Making the switch from Android to iPhone could be exciting, but that excitement could die down when you get to the data transfer part. Before you can enjoy the phone, you need to bring your important data like contacts, photos and more. While it may seem complicated, the process is actually surprisingly easy. Here's how to transfer data from Android to iPhone.
Transfer data from Android to iPhone
This is Apple's recommended method and is the most comprehensive way to transfer your data. It moves your contacts, message history, photos, videos, calendars, WhatsApp data and even installs all the apps for you. But if you only want to transfer photos, you can now AirDrop Files from Android to iPhone for convenience.
It's worth noting that this method only works during the initial setup of your iPhone. If your iPhone is already set up, you will need to erase it and start over. You can do this from Settings > General > Transfer or reset iPhone > Erase All Content and Settings.
With that out of the way, here's how to transfer data from an Android device to an iPhone:
- On your Android phone, install the Move to iOS app from the Play Store. Then launch the app, grant the necessary permissions and tap on Agree to approve the terms and conditions.
- On your iPhone, begin the setup process by setting your preferred language, region and Wi-Fi. Tap on Continue on your Android phone.
- When you reach the Transfer Your Apps & Data screen, tap on From Android. A 6 or 10-digit code will appear.
- On your Android phone, enter the code and the two phones will be connected.
- A Transfer Data screen will appear where you will be asked to select the things you want to move (Contacts, Messages, etc).
- The app will also prompt you to transfer your WhatsApp data. Tap on Start, and it will prepare your chat history for the move.
- Once done, hit Continue on your Android phone and let the rest of the transfer complete. This may take time, depending on the amount of data on your phone.
- When the transfer is complete, tap Done on your Android phone and tap on Continue on the iPhone to continue setup.
- Once your iPhone is on the home screen, it will ask you if you want to install the apps that were on your Android phone. To continue, tap on Add apps.
- We recommend leaving your iPhone on idle for at least an hour so that it's done setting up all the apps and services for you.
If you've already set up your iPhone and don't want to erase it for the sake of using the Move to iOS app, you can still transfer certain things using a Google account. For starters, you can transfer contacts from Android to iPhone by adding your Google account, which also lets you add your mail and calendar.
As for photos, if you used a Cloud Service like Google Photos to back up all your photos, just install Google Photos on your iPhone, and all your saved photos should be accessible. You can then back up photos on your iPhone, or recover deleted photos on iPhone if you lose them in the process.
A recent development suggests that Google and Apple are collaborating to make data transfers more cohesive between the ecosystems. So we will be sure to update this guide as the new, more comprehensive method arrives.
And that's it! Moving from Android to iOS is a big switch, but getting your essential data across is very manageable, especially with the Move to iOS app. Now that your contacts, WhatsApp chats and apps are ready, you can start exploring all your new iPhone has to offer.
