With new iPhone customers coming (and going to) different operating systems like Android, many people have to migrate their contacts from Android to iOS, but are afraid that they will lose their existing contacts.
We have already explained how to move contacts from iPhone to Android, and we have compiled here 3 different ways you can use to quickly move your contacts from any Android devices to the iPhone.
Keep in mind that there is also an all-in-one method to transfer everything from Android to iOS in this post, be sure to look out for that.
Method #1: Transfer Android contacts to iPhone through the SIM Card
This is one of the simplest forms of transferring contacts to another device. In this case, we’re doing it from an Android device to a brand new iPhone.
The very first thing you want to do is backup all your contacts to the current SIM card and move the card to your new iPhone. You could even cut it to a compatible size with the iPhone if necessary, but this is outside the scope of our article.
On your Android device:
- Launch the Contacts app
- Click on the menu icon (three dots on the top right hand corner)
- Choose Import/export
- Select Import from SIM card
Remove your Android SIM card and insert it to the iPhone. Once the SIM card is inserted:
- Go to Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars
- Choose Import SIM Contacts
Wait a few minutes, depending on how large your contacts are. It usually takes less than a few seconds to do so. After this, go to the stock Phone app and hover to the Contacts tab to see the result.
Method #2: Transfer Android contacts to iPhone through Google Mail (Gmail)
Another easy method to follow when transferring your Android contacts to an iPhone is through Google’s Gmail (you need a Google account). When you add a new contact in your phone, it will always ask if you want to add it to the SIM card or Gmail. The reason for that is you will be able to migrate your contacts to iOS later on.
From your Android device:
- Navigate to Settings > Accounts and Sync
- Choose Google and enter your Gmail credentials (Username and Password)
By entering your Gmail account credentials, you let Android sync the contacts from either your SIM card or existing contacts on the device to your Gmail account. Once that has been taken care of, Head over to the iPhone and also go to Mail, Contacts, Calendars from the Settings app. This time, we are not going to choose Import from SIM, but instead tap on Gmail.
You will be asked for the Gmail account credentials again. After you log in it will ask which information would you like to activate. There are Mail, Contacts, Calendars, and Notes. What we want is Contacts, but if you also have other stuff, feel free to toggle them on. Your Android contacts should get imported after you let Gmail sync it to the iPhone.
Method #3: Transfer contacts, photos, music, and apps from Android to iOS
Apple recently released their very first application called Move to iOS on the Google Play store and of course, it’s for those Android users that want to migrate their data, including contacts, photos, messages, applications, and other files to iOS. This happens right after the company rolled out their new iOS 9 and newer models of the iPhone and the iPad, which made it easier Android users to switch.
- Open up your Google Play Store
- Search for Move to iOS app and install it
- Launch the application
- Have the iPhone that you’re moving to next to your Android device
- On your iPhone, enter the private Wi-Fi Network credentials
- Back to your Android phone, select the type of data your wish to transfer over (Music, Photos, Contacts, etc)
- When done, you should see a screen that says, “Transfer Complete. Your data has been copied to your new iPhone or iPad…”
The process of transferring your Android data over is done wirelessly and securely. That’s why you were prompted with a private WiFi network and security code. Since this is all done automatically through a private WIFI network, you have to have both Android device and iPhone next to each other.
“When you choose to migrate your data, your new iPhone or iPad will create a private Wi-Fi network and find your nearby Android device running Move to iOS. After you enter a security code, it will begin transferring your content and put it in the right places.”
What’s Next?
Congrats, you have successfully transferred your contacts or more data from an Android device to the iPhone. If you only want your contacts to be transferred without having to use the old SIM, then follow the Gmail method. Want to move everything over? Use the Move to iOS app. It’s as simple as that.
Be sure to let us know what you guys think about each option and which one of the most convenient ones for Android users.