The fastest way: use Google Contacts

If your Android contacts are stored in a Google account, you can move them to iPhone in about five minutes without a computer. Sign into that same Google account on your new iPhone, go to Settings > Mail > Accounts > Add Account, choose Google, and enter your credentials. When you finish, iPhone will ask whether to sync contacts — say yes. Your contacts appear in the iPhone Contacts app within a few minutes.

This works because Google Contacts syncs automatically across devices. Once you sign in, iPhone pulls the contact list directly from Google's servers rather than copying files around. If you have multiple Google accounts, you can add all of them and iPhone will combine the contacts into one list.

The catch: this only works if your contacts were actually stored in Google. If they lived only on your Android phone's internal storage or in a carrier account, you will need a different method.

Key Takeaways

  • The fastest route is signing into your Google account on iPhone, which syncs contacts automatically without needing a computer or cable.
  • If your contacts are in Samsung, Outlook, or another service, add that account to iPhone the same way — through Settings > Mail > Accounts.
  • For contacts stored only on your Android phone itself, export them as a VCF file, email the file to yourself, and open it on iPhone.
  • iPhone will ask whether to merge duplicate contacts after the transfer — you can clean these up one at a time in the Contacts app.

Adding other accounts: Samsung, Outlook, and Microsoft

If your Android contacts live in Samsung Account, Outlook, or Microsoft 365, the process is the same as Google. Go to Settings > Mail > Accounts > Add Account on your iPhone, choose the service, and sign in. iPhone syncs those contacts automatically from that point forward.

Samsung Account works this way if you were signed into a Samsung phone and had contact sync turned on. Outlook and Microsoft 365 work the same way — if you were using Outlook on Android, your contacts are already in Microsoft's servers, and signing in on iPhone pulls them over.

The advantage of this method is that any contact you add or change on iPhone automatically updates on your old Android phone too, as long as both devices stay signed into the same account. This is useful if you are keeping the Android phone for a while.

Exporting contacts as a file if they are only on your Android phone

If your contacts were never synced to Google, Samsung, or another online service, you need to export them as a file first. On your Android phone, open the Contacts app, tap the menu (usually three lines in the corner), and look for an option like "Export" or "Send contacts." Choose "Export to storage" or "Export as VCF file." The phone saves a file called something like contacts.vcf to your Downloads folder.

Once the file is exported, email it to yourself. Open that email on your iPhone, tap the attachment, and choose "Add All Contacts." iPhone reads the VCF file and imports every contact into your phone's contact list.

The exact menu names vary by phone brand — Samsung calls it "Export," while some other Android phones say "Share contacts" or "Backup." If you cannot find the option, search your phone's settings for "export" or check the Contacts app's help menu.

Handling duplicates after the transfer

If you added the same Google account on both your old Android phone and your new iPhone, or if you imported a file that overlapped with existing contacts, you may see duplicates. iPhone shows you a list of suspected duplicates and lets you merge them one at a time.

Open the Contacts app on iPhone, scroll to the bottom, and tap "Contacts" to see the full list. If duplicates exist, iPhone usually flags them automatically. Tap "Edit" in the top right, then tap "Merge" next to any duplicate pair. iPhone combines them into a single contact, keeping all the phone numbers and email addresses from both.

If iPhone does not automatically suggest merges, you can do it manually: open a duplicate contact, tap "Edit," scroll down, and tap "Link Contacts." Choose the other version of that contact, and iPhone merges them.

What happens to contacts stored in your carrier account

Some carriers — AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile — let you store contacts in a carrier account separate from your phone. These contacts do not sync to Google or other services automatically. If you had contacts in a carrier account on Android, you will need to move them separately.

The easiest way is to sign into your carrier account on the carrier's website from a computer, read your contacts as a VCF file, email the file to yourself, and open it on iPhone. Each carrier has a different process: AT&T calls it "Address Book," Verizon calls it "My Verizon," and T-Mobile uses "My T-Mobile." If you are unsure whether you have carrier contacts, call your carrier's customer service and ask them to export your contact list.

Keeping contacts in sync going forward

Once your contacts are on iPhone, decide where you want them to live long-term. If you keep them in a Google account, they stay synced across any device you sign into — Android, iPhone, computer, or web browser. If you keep them only on iPhone, they are backed up to iCloud if you have iCloud turned on in Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud.

To check where your contacts are stored, open Settings on iPhone, tap Mail, then Accounts. You will see every account that syncs contacts to your phone. If you want all your contacts in one place, pick one account — usually Google or iCloud — and delete the others from your phone. This does not delete the contacts themselves, just stops syncing from that account.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will my contacts transfer if I use iCloud instead of Google?

iCloud only syncs contacts between Apple devices. If you want contacts on both iPhone and Android in the future, use Google Account instead. If you only plan to use Apple devices going forward, iCloud works fine — just make sure iCloud is turned on in Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Contacts.

What if I do not remember which account my Android contacts were in?

On your Android phone, open Settings > Accounts and look for Google, Samsung, Outlook, or Microsoft accounts. Tap each one and check whether contact sync is turned on. You can also open the Contacts app, tap the menu, and look for a "Settings" or "Accounts" option that shows where contacts are stored.

Can I transfer contacts without signing into my Google account on iPhone?

Yes — export your contacts as a VCF file on Android, email the file to yourself, and open it on iPhone. This works even if you do not want to sign into Google on your new phone. The downside is that future changes on Android will not sync to iPhone automatically.

Do I need to delete contacts from my Android phone after moving them to iPhone?

No. Deleting them from Android does not affect the copy on iPhone. If you want to keep both phones in sync going forward, leave the contacts on Android and sign into the same account on both phones. If you are getting rid of the Android phone, you can delete them, but it is not necessary.

What if the VCF file is too large to email?

Most contact lists are small enough to email. If yours is not, try uploading the VCF file to Google Drive or Dropbox from your Android phone, then downloading it on iPhone and opening it. Alternatively, sign into a Google account on Android, turn on contact sync, and then sign into that same account on iPhone.