How to Transfer Contacts from Android to iPhone

Do you own an Android, and you’re thinking about making the jump over to iPhone? Maybe you own multiple phones, one of which is for personal use, while the other is for work. In either of those cases, you will need to figure out how to transfer your contacts from the Android to the iPhone. Here are some ways that you can do that. For the sake of this article, let’s assume that you purchased a new iPhone and you are setting it up.

How to Transfer Your Contacts from Android to iPhone

You’ll first need the new iPhone and your Android. On your Android, you must have the app called Move to iOS. You will find it in the App Store.

1. As you are setting up your new iPhone, you will come to a screen where it says Apps and Data.
2. Tap where it says Move Data from Android.
3. On the Android device, open the Google Play Store. Search for Move to iOS.
4. Open this app listing.
5. Tap where it says Install.
6. Hit where it says Accept.
7. After it is installed, tap Open.
8. Hit Continue on both devices.
9. Hit Agree followed by Next on the Android tablet or phone.
10. On your Android device, type in the 12-digit code that is displayed on your new iPhone’s screen.

By entering the code, you’ll allow your Android device to connect to your new iPhone. This happens through what’s called a peer-to-peer Wi-Fi connection. The phones are now free to communicate with each other, and the data from one can be safely extracted to the other.

The iPhone will ask you whether you want to transfer your Google Account info. It will also ask you about text messages, Chrome bookmarks, your photos and videos, and your contacts. You can select all of those or only some of them. It all depends on the purpose that your Android and new iPhone have in your life. If you have the iPhone for professional reasons, for instance, then it’s unlikely you will want to have your personal photos and videos on there.

Now You Can Transfer the Data from the Android to the iPhone

Your Android will now go about transferring the data you selected to the iPhone. It will also place the appropriate content automatically into the correct apps. This will save you some time since you don’t have to go through the trouble of sorting through everything yourself.

When the two devices are finished (the process can take up to a few minutes), then they will disconnect from one another. Android will then prompt you to take your old phone to a place where it can be recycled for free. Of course, it is your prerogative whether you want to do that or not. Just because you are transferring the data between the two phones, it does not necessarily follow that you will be getting rid of one of them.

What Should You Do After That?

Once the process is done, you’re going to see a message come up on your new iPhone that says Continue Setting Up iPhone. You can go ahead and do that, setting up a new Apple ID if this is your first Apple product. If you own other Apple products already, then you can use your existing ID. It’s generally thought to be easier if you have only one Apple ID for your different products, though some people do have more than one.

Once this setup process is all finished, you should also be prompted to log in to the accounts that you transferred from the Android device. After you do that, then you should be good to go. All of your contacts and everything else that you elected to transfer should be accessible from either one of the devices.

What if the Transfer is Taking a Long Time?

We stated that the process should take a couple of minutes, but it varies. If it seems to be taking an extremely long time, keep in mind that if you have more data, it’s going to take longer, as a rule. If you have a lot of videos and photos that you are transferring in addition to your contacts, expect to tack on at least a few minutes.

For instance, if you have 400 MB of files that you are transferring, it could take you about 8-10 minutes from the time that you first start synching up the phones. If the process is taking longer than 15 minutes, though, then there might be something wrong with either the hardware or the software of either phone.

What if the Process is Unsuccessful?

If this process does not go according to plan, then you’ll need to seek help. Whether it’s a hardware or software issue will largely depend on what error messages you get, and from which device. If you’re not able to complete the process for whatever reason, then your best bet is to head to your closest Apple Store with a Genius Bar.

This is undoubtedly going to be the case if you just got the iPhone. New iPhones come with a one-year warranty standard, and there is no reason that your new one shouldn’t be able to receive contacts, etc. from an Android. It seems likely that the problem will be with the Android instead, but it’s probably best to leave it up to the Geniuses to sort that out.

We don’t recommend that you try to open up the phones to tinker with them. That can void the warranty for the new iPhone.

Transfer Contacts Using a SIM Card

Some people ask if there is an alternate method of transferring data from an Android to an iPhone. There is: you can use your SIM card.

1. You’ll first need to visit your Android’s Contacts How you get there is going to vary depending on which Android you have. For instance, if you have a Huawei, you can go to Settings, then Import/Export, then Export to SIM Card. If you have a Samsung, you’ll go from Manage Contacts to Import/Export Contacts, then Export, then SIM Card.
2. Then all you must do is insert the SIM card from your Android into your new iPhone.
3. Turn it on, then go to Settings, Contacts, and Import SIM Contacts. After a few moments, the process should be complete, and you should see all of your contacts on the iPhone.

You Can Also Transfer Your Data from Android to iPhone Using a Third-Party App

It’s worth mentioning that there are also third-party apps which exist that you can use for this purpose. They’re meant to facilitate the process of getting your data from the Android to the iPhone, but some of them work better than others. Copy My Data for Android/iOS is one that is well regarded, and it might be worth your time if for some reason you don’t want to use the other methods that we mentioned.