How to Move from Android to iPhone (Move to iOS Guide)

Switching from Android to iPhone does not mean starting over. Apple’s free Move to iOS app transfers your contacts, messages, photos, videos, files, and settings from your Android phone to your new iPhone over a private Wi-Fi connection — no computer, no cables, no manual retyping. Done right, the whole move takes under an hour, and you pick up your new iPhone with your digital life already on it.

This guide walks you through the entire Android to iPhone move step by step: what transfers and what does not, the pre-move checklist that prevents 90% of failures, the during-setup transfer itself, moving your WhatsApp chats, what to do if your iPhone is already set up, and a full troubleshooting section for when the transfer stalls. Follow it in order and you will land on iOS without losing anything that matters.

What Move to iOS Transfers (and What It Doesn’t)

Setting expectations first saves disappointment later. When the transfer completes, your iPhone will have:

• Contacts — your full address book.
• Message history — SMS and MMS conversations.
• Photos and videos — your camera roll, moved into the Photos app.
• Files and folders — documents from your Android storage.
• Mail accounts, calendars, and notes — account configurations plus synced calendars.
• WhatsApp chats and media — supported when you choose it during the transfer (both phones stay on the same Wi-Fi).
• Accessibility and display settings — things like font size carry over where iOS has an equivalent.
• Free apps you had on Android — Move to iOS matches them to their App Store versions and queues them for download (you sign in and re-download; paid apps must be repurchased).

What does not transfer:

• Paid apps and in-app purchases — the App Store and Play Store are separate; you will rebuy paid apps.
• Most app login sessions and app data — plan to sign in to each app again. Use a password manager to make this painless.
• Music not in your iTunes library — MP3s sideloaded onto Android need manual copying (see the manual section below).
• Android system settings, widgets, and home-screen layout — you will arrange your iPhone fresh.
• Some two-factor authenticator apps — transfer or export your 2FA codes before wiping the Android (critical — losing these can lock you out of accounts).

Before You Start: The Checklist

Do these in order. Almost every failed transfer traces back to a skipped item here:

1. Update both phones. On Android, install the latest Move to iOS app from the Play Store and update Android itself. On iPhone, finish any pending iOS update first if the phone is already set up.
2. Charge both phones — or better, plug them in. A dead phone mid-transfer means starting over.
3. Connect the Android to Wi-Fi. The transfer creates its own private Wi-Fi network between the phones, but the Android needs an initial connection. Turn off mobile data on the Android during the transfer so it does not hop networks.
4. Check iPhone storage. Go to Settings → General → iPhone Storage (or check the capacity when buying). Your Android’s used space must fit — photos and videos are the usual overflow. If it will not fit, move photos to Google Photos or a computer first (they stay accessible via the Google Photos iOS app).
5. Export your authenticator codes. Open your 2FA app (Google Authenticator, Authy, etc.) and use its export/transfer feature, or temporarily switch critical accounts to SMS codes. Do this before you wipe anything.
6. Back up the Android. Run a Google One backup (Settings → Google → Backup → Back up now) as a safety net. If the transfer hiccups, nothing is lost.
7. Have your Apple ID ready (or create one during setup) and your Wi-Fi password.
8. Decide about the SIM. Move your physical SIM to the iPhone during setup, or set up the eSIM when prompted — do not cancel your Android line until the iPhone is fully working and receiving calls and texts.

Method 1: Transfer During iPhone Setup (Recommended)

Move to iOS works best on a fresh iPhone — new out of the box, or one you have just erased. If your iPhone is already set up with your stuff on it, skip to Method 2.

On the iPhone

1. Power on the iPhone and begin setup: choose language, region, and connect to Wi-Fi.
2. Continue until you reach the Apps & Data screen.
3. Tap Move Data from Android.
4. Tap Continue. A 6- or 10-digit code appears — leave this screen open.

On the Android phone

1. Open the Move to iOS app and tap Continue.
2. Agree to the terms, grant the requested permissions (location and storage access are required for the transfer to work).
3. Tap Continue and enter the code shown on the iPhone.
4. The iPhone creates a temporary private Wi-Fi network. When prompted on the Android, tap Connect to join it. (Your Android may warn that this network has no internet — that is expected; stay connected.)
5. The Transfer Data screen appears. Select everything you want: Contacts, Message history, Camera photos and videos, Files, and — if offered — WhatsApp.
6. Tap Continue and leave both phones alone. Do not use them, take calls, or let the screens sleep into a lock that kills Wi-Fi. A typical transfer takes 10–40 minutes depending on how many photos you have.
7. When the loading bar finishes on the iPhone, tap Done on the Android.

Finish iPhone setup

1. Tap Continue on the iPhone and complete the remaining setup: Apple ID sign-in, Face ID/Touch ID, Siri, and Apple Pay.
2. Once you reach the Home screen, give the iPhone 10–20 minutes on Wi-Fi — matched free apps download in the background and photos finish indexing.
3. Open Photos, Messages, and Contacts and spot-check that everything arrived.

Method 2: My iPhone Is Already Set Up — What Now?

Move to iOS only runs during initial setup. If your iPhone already has your Apple ID, apps, and data on it, you have two options:

Option A: Erase and start over (cleanest, recommended if you just got the phone)

1. On the iPhone, go to Settings → General → Transfer or Reset iPhone → Erase All Content and Settings.
2. Confirm and wait for the iPhone to restart to the Hello screen.
3. Follow Method 1 from the beginning.

Only do this if there is nothing on the iPhone you would miss — erasing is permanent. If you have already been using the iPhone for weeks, use Option B.

Option B: Move things manually (no erase needed)

• Contacts & calendars: on Android, make sure they sync to your Google account (Settings → Accounts → Google → Sync). On iPhone, go to Settings → Apps → Mail → Mail Accounts → Add Account → Google and toggle on Contacts and Calendars. They appear within minutes.
• Photos & videos: install Google Photos on the iPhone and sign in — your entire library is there without moving a byte. Alternatively, connect the Android to a computer, copy the DCIM folder, then sync to iPhone via Finder/iTunes or upload to iCloud.
• Files: upload from Android to Google Drive, then install Drive on the iPhone — or AirDrop-style transfer via a computer and a USB cable.
• WhatsApp: WhatsApp’s own Move chats to iOS feature (WhatsApp → Settings → Chats → Move chats to iOS) works independently of the setup-time transfer on recent versions.
• Music: copy MP3s to a computer, then sync via the Music app (Finder) on Mac or iTunes on Windows — or upload to YouTube Music and stream.

Moving WhatsApp Chats from Android to iPhone

WhatsApp deserves its own section because it is usually the thing people fear losing most:

1. On the Android, update WhatsApp and Move to iOS to their latest versions.
2. Use the same phone number on both phones during the move.
3. During the Move to iOS transfer (Method 1), select WhatsApp on the Transfer Data screen.
4. On the Android, open WhatsApp when prompted and tap Start to prepare the export, then return to Move to iOS and tap Continue.
5. After the iPhone setup completes, install WhatsApp from the App Store, verify the same number, and tap Start when offered to import the chats.

Requirements that trip people up: both phones on the same Wi-Fi, same phone number, and enough free space on the iPhone for the chat media. Chat history moves; call history and display name may not — minor losses, but expect them.

After the Move: The First-Hour Checklist

1. Verify the essentials: open Phone, Messages, Contacts, and Photos. Call someone. Send a text. Make sure mobile data works.
2. Sign in to your apps. Download the App Store versions of your key apps and log in — a password manager turns this from an hour into ten minutes.
3. Set up 2FA on the iPhone. Install your authenticator app and import the codes you exported in the checklist. Verify one login before wiping the Android.
4. Move the SIM / activate eSIM if you have not already, and confirm calls, SMS, and data work on the iPhone.
5. Check iMessage and FaceTime are activated with your number (Settings → Apps → Messages / FaceTime).
6. Turn on iCloud Backup (Settings → [your name] → iCloud → iCloud Backup → Back Up Now) so your new iPhone is protected from day one.
7. Keep the Android for a week. Do not wipe or sell it until you are sure everything — especially photos, chats, and 2FA — is working on the iPhone. Then factory-reset it (Settings → System → Reset → Erase all data) before selling or handing it down.

Troubleshooting: When Move to iOS Fails

The code doesn’t work / “unable to connect”

• Restart both phones and try again — this fixes the majority of code failures.
• On the Android, turn on Airplane Mode, then turn Wi-Fi back on. This stops the phone from hopping to mobile data or a known Wi-Fi network mid-handshake.
• Make sure no VPN is active on the Android — VPNs interfere with the direct Wi-Fi connection.
• Keep the phones within a few feet of each other during pairing.

Transfer stalls or is extremely slow

• Large photo libraries are the usual cause — hundreds of gigabytes can take hours. Let it run overnight, plugged in.
• Interference from other Wi-Fi networks slows the private connection. Move away from crowded routers if possible.
• Do not touch either phone. Incoming calls, notifications opening other apps, or the screen locking aggressively can interrupt the transfer.
• If it fails repeatedly at the same point, transfer in two passes: first everything except photos, then use Option B (Google Photos / cable) for the pictures.

“Not enough storage” on the iPhone

• Your Android’s used space exceeds the iPhone’s free space. Offload photos to Google Photos or a computer first, delete the local copies from the Android, then transfer.
• Remember the iPhone needs breathing room beyond the transfer size — aim for at least 5–10 GB free after the move.

Some apps didn’t transfer

• Only free apps with App Store equivalents are matched. Paid apps, region-locked apps, and Android exclusives are skipped — search the App Store manually for replacements.
• Check the App Store’s purchased/download queue — matched apps sometimes wait there instead of appearing on the Home screen.

WhatsApp chats didn’t come over

• Both WhatsApp and Move to iOS must be fully updated, both phones on the same Wi-Fi, same phone number on both.
• Use WhatsApp’s built-in Move chats to iOS (WhatsApp → Settings → Chats → Move chats to iOS) as the fallback — it works independently of the setup-time flow.

Text messages arrive on the old Android instead of the iPhone

• Your SIM is still in the Android, or number porting has not completed. Finish moving the SIM/eSIM to the iPhone and wait for carrier activation — then test with a text to yourself.
• Ask a contact to text you and confirm it lands on the iPhone before you wipe the Android.

Wrap-Up

Moving from Android to iPhone is straightforward when you let Move to iOS do the heavy lifting during initial setup: update everything, charge both phones, export your authenticator codes, enter the pairing code, select your data, and let the private Wi-Fi transfer run undisturbed. Contacts, messages, photos, files, and even WhatsApp chats land on the iPhone; you re-download free apps and sign in fresh. If the iPhone is already set up, the manual routes — Google account sync for contacts, Google Photos for pictures, WhatsApp’s own mover — cover the same ground. Keep the Android for a week as insurance, verify calls, texts, and 2FA on the iPhone, switch on iCloud Backup, and only then wipe the old phone. One careful hour beats a weekend of reconstructing your digital life.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Move to iOS app? It is Apple’s free Android app that transfers your data to a new iPhone during setup — contacts, message history, photos, videos, files, mail accounts, calendars, WhatsApp chats, and free-app matches — over a private Wi-Fi connection between the two phones. No computer or cables needed.

Can I use Move to iOS after my iPhone is already set up? No — it only runs during the iPhone’s initial setup (the Apps & Data screen). If your iPhone is already set up, either erase it (Settings → General → Transfer or Reset iPhone → Erase All Content and Settings) and start over, or move data manually via Google account sync, Google Photos, and WhatsApp’s built-in mover.

Do my WhatsApp chats transfer from Android to iPhone? Yes. Select WhatsApp on the Move to iOS Transfer Data screen (both apps updated, same phone number, same Wi-Fi), then import when you install WhatsApp on the iPhone. WhatsApp’s own Settings → Chats → Move chats to iOS works as a standalone fallback.

Will my paid Android apps transfer to iPhone? No. The Play Store and App Store are separate, so paid apps must be repurchased and in-app purchases do not carry over. Free apps with iPhone versions are matched and queued for download automatically.

How long does the Android to iPhone transfer take? Typically 10–40 minutes for contacts, messages, and a moderate photo library. Very large photo/video collections can take several hours — plug both phones in, leave them alone, and let it finish. If it repeatedly stalls, transfer everything except photos first and move pictures separately via Google Photos or cable.