phone?
No. Samsung says Smart Switch doesn’t remove content from either phone, so your data ends up on both.
Does the S26 Ultra come with an OTG adapter?
No. Samsung lists the phone, a USB-C cable and a SIM ejector tool. That cable links two USB-C phones; a Lightning iPhone needs a Lightning-to-USB-C cable.
Can I AirDrop everything from my iPhone to the S26 Ultra?
No. AirDrop isn’t a phone-switching tool. Use Smart Switch, which moves contacts, messages, apps and settings as well as photos.
Why didn’t all my iPhone photos transfer?
If iCloud Photos uses Optimise Storage, many originals live only in iCloud. Turn on Download and Keep Originals on the iPhone, or import from iCloud through Smart Switch.
The bottom line
For most people it takes one step: run Smart Switch during setup, wirelessly from a Galaxy, or from an iPhone by cable on One UI 8.5 or wirelessly on One UI 9. Then handle the three things Smart Switch doesn’t fully cover: WhatsApp (before you sign in), your eSIM (through SIM manager or your carrier) and security apps (Authenticator, banking, Wallet cards). Keep the old phone untouched until everything checks out.
For everything else about your new phone, see the Galaxy S26 Ultra owner’s guide, the full specs and our camera settings guide.
