The fastest way: use Google Contacts

If your Android contacts are stored in a Google account, you can move them to iPhone in about five minutes by signing into that same Google account on your new phone. When you add your Google account to iPhone during setup or in Settings > Mail > Accounts & Passwords, iOS will automatically pull your contacts into the iPhone's native Contacts app. This works whether you have 50 contacts or 500.

The contacts stay synced after that — if you add someone new on your iPhone, it updates in Google Contacts, and vice versa. You do not need any third-party apps or cables. This is the method most people should use because it is the simplest and most reliable.

Key Takeaways

  • Google Contacts syncs automatically to iPhone when you sign into your Google account in Settings, and takes about five minutes with no extra steps.
  • If your Android contacts are only stored locally on the phone (not in Google, Samsung, or another cloud account), you will need to export them as a file first.
  • You can export Android contacts as a VCF file using the Contacts app, then email the file to yourself and open it on iPhone to import them.
  • Samsung phones let you back up contacts to a Samsung account, which you can then access on iPhone through the Samsung SmartThings app or by exporting the backup.

If your contacts are only stored on the Android phone itself

Some Android phones keep contacts stored locally rather than syncing them to a cloud account. You can tell this is the case if you do not see your contacts appearing in Google Contacts when you visit contacts.google.com from a computer. To move these contacts, you need to export them as a file first.

Open the Contacts app on your Android phone, tap the menu (usually three horizontal lines), and look for an option like "Export" or "Export contacts." Choose "Export to storage" or "Export as VCF file." The phone will create a file called something like "contacts.vcf" and save it to your phone's storage. This file contains all your contacts in a standard format that iPhone can read.

Email this VCF file to yourself, then open the email on your iPhone and tap the attachment. iPhone will ask if you want to import the contacts — tap "Import" and they will be added to your Contacts app. All the names, phone numbers, and email addresses transfer over, though some custom fields (like nicknames or contact photos) may not carry through.

Using Samsung's backup system

If you have a Samsung Android phone, you can back up your contacts to your Samsung account directly from the phone. Open Settings, go to Accounts, select your Samsung account, and turn on "Contacts" sync. This backs up your contacts to Samsung's servers.

On your iPhone, download the Samsung SmartThings app from the App Store and sign into the same Samsung account. The app will show your backed-up contacts, and you can export them from there. Alternatively, you can go to account.samsung.com from your computer, sign in, and download your contacts as a VCF file, then email it to yourself and import it on iPhone the same way as described above.

Moving contacts stored in other accounts

If your Android contacts are synced to Microsoft Outlook, Yahoo Mail, or another email provider, you can add that account to your iPhone and the contacts will sync automatically. Go to Settings > Mail > Accounts & Passwords on your iPhone, tap "Add Account," select the provider, and sign in with your username and password. iOS will pull in all the contacts associated with that account.

This works the same way as adding a Google account — the contacts stay in sync across both devices, and you do not need to manually import anything. If you use multiple email accounts on your Android phone, add each one to your iPhone and all the contacts will appear in the Contacts app.

What happens to contact photos and custom fields

Contact photos, notes, and custom fields (like "Nickname" or "Phonetic Name") sometimes transfer and sometimes do not, depending on how you move the contacts. The VCF export method preserves most of this information, but some Android-specific fields may be lost. Google Contacts and Samsung accounts preserve photos and most custom data when syncing.

If a contact photo does not come through, you can add it manually on iPhone by opening the contact, tapping "Edit," and selecting a photo. This is usually only necessary for a handful of contacts, and the core information — name, phone number, email — always transfers cleanly.

Troubleshooting contacts that do not appear

If you signed into your Google account on iPhone but your contacts are not showing up, go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud and make sure "Contacts" is turned on. Sometimes iPhone defaults to storing new contacts in iCloud rather than Google, which can make it look like your Google contacts disappeared. They are still there — they are just not being displayed.

If you imported a VCF file and only some contacts appeared, check that the file was not corrupted during the email transfer. Try downloading it again or re-exporting it from your Android phone. If you used Google Contacts but contacts are still missing, visit contacts.google.com from a computer and check whether they are actually in your Google account — they may have been stored locally on your old Android phone instead.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to keep my Android phone to transfer contacts?

No. As long as your contacts are backed up to Google, Samsung, or another cloud account, or exported as a file before you get rid of the Android phone, you can transfer them to iPhone anytime. If your contacts are only stored locally on the Android phone and you have already gotten rid of it, they are gone.

Will my contacts stay synced if I use Google Contacts?

Yes. When you sign into your Google account on iPhone, contacts sync automatically in both directions. Add a contact on your iPhone and it appears in Google Contacts within a few seconds. This works as long as you stay signed into that Google account on your iPhone.

Can I transfer contacts from multiple Android phones to one iPhone?

Yes. Add each Google account, Samsung account, or other email account to your iPhone in Settings > Mail > Accounts & Passwords, and all the contacts from each account will appear in your Contacts app. If the same person is in multiple accounts, iPhone may ask you to merge the duplicates.

What if I do not remember which account my Android contacts are synced to?

Go to contacts.google.com, contacts.microsoft.com, or your email provider's website and sign in with the accounts you use on your Android phone. If you see your contacts there, that is the account they are synced to. If you do not see them anywhere, they are stored only on the Android phone itself and you will need to export them as a VCF file.