I moved my Android data to an iPhone: Here’s the transfer method I’d use again

I’ll be honest: moving from Android to iPhone used to be the part of the switch I dreaded most. The iPhone itself is easy to set up. The headache is everything sitting on the old Android phone, including thousands of photos, years of WhatsApp conversations, contacts, messages, files, and the phone number you don’t want to lose.

In 2026, however, this issue is much less troublesome. Apple still recommends Move to iOS, but there is now another option: compatible Android phones running Android 17 or later can transfer data to an iPhone without installing the Move to iOS app. Apple also supports a direct USB-C connection for faster transfers.

Here’s exactly how I move data from Android to iPhone.

What can you transfer from Android to iPhone?

Before starting, it helps to know what Apple can actually move. Otherwise, you may finish the transfer and wonder where your music collection or PDF files went.

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Apple says the supported transfer can include:

Contacts
Message history
SMS messages
Call history
Camera photos and videos
Photo albums
Files and folders
Accessibility settings
Display settings
Web bookmarks
Mail accounts
WhatsApp messages and media
Voice Memos
Calendars
Some free apps that are available on both Google Play and the App Store and support the transfer feature

That covers most of the data I would consider important when changing phones. But there are some notable exceptions.

What doesn’t automatically transfer?

Apple specifically says music, books, and PDFs need to be moved manually. Apps that aren’t available on the App Store also won’t magically appear on your iPhone.

So don’t think of this as cloning your Android phone onto an iPhone. It’s better to think of it as moving the supported data into Apple’s ecosystem and then rebuilding the rest.

Before you transfer data from Android to iPhone

This is the part I wouldn’t rush.

Apple recommends turning on Wi-Fi and plugging both phones into power before beginning. You should also make sure everything you’re transferring, including data stored on an external Micro SD card, will fit on the new iPhone.

I would check these things first:

Charge both phones.
Plug both phones into power.
Turn on Wi-Fi on Android.
Check the available storage on your iPhone.
Check how much data is actually stored on Android.
Include Micro SD card content in your storage calculation.
Update Chrome on Android to transfer Chrome bookmarks.
Keep your USB-C cable nearby if you want to try a wired transfer.

Tip: If WhatsApp contains years of photos and videos, don’t underestimate how much space it can consume.

Should you use a USB-C cable to transfer Android data to an iPhone?

Yes, if you have a compatible cable.

Apple says you can directly connect an Android phone and an iPhone with a USB-C cable for faster transfer. That’s my preferred approach when moving a large amount of data.

A wireless transfer is convenient, but when you’re moving years of photos, videos, and messages, I would rather have the two phones physically connected than depend entirely on a wireless connection.

One small warning: Apple notes that when you connect the phones by cable, Android may show a USB-related pop-up, and you might need to adjust the USB settings before Move to iOS can start.

Method 1: Transfer data from Android to iPhone with Move to iOS

This remains the most universal official method. If your Android device does not support Apple’s new app-free transfer system, then this is how I’d do it.

Step 1: Start setting up your iPhone

Turn on the new iPhone and place it near your Android phone, and follow the setup instructions.

On the Quick Start screen, choose Set Up Without Another Device and continue.
Eventually, you’ll reach the Transfer Your Apps & Data screen.
Then tap From Android and select Transfer with App.

Note: If you’ve already completed iPhone setup, you need to erase the iPhone and start again to use Move to iOS. If you don’t want to erase it, you’ll need to move your content manually instead.

Step 2: Open Move to iOS on Android

On your Android phone, open the Move to iOS app.

I didn’t have it installed. But don’t worry, Apple provides a QR code shortcut on the new iPhone that takes you to the Google Play download page.

Once downloaded, launch the Move to iOS app and follow the next steps:

Tap Continue.
Read and accept Apple’s terms.
Choose whether to automatically send app data to Apple. I selected Automatically Send to share app data seamlessly.
Tap Continue to move through the permission prompts.
Allow Location and Notifications permissions when requested.

If you’re using a USB-C cable, you may also see a USB settings prompt.

Step 3: Enter the transfer code

On your iPhone, tap Continue when you reach the Move from Android screen. The iPhone will display a six-digit or ten-digit code.

Enter that code into the Android phone. The iPhone essentially creates a temporary connection so the two phones can communicate.

Step 4: Connect Android to the iPhone’s temporary Wi-Fi network

The iPhone creates a temporary Wi-Fi network.

When Android asks whether you want to join it, tap Connect.

Wait for the Transfer Data screen to appear.

If Android displays a warning about a weak internet connection, don’t panic. Apple specifically says you can ignore that alert during this process.

Step 5: Choose what you want to transfer

Now you’ll see the data that can be moved.

Select what you want to transfer and tap Continue. I have already shared the data types you can move from Android and iPhone.

Now, leave both phones alone until the iPhone’s loading bar finishes.

Even if the Android phone says the transfer is complete, I always wait until the progress bar on the iPhone has finished. Keep the phones close together and plugged in.

I would not:

Open another Android app
Answer a phone call
Turn off the screen unnecessarily
Walk away with one phone
Disconnect the Wi-Fi
Restart either phone

Apple specifically warns that using another app or receiving a call on Android before the transfer finishes can prevent the content from transferring.

Step 6: Complete the setup

Once the progress bar completes, tap Done on your Android device.

Also, tap Continue on your iOS device and follow the on-screen instructions to sign in to your Apple Account and continue setting up your device.

You can activate your phone number and SIM or eSIM on the iPhone during the move. Depending on your carrier, you may be directed to the carrier’s website to complete activation.

Method 2: Transfer data from Android to iPhone without the app

Apple has upgraded the Move to iOS app to make the transfer seamless.

If you have a supported Android device running a compatible version of Android 17 or later, you can transfer data without installing Move to iOS. Device-manufacturer support is required, so Android 17 alone doesn’t guarantee that every phone supports the feature.

If your phone supports it, I’d choose this method first.

How does transfer without Move to iOS app work

On the new iPhone:

Begin iPhone setup.
Go to Transfer Your Apps & Data.
Tap From Android and select Transfer without App.
Place the Android phone next to the iPhone.
Tap Continue.
Your iPhone will show a QR code to establish a connection. Use the Android camera to scan it.
Select the data you want to transfer to your Android. It includes photos, contacts, calendars, call history, and messages.
Wait for the transfer to finish.
Tap Continue on the iPhone.

The process is as simple as that. Check if everything has been moved successfully before factory resetting your Android.

The best part is that I can quickly transfer my eSIM to the new iPhone with the app-free method. After the data transfer, select the phone number on your Android device and tap Transfer. Once the eSIM transfer is complete, continue setting up the iPhone.

However, this depends on the device and carrier, so I wouldn’t assume every Android-to-iPhone switch will have a one-tap eSIM experience. You may need to manually activate the number in that case.

What if the QR code won’t scan?

You aren’t stuck. Apple provides a manual pairing method for the app-free transfer.

On the iPhone, when the QR code appears, tap Other Options.

Then on Android, follow these steps:

Go to Settings and select Google Services.
Tap All Services and select Pair with iPhone or iPad > Copy Data.
Now, type the session ID and pairing code shown on your iPhone or iPad and tap Continue.
Wait for the transfer to complete on your iPhone or iPad.

Note: If your Android phone doesn’t provide a place to enter the session ID and pairing code, you may need to contact the device manufacturer.

How to transfer WhatsApp from Android to iPhone

For many Android users, this is the part that matters most.

The good news is that Apple’s Move to iOS process supports transferring WhatsApp messages and media. When you reach the content-selection screen during the transfer, make sure WhatsApp data is included.

After the transfer finishes, I recommend opening WhatsApp on the iPhone and checking:

Recent conversations
Older conversations
Photos
Videos
Group chats
Important attachments

Don’t wipe the Android phone immediately. I would keep the old phone untouched until I’ve checked the data I care about most.

What happens to your Android Apps?

This is where Android-to-iPhone migration behaves differently from moving between two Android phones. Your Android apps don’t simply get copied to iOS.

As per my testing, when a free app is available on both Google Play and the App Store and supports the transfer feature, it moves to iPhone smoothly. Once the transfer is finished, you can download those matched apps from the App Store.

For everything else, you need to open the App Store, download the iPhone version manually, and sign back in.

And if an Android app isn’t available for iPhone, you’ll need to find an alternative.

How to transfer music, books, and PDFs

This is where I think Apple’s automatic transfer deserves an asterisk.

It doesn’t move everything. You need to send music, books, and PDFs manually.

For music: If you use a streaming service, the easiest option is simply to install its iPhone app from the App Store and sign in. The same applies to Apple Music—just sign in with your account.
Transfer Books and PDFs: For Kindle, Nook, Google Play Books, and similar services, install the corresponding iPhone app and sign in to access your library.
Move files: For documents stored in cloud services such as Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive, install the relevant service’s iPhone app and sign in.

For files, PDFs, and ePub books stored locally, you can use a computer as an intermediate step. Connect your Android phone to a computer and copy the files from the Documents folder. Then connect your iPhone and, on Mac, drag them into the Books app or sync via Finder. On Windows, use the Apple Devices app to sync them.

What if I’ve already set up my iPhone?

Here’s the catch that can save you a lot of frustration: Move to iOS is designed to work during iPhone setup.

If you’ve already finished setting up the iPhone, you need to erase the iPhone and start over to use the Move to iOS transfer. If you don’t want to erase the iPhone, you’ll have to manually move the content, contacts, text messages, call history, and more.

My advice is simple: Don’t spend an hour customizing a brand-new iPhone before deciding how you’re going to transfer your Android data. Choose your transfer method first.

Android-to-iPhone transfer not working? Try these fixes

Move to iOS is convenient, but it isn’t immune to problems. If the transfer fails, I’d go through these fixes in this order. From checking your connection and restarting both phones to ensuring enough storage and updating the software, these simple steps can often get the transfer working again.

1. Keep Move to iOS open

Don’t switch apps on Android, answer calls or let another process interrupt the transfer.

Apple specifically says the Move to iOS app should remain on screen until the transfer finishes.

2. Turn off mobile data

I recommend turning off the Android phone’s cellular data connection, as it might have an unstable speed, and trying the transfer again if you’re having problems.

3. Disable Wi-Fi features that interfere

Some Android phones have features that automatically switch networks or optimize connections.

Apple specifically mentions settings such as Smart Network Switch and Sprint Connections Optimizer as examples of settings that can interfere with the transfer.

4. Forget saved Wi-Fi networks

If your internet connection is still slow or experiencing hiccups, forget the connected Wi-Fi network on your Android device, reconnect to it, and try one more time.

5. Restart both phones

It’s boring advice, but I trust it the most. It removes the cache and refreshes the system.

Restart the Android and iPhone, then start the transfer again. Apple lists restarting both devices among its recommended troubleshooting steps.

What if your iPhone runs out of storage?

This is the problem I would take seriously before starting the transfer.

Sometimes, you may end up with only some content transferred, as the iPhone may appear full even though the transfer didn’t actually finish. In that situation, erase the iPhone, restart the transfer, and select content that fits within the iPhone’s available storage.

So check storage first. If your Android phone has 180GB of photos, videos, and files, moving to a 128GB iPhone won’t magically solve the math.

Switch from Android to iPhone easily!

Switching from Android to iPhone doesn’t have to be complicated. With Move to iOS, Apple’s new Transfer without App option for supported Android 17+ devices, and USB-C transfers, I can move most of my important data without starting from scratch.

I’d recommend checking my storage first, keeping both phones plugged in, and making sure my photos, contacts, messages, WhatsApp chats, and eSIM have transferred successfully. Music, books, and PDFs may still need to be moved manually.

Once everything looks good, you can finally say goodbye to your old Android phone and enjoy your new iPhone without worrying about leaving important data behind.