New to iPhone? Here’s How You Can Transfer Your Data from Android

How to Switch from Android to iPhone Credit: Jack Skeens / Shutterstock
Text Size
- +

Toggle Dark Mode

So you finally made the switch? Welcome to the world of iPhone and the Apple ecosystem. If you aren’t familiar with the iPhone’s operating system, better known as iOS, you probably have a ton of questions right now. From how to use iPhone gestures, to how to set up and use Siri, about the Today View, and even the new set of widgets on your Home screen.

There are many things you need to get used to. The journey might be long, but it’s worth it. And it all starts with one simple thing: switching over from Android to your brand new iPhone.

Unfortunately, switching from Android to iPhone isn’t as easy as just upgrading your old Android phone to a new one. The process will be pretty straightforward, but it’ll take a few more steps than you’d expect.

Making the switch isn’t as hard as you might think, albeit you might encounter some minor issues during the process. Fear not, for every issue you might find there’ll be a solution.

Get ready, here’s how you can transfer all your data from Android to iPhone.

Before We Start, You’ll Need This

Before you start moving your data from your Android to iPhone, you’ll need a few things to get you started.

You’ll obviously need to have your Android phone available, as well as your new iPhone. Both phones will need to be connected to a strong, secure Wi-Fi connection, and make sure both devices have enough power to last through the data transfer. If necessary, plug in both devices to make sure nothing will interrupt the process.

Your Android also needs to have the latest Android software update available. Here’s how you can check for updates on Android:

  1. On your Android, go to Settings.
  2. Scroll down and select Software update OR tap System.
  3. Tap on Advanced.
  4. Scroll down and tap on System Update at the bottom.
  5. If your Android didn’t automatically look for new updates, tap on Check for Update.
  6. If you have an update available, you’ll see the option to download the option and follow the instructions on the screen.

It’s also worth mentioning that your iPhone will also need to have at least iOS 9 installed. It’s pretty hard to come by an iPhone with anything less than iOS 12, but it’s good to keep it in mind.

To transfer your data to iPhone, you’ll have to download an Android app called Move to iOS. It’s very kind of Apple to develop an app to make it easier to ditch your Android.. The app is free to use and it’ll guide you through the whole process.

One more thing to keep in mind is storage. When transferring your files, the Move to iOS app will move the content that’s in your Android phone as well as in the SD card. Make sure your new iPhone has enough storage to fit all the data you’ll move over.

With all this out of the way, we can begin to transfer your data.

How to Transfer Your Data to iPhone

Transferring your data from Android to iPhone is pretty straightforward and you’ll mostly have to follow the instructions from the Move to iOS app. Here’s what you’ll have to do:

  1. Turn on your iPhone.
  2. Select your language.
  3. Look for the Apps & Data screen.
  4. Select Move Data From Android.
  5. Go to your Android and open the Move to iOS app.
  6. Read and agree to the terms and conditions and tap on Continue.
  7. On your iPhone tap Continue as well.
  8. A code will appear on your iPhone. Enter that code on your Android device to continue. It’s possible that your Android device shows a message saying it has a week internet connection but you can ignore that message.
  9. Choose the content you want to transfer to your iPhone. Then tap on Next.
  10. Wait until the process is finished on your iPhone. Your Android will say the transfer was completed beforehand, but wait until the progress bar on your iPhone is finished. How long the transfer will take depends on the amount of data you’re transferring. It can take a while, so you’ll need to be patient.
  11. Once the transferring is done, tap Continue Setting Up iPhone and finish the setup process.

Something to keep in mind is that you have to start setting up your iPhone as new. If you’ve already set it up, you’ll need to erase your iPhone and start over from scratch. If you don’t want that, you can also try to manually transfer your content, which we’ll talk about later.

What Data Can You Transfer?

During the transferring process, you’ll be asked to select what kind of content you want to transfer. By using the Move to iOS app, you’ll be able to transfer contacts, messages, camera photos and videos, web bookmarks, mail accounts, and calendars automatically.

Keep in mind that you’ll need to transfer things such as Music, Books, or PDF files manually after you’re done finishing.

Free apps that are in both the Android Play Store and the App Store will also be moved over and installed automatically.

Having Trouble Transfering your Content?

If you’re having problems transferring your data, or both devices keep disconnecting during the process, there are some things you can try to do.

First, make sure that your Android phone is always on the Move of iOS transferring screen. If you go to another app, get a phone call, or just close the app, the transfer won’t finish.

As we mentioned, you’ll need to have a strong internet connection. So try to turn off any app or setting that might affect your Wi-Fi connection. Apple also suggests that you can go to your Wi-Fi settings, forget all your known networks, connect to your Wi-Fi again, and try to make the transfer again.

Finally, if you have your cellular connection on, turn it off and try again.

If everything else fails, restart both devices and try one more time.

How to Manually Transfer your Content

If you already set up your iPhone, and you don’t want to delete it to start from scratch, or you just want to transfer some content over to your iPhone from an Android, you can try to transfer it manually.

For this, you’ll need to use a computer as well. It can be either a Mac or a Windows computer, but you’ll need to install some apps as well.

If you’re using Mac, you’ll have to install Android File Transfer to locate the content you want to manually move. And if you’re using a Windows PC, you’ll have to download iTunes to transfer those files to your iPhone.

Here’s what you need to do:

  1. Connect your Android to your computer.
  2. Open Android File Transfer if you’re on Mac.
  3. Find all the files you want to transfer. You can transfer pictures and videos, books, PDF files, music, and other documents.
  4. Move the files you want to transfer out of your Android and into your computer.
  5. Disconnect your Android and connect your iPhone.
  6. If you’re on Windows, open iTunes and drag your files into it.
  7. If you’re on Mac, open Finder and start to move your files to the respective places. Move books and PDFs into the Books app, songs into the Songs section in the Music app, and move the photos and videos into the Photos section on Finder.

How to Transfer Your Whatsapp Backups

Even though you’ll get most of your content transferred by using the Move to iOS app, you can’t transfer everything to your iPhone with it.

It has some limitations, and the most notorious one is Whatsapp. If you’re one of the 68 million monthly active Whatsapp users, you’ll probably want to have your Android backups moved over to your new iPhone. Sadly, this can’t be done by normal methods.

The reason is the way the backups are stored. On Android, you stored your Whatsapp backups by using Google Drive. On iPhone, however, you’ll store your backups on iCloud. Since they’re not compatible with each other, you can’t transfer your backups with Move to iOS.

The good news is that there is another method. There are some third-party apps that help you transfer your data from iPhone to Android, but you’ll need to pay to use them.

The one I recommend is MobileTrans, an app from the WonderShare team. This app is the one I’ve personally used and that it worked for me, but you can look for other options as well.

MobileTrans isn’t that cheap or perfect, though. You’ll have to pay up to $50 if you only want the option to transfer your Whatsapp backup. And, depending on which option you buy, you may only use the app for up to five devices.

The bright side is that MobileTrans helps you transfer more than just Whatsapp. You could also transfer all the data on your Android phone to an iPhone, and even create a safety backup on your computer in case anything goes wrong. It’s also an easier way to transfer all your files without having to do it manually like we previously showed you.

If you decide to use MobileTrans, the transfer process is fairly simple. You’ll need to plug in both your Android and iPhone devices, launch the MobileTrans app, and select Whatsapp Transfer.

Again, the process might take a while. it’ll all depend on how many messages and other items you’re transferring. Once you’re finished, you can go to your iPhone, start the Whatsapp app and set it up so it backs up to your iCloud account.

Sponsored
Social Sharing