How to Move Contacts to a New Android Phone or iPhone

As the owner of a shiny new smartphone you are now tasked with getting all those phone numbers off the old phone and on to the new device. If you’re moving from Android to Android or iPhone to iPhone that’s a pretty straightforward task, since they should all be associated with your account ID. But what if you’re switching OS, from Android to iOS or vice versa?

Thankfully, Google Contacts makes it easy to back up and transfer your phone numbers, regardless of platform. Here’s how to use it.

Move contacts from iPhone to Android

To move your contacts from an iPhone to Android you first need to export them from iCloud and import them to Google Contacts. The easiest way to do this is to export a vCard file from iPhone, which can then be uploaded to Google Contacts.

We explain how to achieve this using a laptop or PC below, but if you have only your smartphone to hand you can also use an app such as MyContactsBackup to export and share contacts in a vCard format. This free app is available for bothAndroidandiPhone.

Move contacts from Android to iPhone

If you are signed into a Google account on an Android phone then your contacts should already be synched with Google Contacts. You can check this by opening the Settings menu and tapping Accounts, selecting your Google account, choosing Account sync, and ensuring the toggle next to Contacts is enabled. So all you need to do is get those phone numbers from Google Contacts to iCloud.

Move Contacts from Android to Android

By default your Android phone will be set up to sync contacts to your Google account, provided you are signed into an account on the device. You can check Sync is enabled inSettings > Accounts > your Google account > Account sync, then ensuring the toggle next to Contacts is enabled.

When you sign into that Google account on a new Android phone your contacts should be waiting for you.