Move an Offline Translator to a New Phone

Direct answer

Moving an offline translator to another phone is a recovery and readiness test, not a promise that every asset or history item migrates automatically. Separate the application package, settings, language preferences, user history, exported files, model or language assets, account state, and cached data. Android Auto Backup can include most app data by default, but backup and device-transfer rules differ; inspect the actual data-extraction configuration instead of assuming the language assets are included. `ANDROID-AUTO-BACKUP-2026-01` records that Android 12 and later use data-extraction rules with distinct cloud-backup and device-transfer modes. `PRIVACY-01` reminds the reviewer that local inference does not settle other network behavior. Create an inventory before changing phones. For every item record the owning component, storage class, whether it is user-created or replaceable, whether Android backup rules include it, and how the new installation can detect its presence. A language preference can migrate while the asset does not; a conversation may restore even though the model must be obtained again. A filename in a restored directory is not evidence that bytes are complete or belong to the expected revision. Do not promise that a new phone will be offline-ready until the exact task has been tested there. Use two separate experiments. First inspect backup configuration and perform a controlled restore using synthetic history and settings. Then test a fresh installation or migration with connectivity blocked, recording which screens and tasks work before required assets are present. After required downloads are completed, disconnect again and exercise a new translation request that cannot be confused with cached output. Record the exact route and source of each restored item. If the transfer tool or OS restores only some categories, preserve that fact in the report rather than calling the entire app “transferred.” Keep user data and replaceable assets on different recovery paths. A missing model should prompt an explicit setup or download action; it must not trigger deletion of notes, conversation history, or exports. If the app uses a remote account or entitlement check, test that dependency independently from local translation and identify whether it blocks launch, asset delivery, paid features, or only account-specific settings. Do not restore consent as though it covers a newly introduced destination or data purpose; show current choices when the route changes. Test failures that happen during migration: backup unavailable, partial app data, asset missing, corrupt file, permission or storage change, account unavailable, and network interruption while re-fetching an artifact. Give each a recoverable state with no false “ready” label. Verify that history still opens if the model is absent, and that deletion of a bad asset does not remove user content. If a backup includes private records, disclose that boundary based on the tested configuration. Do not claim secure erase of the old phone or complete removal from platform backups without evidence. The handoff report should identify the old and new app builds, Android versions under test, backup rules, transfer mechanism, categories observed, asset identity evidence, network state, and the result of a fresh post-restore task. It can say that the tested configuration restored settings and that an asset needed separate setup. It cannot generalize to every phone, Android migration tool, language pack, or history schema. This careful separation makes “works after moving phones” a defined scenario that can be repeated instead of a vague promise.

A traveler replaces a phone before leaving connectivity

The old phone contains settings, conversation history, exports, and downloaded translation files. The new phone restores app data, but the team has not checked which categories moved or whether a fresh task can run offline.

Decision

Inventory each data class, test the configured restore separately from fresh asset setup, and verify a new task after disabling connectivity.

Expected outcome

The reviewer can tell what restored, what required setup, and which content remained available; no claim is made about untested migration paths.

Evidence to collect

The claim becomes reviewable only when the following evidence is attached to the same artifact and test run:

• Data and asset inventory
• Transfer and restore fixtures
• Offline-ready verification

A privacy claim needs a data inventory and traffic evidence. A local-model label by itself is not proof.

Implementation workflow

1. Inventory data and asset ownership. List app package, preferences, language choices, histories, exports, model files, caches, account state, and backup rules. Mark user data versus replaceable assets.
2. Inspect actual backup/transfer configuration. Review data-extraction rules for cloud backup and device transfer and use a controlled synthetic restore. Do not infer inclusion from a successful app install.
3. Separate restored state from required downloads. After migration, identify which artifacts are present and validate their expected identity with available evidence. Offer explicit setup when a required asset is missing.
4. Run a fresh offline task. After any required setup, block connectivity, submit a new synthetic phrase, and verify a new result rather than a cached answer. Test history separately from inference readiness.
5. Test partial and failure recovery. Exercise missing/corrupt assets, account loss, partial restore, permission changes, and download interruption. Confirm repair never deletes user-created history or exports.

Keep each transition observable. A failure should identify the stage, artifact, runtime, and recovery action without logging private user content.

Acceptance criteria

• The report separates app settings, user content, exports, replaceable model assets, account state, and backup behavior with evidence for each category.
• A new-phone task is tested with a fresh input after setup and with connectivity blocked; cached output is not counted as a new run.
• Missing/corrupt asset recovery preserves unrelated user content and does not claim universal device migration or backup completeness.

Decision table

Failure patterns to prevent

• Assuming models migrate with history
• Restoring stale consent

Also prevent silent fallback, unpinned artifacts, missing cancellation, and conclusions that combine unlike configurations. Store unsuccessful runs alongside successful ones.

Minimum reproducibility record

Release checklist

• ☐ The primary query is answered without an unsupported number.
• ☐ Every artifact and runtime is pinned.
• ☐ The representative task and failure policy are explicit.
• ☐ Lifecycle, cancellation, cleanup, and fallback are tested.
• ☐ User-content and network boundaries are documented.
• ☐ Result wording applies only to the recorded configuration.
• ☐ The page links to raw method or evidence when results are added.

Sources and related evidence

• Android privacy and security
• Android Auto Backup
• Android backup best practices
• Android app-specific storage

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