What Happens to Your Family Circle
When You Switch Phones
A new phone doesn't mean rebuilding a family circle from scratch — but it's not entirely automatic either. Here's what to expect.
July 2026 · 5 min read
What Carries Over Automatically
Your account is tied to your phone number, not to the physical device. Installing Raksha on a new phone and logging in with the same number brings back the same account — your circle memberships, your subscription status, and your history of who's linked to whom. None of that needs to be recreated.
What Needs a Quick Manual Step
Grant permissions again on the new phone
Location, notifications, and background battery exemption are per-device Android permissions — they don't transfer from the old phone and need to be granted fresh on first setup.
Remove the old device from your circle once it's retired
If the old phone is being sold, handed down, or recycled, remove it from your family circle so it stops appearing as a tracked device and no longer holds any location history tied to your account.
Check safe zones and settings carried over as expected
These live on your account, not the device, so they should already be in place — a quick check after setup confirms nothing needs re-entering.
Let the rest of the family know if the new phone is a different brand
If you've moved from, say, a Pixel to a Xiaomi phone, the battery optimization settings are different — worth a quick look so alerts stay as reliable as they were on the old phone.
If the Old Phone Is Going to Someone Else
Removing the old device from your circle before handing it off matters for privacy, not just tidiness — otherwise whoever gets the phone next could still show up on your family's map until it's cleaned up. Do this before a factory reset, not after, so it's a deliberate step rather than something to remember later.
What If You Change Your Phone Number Too
Changing phones and changing numbers at the same time is a different situation from a simple device swap, since your account identity is tied to the number itself. That case needs account recovery rather than a plain new-phone setup — see the account access guide linked below.