The fastest way: use iCloud to sync your contacts automatically

If both iPhones are signed into the same iCloud account, your contacts copy over on their own — you do not have to do anything. When you set up the new iPhone and enter your Apple ID and password during setup, iOS automatically downloads all contacts stored in that iCloud account to the new device. This happens in the background while you finish setup, usually within a few minutes.

If you already set up the new iPhone without signing in to iCloud, you can still sync contacts this way. Go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud on the new phone, sign in with the same Apple ID you use on the old phone, and toggle Contacts to on. iOS will merge the contacts from iCloud with any contacts already on the new phone.

This method keeps your contacts in sync across all your Apple devices going forward, so changes you make on one phone appear on the others automatically.

Key Takeaways

  • iCloud syncing is automatic if both phones use the same Apple ID — contacts copy during setup without extra steps.
  • If you already finished setup, turn on iCloud Contacts in Settings to sync what you missed.
  • Quick Start during setup copies contacts directly from old iPhone to new iPhone over Wi-Fi, even if you use different Apple IDs.
  • You can export contacts as a file and import them manually if you need to move them between different Apple ID accounts.
  • Contacts stored only in your phone's local storage (not iCloud) will not sync — check which contacts are backed up before you trade in the old phone.

Using Quick Start to copy contacts directly during setup

Quick Start is the easiest way if you have both phones in front of you and want to copy everything at once, including contacts. During setup of the new iPhone, you will see a screen that says "Quick Start" with an option to set up with another iPhone. Hold the old iPhone near the new one, and the old phone will show a viewfinder. Point it at the animation on the new phone's screen until it scans.

After scanning, the old iPhone asks you to enter the password for the Apple ID you use on the new phone. Once you do, iOS copies contacts, photos, messages, app data, and other settings to the new phone over a local Wi-Fi connection. This works even if the two phones use different Apple IDs, because the transfer happens directly between the devices rather than through iCloud.

Quick Start is faster than waiting for iCloud to sync in the background, and it copies everything in one step. The downside is that you need both phones available and charged during setup.

Exporting and importing contacts if you use different Apple IDs

If the old iPhone uses a different Apple ID than the new one, and you did not use Quick Start during setup, you can still move contacts by exporting them as a file. On the old iPhone, open the Contacts app, tap Groups in the top left corner, and make sure All Contacts is checked. Then tap Edit in the top right, select all contacts, and look for a Share or Export option (the exact wording varies by iOS version).

This creates a file called a vCard (.vcf file) that contains all your contacts. You can email this file to yourself, save it to iCloud Drive, or send it through another method. On the new iPhone, open the file and tap Add All or Import. iOS will add all the contacts from the file to your phone's contact list.

This method works when you need to move contacts between accounts, but it is a manual process and does not set up ongoing sync like iCloud does.

Checking which contacts are actually backed up to iCloud

Before you trade in or erase the old iPhone, verify that your contacts are actually stored in iCloud and not just on the phone itself. On the old iPhone, go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud and check whether Contacts is toggled on. If it is off, your contacts are stored only on that phone and will not copy to the new one automatically.

If Contacts is off, turn it on before you set up the new phone. iOS will upload all contacts from the old phone to iCloud, which takes a few minutes depending on how many contacts you have. Once the upload finishes, the new iPhone will read them during setup.

You can also check by opening the Contacts app on the old phone and looking at the account each contact is stored under. Tap a contact, scroll down, and look for text that says "iCloud" or the name of another account (like Gmail or Exchange). Contacts stored under iCloud will sync; contacts stored under other accounts may not, depending on whether those accounts are set up on the new phone.

Moving contacts from Gmail, Outlook, or other email accounts

If some of your contacts are stored in Gmail, Outlook, or another email service rather than iCloud, they will not copy through iCloud sync. Instead, you need to set up that email account on the new iPhone, and iOS will read the contacts associated with it.

On the new iPhone, go to Settings > Mail > Accounts > Add Account, choose the email service (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, etc.), and sign in. When prompted, make sure Contacts is toggled on. iOS will read all contacts stored in that account's address book to your phone.

If you use multiple email accounts, you will need to add each one separately. Contacts from each account will appear in your main Contacts app but remain linked to their original account — if you edit a contact from Gmail, the change syncs back to Gmail.

What to do if contacts do not appear on the new phone

If you finished setup and contacts are still missing, the most common reason is that iCloud Contacts is not turned on. Go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud and check that Contacts is toggled on. If it is already on, try toggling it off and back on again — this sometimes forces iOS to re-sync.

Another possibility is that the contacts are stored under a different account. Open the Contacts app, tap Groups, and check which accounts are selected. If you see a Gmail, Outlook, or Exchange account in the list, make sure it is checked. Unchecked accounts are hidden from view but still exist on the phone.

If you used Quick Start and contacts still did not copy, check that both phones were connected to Wi-Fi during the transfer and that the process completed without interruption. If it was interrupted, you can manually add the missing contacts by exporting them from the old phone and importing them on the new one.

Keeping your contacts safe after the transfer

Once your contacts are on the new iPhone, make sure they stay backed up. The safest approach is to keep iCloud Contacts turned on — this way, if you lose the phone or need to restore it, your contacts are stored in iCloud and can be downloaded again.

You can also create a manual backup by exporting your contacts as a vCard file and storing it somewhere safe, like iCloud Drive or a computer. This gives you a copy you can restore from if something goes wrong, and it is especially useful if you plan to switch to a non-Apple phone in the future.

Do not rely only on the phone's local storage. If the phone is lost, stolen, or erased, contacts stored only on the device are gone for good.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will my contacts copy if I use a different Apple ID on the new iPhone?

Not automatically through iCloud. Use Quick Start during setup to copy contacts directly from the old phone, or export contacts as a vCard file and import them manually on the new phone. If you set up the new phone first, you can still export and import, but Quick Start is faster.

What if I do not have the old iPhone anymore?

If the old iPhone is gone but you had iCloud Contacts turned on, sign into the same Apple ID on the new phone and your contacts will read from iCloud. If you did not have iCloud Contacts on, and you did not export a backup file, those contacts may be unrecoverable. Going forward, keep iCloud Contacts on to prevent this.

Can I copy contacts from an Android phone to an iPhone?

Yes, but not directly. Export your contacts from the Android phone as a vCard or CSV file, email the file to yourself, and open it on the iPhone to import. Some Android phones have a built-in export option in the Contacts app; others require you to use Google Contacts online to read the file.

Do I need Wi-Fi to copy contacts?

For iCloud sync, you need Wi-Fi during initial setup or when you turn on iCloud Contacts. Quick Start requires Wi-Fi. Importing a vCard file does not require Wi-Fi if the file is already on the phone, but getting the file there (via email or cloud storage) usually does.

What happens to contacts if I turn off iCloud Contacts?

Contacts already on your phone stay there, but they stop syncing with iCloud. New contacts you add will be stored only on that phone. If you turn iCloud Contacts back on later, the phone will re-sync with iCloud, but any contacts you added while it was off may not upload if they conflict with iCloud versions.