How can I migrate my data/apps from one Honeycomb tablet to another?

Question

I got myself Honeycomb tablet, but after I used it for a while I've decided that I'd like to get a different one.

How do I transfer all my apps from one tablet to another?

Or, if this is not possible, how I can delete all my data from my old tablet?

Answer 1

Yes if you've previously set your current tablet to back up your data and settings to Google's servers, then during the initial setup of your new tablet you should be given an option to restore your previous settings and data.

The settings that you need to check on your current tablet are in Settings -> Privacy Settings. See below for more info on this from the official Android 3.0 (aka Honeycomb) user's guide:

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Backing up and restoring your data

You can back up your settings and other data with your Google Account, so if you ever replace your tablet, you can restore your data on the new one. If you choose to use this service, your data is backed up automatically.

If you previously used the backup service with the Google Account you just used to sign in, you can also choose to restore your settings from your Google Account to your tablet now.

Important If you want to restore your settings, you must do that now during setup. You can’t restore data after setup is complete.

Many kinds of data are backed up, including:

• Your Android settings, such as your Wi-Fi networks and passwords, user dictionary, and so on
• Many Google application settings, such as your Browser bookmarks
• The apps you download from Android Market

Some third-party apps also make use of the backup service, so if you reinstall one, its settings and data are restored.

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Privacy settings

You use the Privacy settings to manage whether your settings and other data are backed up to Google servers, using your Google account. You also use these settings to erase all the data on your tablet by performing a factory data reset.

Back up my data Check to back up some of your personal data to Google servers, with your Google Account. If you replace your tablet, you can restore the data you’ve backed up, the first time you sign in with your Google Account. If you check this option, a wide variety of your personal data is backed up, including your Wi-Fi passwords, Browser bookmarks, a list of the applications you’ve installed from Market, the words you’ve added to the user dictionary used by the onscreen keyboard, and most of the settings that you configure with the Settings application. Some third-party applications may also take advantage of this feature, so you can restore your data if you reinstall an application. If you uncheck this option, you stop backing up your data to your account, and any existing backups are deleted from Google servers.

Backup account Displays the Google Account that your settings and other data are backed up with. This is the account you need to sign into on a new Android tablet or other device, if you want to restore the settings from this tablet to that device.

Automatic restore Check this option to restore settings and other data when you reinstall an application. This feature requires that you are backing up your data with your Google Account and that the application is using the backup service.

To wipe your current tablet (after you've ensured that it's been backed up, from the same privacy screen you should also see this option:

Factory data reset Opens a dialog where you can erase all of your personal data from internal tablet storage, including information about your Google Account, any other accounts, your system and application settings, any downloaded applications, as well as your music, photos, videos, and other files. If you reset the tablet in this way, the next time you turn on your tablet you’re prompted to reenter the same kind of information as when you first started Android.

Answer 2

I think the transfer is supposed to happen automagically, without you having to do anything (or maybe you need to select some "please back up all my stuff" checkbox somewhere in the Settings).

In practice, though, I've never seen it work properly.

To delete data, I am pretty sure there's a "factory reset" option in Settings somewhere. On my 2.3 phone, it's under Privacy/Factory data reset.