Switching android phones

[chrlswltrs]

I currently have a Droid. This summer I will either be upgrading to the Nexus one or the HTC incredible. My question is about apps. Are they linked to my gmail account so when I change phones my "downloads" will automatically show up on my new phone in the market so I can just re-download? Or will I have to search for them all manually and pay for my apps again that I have purchased.

When I switched from my iPhone to my iPhone 3GS it was easy because all of my apps were tied to my iTunes account, not my phone, and I am just wondering if it is just as easy on Android.

Is there an easy way to do this to make the transition easier if it is not automatic? I just need to know so I don't dump a lot of money on apps right now and then have to re-purchase them when I upgrade.

 

[imneveral0ne]

i don't know if this is the same for every phone, but when i switched and started the phone again, the apps were there for me to re download, but only the first time i opened market. i only downloaded a couple of the ones that were there and went back to download the rest later, unfortunately, they weren't there anymore. so to be on the safe side, the first time you open market, just download them all then.

 

[KlaymenDK]

Most apps will be tied to your Google account, which is your 'identity' towards the Market.

IMHO, this is the correct way to do it (Similar to how PalmOS used your Hotsync name for identification).

That said, a few apps insist on being device-specific (which, obviously, IMHO is the Wrong Thing to do). Really, this is the same approach as Microsoft uses -- but I'm sure most users would agree that if you you've paid for it, you should be able to use it on any (single!) device.
One that comes to mind is Wavesecure which lists my account as "Lifetime Account (for this device)". I can see their point of view, especially since it's for beta software, but still.

Back on topic, your best approach might be one of the batch-backup-and-restore capable apps (ASTRO or Titanium).
However, there might be things that won't work: for instance, the Messaging app is using a different back-end format in v1.5 than in v1.6; similar issues for other apps and version may mean that such a backup is useless. It should still support the majority of your needs, though!