# How to transfer contacts from Android to iPhone

Source: https://exportcontacts.com/guides/transfer-contacts-android-to-iphone/
Updated: 2026-11-14 · By the Contaxo team

> If your iPhone is already set up, the quickest way is **Transfer to New Phone** in **Contaxo**: show a QR code on the Android phone, scan it with the iPhone's camera, confirm the matching code and save. If the iPhone is brand new, Apple's **Move to iOS** app can copy contacts during setup. Both work without moving your contacts into a Google account.

## What you need

- Your Android phone and the iPhone, both online
- Contaxo on the Android phone (the iPhone gets it from the App Store when you scan)

## Transfer with a QR code in Contaxo

1. **Open Transfer to New Phone on Android.** In Contaxo on the Android phone, tap **Transfer to New Phone** on the Home tab. A QR code appears. Keep the screen open.
2. **Scan the code with the iPhone.** Open the iPhone's Camera and point it at the code. If Contaxo isn't installed, the App Store opens and the transfer continues after you install it.
3. **Confirm the code.** Both phones show the same short code. If it matches, tap **Yes, Same · Transfer** on the Android phone.
4. **Save on the iPhone.** The iPhone shows which contacts are new and which are already there. Tap **Save** to add the new ones. Saving needs Contaxo Pro; the free vCard method is below.

## Pick the right method

| Your situation | Best method |
| --- | --- |
| iPhone already set up | **Transfer to New Phone** in Contaxo (QR code) |
| New iPhone, still in setup | Apple's **Move to iOS** app |
| You want to keep using Google for contacts | Your Google account, added on the iPhone |
| You don't want to pay | A vCard file from Contaxo (method 4) |

## Method 1: Transfer to New Phone in Contaxo

The steps above. It works with any iPhone at any time, sends every contact the Android phone shows (Google, Samsung, SIM or phone), is end-to-end encrypted and doesn't add anyone twice. See [Move your contacts to a new phone](https://exportcontacts.com/transfer/) for details.

## Method 2: Move to iOS during iPhone setup

Install Apple's **Move to iOS** app from Google Play on the Android phone. On the new iPhone, follow setup until **Transfer Your Apps & Data**, choose **From Android**, and enter the code the iPhone shows in Move to iOS. Choose **Contacts** with anything else you want to bring.

Keep Move to iOS open on the Android phone until it finishes; switching apps or taking a call stops the transfer. Plug both phones into power for a large transfer.

## Method 3: Through your Google account

If your contacts are saved in your Google account, add that account on the iPhone in **Settings › Apps › Contacts › Contacts Accounts › Add Account › Google** (older iOS: **Settings › Contacts › Accounts**) and turn on **Contacts**. They stay in sync with Google from then on.

Check on Android first: in **Google Contacts**, contacts saved only on the phone or the SIM card are not in your Google account. On Samsung phones, contacts are often saved in the Samsung account.

## Method 4: One vCard file (free)

1. In Contaxo on the Android phone, open Backup Contacts and tap **Back Up Now**. Every contact is saved in one vCard (.vcf) file, for free.
2. Tap **Share backup** and email it to yourself, or save it to Google Drive. Your first share is free.
3. On the iPhone, open the file from Mail or Files and tap **Add All Contacts**.

Without any app, the Contacts app on Android can also export a .vcf file: in **Google Contacts**, **Fix & manage › Export to file**; on a **Samsung** phone, **Contacts › menu › Manage contacts › Import or export contacts › Export**. This exports one account at a time, so repeat it if your contacts are spread over several accounts.

> Going the other way? See [How to transfer contacts from iPhone to Android](https://exportcontacts.com/guides/transfer-contacts-iphone-to-android/).

## Frequently asked questions

### Can I use Move to iOS after my iPhone is set up?

No. Move to iOS runs only during the iPhone's first setup. To use it later you would have to erase the iPhone and set it up again. Contaxo's QR transfer and the vCard method work at any time, with nothing erased.

### Can I transfer contacts from Android to iPhone without a Google account?

Yes. Contaxo's QR transfer, Move to iOS and the vCard file method all work without syncing your contacts to Google.

### Some contacts are missing on the iPhone after I added my Google account

Adding a Google account brings over only the contacts saved in that account. Contacts saved on the phone, on the SIM card or in a Samsung account stay behind. Contaxo sends every contact the Android phone shows, whichever account it is saved in.

### Will I get duplicates if the iPhone already has contacts?

Not with Contaxo's transfer: people already on the iPhone are skipped. With the vCard file, iPhone adds everyone in the file, so run [Duplicates](https://exportcontacts.com/duplicates/) afterwards if some were already there.

### Is it free?

Seeing the transferred contacts is free; saving them on the iPhone needs Contaxo Pro. Move to iOS and the vCard file method are free: backing up all contacts in Contaxo and your first share of a backup cost nothing.

## Related

- [How to move your contacts to a new phone](https://exportcontacts.com/transfer/)
- [How to transfer contacts from iPhone to Android](https://exportcontacts.com/guides/transfer-contacts-iphone-to-android/)
- [How to back up and restore your contacts](https://exportcontacts.com/backup/)
- [How to find and merge duplicate contacts](https://exportcontacts.com/duplicates/)

Get Contaxo: App Store https://apps.apple.com/app/id1546550155 · Google Play https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.onnex.exportcontacts.excel.backup