Two recent questions, “how do I sync my gmail contacts with my iPhone ?” and “how to sync contacts from Android to iPhone?” There understandable question because we had just written an article about syncing contacts on Android to Gmail. We also mention, briefly, how to backup Android contacts. Hence, in this article, we show you how to transfer contacts from iPhone to Android and vice versa.
Export iPhone Contacts Using iCloud
The first thing you want to do is export your existing contacts to iCloud. Of course, you can also backup all data on your iPhone to iCloud. For now, here’s how to save your contacts to iCloud:
- Open your web browser on your PC. Use Firefox or Safari.
- Go to iCloud.com.
- Sign in using your Apple ID and password.
- Click Contacts.
- Click All Contacts in the top left corner of your screen.
Once on this screen, press the Command key and the A key on your keyboard at the same time if you have a Mac. Or, hit the ctrl key and A key on your keyboard at the same time if you have a Windows PC.
- Click the gear button or settings button.
- Select Export vCard.
Once selected, this saves your contacts as a .vcf file in your downloads. Should a new window appear, select all of your contacts again, right click, and export again. Proceed to the next step.
Import iPhone Contacts Using Google Contacts
Now, it’s time to sync iPhone and Gmail contacts. To do this, you must import your vCard (obtained above) using Google.
- Launch your web browser on your computer. Any web browser will work.
- Sign into your Google account.
- Click the Google apps button in the top right corner of your screen.
- Click Contacts.
- Click Import Contacts on the bottom of the left menu.
- Click Choose File.
- From the pop up, select the vcard file you just exported from iCloud.
- Then, click import.
All contacts should import right away. Also, if a red message appears at the top of your screen, select “Find and merge duplicates. Then, in the pop-up select merge.
Sync Google Account With Android
Once you complete all of the above, you can now sync your iPhone contacts to your Android smartphone. To do this, you need to sync your Google account with your Android device. Use the same account to which you saved your contacts previously.
- Open the Settings app from your home screen, the Notification Area, or the app drawer.
- Tap Accounts.
- Tap Google.
- Tap the switch next to Contacts to make sure that contact sync is turned on.
- Tap the more button on the top right corner of your screen. It’ll either be the word More or three vertical dots.
- Tap Sync now.
That’s it! You contacts from your iPhone are now on your Android phone. However, if you want an alternative method, you can try the following:
Sync iPhone Contacts To Android Phone
To add your iPhone contacts to your Android phone, you have to email yourself the vCard exported earlier. Use this method if you do not have a Google Account. Do not use this method and the one above together. You may gt a ton of duplicate contacts.
- Open your email app from the home screen or app drawer of your Android phone.
- Open the email containing your vCard file.
- Tap the download button next to the vCard file to download it.
- Swipe down from the top of your screen to reveal your Notifications.
- Tap the completed download notification to open the vCard file.
If you have a Nexus, Android One, or Google Play Edition device, the contacts save to the Google Contacts app. However, for all other devices, the contacts save to your device.