Changing your cell phone causes enough anxiety, even without having to worry about keeping your information. One of the most important aspects when changing devices and platforms is ensuring that all contacts are transferred correctly to your new device. Here, we show you how to transfer contacts from iPhone to Android and vice versa, so that you can easily switch between these platforms at will. The best way to achieve this is through Apple iCloud and Google Contacts. Let us begin.
Export contacts from iCloud
If you’ve enabled iCloud on your iPhone, backing up your contacts is easy.
- Sign in to iCloud on your computer and click Contacts .
- On the next screen, select All Contacts in the upper left corner and press Command + A or CTRL + A to select them all.
- If you receive an alert asking if you want to allow downloads on iCloud.com , click Allow .
- Click the Settings icon at the bottom of the page and select Export vCard .
- Once the window opens, select all your contacts again with Command + A or CTRL + A and right click on any contact.
- Choose Export vCard , name the vCard, and select a save location.
Your contacts will be downloaded to your computer as a VCF file that you can email yourself or import directly into Google. Once you activate your new Android cell phone, configure your email account and import that vCard to load your contacts.
It is a good idea to save the email with the vCard attached. That can serve as a practical backup of all your contacts. Also, you can save them somewhere in your system for safekeeping.
Transfer with Google Contacts
Having a Google account will simplify the movement of contacts between platforms. If you don’t have one yet, sign up for one for free . Either way you will need it for your Android cell phone. Before touching your new Android device, do the following.
- Log into Google Contacts in your browser.
- Down on the left side, you should see the Import option, select it, followed by Choose file , navigate to the vCard that you saved from iCloud and click Import .
- If you already had a Google account, you will notice that your contact list is now much larger and probably has some duplicates, if you identify them, you may need to spend some time deleting or modifying them.
- It is better to delete the duplicate contacts manually. Google offers a search tool, designed to do the same, but it is not particularly accurate.
- Give it a try by clicking the Merge & Fix button in the left column of the contacts page, which gives you the option to Merge Duplicates .
Transfer contacts to your Android cell phone
When you have your Google contacts organized exactly how you want them, it’s time to put them on your new phone. If you haven’t already turned it on, the transfer will be easy.
When you turn it on for the first time, it asks if you want to sync your phone with a Google account. Enter your account information and your device will automatically import all the contacts from your Google account.
If you have already started your Android cell phone and did not sync it with a Google account, do the following.
- Go to Settings> Accounts or Accounts and sync to check all accounts synced with your cell phone.
- At the bottom, you’ll see a button labeled Add account , where you can enter your Google login.
- Select your Google account and it will sync all your contacts with your cell phone, along with Calendar, Chrome, Gmail and any other component you choose to sync.
- If you are switching from Android to iPhone, go to Settings> Mail> Add account> Google .
- Enter your Google login information and your iPhone will automatically sync the contacts within your Google account.
- If you want it to stay in sync and include the new contacts you add, go to Settings> Mail> Default account and select your Gmail account.
Use an app
If you’re in a rush and need to transfer your contacts quickly, here are two mobile apps designed to make the transfer easy.
My Contacts Backup
My Contacts Backup ( MCBackup for short), helps you back up and restore contacts from your phone without using a computer-based or synchronization method.
Take a one-touch backup and send an email with a .vcf attachment.
The application, in addition to this same offline function, offers: easy restore, easy transfer between iOS and Android by email , reminders to make regular backups and VCF cards.
Move to iOS
This unusual application is an Apple product created for Android. Connect your Android and Apple device via Wi-Fi to transfer all your data, although it is limited to iPhone or iPad with iOS 9 or higher and devices with Android 10.
Transfer contacts, as well as message history, photos and videos, browser bookmarks, email accounts and calendars on your new iPhone.
