Transfer contacts from iphone to android with cable

Moving all your stuff from an old smartphone to a new one is rarely (if ever) a carefree experience. Typically, you have to leave most of your data behind, especially if you’re coming from an iPhone. Even when moving from Android to Android, Google’s backup/restore feature isn’t always the most ideal, sometimes leaving important data behind.

Taking much of the frustration out of this experience is the ability to use a Type A to Type C adapter, also called the Quick Switch Adapter. This adapter allows you to plug your old smartphone directly into your new Android device, transferring over your old data like contacts, photos, SMS messages, and more — even if you’re coming from the iPhone.

Before you start, you should know that the transfers using a cable is only supported on Android devices running Android 5.0 Lollipop+, as well as iOS 8 or higher. Pretty much any Type A adapter will work (either micro USB or Type C depending on your device), so if one didn’t come with your device, you can always find them for cheap on Amazon right here:

Copy your iPhone data using a cable

Upon booting your Android phone up for the first time and going through the initial setup process, you’ll be asked to transfer your data using a cable. You’ll have the option to see “Other ways to copy data,” but this isn’t the best method if you hope on copying all your old stuff to your new Android device quickly and efficiently.

The whole process is relatively straight forward. Just use the USB cable from your iPhone and plug it into the adapter. Then, after connecting the adapter into your new Android, plug it into your old device and follow the steps on-screen to begin moving your old stuff on over.

Before the transfer can begin, you’ll first need to enter your password/PIN/pattern on your old Android device to initiate the transfer. On iOS, the phone will ask if you’d like to “trust this computer,” this computer being your new Pixel (select yes). After a few minutes of reading the data on your old device, your Android will then ask you to choose exactly what you would like to copy on over.

Keep in mind that even if your device is supported, not everything will transfer on over. Here’s the full list of everything that can and can’t be transferred using the an adapter:

What CAN be transferred from an iOS device:

• Calendar appointments (local/iCloud)
• Contacts (local/iCloud)
• Messages (iMessage/SMS)
• Music (non-DRM)
• Photos/videos (on the iPhone, not backed up to iCloud)

What will NOT be transferred:

• Downloads (PDF files, that sorta thing)
• Photos, videos, & music stored in hidden folders
• Photos, videos, & music received via test message
• Apps that aren’t from the Google Play Store
• Apps data (if the app doesn’t use Android backup)
• Certain device settings
• Accounts other than Google Accounts (and any associated data)
• Contacts & calendars synced to services other than Google
• Ringtones

Note: If you’re switching from an iPhone to an Android phone, make sure to turn iMessage off before you remove the SIM card. If you don’t turn off iMessage, SMS/MMS messages sent to your Android phone may continue to be directed to your old iPhone instead of to your new Android phone.

Copy your iPhone data without a cable

First, download Google Drive to your iOS device and sign in with your Google account. If you don’t have a Google account, you can create one now or when you sign in to Google Drive. If you already have Google Drive installed, make sure to update to the latest version.

From there, the rest is easy. Just follow these steps to begin backing up the data on your iPhone to Google Drive (this will carry over to your new Android device).

1. On your iPhone, install and open the Google Drive app.
2. In the top left, tap the Menu button.
3. At the top, tap Settings.
4. Tap Backup.
5. Tap START BACKUP.

Once you’ve signed into your Google account on your new Android device, you’ll find all your photos stored inside the Google Photos app, all of your contacts inside the Contacts app, and all your calendar entries inside of the Google Calendar app.

Having Trouble?

If you’re having issues transferring data from your old Android phone to your new Android phone, head over to Android Forums, search for your specific Android device, and ask in the related forum.

What is the best way to transfer contacts from iPhone to Android? The process isn’t as convoluted as it once was. I remember when we had to input all names, numbers, and other info manually! Now smartphones, apps, and cloud services can do most of the work for us. Today we’ll go over a few methods, so you can pick whichever you prefer.

Also read: What makes Android better than iOS

Editor’s note: All instructions in this post were put together using a Pixel 4a with 5G running Android 13, an iPhone 12 Mini running iOS 15.6, and a custom PC running Windows 11. Remember that steps may differ slightly, depending on your hardware and software.

Transfer contacts from iPhone to Android manually

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority

You might not care for fancy apps or cloud services. Those with a more hands-on attitude can transfer all their contacts manually with a .vcf file. You’ll need a little help from iCloud to do this, but if you’re using an iPhone, chances are this is not an issue.

How to download a .vcf file of your contacts:

1. On your iPhone, go to your Settings and then tap on your profile at the top.
2. Tap iCloud and toggle on Contacts. Your contacts will upload to Apple’s cloud services shortly.
3. Use a browser to go to iCloud.com and log in with your Apple ID.
4. Select Contacts and then click on the gear icon in the lower-left corner.
5. Click Select all.
6. Click the gear again and select Export vCard. When the .vcf file downloads, you can import that file to your Google Contacts or straight to your phone.

How to import contacts into an Android phone:

1. Transfer the .vcf file to your phone using any method. You can transfer it via a microSD card, by hooking up your phone to your PC, or simply using a cloud service like Google Drive.
2. Find the file and tap on it.
3. Pick which Google account you want to add the phone numbers to.

Transfer contacts from iPhone to Android with your Google account

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority

First and foremost, you’ll need a Google account to use your Android phone. If you have yet to set one up, head to Google’s homepage, select Sign in, click on Create account, and follow instructions. Once that’s done, follow the steps below to transfer contacts from iPhone to Android using your Google account through the cloud.

How to transfer contacts from iPhone to Android using your Google account:

1. On your iPhone, open the Settings app.
2. Go into Contacts.
3. Tap on Accounts.
4. Select your Gmail account (add it if you haven’t).
5. Switch the Contacts toggle on.
6. Now contacts will automatically sync from your iPhone to Google Contacts. In turn, they will also sync to your Android device, as long as you’re using the same Google account.

Transfer your contacts using Google Drive

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority

Transferring your contacts via Google Contacts may be easier, but some of you like having more control over your contacts. Another way to move your contacts from iPhone to Android is to do a manual backup with Google Drive. Here’s how to do it.

How to transfer contacts from iPhone to Android using Google Drive:

1. Download the Google Drive app for iOS.
2. Sign in and set up your Google Drive.
3. On the Google Drive iOS app, tap on the three-line menu button.
4. Select Settings.
5. Hit Backup.
6. Make sure Contacts syncing is on. You can turn off Calendar events and Photos & videos if you want.
7. Hit Start backup.

This will sync your contacts directly to your Google Contacts, so there’s nothing else to do as long as your Android contacts are synced to your Google account.

Transfer each contact by email or text

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority

There’s a third method to transfer contacts from iPhone to Android, but it requires much more work and patience. You can do this by sending each contact via email or SMS. It’s a good solution if you only have a few contacts to transfer, but those with a long list of friends are better off with any of the previous methods.

How to transfer contacts from iPhone to Android using email:

1. Open the Contacts app on your iPhone.
2. Go into the contact you want to move.
3. Hit Share Contact.
4. Select Gmail, Email, or any other app you wish to use.
5. Send the email to yourself.
6. On your Android device, pull out the email you just sent yourself.
7. Tap on the attached .vcf file.
8. Select which Google account you want to add the contact to.
9. Done!

Should you try a 3rd-party app?

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority

Honestly, you could also use a 3rd-party app, but we feel like it’s better to go one of the listed routes as they are less complicated, and utilize accounts you already had for your iPhone or will need for your new Android devices. The methods listed above are by far the easiest. You can always check out apps on the Play Store, though. Or you can try one of our favorite backup apps listed in the link below.

Next: The best backup apps for Android

FAQs

The easiest way to transfer your contacts from iOS to Android is likely by syncing your contacts to your Google account. This is done automatically and is constantly syncing.

Yes. You can use a vCard or VCF file on both platforms.

Most backup apps store contacts for you. This may not be the case with every option out there.

If you’re storing contacts locally, there is no limit, other than your phone’s storage. On the other hand, those of us using Google Contacts have a limit of 25,000 contacts.

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