Syncing your contacts to a Google account makes transferring them to a new phone super simple - and it’ll help make future transfers easier too. If you haven’t synced your contacts already, here’s how to do it:

1. Open the ‘Settings’ app on your phone
2. Tap ‘Google’ then follow this route: ‘Settings for Google apps’ > ‘Google Contacts sync’ > ‘Also sync device contacts’ > ‘Automatically back up and sync device contacts.’
3. Switch on ‘Automatically back and sync device contacts’ and make sure you’ve selected the correct Google account (it should be the one you used to set up your device).

Now all you need to do is sign into your Google account on your iPhone!

1. Open ‘Settings’ on your iPhone
2. Select ‘Passwords & Accounts’
3. Select ‘Add Account’ and then ‘Google’
4. Once signed in, all of your contacts will automatically sync to your iPhone!

This is a slightly old school method (and more complex) but still effective if you’d prefer not to use ‘Move to iOS’ or sync contacts with your Google account.

VCF is a file format specifically for storing contact information, whether that’s names, addresses or phone numbers. It’s basically just like any other file you’d open on your phone so don’t worry if you’ve never used one before!

This is also the best method if you’re wondering how to transfer contacts from Android to iPhone via Bluetooth. Just select Bluetooth when sharing the VCF file!

Please note: this process varies from device to device, so follow the below instructions as a rough guide.

1. Open ‘Contacts’ on your Android device
2. Open the menu using either the ‘hamburger’ button in the top left or the three dots in the top right (depending on device).
3. If you see ‘Share’ in the options listed, select it. If not, go to ‘Settings’ then select ‘Export’
4. Choose the contacts you want to share. On later versions of Android, you may only get the option to save all.
5. Save or share the file. Make sure that you’ve selected ‘VCF file’.
6. Send the VCF file to your iPhone via email, text message or Bluetooth.
7. Open the VCF file on your iPhone and add your contacts.

Ah, the good ol’ SIM card. Transferring contacts using a SIM card isn’t quite as quick as the options above, but it’s a solid option if your Android isn’t working (provided you’ve saved contacts to your SIM card!). It’s also a good option if you’re staying on the same network and keeping the same number.

If your Android phone is working…

1. Open ‘Contacts’, open the ‘Menu’ and select ‘Manage contacts’. Then, select ‘Import/Export Contacts’ (or, on newer Android devices, select ‘Settings’ then ‘Export’).
2. Tap ‘Export’ then select ‘SIM card’
3. Select the contacts you want to export, tap ‘Done’ then tap ‘Export’
4. Remove your SIM card and insert in your iPhone
5. Open ‘Settings’ on your iPhone and select ‘Contacts’.
6. Select ‘Import SIM contacts’

If your Android phone isn’t working…

1. Remove the SIM card from your Android and insert in your iPhone
2. Open ‘Settings’ on your iPhone and select ‘Contacts’.
3. Select ‘Import SIM contacts’ (please bear in mind this method won’t work if you haven’t previously synced your contacts).

This is a pretty frequently asked question, but the answer is really simple: use any of the options above. Aside from some subtle differences, the Samsung version of Android is more or less the same at its core and all of the above options will work!

First things first, we highly recommend using iCloud if you’re switching from iPhone to iPhone. Not only is it much easier, but it’s useful if you’re planning to stick to the iOS/MacOS ecosystem for the foreseeable future (which we’re guessing you are!)

That said, there are a couple of ways to transfer contacts if you really, really don’t want to use iCloud.

How to transfer iPhone contacts using iTunes

Yes, you can still use iTunes to transfer contacts on PC (even though Apple Music has taken over on Mac). Here’s how:

1. Download the latest version of iTunes
2. Plug your old iPhone into your computer and select ‘iPhone’ from the menu
3. Click ‘Info’ in the sidebar and enable ‘Sync Contacts’
4. Click ‘Sync’.
5. Unplug your old iPhone, then plug in your new iPhone
6. Select ‘iPhone’ from the menu again, click ‘Info’ and turn on ‘Sync Contacts’ (if it isn’t already)
7. Select ‘Advanced’ from the menu options. Under ‘Replace information on this iPhone’, turn on ‘Contacts’.
8. Click ‘Sync’ to transfer contacts to your new iPhone.

How to transfer contacts using a SIM card

First things first, this method is reliant on you previously saving contacts to a SIM card. This is surprisingly difficult on an iPhone (probably because there are a lot of easier options…) but if you do have contacts saved, getting them onto your new iPhone is really easy.

1. Insert your SIM card into your new iPhone… but make sure it fits! If it doesn’t, you might be able to get it resized at a phone shop.
2. Select ‘Settings’ > ‘Contacts’ > ‘Import SIM Contacts’.
3. When the import is finished, open the ‘Contacts’ app and check everything has transferred.

How to transfer iPhone contacts using third-party software

If you can’t use iTunes or iCloud, there are a few third-party options available. As we haven’t tested these options at the time of writing, we can’t suggest a particular option but a quick Google search will reveal the software you’ll need. As with everything you download, make sure you do your research and check that the software is legitimate before progressing.

How to transfer contacts from iPhone to iPhone via Bluetooth

You can technically transfer contacts using Bluetooth using the Quick Start process.

Here’s how to transfer contacts using Quick Start:

1. Turn on your new iPhone and place it near your old iPhone (making sure Bluetooth is active on both devices). You should get a prompt titled ‘Set Up New iPhone’ with your Apple ID listed. Press ‘Continue’ when it appears.
2. An animation will appear on your new iPhone. Hold your old iPhone over this animation and line it up in the viewfinder. A ‘Finish on New [Device]’ message should appear.
3. Enter your old iPhone’s passcode on your new iPhone and set up Face ID/Touch ID.
4. Enter your Apple ID password then choose ‘Transfer from iPhone
5. Keep your iPhones close together while data is transferring.

If you’ve already set up your iPhone and you don’t want to factory reset it, you can use AirDrop instead… but you can only transfer one contact at a time, so we recommend trying one of the methods listed above instead!

You also use iCloud to transfer your contacts but it’s slightly more complicated!

1. Make sure your iPhone is backing up contacts to iCloud by going to ‘Settings’ > ‘iCloud’. If it isn’t, switch on ‘Contacts’ then tap ‘iCloud Backup’ > ‘Back Up Now’.
2. With your contacts backed up, go to icloud.com on your Android phone and log in with your Apple ID.
3. Open the menu on icloud.com and select ‘Contacts’
4. Open the settings and tap ‘Select All’ > ‘Export VCard’
5. Open the VCF file you’ve just exported. You should get an option to save your contacts to your phone.

Prefer not to backup your Google account? You can use your SIM as well. Before you do anything though, make sure your current SIM card fits your new phone. If it doesn’t, we recommend using the Google account method instead.

If it does fit though, you’re all ready to go. First, make sure you’ve saved your contacts to your SIM:

1. Open your ‘Contacts’ app
2. Find the menu and select ‘Export’ and select ‘Import/Export’
3. Select the ‘Export to SIM card’ option (or a similarly named option)

With that sorted, it’s time to transfer your contacts:

1. Insert your SIM card into your new phone
2. Open the ‘Contacts’ app
3. Find the Menu and select ‘Import’ or ‘Import/Export’
4. Select ‘Import from SIM card’ (or a similarly named option)

You can also transfer your contacts using the VCF file method we outlined earlier. Here’s a reminder of what to do:

1. Open ‘Contacts’ on your old phone
2. Open the menu.
3. If you see ‘Share’ in the options listed, select it. If not, go to ‘Settings’ then select ‘Export’ or ‘Import/Export’
4. Choose the contacts you want to share. On later versions of Android, you may only get the option to save all.
5. Save or share the file. Make sure that you’ve selected ‘VCF file’.
6. Send the VCF file to your new phone via email, text message or Bluetooth.
7. Open the VCF file on your phone and add your contacts.