Considering a new phone, but don’t know if it’s worth the hassle to switch? Really want an iPhone, but have all your contacts and data on a Samsung or other Android phone?
Switching from Android to an iPhone should be straightforward. Here’s what you need to know about how to transfer your contacts from Android to iPhone.
Moving to iOS? Don’t Leave Your Data Behind!
Transferring your data from one phone to another is far simpler than it once was. Often, the biggest risk is from data duplication, rather than data loss. This applies when copying data between two phones of the same platform—such as Android to Android—as well as different platforms.
You can transfer all sorts of data from Android to iPhone, including contacts, photos, and apps. It’s also possible to copy various other types of data, from videos and documents to emails accounts. However, there is a very important step you need to take before transferring data from Android to iPhone.
Take the time to check that the data you’re migrating—including what’s on your external microSD storage, if applicable—will fit on your new iPhone. There is no expandable storage for iPhones, so you’re limited by the phone’s built-in storage. Available storage differs across devices, so check the maximum storage on your device before proceeding.
When you’re ready, read on to start transferring data from Android to your new iPhone.
How to Transfer Contacts From Android to iPhone With Move to iOS
If you’re switching phones, you need to transfer your contacts. In the old days, this just meant copying contacts to your SIM card, swapping the cards over, and moving them to the new phone. So what is the solution now? How do you transfer your address book and contacts from Android to iPhone?
As it turns out, you can handle all Android to iPhone data migration using the Move to iOS app. However, this isn’t suitable for phones older than Android 4.4, so you may prefer manual methods (see below).
With the app installed, ensure both the Android device and iPhone are plugged in to charge and have Wi-Fi enabled. Then, follow these steps:
- Boot the new iPhone to start the setup process.
- Select Apps & Data > Move Data from Android.
- Enter the displayed code in the Move to iOS app on Android.
- Select what you want to copy to your iPhone.
- Tap Next.
- Once the copy process has finished on iOS, tap Done on Android.
- On your iPhone, tap Continue and finish setup.
Using this app, you can copy various types of data. Apple states that along with contacts, the Move to iOS app also lets you transfer:
- Message history
- Web bookmarks
- Mail accounts
- Calendars
The app will also transfer camera photos from Android to iPhone. In addition, free apps available on both platforms will be transferred during the process. For apps without an exact match, Move to iOS may highlighted other options as suitable replacements.
However, Move to iOS can’t move all data over automatically. Music, books, PDFs, and other types of files must be transferred manually. See below for steps on how to do this.
Move Your Contacts Using a SIM Card
While it’s possible to store contacts on your SIM card, doing so isn’t common these days. A large collection might not fit on the SIM card, and you’ll run into problems if your new phone uses a differently sized SIM than the old one.
However, if you just want to move a few key contacts, this method might work for your needs. If you don’t mind a DIY workaround, you can resize a SIM card to fit other phones (at your own risk).
In Android, open the Contacts app, then choose Settings. Here, select Export > Export to SIM card. Tap OK to continue and select the contacts you wan to back up to the SIM card.
To save time, you can expand the top-right menu and select Mark all. Remember, however, that your SIM card may not have the capacity for all contacts.
With all required contacts selected, click Export > Add contacts.
The next step is to switch off your phone, remove the SIM card, and insert it in your iPhone. Go to Settings > Contacts > Import SIM Contacts. Select an account to import them to (iCloud or Gmail), then wait as they import.
Transfer Contacts to iPhone by Sharing a VCF File
If the above methods don’t work, you can easily move contacts to your iPhone by exporting a VCF file containing their details.
Again, on your Android phone, use the Export function in the Contacts app. This time, selecting the option to SD card or internal storage (.vcf file). This is the vCard format, which you can send to your iOS device as an email attachment, through cloud storage, or similar means.
Alternatively, use the Share all contacts option. With the VCF file ready to share, simply sync to your iPhone and open it as an attachment to save the contacts on your new device.
What if your contacts are only saved in Gmail? Here’s how to import Google contacts to iPhone.
How to Transfer Other Data From Android to iPhone
If you’re switching from Android to iPhone and have other data you wish to transfer, there are a few options.
The manual option is to copy the data via USB cable to your PC, then move that data onto your iPhone in the same way.
Alternatively, you can sync your data to the cloud. While switching from Android to iPhone might lead you to use iCloud by default, you might prefer to stick with Google Drive. Both are available on iPhone; meanwhile, you have plenty of options to access iCloud from an Android device. Dropbox is also a good option.
The aim is to sync the data from Android to the cloud solution, then to your iOS device. While it might take a while to sync, it doesn’t require any cables, which makes the solution smarter. Check the specific steps for your preferred syncing solution if you run into trouble.
Switching From Android to iPhone is Easy
It might seem daunting at first, but moving data to iOS isn’t as tricky as you might think. Follow the steps above to get your Android contacts, photos, apps, and other data onto any new iPhone.
Now that you’re an iPhone user, make sure you know about the best iPhone features and how to properly maintain your iPhone.
Read the full article: How to Transfer Contacts From Android to iPhone
