How to Transfer Contacts from iPhone to Android

Switching phones is something we all have to do from time to time. Previously, what was a tiresome and frustrating job is now something that can be done within minutes. If you are going from an iPhone to an Android, you must transfer your contacts to the new phone. Fortunately, the whole procedure of transferring your data from an iPhone to an Android device is not convoluted. 

There are several ways using which you can transfer your data from one device to another, which includes your contacts as well. Instead of the manual process of creating the contacts yourselves, you can rely on cloud services to do the job for you.

In this article, we will go through various methods that give you the flexibility of choosing one that fits best for you. 

As it turns out, if you are someone who does not fancy cloud services and would prefer a more hands-on approach, do not fret, as we have got something for you as well. With that out of the way, let us get right into it. 

1. Transfer Contacts from iPhone to Android via Gmail

The easiest and quickest option for the purpose in question is using Gmail. As it turns out, Gmail allows you to sync various stuff to your Gmail accounts, such as your notes, contacts, and more. However, there is a slight twist to this.

To sync a contact on your phone with Gmail, you must ensure that the contact number is linked to your Gmail account. 

This means the contacts not linked to your Gmail account will not be synced, and thus you won’t retrieve them when transferring over to Android. As it turns out, you can enable the sync of contacts to your Gmail account quite easily through the Settings app. 

You must ensure that you have added your Gmail account to your iPhone. The process is pretty simple. Let us go through it step-by-step down below:

1. First, you will need to add your Gmail account to your iPhone. To do this, open up the Settings app on your iPhone. If you already have a Gmail account added to your iPhone, you can jump to Step 7. 
2. In the Settings menu, tap on the Passwords and Accounts option.
3. To add a new account, tap on the Add Account option. 
4. From the list of available providers, tap on Google.

   

5. After that, provide your email address and password to login into your Gmail account. 
6. Please wait for it to finish syncing. This depends on the number of emails that you have.
7. Once you are ready, go back to the initial Settings menu. There, tap on the Mail option.

   

8. In Mail settings, tap on the Accounts option. Follow it up by choosing the Gmail account.

   

9. On the follow-up screen, tap on the Contacts slider to enable it.

   

10. Once you do that, the contacts will sync with your Gmail account. 
11. Now, to import the contacts to your Android device, simply login to the Gmail account you used above. 
12. All of the contacts will be imported automatically. 

Note: The Settings menu on your iPhone may differ slightly depending on the version of your operating system, i.e., iOS. That said, you should be able to figure your way via the instructions above. The procedure remains the same; only the Settings menu might differ.

For example, on newer versions of iOS, the Passwords and Account option has been replaced with Passwords and a different option for Contacts. You can use that and then follow the rest of the instructions. 

2. Transfer Contacts from iPhone to Android via Google Drive

Another way you can transfer your contacts from your iPhone to an Android device is by using Google Drive. The con of doing this is that you will have to back up your data to your Google Drive account.

The process of backing up your data can take a while, depending on its size. However, if you have a fast internet connection, there is nothing to worry about. 

You need to download the app from the Apple App Store to use Google Drive to transfer your contacts. You will need a Gmail account to use Google Drive, just like any other Google service.

If you do not have one, now would be the best time to go and create an account. It does not take long at all. 

Once you have a Gmail account ready to go, the remaining procedure is relatively smooth. Follow the instructions down below to transfer your contacts:

1. First, open up the App Store and search for Google Drive. Download and install the app. 
2. Once you have the Google Drive app on your phone, open it up.
3. At this point, you will have to log in to your Gmail account. Provide your email address and password to sign in. 
4. After logging in, tap on the Menu button (three lines) in the top-left corner.
5. From the menu, tap on the Settings option.

   

6. On the Settings menu, navigate to the Backup option.

   

7. After that, on the follow-up screen, you can choose what data is backed up to your Google Drive. If you wish to make the process faster, only decide to back up your contacts. Backing up photos and other media will result in a longer backup time due to the size of the files. Tap on Contacts and make sure the slider is on.

   

8. Finally, tap on the Start Backup button.

   

9. After the backup, you can simply log in to your Google account on your Android device, and the data should be imported automatically.  

3. Transfer Contacts from iPhone to Android via VCF File

If you wish to refrain from using any Google services to transfer your contacts, this is a suitable method. It is slightly more complicated than the ones we have provided above, but not too complex.

We will be taking you through the entire process, so there is no need to worry. A vCard or .vcf file is a standard file that stores contact information inside. What’s great about this is that the file is supported across all devices, so you won’t have any trouble importing your contacts from the file.

This is a bit of a manual process which is why it is slightly lengthy. Let us get right into it without any further ado. 

1. To start off, open up the Settings app on your device.
2. On the Settings screen, tap on your iCloud profile at the top.
3. Then, navigate to the iCloud option.

   

4. On the iCloud settings screen, make sure the Contacts option is on. In case it was off, you should give it a while after turning it on before moving on to the next step. This is because the contacts will have to upload to iCloud first.

   

5. After that, pick up your Android device and use a browser to login into your iCloud account. You can also use a laptop or your PC to do this. However, if you use your PC/laptop, you will have to connect your PC to your Android device to transfer the file you are about to download. We will be showing you how to do it on your smartphone.
6. Once you have logged into your iCloud account, tap the Menu option (three dots) in the top-right corner. 
7. From the drop-down menu, tap on the Desktop site option.

   

8. Now, on the desktop version of the website, choose iCloud Contacts.
9. After that, at the bottom-right corner, tap on the gear icon. 
10. From the menu, first, tap on the Select All option. Follow it up by tapping the Export vCard option.

    

11. A file will be downloaded on your device upon doing this. If you used a PC to do this, you need to transfer the downloaded file to your Android device at this point. 
12. Close the browser and open up the Files app.
13. Look for the file you just downloaded. It should end with .vcf. Tap on it to open it up.
14. When you do this, you will be asked to import contacts. Tap on the OK option.

    

15. Once you do all of this, your contacts should now be on your Android device. 

4. Transfer Contacts from iPhone to Android via a Third-Party App

As it turns out, several applications on the App Store will allow you to transfer your contacts from your iPhone to an Android device. You can find both free and premium apps. However, we would not recommend going along with that but instead using one of the above methods to transfer your contacts. 

A clear advantage to using a third-party app is automating the whole process, so you don’t have to do much. Regardless, we would still recommend using one of the above methods to do the job.