The fastest way: use Google Contacts during setup
When you first turn on a new iPhone, the setup screen offers to restore data from your Android phone. If you choose "Migrate from Android," the phone will walk you through signing into your Google account. During this process, your Google Contacts automatically transfer to your iPhone's native Contacts app. This is the simplest route because it happens before you start using the phone, and you do not have to manage files or apps.
The transfer includes contact names, phone numbers, email addresses, and any notes you added to each contact. It does not transfer contact photos or custom ringtones — those stay on Android. The process takes a few minutes depending on how many contacts you have.
If you skip this step during setup, you can still transfer contacts later by going to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Contacts and toggling the switch on. Your iPhone will then sync with your Google account and pull in all contacts stored there.
Key Takeaways
- The setup screen on a new iPhone offers a "Migrate from Android" option that automatically transfers Google Contacts to your iPhone's Contacts app.
- You can transfer contacts after setup by signing into your Google account in iPhone Settings and turning on Contacts syncing.
- Contact photos and custom ringtones do not transfer — only names, numbers, emails, and notes move over.
- If your contacts are stored in a different app on Android (not Google Contacts), you may need to export them as a file first.
- A backup file transfer works if you export your Android contacts as a VCF file and email it to yourself, then open it on your iPhone.
What happens if your Android contacts are not in Google Contacts
Some Android phones store contacts in Samsung Contacts, Outlook, or another app instead of Google Contacts. If this is your situation, you need to move them to Google Contacts first, or export them as a file.
To move contacts to Google Contacts on Android: open your Contacts app, look for a menu option called "Settings," "Manage Contacts," or "Import/Export," and choose "Export to Google Contacts" or "Sync with Google." The exact wording varies by phone maker. Once your contacts are in Google Contacts, the iPhone setup process will pick them up automatically.
If your phone does not offer that option, you can export contacts as a VCF file (a standard contact file format). Open your Contacts app, find the export or backup option, and save the file. Email the file to yourself, open the email on your iPhone, and tap the attachment. Your iPhone will ask whether to add these contacts to your phone — tap "Add All" and they will appear in your Contacts app.
Using iCloud to sync contacts after the move
Once your contacts are on your iPhone, iCloud keeps them synced across all your Apple devices. If you also use a Mac, iPad, or another iPhone, all of them will see the same contact list automatically.
To check that iCloud syncing is on: go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud and make sure the toggle next to "Contacts" is turned on (it should be green). If it is off, tap it to turn it on. Your iPhone will then upload all contacts to iCloud and read any contacts stored there from your other devices.
If you want to keep your contacts only on your iPhone and not sync them to iCloud, you can leave this toggle off. However, if your iPhone is lost or damaged, contacts stored only on the device cannot be recovered. Most people keep iCloud syncing on for this reason.
Transferring contacts through a computer
If you have a computer, you can move contacts through iTunes or Finder on Mac, or through a third-party tool on Windows. This method is slower than the direct transfer but works if your phone is not turning on or if you want to keep a backup file.
On Mac: connect your iPhone to the computer with a USB cable, open Finder, click your iPhone in the sidebar, go to the Info tab, and check the box next to "Sync Contacts." Choose whether to sync all contacts or only certain groups. Click "explore" and Finder will transfer contacts from your iPhone to your Mac's Contacts app. You can then export them as a file or move them to Google Contacts.
On Windows: you can use Google Contacts directly (by signing in at contacts.google.com), or use a tool like Samsung Smart Switch if you have a Samsung phone. Smart Switch can export contacts to a file that you can then import into your iPhone through iCloud.com or by emailing it to yourself.
Why some contacts might not transfer
Contacts stored only in messaging apps (like WhatsApp or Telegram) or social media apps (like Facebook) do not transfer because they live inside those apps, not in your phone's Contacts app. If you need those contacts on your iPhone, you have to add them manually or export them from each app separately.
Duplicate contacts sometimes appear after a transfer, especially if you already had some contacts on your iPhone before moving from Android. Your iPhone's Contacts app has a "Find Duplicates" feature: open Contacts, tap "Groups" at the top left, scroll down and tap "Find Duplicates," then follow the prompts to merge them. This takes a few seconds and cleans up the list.
Contacts with special characters or very long names occasionally fail to transfer if the file format does not support them. If you notice missing or incomplete contacts after the transfer, check your Google Contacts on a computer (at contacts.google.com) to see whether the problem is on the Android side or happened during the transfer.
Transferring photos and custom ringtones separately
Contact photos and ringtones are not included in the automatic transfer. If you want to keep these, you have to add them on your iPhone after the contacts arrive.
For contact photos: open the Contacts app on your iPhone, tap a contact, tap "Edit," tap the photo placeholder, and choose a photo from your iPhone's photo library or take a new one. You can do this one contact at a time, or if you have many photos, you can use a third-party app like Contacts+ that syncs photos from Google Contacts (though this requires a paid subscription).
For custom ringtones: iPhone ringtones work differently than Android. You cannot assign a ringtone to a contact directly from the Contacts app. Instead, go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Phone Ringtone and choose a ringtone that will play for all incoming calls, or use a third-party app like TrueCaller that lets you assign different ringtones to different contacts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I transfer contacts if I do not have a Google account?
Yes. Export your contacts as a VCF file from your Android phone, email the file to yourself, and open it on your iPhone. Your iPhone will ask whether to add all the contacts — tap "Add All" and they will appear in your Contacts app. You can also create a free Google account just for this transfer if you prefer.
Will my contacts transfer if I do not use the setup screen?
Yes, but you have to do it manually. Go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Contacts and turn the toggle on. If your contacts are in Google Contacts, sign into your Google account in Settings > Mail > Accounts > Add Account and choose Google. Your iPhone will then sync contacts from both services.
What if the transfer is taking too long?
Large contact lists (over 1,000 contacts) can take several minutes to transfer. Make sure your iPhone is plugged in and connected to Wi-Fi. If the transfer seems stuck, restart your iPhone and try again. If contacts still do not appear after 30 minutes, check that you are signed into the correct Google account on your iPhone.
Do I need to delete contacts from my Android phone after transferring them?
No. Transferring copies your contacts to your iPhone — it does not remove them from Android. You can delete them from Android later if you want to free up space, but it will not affect the copies on your iPhone.
Can I transfer contacts from multiple Android phones to one iPhone?
Yes. Repeat the transfer process for each Android phone, or export contacts from each phone as a VCF file and email all the files to yourself. Open each file on your iPhone and tap "Add All." If the same contact appears in multiple files, your iPhone will create duplicates — use the "Find Duplicates" feature in Contacts to merge them afterward.