How to transfer your contacts from iPhone to Android

There was once a time that transferring contacts from one mobile platform to another meant manually typing in an endless amount of names and phone numbers. Now our smartphones can do most of that work for us, and for the most part it can be done in a very small amount of time. But which method is best for transferring contacts from an iPhone to an Android phone? Today we’ll walk you through all of the easiest methods so you can get started on your Android device in no time.

Method #1 – Sync contacts with your Google account


First and foremost, to use your Android phone you’ll need a Google account. If you have yet to set one up, head to Google’s homepage and select the “create account” option. You can also do this directly from your smartphone, but the desktop experience is much better. Once you’ve created your Google account, pick up your iPhone and navigate to the “Mail, Contacts, Calendars” section of your Settings menu. This is where you’ll enter in your Google account. Press the “Add Account” button, select the Gmail option, and enter in your login information.

Your iPhone will then ask you which parts of your Google account you’d like to sync. Make sure the Contacts option is selected, and your iPhone and Android device will start syncing contacts with one another. This is the part where you’ll need to be patient. If you have a lot of contacts, it could take awhile. Just make sure to keep an internet connection while your contacts are syncing.

It should be noted that your iPhone won’t tell you when your contacts are done syncing. To check on their progress, navigate to the Google Contacts website from your desktop, sign in with your Google account, and check up on the list of contacts from there.

Once your contacts are done syncing, log in to your Android device with your Google account information, and you should be all set!


Method #2 – Transfer with iCloud


If you have iCloud enabled on your iPhone, this method should take no time at all.
On your iPhone, go to Settings, choose “Mail, Contacts, Calendars”, then choose “Accounts” where you should see “iCloud” listed. Choose this option, then turn on the toggle for “Contacts”. Your iPhone will prompt you to “Merge” your device’s contacts with iCloud.
Once this process is done, navigate to icloud.com on your computer’s web browser, long in with your Apple ID, the select “Contacts”. Click on the little wheel in the lower-left corner, then press “Select All”. After that, click the wheel again and choose “Export vCard”.
Navigate to gmail.com, click on the “Mail” button, then select “Contacts”. Click the “More” tab, select “Import”, select “Choose File”, then select your saved vCard file. When it gets done importing, Gmail will display the number of contacts that have been imported. At this point you may have some duplicate contacts, and getting rid of these is easy. Simply press the “Find & Merge Duplicates” button under the “More” tab.


Method #3 – Transfer with iTunes

If your contacts are stored locally or you’re using an account other than Gmail, you can also transfer your contacts through iTunes on your Windows or Mac computer.
First, connect your iPhone to your computer. Open iTunes and navigate to the device screen by clicking “iPhone” in the upper right-hand corner. Open the Info tab, then check the box next to “Sync Contacts with.” Choose “Google Contacts” from the dropdown menu, then enter your Google account information when prompted.
Once your iPhone is finished syncing, log in to your Android device with your Google account information, and your contacts should all be there.


Method #4 – Use a third party application


If for some reason the aforementioned methods don’t work for you, using a third party application may do the trick. Here are two of the best apps we’ve found in the Google Play Store:

PhoneSwappr


With PhoneSwappr, you’ll be able to send all of your contacts to the cloud and easily retrieve them from another device. To begin, you’ll want to download PhoneSwappr to both your Android and iOS device. Open it on your iPhone, and click the “Send Contacts to Cloud” button. It might take a few minutes to synchronize. Once that’s complete, you’ll be shows a 6-digit code. Be sure to write this code down on a piece of paper so you don’t lose it!

Open the app on your Android device, and click the “Get Contacts from Cloud” button. Enter in the confirmation code, and wait for all of your contacts to sync with your device. This step might take a few minutes.
If everything went according to plan, your contacts should be automatically added to your Contacts app!


My Contacts Backup

My Contacts Backup is probably the most popular app for transferring contacts, but requires a few more steps than the first app. Download My Contacts Backup from the Apple Appstore. Once downloaded, open the app, and press the Backup button. Once the backup is complete, press the send button, and enter in your email address.