Transfer Contacts to an iPhone

This article teaches you how to transfer contact information from another device to an iPhone.

Steps

Transferring from iPhone or iPad with iCloud

  1. Open Settings on the device from which you're transferring. It's a gray app that contains gears and is typically located on the home screen.
    • Both devices must be connected to a Wi-Fi network. To connect, tap Wi-Fi near the top of the Settings menu, slide Wi-Fi to the "On" (green) position, and tap a network from the list under "Choose a network..."
    • Enter a password if prompted to do so.
  2. Tap your Apple ID. It's the section at the top of the menu that contains your name and image if you've added one.
    • If you are not signed in, tap Sign in to (Your Device), enter your Apple ID and password, then tap Sign In.
    • If you are running an older version of iOS, you may not need to do this step.
  3. Tap . It's in the second section of the menu.
  4. Slide "Contacts" to the "On" position. It's near the top of the "APPS USING ICLOUD" section and will turn green.
  5. Scroll down and tap . It's near the bottom of the "APPS USING ICLOUD" section.
    • If it's not already green, slide "iCloud Backup" to the "On" position.
  6. Tap . Doing so backs up your current device's contacts to iCloud.
  7. On the new iPhone, open Settings . It's a gray app that contains gears and is typically located on your home screen.
  8. Tap your Apple ID. It's the section at the top of the menu that contains your name and image if you've added one.
    • If you are not signed in, tap Sign in to (Your Device), enter your Apple ID and password, then tap Sign In.
    • If you are running an older version of iOS, you may not need to do this step.
  9. Tap . It's in the second section of the menu.
  10. Slide "Contacts" to the "On" position. It's near the top of the "APPS USING ICLOUD" section.
  11. Press the Home button. It's the round button on the face of your iPhone, below the screen.
  12. Open Contacts. It's a gray app that contains a darker gray silhouette and has letter tabs along the right side.
  13. Swipe down and hold. From the middle of the screen, swipe down slowly and hold until you see a spinning "refresh" icon above the contacts list, then lift your finger. The contacts from your old iPhone should now be available on your new iPhone.

Using an iTunes Backup

  1. Open iTunes on your desktop. It's a white app with a multicolored musical note.
  2. Connect the current device to your desktop. Use the cable that came with your iPhone or iPad, plugging the USB end into the computer and the other end into your device's charging port.
  3. Click on your device's icon. It's in the gray bar at the top-left of the iTunes window.
    • If prompted, enter the old phone's passcode to unlock it.
  4. Click on . It's in the left pane of the iTunes window.
  5. Click on . It's in the right pane of the window.
    • If prompted, click on Transfer Purchases to transfer purchases (apps, music, etc.) you made on your device to iTunes.
    • Once the backup is finished, disconnect your current device by clicking on the "Eject" icon in the upper-left corner of the window next to the image of your device and removing the cable from the USB port on the desktop.
  6. Connect the new iPhone to your desktop. Use the cable that came with the iPhone, plugging the USB end into the computer and the other end into your iPhone's charging port.
  7. Click on your iPhone's icon. It's in the gray bar at the top-left of the iTunes window.
    • If prompted, enter the old phone's passcode to unlock it.
  8. Click on . It's in the left pane of the iTunes window.
  9. Click on . It's in the upper part of the window's right pane.
    • If prompted, turn off Find My iPhone on the new iPhone. To do so, open Settings, then tap Apple ID, tap iCloud, tap Find My iPhone and slide "Find My iPhone" to "Off" (white).
  10. Click on .
  11. Click on a backup. Choose the backup with the latest date and time.
  12. Click on . Once the process is complete, the contacts and other settings from the current device will be available on the new iPhone.

Syncing Google Contacts

  1. On the new iPhone open Settings . It's a gray app that contains gears and is typically located on your home screen.
    • To use Google to sync from an Android device, open Settings (⚙️) on your Android, scroll down and tap Accounts in the "Personal" section, then tap Google and slide "Contacts" to the "On" (green/blue) position. If it appears, tap 🔄 next to "Contacts" to sync them.
  2. Scroll down and tap . It's in a section with other Apple apps, like Calendar and Notes.
  3. Tap . It's the first section of the menu.
  4. Tap . It's at the bottom of the "ACCOUNTS" section.
  5. Tap . It's in the middle of the list.
  6. Enter your Gmail address in the labeled field.
  7. Tap . It's a blue button on the screen.
  8. Enter your password in the labeled field.
  9. Tap . It's a blue button on the screen.
  10. Slide "Contacts" to the "On" position. It will turn green.
    • Select other Gmail data you want to sync with your iPhone by sliding the data you want to see on your iPhone to the "On" (green) position.
  11. Tap . It's in the upper-right corner of the screen. Now your Google and Gmail contacts will be available in the Contacts app on your iPhone.

Tips

  • If you are setting up your iPhone for the first time, you can select to import data from an iCloud or iTunes backup, which will include your contacts (if you have them synced from your old phone) as well as other synced data, like photos, calendars, mail, etc.

Warnings

  • Make sure your contacts are backed up or transferred before erasing any data from your old device. Once erased, the contacts cannot be retrieved.

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