When you make the switch from an Android phone to iPhone, you’ll want to transfer your contacts. Although Android and iOS are two different operating systems, moving the contacts is easy – and you can do it in different ways. Just follow our instructions.
How to transfer single contacts from Android to iPhone
In some cases, you will want to move only one or a few contacts and not an entire list. The simplest way to do that is by using the sharing option of your “Contacts” app:
- On your Android phone, open the “Contacts” app and the contact that you want to copy.
- Tap “Share” at the bottom of the screen.
- Opt to share the contact via email. Then send the vCard as an attachment to your own email address.
- On the iPhone, open the email and download the vCard file.
Use Google sync count to transfer contacts from Android to iPhone
If you have more than a few contacts to transfer, one way to do it is by using your Google account. As an Android user you should already have one (if that’s not the case, register to Google or use another method to transfer the contacts).
- On your Android phone, make sure you are signed in to your Google account.
- Open your phone’s “Settings”, then tap “Accounts” and “Google”.
- Go to “Sync contacts” and activate this option. Wait for Google to sync your contacts.
- On your iPhone, open the “Settings” app and scroll down to “Passwords & Accounts” (in older versions: “Mail, Contacts, Calendars”).
- Tap “Add Account” and then “Google”. Sign in to your Google account.
- Gmail will now appear in the “Accounts” list. Click it to open the Gmail settings.
- Find the option “Contacts” and activate it by moving the toggle. Your contacts will be synced with your iPhone.
Transfer contacts via iTunes
This method is similar to the one above – but you won’t have to log in to Google on your iPhone. You’ll be using iTunes instead.
- Before starting the transfer, make sure that the contacts from your Android phone are synced to your Google account: on your Android phone, go to “Settings”, then tap “Accounts” and “Google”. Activate the “Sync contacts” option and wait for Google to sync the contacts.
- If needed, download the latest iTunes version to your computer.
- Plug your iPhone to your computer and launch iTunes.
- In the bar at the top of the screen, select your device. Then click “Info” in the left sidebar.
- Enable the option “Sync Contacts With”. From the dropdown menu, select “Google Contacts”. Log in to your Google account (if you are not already logged in).
- Wait for iTunes to sync the contacts
Moving contacts from Android to iPhone with a SIM card
Using a SIM card to transfer your contacts is also an option. But first you must make sure that the SIM card that you used with your Android phone also fits the iPhone (as SIM cards come in different sizes). If the SIM card fits both phones, follow these steps:
- Open the “Contacts” app on your Android phone.
- Open the menu at the top of the screen (three horizontal lines).
- Tap “Manage contacts”. Depending on your Android version and device, you should see an option called “Import or export contacts” or similar.
- Export your contact to the SIM card.
- Remove the SIM card from your Android phone and insert it into your iPhone.
- On your iPhone, open the “Settings” app and go to “Contacts” (in older versions: “Mail, Contacts, Calendars”).
- Tap “Import SIM contacts”.
Copy contacts from Android to iPhone using a VCF file
Similarly (to using a SIM card), you can transfer your contacts by using a vCard file (.vcf):
- Open “Contacts” on your Android phone.
- Open the menu at the top of the screen (three horizontal lines) and tap “Manage contacts”.
- You’ll find an option to export your contacts. Instead of exporting them to the SIM card, select the option to export them as a VCF file to your phone’s internal storage.
- You’ll now have a file called “Contacts.vcf” on your phone. Find it and send it to your own email address.
- On your iPhone, open your email and the VCF file.
- Your iPhone will ask you if you want to “Add all contacts”. Follow the onscreen instructions to copy the contacts.
Use an app to move your contacts from Android to iPhone
Instead of moving the contacts yourself, you can opt to use an app and let it do all the work. Here are some other (free) apps that you could use:
- Apple itself has an app in the Google Play Store that helps you transfer your contacts – it’s called “Move to iOS“.
- Smart Transfer: File Sharing App
- Direct Transfer Contacts/Files
- MCBackup – My Contacts Backup
