Whether you are switching to Android because you are fed up of iOS or if you want to use an Android smartphone as a secondary device, you will need to transfer a lot of data from your iPhone to your new Android smartphone. One of the first things that come to mind is how to transfer contacts from iPhone to Android. There are several simple methods to do this. In order to transfer your contacts quickly, you will need your old iPhone, your new Android device and a PC. Here are the methods that you can use to transfer your contacts from iPhone to Android.
Method 1: iTunes
iPhone users use iTunes for almost everything on their device, and using the application to transfer contacts from iPhone to Android is one of the most used methods. You need an Apple account and the iTunes app installed on your PC. This method doesn’t actually transfer the contacts directly but lets you sync your iPhone contacts to your Google account, which you can then import on your Android device.
Step 1
Install iTunes on your PC if you don’t already have it installed. You can download the software using this link. Once installed, simply launch the iTunes application on your PC.
Step 2
Next, connect your iPhone to your PC using a USB cable. Your device should now appear in iTunes as Connected. Select your device and click on the Info tab.
Step 3
Now, check on Sync Contacts With and choose Google Contacts from the drop down list next to Sync Contacts With.
Step 4
You will need to login to your Google account. Enter your username and password and then click on Ok. This will start the syncing process, and your iPhone contacts should be synced with your Google account. In order to check whether all the contacts have been transferred to your Google account, simply open Gmail on your web browser and go to Contacts. This should bring up all your iPhone contacts.
Step 5
Next, go to the Settings app on your Android smartphone and click on Accounts and Sync. Then, click on Add Account and select Google account. You will need to sign in with your Google username and password.
Step 6
Once you have logged in, select Sync Contacts. This will sync all your Google contacts to your Android device. You will now have all your iPhone contacts transferred to your device.
Method 2: iCloud
iCloud is Apple’s Cloud service to store data from Apple devices over the internet. This is a great way of backing up files without the need of actual PC storage. The way this method works is that you can download all the contacts which are saved as backups on the iCloud service. The downloaded contacts can then be transferred to your Android device.
Step 1
If you’re using the iCloud service on your iPhone, make sure that all your contacts are backed up in iCloud.
Step 2
Next, open the iCloud website on your PC. Here, you will need to login with your Apple ID and password.
Step 3
After logging in, click on Contacts in order to display all the backed up contacts from your iPhone.
Step 4
Now, select all the contacts that you want to transfer to your Android device.
Step 5
Next, click on the Settings icon in the lower left hand corner and select the Export vCard option. This will download .VCF contact files on your PC. This step is important when you transfer your contacts.
Step 6
Open your Gmail account and go to Contacts. Then, click on Import Contacts and press Choose File. You will now need to select the VCF contacts files that you downloaded earlier from the iCloud website. After importing, all your iCloud contacts should be transferred to your Google account.
Step 7
In order to transfer the contacts from your Gmail account to your Android phone, simply follow Step 5 and Step 6 from Method 1. Alternatively, you can also put the VCF file on your Android phone and import it directly from the Contacts app in your phone, without the need to actually uploading them to your Gmail account.
Method 3: iPhone Contacts App
This is probably this easiest and quickest method for transferring contacts from iPhone to Android and you don’t need a PC or install any third party apps on your device. However, the method is only quick if you want to transfer very few contacts, as it lets you transfer one contact at a time. Let’s see how this method works.
Step 1
Open the Contacts app on your iPhone.
Step 2
Tap on the contact that you want to transfer to your Android device. Scroll down and click on the Share Contact button.
Step 3
Select either Email or Message. If you want to send an SMS to your number with the contact details, click on message. If you want to send it through an email, simply click on Email.
Step 4
Next, enter your phone number or email address depending on the method you chose in Step 3 and click on Send. This will send the contact, along with all the information, via email or SMS. You can then save the contact on your Android device.
Method 4: My Contacts Backup
My Contacts Backup is a popular contacts backup app for iOS and is great for backing up and restoring contacts directly from an iPhone. Using that app is straight forward and the app is free for backing up 500 contacts. The backups can then be used to transfer contacts to your Android phone.
Step 1
Firstly, download the My Contacts Backup app on your iPhone through the Apple App Store.
Step 2
After installing the app on your iPhone, open the app and click on the Backup button. This should start the backup process and a backup will be created of all the contacts on your iPhone, along with all their information including pictures.
Step 3
After the backup is completed, simply click on the Email button and enter your email address where you want to send the contacts file.
Step 4
Next, open your Email account and save the VCF file that you received on your PC. You can now import the VCF file directly on your Android phone using the Import option in the contacts app or you can upload the contacts in your Gmail account and follow Step 5 and Step 6 of Method 1 to sync the contacts from your Gmail account to your Android device. You may also want to read android backup apps post to learn how to backup apps and other data from your android device.
Method 5: Bump – Does not work anymore
Bump was one of the best apps for transferring contacts from iPhone to Android. It was one of the fastest and most reliable ways of transferring various things between Android and iPhone without a PC. You do need internet connection to use the app, and aside from contacts, you can also share photos, files and apps by just bumping the two devices. Update 04/Oct/2014: Bump team was acquired by Google and it has been shut down. You can read more about this on http://blog.bu.mp/post/71781606704/all-good-things So, this method will not work. Below steps are only for reference purpose.
Step 1
Download and install the Bump app on your iPhone and your Android device.
Step 2
Now, open the app on your iPhone and Android phone. Also, make sure that you are connected to the internet on both the devices. Allow for any permissions that the app requires on your device.
Step 3
Next, swipe left on your iPhone until you come to the Contacts screen in the Bump app. Here, click on Select All in order to transfer all contacts. You can also select individual contacts that you want to transfer.
Step 4
Now, click on the Bump Now button in the top right corner on your iPhone.
Step 5
After that, bump both the devices gently. You don’t need to bump hard as this might get a scratch on a device. Just touching both devices is enough.
Step 6
You will now receive a popup on both devices. Simply, press Connect on both devices. This should start the transfer process, which might take a while if you are transferring a lot of contacts. That’s it!
Method 6: CopyTrans Contacts
This is a fantastic application for PC, which lets you transfer contacts from iPhone to your Android phone in just a couple of minutes. You will need to install the application on your PC in order to save all your iPhone contacts on your PC. Aside from Android, the application also lets you transfer contacts from iPhone to Windows and BlackBerry smartphones. You can also make full backups of your iPhone contacts on your PC.
Step 1
Firstly, download and install the CopyTrans Contacts application your PC. You can download it using this link. After installation, open the application on your PC.
Step 2
Now, connect your iPhone to your PC. This should bring up all your iPhone contacts on the CopyTrans Contacts application with details such as email address and display pictures.
Step 3
Now, you can select all the contacts by ticking the check box next to Contacts. You can also select individual contacts.
Step 4
After selecting the contacts, click on Export Selected on the top left. This is a key step in transferring contacts from iPhone to Android.
Step 5
You will get a popup where you will need to select Android (multiple .vcf files) under the Transfer your contacts to tab.
Step 6
Now, select the folder where you want the contact files to be saved on your PC and click on Ok. All your contacts will now be saved to the directory you selected.
Step 7
Now, connect your Android phone to your PC via a micro USB cable.
Step 8
Transfer all the .VCF files saved on your computer to your Android device.
Step 9
Next, go to the Contacts app on your Android device and click on Menu. Select Import/Export and click on Import from USB storage. Select Import all vCard files and click on Ok. This will import all the contacts from the .VCF files and you will have all your iPhone contacts on your Android phone.
Conclusion
The iOS and Android OS are two different but successful smartphone platforms, used by millions of people around the world. Obviously, different preferences lead to the selection of different devices and switching from an OS to another OS is relatively easy. Contacts are, obviously, one of the most important things that a user would want to transfer from his/her old phone to a new phone. You can transfer contacts from iPhone to Android in a couple of minutes, and all the methods are quite easy. Whichever method you choose, make sure to follow the instructions properly and feel free to ask any questions below. Next Read: Android File Transfer
