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How to Transfer Contacts From iPhone to iPhone

Copy contacts from your old phone

By Sam Costello Sam Costello Writer Ithaca College Sam Costello has been writing about tech since 2000. His writing has appeared in publications such as CNN.com, PC World, InfoWord, and many others. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on March 11, 2022 Reviewed by Jon Fisher Reviewed by Jon Fisher Wichita Technical Institute Jonathan Fisher is a CompTIA certified technologist with more than 6 years' experience writing for publications like TechNorms and Help Desk Geek. lifewire's editorial guidelines Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email

In This Article

Expand Jump to a Section Transfer Contacts From iPhone to iPhone With iCloud Transfer iPhone Contacts by Restoring an iCloud Backup Transfer iPhone Contacts Using iTunes Transfer iPhone Contacts Using Web-Based Tools Transfer iPhone Contacts Using Third-Party Software Why You Can't Transfer iPhone Contacts Using a SIM Card

What to Know

iCloud: On both phones, go to Settings > [Your name] > iCloud. Slide Contacts to On position. If opted, merge contacts to avoid losing any.Backup: On old phone, turn on iCloud Backup. Choose Back Up Now. On new phone, go to Apps & Data > Restore from iCloud Backup.iTunes: Connect old phone to computer/iTunes. Go to Backups > This Computer > Back Up Now. On new phone, choose Restore Backup. In this guide, we detail five ways to transfer contacts between iPhones: via iCloud, an iCloud backup, iTunes, web-based tools, and third-party software. Instructions in this article apply to iPhones with iOS 9 and up.

How to Transfer Contacts From iPhone to iPhone With iCloud

The easiest methods to transfer contacts use features that come with the iPhone, such as iCloud. Since iCloud can keep data synchronized across all your devices, using it to sync contacts from iPhone to iPhone makes it an easy choice. Ensure that both iPhones are signed in with the same Apple ID and are connected to Wi-Fi. On both phones, open Settings, tap your name, then tap iCloud. Move the Contacts slider to on/green. This step will upload your contacts to iCloud if they're not already there. If lots of contacts need to be backed up, it might take a while to finish. If a message appears about merging the contacts, choose that option so that none of the contacts are deleted. Because data from both phones first uploads to iCloud and then syncs to both phones, you have to sync all of your contacts to both devices. Alex Dos Diaz / Lifewire

How to Transfer iPhone Contacts by Restoring an iCloud Backup

Beyond the contact syncing process from the last section, iCloud can also make a backup of the data on your iPhone and then restore that backup onto a different iPhone. Here's how: Connect the iPhone to Wi-Fi. Backing up to iCloud requires lots of data. Use Wi-Fi instead of the cellular data included with your phone plan. On the iPhone with the contacts on it, tap Settings > [your name]. If prompted, log in with your Apple ID. Older devices may not display your name on this screen. Tap iCloud > iCloud Backup. Move the iCloud Backup slider to on/green, then select Back Up Now. If you see a message about your iPhone no longer backing up to your computer automatically when you sync with iTunes, tap OK. The iPhone uploads your contacts and other data to iCloud. This backs up the entire iPhone, so it will take a while. You may need to upgrade your iCloud account to have enough storage for the full backup. On the new phone you want to have the iCloud backup added to, follow the standard new iPhone setup procedure. On the Apps & Data screen, choose Restore from iCloud Backup and follow the prompts to finish restoring the iPhone backup and copy your old contacts to the new phone. If your new iPhone has already been set up, restore the backup data onto it by erasing the content and settings and choosing to restore from an iCloud backup when prompted.

How to Transfer iPhone Contacts Using iTunes

If you prefer to back up your iPhone to a computer, use iTunes instead of iCloud. Here's what to do: Connect the old iPhone to the computer you normally sync it with. Open iTunes and access the screen that shows your iPhone. If it doesn't open automatically, click the Phone icon. In the Backups section, click This Computer, then click Back Up Now. If you're asked about encrypting the backup to make your iPhone more secure, either do so with the Encrypt Backups button. You can decline by selecting Don't Encrypt. You can change this setting later. Wait while the iPhone backs up to the computer. To monitor the progress, watch the blue progress bar at the top of iTunes. When the backup is complete, eject the old iPhone and plug in the new one. To restore the new iPhone from the backup, select Restore Backup and follow the prompts. If iTunes explains that you have to first disable Find My iPhone in order to restore the backup, do so through the iCloud > Find My iPhone option in the Settings app.

How to Transfer iPhone Contacts Using Web-Based Tools

iCloud isn't the only cloud-based service that stores and syncs contacts. Google and Yahoo are two other examples. How to Sync iPhone With Yahoo and Google Contacts

How to Transfer iPhone Contacts Using Third-Party Software

There's a robust world of third-party software that transfer contacts, usually rather quickly since they don't deal with iTunes or iCloud. My Contacts Backups is one example of a contact list backup app that works by having you email the contact list to yourself so that you can copy the contacts to your new iPhone. Just open your mail on the new phone, select the attachment, and import the list.

Why You Can' t Transfer iPhone Contacts Using a SIM Card

If you've used other phones that can transfer contacts from the SIM card, you might be wondering if you can do the same on your iPhone. This method backs up contacts to the SIM card and then you move the old SIM to the new phone to use the backup. It's not so simple for the iPhone because the feature isn't supported with the iPhone SIM card. Learn more in How to Back Up Contacts to iPhone SIM. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Change Phones Without Losing WhatsApp How to Transfer Your Contacts From Android to iPhone How to Transfer Messages from iPhone to iPhone How to Transfer Contacts From iPhone to Android How to Transfer Files Between an iPhone and a Mac How to Set Up a New Android From an Old Phone How to Sync Contacts from iPhone to Mac How to Pair and Connect an Apple Watch With a New iPhone How to Back Up Contacts to iPhone SIM How to Reset Restrictions Passcode on an iPhone How to Restore Your iPhone From a Backup How to Restore WhatsApp Messages How to Factory Reset an iPhone (All Models) How to Transfer Contacts From Samsung to an iPhone How to Set up a New iPhone How to Transfer Contacts From an iPhone to a Samsung Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies