The fastest way depends on what phone you're switching to

The method that works best depends on whether you're moving to an iPhone, Android, or a different brand entirely. If you're switching between iPhones, Apple's built-in transfer tool handles everything in minutes. If you're moving from iPhone to Android or Android to iPhone, Google's transfer tool works well. If you're switching between Android phones, you have several options depending on which manufacturer made your old phone.

The common thread across all methods is that your contacts need to be stored somewhere the new phone can read them. Most phones automatically back up contacts to a cloud account — Apple uses iCloud, Google uses Google Account, and Samsung uses Samsung Account. If your contacts are already synced to one of these accounts, transferring them is often just a matter of signing in on the new phone.

Before you start, turn off your old phone only after you've confirmed the transfer worked on the new one. Contacts can take a few minutes to appear after transfer, so don't panic if they don't show up instantly.

Key Takeaways

  • iPhone to iPhone: Use Quick Start during setup, which transfers contacts automatically through iCloud.
  • Android to Android: Sign into your Google Account on the new phone, and contacts sync within minutes.
  • iPhone to Android: Export contacts from iPhone as a file, then import them into Google Contacts or your Android phone.
  • Android to iPhone: Sign into your Google Account on the iPhone, and Google Contacts syncs automatically.
  • If you don't remember your cloud account password, reset it before you get the new phone, not after.

iPhone to iPhone: Using Quick Start

Place your new iPhone next to your old one. On the new phone, follow the setup prompts until you see the "Quick Start" screen. Your old iPhone will ask if you want to use it to set up the new one — tap "Continue." The phones will create a temporary connection and transfer your data, including contacts, automatically.

This method transfers contacts stored in iCloud, which is where iPhone keeps them by default. If you've turned off iCloud syncing on your old phone, your contacts won't transfer this way. You can check by going to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud on your old iPhone and looking for Contacts in the list. If the toggle is off, turn it on before starting the transfer, wait a few minutes for contacts to sync to iCloud, then proceed with Quick Start.

If you don't have both phones at the same time, or if Quick Start fails, you can sign into iCloud on the new iPhone manually. Go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud, sign in with your Apple ID, and toggle Contacts on. Your contacts will appear within a few minutes.

Android to Android: Using your Google Account

On your new Android phone, go through the initial setup. When prompted to sign in, enter the Google Account email and password you use on your old phone. Your contacts will sync automatically — this usually takes a few minutes, but can take longer if you have hundreds of contacts.

If you've already finished setup without signing in, you can add the account afterward. Go to Settings > Accounts (or Users & Accounts, depending on your phone brand), tap "Add Account," select Google, and sign in. Then go to Settings > Accounts > Google > [Your Email] and make sure Contacts is toggled on.

If you're not sure which Google Account your contacts are in, check your old phone. Go to Settings > Accounts > Google and look at which accounts are listed. If you have multiple Google Accounts, your contacts might be in whichever one you've been using longest. You can verify by opening Google Contacts in a web browser on a computer — sign into each account and see which one has your contact list.

iPhone to Android: Exporting and importing contacts

On your iPhone, open Settings > Mail > Accounts > Google (or whichever email account you want to use on Android). If you don't see Google listed, tap "Add Account," select Google, and sign in. Toggle Contacts on. Wait a few minutes for your iPhone contacts to sync to that Google Account.

On your new Android phone, sign into the same Google Account during setup, or add it afterward through Settings > Accounts. Your contacts will appear within a few minutes. This method works because you're using Google as the middle step — your iPhone contacts move to Google's servers, and then your Android phone reads them from there.

If you don't want to use a Google Account, you can export your iPhone contacts as a file instead. On your iPhone, open Contacts, tap "Groups" at the top left, make sure "All Contacts" is selected, then go to Settings > Mail > Contacts > Default Account and pick the account you want to export from. Unfortunately, iPhone doesn't have a built-in export button, so you'll need to use a third-party app from the App Store that can export contacts as a VCF file. Once you have the file, email it to yourself, download it on your Android phone, and open it — Android will ask which app to use to import the contacts.

Android to iPhone: Using Google Contacts

On your new iPhone, go through setup until you reach the sign-in screen. When prompted to set up email, select "Google" and sign in with the Google Account that holds your contacts. Toggle on "Contacts" when asked which data to sync. Your contacts will appear within a few minutes.

If you've already finished setup, go to Settings > Mail > Accounts > Add Account, select Google, and sign in. Then go to Settings > Contacts > Default Account and make sure the Google Account is selected. Your contacts will sync automatically.

This works because Google Contacts syncs across devices. When you sign into your Google Account on the iPhone, the phone automatically reads your contacts from Google's servers. You don't need to do anything else — the sync happens in the background.

What to do if contacts don't appear after transfer

Wait at least five minutes after completing the transfer. Contacts can take longer to sync if you have a large contact list or a slow internet connection. Make sure your new phone is connected to Wi-Fi, not just mobile data, because syncing works faster over Wi-Fi.

Check that you signed into the correct account. On iPhone, go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud and verify you're signed in. On Android, go to Settings > Accounts and look at which accounts are listed. If you signed into the wrong account, remove it and add the correct one, then wait a few minutes for contacts to sync.

If you're still not seeing contacts, check your old phone to confirm they're actually there. Open the Contacts app and search for a contact you know you have. If the contact exists on the old phone but isn't syncing, the cloud account might not be turned on. On iPhone, go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Contacts and toggle it on. On Android, go to Settings > Accounts > [Your Account] > Account Sync and toggle Contacts on.

Transferring contacts if you don't have your old phone

If your old phone is lost, broken, or you no longer have access to it, your contacts are still recoverable if they were synced to a cloud account. On your new phone, sign into the same account you used on the old phone. Your contacts will sync automatically.

If you don't remember which account you used, try the email address you remember using most often. If that doesn't work, you can recover your account password through the account provider's website. Go to Google.com, Apple.com, or Samsung.com and look for "Forgot Password" or "Account Recovery." You'll need to verify your identity, usually by answering security questions or confirming a recovery email address.

If you have no way to recover the old account and no backup of your contacts, you may not be able to recover them. This is why it's worth setting up cloud syncing on your current phone now, before you need it. On iPhone, go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Contacts and toggle it on. On Android, go to Settings > Accounts > Google > [Your Account] > Account Sync and toggle Contacts on.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will my contacts transfer if I use a USB cable to connect the phones?

No. Connecting phones with a cable doesn't transfer contacts — you need to use either a cloud account or a file transfer method. The cloud account method (signing into Google or iCloud) is the most reliable because it works even if you don't have both phones at the same time.

What if I have contacts stored only on my SIM card?

SIM card contacts don't transfer automatically with most methods. You'll need to export them first. On iPhone, this requires a third-party app. On Android, open Contacts, tap the menu, select "Import/Export," and choose "Export to Storage" or "Export to File." Then import that file on your new phone. Some carriers can also transfer SIM contacts for you if you visit a store.

Can I transfer contacts to multiple phones at once?

Yes, if they're synced to a cloud account. Any phone you sign into with that account will see the same contacts. Changes you make on one phone appear on all of them. This works for Google Accounts on Android and iCloud on iPhone.

Do I need to pay anything to transfer my contacts?

No. Cloud syncing through Google Account and iCloud is free. You don't need a paid plan or subscription to transfer contacts between phones.

What happens to my contacts on the old phone after I transfer them?

They stay on the old phone. Transferring creates a copy on the new phone — it doesn't delete them from the old one. You can delete them from the old phone manually if you want, but it's not necessary.