How to migrate photos and contacts from an Android phone to an iPhone
Switching from Android to iPhone can feel daunting, but moving your photos and contacts is a straightforward process with a little preparation. This guide walks you through clear, step-by-step actions to transfer items reliably and minimize duplicates or data loss.
Step 1: Prepare both devices
Charge both phones to at least 50% and connect to the same stable Wi‑Fi network to avoid interruptions. On the Android, enable Bluetooth and unlock the screen; on the iPhone, update iOS to the latest version for compatibility and have your Apple ID ready.
[Illustration: Two smartphones side by side on a table, both showing charged battery icons and connected Wi‑Fi symbol.]
Step 2: Back up Android contacts
Open the Contacts app on Android and export a single VCF file (usually in Settings > Export) to the device storage or Google Drive; this creates one file with all contacts for easy import. Exporting avoids losing custom labels and multiple phone numbers.
[Illustration: Android phone screen showing Contacts app export option and a VCF file saved to Google Drive.]
Step 3: Back up Android photos
Use Google Photos to back up pictures: open the app, confirm Backup & sync is On, and wait until it reports 'Backup complete' — this can take 10–60 minutes depending on quantity. A cloud backup ensures photos are preserved if a device reset is needed.
[Illustration: Google Photos app showing backup progress and a count of backed up photos.]
Step 4: Use Move to iOS for full transfer
On the iPhone setup screen choose 'Move Data from Android', install the Move to iOS app on Android, enter the code shown on the iPhone, then select Contacts and Camera Roll to transfer; expect 10–30 minutes for 1–5 GB of data. This preserves metadata and places items in the correct apps automatically.
[Illustration: iPhone showing Move from Android code and Android app prompting to connect and transfer files.]
Step 5: If skipping Move to iOS, import contacts manually
On the iPhone open Settings > Contacts > Import vCard and select the VCF file you exported or downloaded; contacts will merge into iCloud if signed in, keeping phone numbers, emails, and notes intact. This method is quick for under 5,000 contacts and works offline.
[Illustration: iPhone Settings screen on Contacts with Import vCard highlighted and a VCF file being selected.]
Step 6: Sync photos using Google Photos app
Install Google Photos on the iPhone, sign in with the same Google account, and enable Sync; all backed up images will appear and can be kept in the cloud or downloaded to the iPhone storage in batches of 100–500. This avoids a large initial transfer and lets you choose which albums to store locally.
[Illustration: iPhone displaying Google Photos library with albums and download options visible.]
Step 7: Download selected photos to iPhone Photos
In Google Photos select an album or multiple photos and use 'Save to device' to copy items into the iPhone Photos app; do this in batches of 100–200 to avoid long waits or failures. After confirming everything is copied, you can turn off Google Photos backup on the iPhone if you prefer local storage.
[Illustration: iPhone showing Google Photos selecting multiple images with 'Save to device' option and progress bar.]
- Make sure both devices stay plugged in if transferring large amounts (over 5 GB) to prevent interruptions.
- If you use iCloud, sign into the iPhone before importing contacts so they sync to all your Apple devices within minutes.
- For very large photo libraries, transfer overnight and verify counts: check total photo counts on both devices and in the cloud.
- If Move to iOS stalls, restart both devices and retry; small networks quirks can be fixed by toggling Wi‑Fi once.
- Organize photos into albums on Android first to simplify selecting batches to download on the iPhone.
- Keep a copy of the exported VCF and a Google Photos backup for at least 7 days after transfer in case you need to re-import.
- Do not factory reset the Android until you confirm all contacts and photos are accessible on the iPhone or cloud backup; losing the source means irreversible loss for items not backed up.
- Large transfers over cellular data can incur charges — use Wi‑Fi and monitor data usage if you must use mobile hotspots.
- Avoid multitasking on either phone during Move to iOS; closing the app or switching networks can corrupt the transfer.
- Some third‑party contact fields or custom photo metadata may not transfer perfectly; spot‑check important contacts and special photos after migration.
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