Setting up your Samsung Galaxy
Get your refurbished Galaxy ready in a few minutes — sign in, transfer your data, and pop a SIM in.
First switch-on
Hold the side button until the Samsung logo appears. The setup wizard walks you through language, Wi-Fi, terms, and account sign-in. First boot can take a few minutes.
Plug it in before you start — some Galaxies arrive with low charge after testing.
Moving your data with Smart Switch
Samsung’s Smart Switch moves contacts, photos, messages, apps and settings from your old phone — works from another Samsung, any Android, or an iPhone.
- During setup, tap Copy apps & data.
- Pick your old phone type and follow the prompts. From another Samsung, you can use a USB-C cable for the fastest transfer.
- From iPhone, you’ll need iCloud credentials or a Lightning-to-USB-C cable.
Signing into your Google account
You’ll need your Google account to download apps from Play Store. Add it during setup or later via Settings → Accounts and backup → Manage accounts → Add account → Google.
Samsung account (optional but recommended)
A Samsung account unlocks Find My Mobile, Samsung Cloud backups, SmartThings, and Samsung Pay. Sign in via Settings → Samsung account using your existing email or sign up fresh.
Network unlocking
Every Galaxy we sell is fully unlocked. Any UK SIM works.
If your phone asks for a network unlock code, something’s wrong — email us with your order number and we’ll fix it.
Setting up fingerprint and face unlock
Open Settings → Biometrics and security to register your fingerprint (in-display on most modern Galaxies) and face. You can store multiple fingerprints — your other thumb, your spouse — useful for shared devices.
More setup guides for your model are in our advice centre.
