You’ve decided to leave the dark side. You’ve bought an Android after spending the last few years with an iPhone . Well done. Now, what about all your contacts? One of the main reasons why iPhone users refuse to abandon ship is because of the so-called “Apple ecosystem”; and that’s because once you’re in, it’s hard to get out.
So, after having explained how to transfer all your data to your new mobile phone , and of course, how to get started with Android in case you have never used a terminal based on the Google operating system, today we will detail, step by step, how to transfer your contacts from an iPhone to an Android smartphone , or how to carry out the opposite process if necessary.
Although the process is simpler than it may seem at first glance, there are several options to transfer contacts from an iPhone to an Android , and they can lead to confusion for those users who have never used a device with the green robot’s operating system. Without further ado, we will look at two of the best and easiest methods to do so.
Transfer contacts from iPhone to Android
There are two different ways to transfer contacts from an iPhone to an Android phone. The first is to transfer them manually via iCloud, and the second – which is quicker – is to use an app that allows you to do this.
The manual way
Since if you have an iPhone, by default your contacts will be stored in Apple’s cloud, iCloud , it is possible to access it and export the contacts in a file, which can then be imported manually into the new Android device. To do this, you will have to follow these steps:
- From your Android phone, with your Google account already set up, go to the iCloud website and log in with your Apple ID.
- A contacts tab will appear in the bottom left corner . Go to it.
- Select the contacts, and tap on export as “vCard” . This will generate a file that will be stored in your phone’s memory.
- Go to the Contacts app on your Android . Access the settings from the sliding panel on the left side, and click on “Import”.
- Now, select “.vcf file ” and in the explorer choose the vCard file that was generated earlier.
In this way, the application itself will allow you to choose which of the exported contacts you want to import to your Android , whether all of them or just some.
The quick way
If, on the other hand, you prefer to transfer your contacts in a quicker and easier way, and without having to resort to the tedious process of dealing with iCloud, you can do so using one of the many applications that exist for this purpose. Due to its usefulness, and its proven performance, we have chosen Copy my Data, a free tool available on both iOS and Android.
Once you have downloaded and installed the application on both devices, you just have to follow these steps:
- Open the app on both your iPhone and your new Android device.
- Make sure both devices are connected to the same Wi-Fi network .
- On the Copy my Data home screen on your iPhone, select the “To or From Another Device Over Wi-fi” option.
- You will see a wizard appear in which you can choose which data you want to transfer. Select only the contacts.
- The app will ask you for the iPhone security code. Once entered, just select the Android device you want to transfer the contacts to .
Once the process is complete, all the contacts you had stored on your iPhone will be available on your Android device , including all the data such as first names, last names, phone numbers, and email addresses. It’s that easy. Now you just have to make sure you don’t lose any contacts along the way the next time you buy an Android smartphone.
Transfer contacts from Android to iPhone
If you have decided to do the opposite, that is, transfer your contacts from an Android phone to an iPhone , the steps to follow are extremely simple if your contacts are saved in your Google account .
As Apple explains on its support website , iPhone software allows you to keep contacts stored on Android thanks to compatibility with third-party email providers. To add the Google account that stores your Android contacts to your iPhone, follow these steps:
- Go to Settings and then access the Passwords & Accounts section .
- Tap Add a new account (if you haven’t entered your Google account yet), or tap the Google account that contains the contacts.
- Turn on the Contacts switch within the Google Account settings panel.
That’s it. From that moment on, the contacts stored in your Google account will begin to sync with your iPhone , and will appear in your contacts book.