Copy data from old phone

Copy data from iPhone

You’ll use Google Drive to copy files from your iPhone and iCloud account to your new phone and Google account:

  • Photos will back up to Photos.
  • Contacts will back up to Contacts.
  • Calendar will back up to Calendar.
  1. Charge both phones and connect them to a Wi-Fi network.

  2. To ensure you don’t miss any messages or calls, on your iPhone:

    1. Turn off iMessage. (Settings > Messages off. Or, if your SIM has been removed, deregister your phone.)
    2. Turn off FaceTime. (Settings > FaceTime > off.)
  3. Download the Google Drive app on your iPhone.

  4. On your iPhone, open Drive and then:

    1. Sign in with your Google account. If you don’t have one, you can create it now.
    2. Touch > Settings > Backup & reset and start the backup.
  5. Wait for the backup to complete.
  6. When complete, on your new phone, sign in with the same Google account (Settings > Accounts > Add account).

Copy data from Android phone

During setup, you can copy your apps, music, contacts, messages, and more. Learn what does and doesn't get copied.

If you no longer have your old phone or can’t turn it on, you can copy files using a backup from the cloud with your Google account.

To copy files:

  1. Charge both phones and turn them on.

  2. On your new phone:

    1. If this is the first time you’ve turned it on, select your language on the setup screen.
    2. If you skipped copying files during setup, open the Settings app and touch Finish setting up your device.
  3. Touch Start.
  4. Insert your SIM to connect to the mobile network, or touch Skip.
  5. Connect to a Wi-Fi network and touch Next.

  6. Follow the onscreen instructions to select the old phone or backup associated with your Google account, and to choose which apps and data to copy.

    TipBe sure to leave Back up to Google Drive turned on.

What gets copied from Android phone

If you copy data from another Android phone during setup, here's what gets copied:

  • Apps and app data
  • Music, photos, and videos
  • Google accounts
  • Contacts stored on your phone or SIM card
  • Text messages
  • Multimedia attachments in messages
  • Most phone settings
  • Wallpaper
  • Call history

You’ll see these when you sign in to your Google account on your new phone.

What won't copy:

  • Downloads, like PDF files
  • Apps that aren’t from Play Store
  • Accounts other than Google accounts
  • Contacts and calendars for services other than Google (such as WhatsApp)
  • Ringtones

Import contacts from SIM

If you have a SIM card with contacts saved on it, you can import them into your Google account.

  1. Insert the SIM in your phone.

    Or, if your old phone is an Android phone and can connect to Wi-Fi, turn it on.

  2. Open the Contacts app.
  3. Touch > .
  4. If your phone has dual SIMs, select the SIM.

  5. Select where to save the contacts:

    • If you have multiple Google accounts, touch and choose the account where you want to save them.
    • To save them to your phone, touch Device.
  6. Select the contacts to import and touch Import.