How To Move Contacts And Photos From Android To Iphone

You can transfer contacts from an Android phone to an iPhone in several ways, all of which are free.
To transfer contacts from an Android to a new iPhone, you can use the Move to iOS app.
You can also use your Google account, send a VCF file to yourself, or save the contacts to your SIM card.
Visit Business Insider's Tech Reference library for more stories.

Making the transition from an Android phone to an iPhone can be challenging — unlike upgrading from one Android device to another (or an iPhone to another iPhone), there's no single, seamless, one-click transfer process.

But it's not especially difficult, either. There are a handful of ways to transfer contacts from an Android device to an iPhone, depending upon whether you want to set up a new iPhone or move just a few contacts to an existing iPhone.

Here are four ways to move your contacts from an Android phone to an iPhone.

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

iPhone 11 (From $699.99 at Apple)

Samsung Galaxy S10 (From $699.99 at Walmart)

How to transfer contacts from Android to a new iPhone with the Move to iOS app

Apple has created the Move to iOS app to help you transfer your phone data from Android to a new iPhone. The process will copy all your data, including contacts, calendars, photos, and email accounts.

1. Install the Move to iOS app on your Android device.

2. Follow the setup process on your new iPhone until you reach the "Apps & Data" screen.

3. Choose "Move Data from Android."

The iPhone setup process lets you migrate data from Android.

4. Start the Move to iOS app on your Android.

5. Tap Continue on both devices and agree to the terms and conditions in Move to iOS, then tap Next.

6. In the Move to iOS app, enter the code that's displayed on the iPhone.

Your iPhone will give you a code to enter in the Move to iOS app on your Android.

7. Follow the instructions to complete the transfer.

How to transfer contacts from Android to iPhone by syncing a Google account

This is a great option if you keep your Android contacts in a Google account. It works with both a new iPhone and one that's already set up. All you need to do is to add your Android's Google account information to the iPhone.

1. On the iPhone, start the Settings app.

2. Tap "Passwords & Accounts."

Add the Google account you used on your Android device to migrate contacts to your new phone.

3. Tap "Add Account" and then tap "Google."

4. Follow the instructions to add your Google account to the iPhone. It'll automatically sync all your Google info, including contacts.

How to transfer contacts from Android to iPhone using a VCF file

This is a great option if some of your contacts aren't in a Google account so you can't just sync accounts, or if you just want to transfer only a few contacts.

1. On your Android phone, open the Contacts app.

2. Tap the three dots at the top right of the screen to open the menu, and then tap "Share."

The Share menu is available by tapping the three dots on the right side of the Contacts screen.

4. Choose the contacts you want to transfer. You can tap "All" or choose contacts one at a time.

5. When you're done, tap "Share."

Choose which contacts you want to send to your iPhone and then tap "Share."

6. If you only selected one contact, you'll need to select "VCF file." If you selected multiple contacts, VCF is your only choice.

7. Choose how you want to get the VCF file to your iPhone. The easiest option is probably email or text message. Send the file.

8. On the iPhone, open the VCF file and choose to add the contacts to your iPhone.

How to transfer contacts from Android to iPhone with a SIM card

You may be able to use your Android's SIM card as a transfer device to copy contacts as well. This is perhaps the least convenient solution, though, because it requires you to physically swap SIM cards around between the phones.

1. On your Android phone, open the Contacts app.

2. Tap the three horizontal lines (the hamburger menu).

3. Tap "Manage contacts."

You can manage your contacts by tapping the three horizontal lines on the left side of the screen.

4. On the Manage contacts page, tap "Import/export contacts."

5. Tap "Export."

6. Choose where the contacts will be exported to — tap "SIM card."

Choose to export the contacts to your SIM card.

7. Choose which contacts you want to export. Tap "All" or tap contacts one at a time, and then tap "Done."

8. Tap "Export." You might need to confirm this selection.

9. Remove the SIM card from the Android phone and insert it in the iPhone.

10. On the iPhone, start the Settings app.

11. Tap "Contacts."

12. Tap "Import SIM Contacts."

Once you insert the SIM card in your iPhone, you can import the contact to iCloud or a Google account.

14. Choose the account on which you want to store the contacts.

Related coverage from Tech Reference:

How to use your iPhone as digital car keys if you have a compatible vehicle
How to show your battery percentage on any iPhone, including iPhone X models
Does your iPhone charge faster on Low Power Mode? Here's what you need to know
How to turn off the password on an iPhone, which disables both the passcode and Face ID
How to use keyboard shortcuts on your iPhone or create your own, to type faster and more accurately

Dave Johnson

Freelance Writer

Dave Johnson is a technology journalist who writes about consumer tech and how the industry is transforming the speculative world of science fiction into modern-day real life. Dave grew up in New Jersey before entering the Air Force to operate satellites, teach space operations, and do space launch planning. He then spent eight years as a content lead on the Windows team at Microsoft. As a photographer, Dave has photographed wolves in their natural environment; he's also a scuba instructor and co-host of several podcasts. Dave is the author of more than two dozen books and has contributed to many sites and publications including CNET, Forbes, PC World, How To Geek, and Insider.