How to Transfer Data from Android to iPhone
updated 11 July 2026
Quick answer
The easiest way is to transfer your data during the new iPhone's initial setup - use the Move to iOS app from Google Play. If the iPhone is already set up, you can either erase it and start over, or move your data manually through your Google account and Google Photos.
Step by step
- 1
Prepare both phones
Plug the Android and the iPhone into their chargers and turn on Wi-Fi on the Android. Make sure the iPhone has as much free space as the data on your old phone takes up. On the Android, install the Move to iOS app from Google Play.
- 2
Get to the data transfer screen on the iPhone
Walk the new iPhone through setup until you reach the Apps & Data screen. Choose the option to move data from Android. The iPhone will display a code, six or ten digits long, which you'll use on the old phone.
- 3
Connect the phones with the code
Open Move to iOS on the Android, accept the terms and enter the code from the iPhone. The phones connect over a temporary Wi-Fi network created by the iPhone. If the Android warns that this network has no internet access, confirm the connection anyway.
- 4
Select what you want to transfer
On the Android, choose the items to move: contacts, message history, photos and videos, bookmarks, mail accounts and the calendar. If you use WhatsApp, update it to the latest version beforehand - then you can transfer your chat history too.
- 5
Wait until the end and don't touch the phones
The progress bar that counts is on the iPhone, not the Android - wait until it fills up on the iPhone, even if the Android claims it's already finished. Transferring a dozen or so gigabytes can take anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour. Keep the phones close together and don't let the screens go dark.
- 6
Finish setup and check your data
Once the bar reaches the end, finish setting up the iPhone and sign in with your Apple ID. Check your contacts, photos and messages. Apps don't transfer as such - free ones land on your App Store wish list, and the rest you download and sign into manually.
What transfers and what doesn't
Move to iOS transfers contacts, SMS and MMS history, camera photos and videos, albums, browser bookmarks, mail accounts and calendar entries. Depending on your Android version, it will also carry over some accessibility and display settings, plus files and folders.
The apps themselves don't copy over. Free ones that exist in the App Store get added to your wish list so you can grab them quickly - but their data, logins and game progress stay on the Android. Passwords saved in Chrome won't come across; if you use a password manager, sign into it on the iPhone separately.
WhatsApp is a separate case. The current version of Move to iOS can transfer your chat history and media, but you need the latest WhatsApp and you have to confirm the transfer along the way. Other messengers, like Messenger or Signal, restore conversations from the cloud after you sign in, so don't try to move them this way.
When the iPhone is already set up
Move to iOS only works on an iPhone during initial setup. If you're already using it, you have two routes. First: erase the phone (Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase All Content and Settings) and go through setup from scratch. You'll lose whatever you've already saved on it, so make a backup first.
The second route is a manual transfer, with no erasing. Add your Google account on the iPhone (in Settings, under Apps or Mail, choose Accounts and add the account) and turn on syncing for contacts, mail and calendar. Photos are easiest to move by installing Google Photos on both phones and turning on backup - after syncing, you'll see them on the iPhone.
The other direction: from iPhone to Android
The reverse direction is handled by Google's Switch to Android app or Samsung Smart Switch - they work during the new Android phone's setup, over Wi-Fi or a cable. Alternatively, sync your contacts and calendar from the iPhone to your Google account and your photos to Google Photos, then sign in with that account on the Android.
Before you part with the iPhone, turn off iMessage (Settings > Messages > iMessage) and FaceTime. Otherwise texts from other iPhone users can get stuck in Apple's system and never reach your new phone. If you've already handed the iPhone over, deregister your number on Apple's iMessage deactivation page.
Frequently asked questions
›How do you transfer data from Android to iPhone after setup?
Without erasing the iPhone, you can move it manually: add your Google account in the iPhone's settings and turn on contact and calendar syncing, then move photos through Google Photos. If you want to use the Move to iOS app, you first have to erase the iPhone and go through setup again.
›Does Move to iOS transfer WhatsApp?
Yes, the latest version of the app can transfer your WhatsApp chat history and media. Update WhatsApp on the Android to the newest version before you start and confirm the transfer when the app asks. Other apps you download and sign into separately.
›How long does transferring data from Android to iPhone take?
From about 15 minutes to an hour, depending on the amount of photos and videos. Transferring 20-30 GB over the local Wi-Fi network usually takes 30-60 minutes. Keep both phones plugged in and their screens awake, because an interruption means starting over.
›Can you transfer data from Android to iPhone over Bluetooth?
Not fully. Bluetooth works for single files between Android phones, but the iPhone won't handle it that way. For a complete transfer, use the Move to iOS app or sync through your Google account and Google Photos.
›Will my Android apps transfer to the iPhone?
Not the apps themselves. Free equivalents available in the App Store land on your wish list so you can download them quickly, but you have to restore data and logins manually. Paid Android apps don't carry over - you buy them separately in the App Store.