How to Transfer Data From Android to iPhone

The easiest way to move from Android to iPhone is Apple’s free Move to iOS app. Install it on your Android phone from Google Play, then on the new iPhone choose From Android during setup and follow the prompts. It copies contacts, messages, photos, videos, calendars and even WhatsApp chats over a direct Wi-Fi connection between the two phones.

The catch: it only works while the iPhone is being set up. If you’ve already set up the iPhone, you’ll need to erase it and start again, or move things manually. Here’s the full process.

Before you start

Charge both phones and keep them plugged in during the transfer. Large libraries can take an hour or more.
Turn on Wi-Fi on the Android phone. The iPhone creates its own temporary Wi-Fi network for the transfer.
Check storage. Make sure everything you’re moving, including content on a microSD card, will fit on the iPhone.
Update Chrome on Android if you want your bookmarks transferred.
Update WhatsApp on Android to the latest version if you want to move your chats.
Keep your phone number. WhatsApp transfer requires the same number on the new iPhone.

How to use Move to iOS

Turn on the new iPhone and follow the setup steps until you reach the Transfer Your Apps & Data screen. (Depending on the iOS version, you may first need to choose Set Up Without Another Device.)
Select From Android, then Transfer with App if asked.
On the Android phone, open Move to iOS, accept the terms and allow the permissions it asks for.
On the iPhone, tap Continue. A six- or ten-digit code appears.
Enter the code on the Android phone.
When prompted, let the Android phone join the temporary Wi-Fi network the iPhone creates.
On Android, choose what to transfer (contacts, messages, photos, WhatsApp and so on) and tap Continue.
Leave both phones alone, close together and plugged in, until the progress bar on the iPhone finishes, even if Android says it’s done.
Tap Done on Android, then Continue on the iPhone to finish setup.

Apple keeps its official instructions on its Move from Android support page. According to that page, newer Android phones (Android 17 or later on supported devices) can also use a Transfer without App option, where you scan a QR code shown on the iPhone. Availability depends on your phone maker.

What transfers and what doesn’t

Transfers with Move to iOS	Doesn’t transfer (move manually)
Contacts, messages and call history	Music files
Photos, videos, albums, files and folders	Books and PDFs
Calendars and mail accounts	Paid Android apps (you’ll need to buy iOS versions separately)
Chrome bookmarks, accessibility and display settings	App data for most apps (log in again; many sync from the cloud)
WhatsApp messages and media	Two-factor authenticator codes (move them inside the authenticator app first)
Free apps available on both stores (added to download)	Ringtones and some local files

How to move WhatsApp chats

WhatsApp history moves as part of Move to iOS, not through iCloud or Google Drive backups, which aren’t compatible across platforms.

During the Move to iOS process, select WhatsApp on the Android phone.
Tap Start on the Android screen and wait for WhatsApp to prepare the data. You’ll be signed out of WhatsApp on Android when it’s ready.
Return to Move to iOS and finish the transfer.
On the iPhone, install WhatsApp from the App Store, sign in with the same phone number, and tap Start when it offers to import your chats.

WhatsApp notes that some items, such as call history and peer-to-peer payment messages, don’t carry over. Your Android data stays on the old phone until you delete it, so don’t wipe it until you’ve confirmed everything arrived. WhatsApp’s own help page is at faq.whatsapp.com.

Photos: an alternative route

If you use Google Photos with backup turned on, your library is already in the cloud. Install Google Photos on the iPhone and sign in to see everything. If you’d rather keep photos in Apple’s Photos app and iCloud, Move to iOS will copy what’s stored on the phone, but photos that exist only in Google Photos’ cloud won’t be included. You can download them with Google Takeout if you want a full copy.

After the transfer

Messages and FaceTime: Go to Settings > Apps > Messages (or Settings > Messages on older iOS) and make sure iMessage is on.
Deregister from Google Messages chat features if you used RCS on Android, so texts from Android friends don’t get stuck.
Google account: Add it in Settings > Apps > Mail > Mail Accounts (path varies by iOS version) to sync Gmail, contacts and calendars, or just install Gmail and Google Calendar.
Check the App Store for apps that didn’t come across.
Move your eSIM or physical SIM. Many US carriers support eSIM transfer during iPhone setup or through their app.

Troubleshooting

No code appears on the iPhone: restart setup, or erase the iPhone and try again.
Transfer stalls or fails: keep Move to iOS on screen the whole time. Don’t take calls or open other apps on Android.
Connection drops: on Android, turn off mobile data, disable Wi-Fi optimizer or ‘smart network switch’ features, and forget saved Wi-Fi networks, then retry.
Not enough storage or partial transfer: erase the iPhone (Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase All Content and Settings), deselect large items like videos, and try again.
Still stuck: restart both phones. That fixes a surprising number of failed transfers.

Bottom line

Move to iOS handles almost everything that matters, including WhatsApp, as long as you run it during iPhone setup. Charge both phones, update WhatsApp and Chrome, keep the app on screen, and don’t factory reset the Android phone until you’ve checked your contacts, photos and chats on the iPhone. Once you’re set up, run through the iPhone settings worth changing first.

FAQ

Can I use Move to iOS after setting up my iPhone?

No. It only works during initial setup. You’d have to erase the iPhone and set it up again, or copy content manually using cloud services like Google Photos and Google Contacts.

Do my Android apps transfer?

Free apps that are also on the App Store are added for download. Paid apps need to be purchased again on iOS, and most app data relies on signing back into that app’s account.

Can I transfer with a cable?

Apple says a USB-C cable can speed up the transfer, but the process still runs through Move to iOS, and Wi-Fi should stay on.

Will my text messages show up in the Messages app?

Yes. SMS and message history from Android are imported into the iPhone’s Messages app.