How to Transfer Contacts from Android to iPhone

Switching from the Android ecosystem to an Apple iPhone is an exciting upgrade, but leaving behind years of carefully curated phone numbers, email addresses, and contact photos can be a massive headache. Fortunately, Apple and Google have built robust tools to bridge the gap between their competing platforms.

You do not need to manually retype a single phone number. Whether you have just pulled your new iPhone out of the box, or you have been using it for a week and realized your contacts are missing, there are two distinct ways to transfer your address book flawlessly.

Method 1: Using “Move to iOS” (Best for Brand New iPhones)

If you have just purchased your iPhone and are staring at the “Hello” setup screen, Apple provides a dedicated Android app that handles the entire transfer process over a private, temporary Wi-Fi network.

1. On your old Android phone, open the Google Play Store, search for Move to iOS (developed by Apple), and install it.
2. Turn on your new iPhone and begin the standard setup process (choosing your language and Wi-Fi network).
3. When you reach the “Apps & Data” screen on the iPhone, tap Move Data from Android.
4. A six-digit or ten-digit code will appear on the iPhone screen.
5. Open the “Move to iOS” app on your Android phone, agree to the terms, and enter the code displayed on the iPhone.
6. The two phones will connect to each other. The Android phone will display a list of data you can transfer (Photos, Messages, Bookmarks).
7. Ensure the box next to “Contacts” is checked.
8. Tap Continue and leave both phones alone until the loading bar on the iPhone finishes.

Once the setup is complete, every contact from your Android will instantly appear in the iOS Phone app.

Method 2: Syncing via Google Account (Best for iPhones Already Set Up)

If you skipped the “Move to iOS” step during setup, or if you simply don’t want to use that app, you can easily pull your contacts down from the cloud. Because your old Android phone automatically backed up your contacts to your primary Google Account, all you have to do is log into that exact same Google Account on the iPhone.

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Scroll down and tap on Contacts (on older iOS versions, tap “Mail, Contacts, Calendars”).
3. Tap on Accounts.
4. Tap Add Account.
5. Select Google from the list of providers.
6. A browser window will pop up. Enter the Gmail address and password associated with your old Android phone.
7. Once you successfully log in, a screen will appear asking what data you want to sync (Mail, Contacts, Calendars, Notes).
8. Ensure the toggle switch next to Contacts is turned ON (green).
9. Tap Save in the top right corner.

The iPhone will silently reach out to Google’s servers in the background. Within a minute or two, open the Phone app and tap the Contacts tab; your entire Android address book will populate the screen.

(Note: By using Method 2, your contacts technically still live on Google’s servers, not Apple’s iCloud. If you add a new contact on the iPhone, it saves to Google. This is actually ideal if you ever plan to switch back to Android in the future).