If you are going from an iPhone to an Android, it may be that there are people for everything, or you want to have two phones at the same time, you will have to transfer your contacts. And while transferring contacts used to be as easy as changing SIM cards, now you'll likely have to move data manually.
Fortunately, There are three easy ways to transfer your contacts from an iPhone to an Android. In this article I explain how to transfer your contacts from iPhone to Android, including how to sync through Gmail or Google Drive, and how to download contacts manually from iCloud. Go for it!
Transfer contacts from iPhone to Android
Android and iOS are completely different mobile ecosystems, but transferring contacts between them is one of the easiest parts of switching from iPhone to Android.
If you already have a Gmail account on your iPhone, then the easiest option is to turn on the contacts switch in the Mail settings app. As long as you use the same Gmail account on your new Android phone, all your contacts will automatically follow you.
You can also backup contacts from iPhone to Android via the Google Drive app on your iPhone, or by accessing the desktop version of the iCloud website from your Android phone.
Contacts can also be transferred one at a time via email, although that method is so time-consuming that it's not useful if you have a lot of contacts to move.
Transfer Contacts from iPhone to Android Using Gmail
If you already use Gmail on your iPhone, your contacts may be automatically imported when Sign in to your new Android with your old Gmail account. However, there is no reason to risk it, as checking this is quick and easy.
You'll need to go into your iPhone's Mail settings and make sure it's set to back up your Gmail contacts. As long as the Contacts switch is on, your iPhone contacts will automatically appear on your Android when you sign in to Gmail on that device. To do it correctly follow these steps:
- first in your iPhone, open Settings and tap Contacts.
- Now tap on Accounts.
- Toca gmail.
- Check the switch Contacts and tap it if it's not already on
- Sign in to the same Gmail address on your Android phone and your contacts will be imported automatically.
How to transfer contacts from iPhone to Android with Google Drive
To use this method, you will need to download the Google Drive app from the App Store. Apple and sign in with the same Google account you plan to use with your Android. This allows you to manually backup your contacts and then access that data from your new Android phone. This is how to transfer contacts from iPhone to Android with Google Drive:
- First download and install Google Drive on your iPhone if you haven't already.
- press Log in.
- Select the Google account that you will use with your new phone.
- If you're not already signed in to Google on your iPhone, you'll need to sign in first.
- Tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines).
- Toca Configuration.
- press Backup copy.
- Toca Contacts and make sure the switch is on.
- Tap the icon on the back in the Contacts pop-up window.
- press Start backup.
- Click OK for each item you want to back up.
- Be sure to tap OK when the app asks for access to your contacts. The others are optional depending on what you want to backup. If you select DO NOT ALLOW, Drive will not be able to back up that item.
- Touch done. And that would be it!
When the backup is complete, you're done. Your contacts will be synced with your Google account, so all you need to do is sign in on your Android phone with the same Google account.
How to transfer contacts from iPhone to Android with a vCard
If you prefer to transfer your contacts manually, you can use a vCard. A vCard is a .vcf file that contains contact information including your name, phone number, email, physical address and other details.
You can create a vCard on the iCloud website, download it to your Android phone and import contacts that way. For this to work, you'll also need to make sure your iPhone is set to back up your contact data to iCloud. This is how to transfer contacts from iPhone to Android with a vCard:
- First on your iPhone, open Configuration and tap your profile icon at the top.
- Toca iCloud.
- Tap Show all.
- Tap the Contacts switch to activate it.
- If the switch is already on, don't touch it.
- On your Android phone, go to iCloud.com and sign in.
- Tap the three dots icon in Chrome.
- Tap the desktop site.
- On the iCloud site, tap Contacts.
- Tap the gear icon.
- Tap Select All.
- press Export vCard.
- It's time to open.
- Tap your Google account.
Your contacts will be available as soon as the import process is complete.
Transfer individual contacts between iPhone and Android
There is one more way to move contacts from iPhone to Android, but it is time-consuming unless you only want to import a small number of contacts.
This method is usually used when you want to send a single contact to a friend, but also you can use it to send contacts to yourself. It involves using the Contacts app to share individual contacts from your iPhone with an account you have on your Android phone.
This is how to transfer contacts from iPhone to Android using email or text messages:
- First open the Contacts app on your iPhone and tap the contact you want to transfer.
- Toca Share contact.
- Select a method to share the contact, i.e. Email.
- Enter the email address you use with your Android phone and press send.
- Open the email on your Android phone and tap the attachment.
- Select your Google account.
- The contact will be imported to your account
