Wi-Fi and cable at the same time: Google plans to speed up data transfer when setting up a new Android device

When setting up a new Android phone, there are usually three options for transferring data from the old device: you can simply copy the data by connecting the two devices with a compatible cable, use Wi-Fi, or restore data from a Google One backup. However, Google wants to combine two methods to make data transfer or restoration faster.

The author Android Authority found code related to a new data transfer method in the Google Data Restore Tool app version 1.0.624892571 - Google calls this process "MultiTransportD2dTransport" and it actually allows for data restoration/transfer between devices during the setup of a new phone using Wi-Fi and a cable simultaneously.

The code fragment also hints at the "Restore Anytime" feature, which will allow you to transfer data from your existing device to any old or new device at any time (currently, if you have already set up your device, starting the transfer is not possible without resetting to factory settings).

At the same time, the feature has some limitations: you can only copy data from a device that was previously used for data transfer.

Google may officially announce improvements to the data transfer tool with the future Pixel 8a or the next major release of Android 14.