How to Transfer Contacts to a New Phone in the UK

Getting a new phone is exciting until you realise your contacts are still on the old one. The good news is that moving them takes only a few minutes in most cases, and you rarely need to type a single number in by hand. The exact steps depend on whether you are moving between two iPhones, two Android phones, or switching from one to the other. This guide covers every combination, plus the old-fashioned SIM card method and what to do if something goes missing.

Step 1: Move contacts from iPhone to iPhone

This is the easiest transfer of all. On your old iPhone, go to Settings, tap your name, then iCloud, and make sure Contacts is switched on. Wait a few minutes while the phone uploads your contacts, ideally while it is on Wi-Fi.

Then sign in to your new iPhone with the same Apple ID during setup. When the phone asks whether to restore from an iCloud backup, choose the most recent backup of your old phone. Your contacts, photos, apps and settings come across together. If you set up the new phone as a fresh device instead, go to Settings, tap your name, then iCloud, and switch Contacts on. Your contacts will appear within a few minutes.

You can also place the two phones next to each other and use Quick Start, which appears automatically on the old phone when the new one is switched on nearby. Follow the on-screen steps and your data, including contacts, transfers directly between the two phones.

Step 2: Move contacts from Android to Android

On your old Android phone, open Settings, then Google, then Backup, and check that your contacts are included in the backup. You can also open the Contacts app, tap your profile picture, then Contacts app settings, then Google Contacts sync, and make sure sync is on. This pushes your contacts to your Google account.

On your new Android phone, sign in with the same Google account during setup. When the phone asks whether to restore from a backup, choose the backup from your old phone. Your contacts appear in the Contacts app once the restore finishes. If you skipped the restore during setup, open Settings, then Accounts, then Google, tap your account, and make sure Contacts sync is switched on. Your contacts will download within a few minutes.

Step 3: Move contacts from iPhone to Android

First, make sure your iPhone contacts are in your Google account. On your iPhone, go to Settings, then Contacts, then Accounts, and add your Google account if it is not already there. Tap the Google account and switch Contacts on. Your iPhone contacts will then sync to Google Contacts.

Now sign in to your new Android phone with the same Google account. Your contacts will appear in the Contacts app automatically once syncing finishes. You can check the result at contacts.google.com on any computer, which shows exactly what is stored in your Google account.

Step 4: Move contacts from Android to iPhone

The simplest way is Apple's Move to iOS app, which is free on the Google Play Store. Install it on your old Android phone before you set up the iPhone. During iPhone setup, when you reach the Apps and Data screen, choose Move Data from Android. Open Move to iOS on the Android phone, follow the steps, and enter the code shown on the iPhone. Choose Contacts, along with anything else you want to move, and wait for the transfer to finish.

If you have already set up the iPhone, use your Google account instead. On the iPhone, go to Settings, then Contacts, then Accounts, add your Google account, and switch Contacts on. Your Google contacts will sync to the iPhone within a few minutes.

Step 5: Use a SIM card or a file as a backup method

If your contacts are stored on a SIM card, you can move them that way. On an iPhone, put the old SIM in the new phone, go to Settings, then Contacts, then Import SIM Contacts. On Android, open the Contacts app, tap Fix and manage, then Import, and choose SIM card. You can also export your contacts as a vCard file from iCloud on a computer or from the Android Contacts app, then open that file on the new phone. A vCard is a standard format both iPhone and Android can read.

Fixing common transfer problems

If some contacts are missing after the move, check whether you have more than one account. Contacts can be split between iCloud, Google, Outlook and the device itself, and a transfer often only moves one of them. Open the Contacts app on your old phone, look at the groups or accounts shown, and repeat the transfer for each account that holds contacts.

If you see duplicate contacts, do not delete them one by one. On iPhone, the Contacts app merges duplicates automatically in most recent versions. On Android, open the Contacts app, tap Fix and manage, then Merge and fix, and follow the prompts to combine duplicates.

If contacts appear without names, showing only numbers, the transfer probably brought the numbers but not the names, which can happen when a SIM card import goes wrong. The fix is to redo the transfer using your Google or Apple account instead, which carries the full contact details.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I transfer contacts from iPhone to Android?

Add your Google account to your iPhone under Settings, then Contacts, then Accounts, and switch Contacts on so your contacts sync to Google. Then sign in to your Android phone with the same Google account and your contacts will appear in the Contacts app.

Do I need an app to move my contacts to a new phone?

No, not in most cases. Moving between two iPhones works through iCloud, and moving between two Android phones works through your Google account. Apple's free Move to iOS app is the easiest option when switching from Android to iPhone, and a SIM card or vCard file works as a backup method.

Why are some of my contacts missing after the transfer?

Your contacts may be split across more than one account, such as iCloud, Google and Outlook, and the transfer may have only moved one of them. Check the accounts on your old phone, repeat the transfer for each one, and make sure sync is switched on for the account that holds the missing contacts.