Switching From iPhone to Android (or Back): How to Move Everything

Moving between iPhone and Android is far less painful than it used to be. Both Apple and Google ship free tools that copy contacts, photos, calendars and more during setup, and most of your accounts live in the cloud anyway. The trouble spots are predictable: Apple-only services like iMessage and FaceTime, purchases tied to one app store, chat apps that handle their own history, and accessories that only work with one platform. Handle those in the right order and you can switch in an afternoon without losing anything that matters.

What moves easily, and what does not

The official transfer tools

Android to iPhone. Apple publishes a free app called Move to iOS on Google Play. When you set up a new iPhone, it offers an option to move data from an Android phone; you open Move to iOS on the old phone, enter the code the iPhone shows, and the two phones connect directly. It can carry over contacts, message history, photos, calendars and more. Keep both phones plugged in and close together until it finishes.

iPhone to Android. Android phones offer to copy data from your old phone during initial setup, either over a cable or wirelessly depending on the model. Google and major manufacturers such as Samsung each have their own version of this step, and Samsung also offers its Smart Switch tool. Follow the prompts on the new phone rather than hunting for menus in advance, because the exact screens differ by brand and Android version.

In both directions, the transfer runs during setup; skip it and you may need to reset the new phone to try again. If you want a safety net before you begin, make a full backup of the old phone first; our guide to backing up your iPhone or Android phone covers the options.

Before you leave iPhone: iMessage and FaceTime

This is the step people most often forget. iMessage and FaceTime are tied to your phone number. If you move your number to an Android phone while iMessage is still active, other iPhone users may keep sending you blue-bubble messages that never arrive.

• While you still have the iPhone: turn off iMessage and FaceTime in the iPhone's settings before you move your SIM or eSIM.
• If the iPhone is already gone: Apple has a web page where you can deregister your phone number from iMessage. You enter your number, receive a confirmation code by text on the new phone, and submit it.

Texting between iPhone and Android has improved now that iPhones support RCS messaging, which brings features such as typing indicators and better-quality photos to cross-platform chats. Group chats that were iMessage-only, however, will need to be recreated or rejoined.

On FaceTime, Android users can join a call when an iPhone user sends them a link, but they cannot start FaceTime calls or use the FaceTime app. If your family relies on FaceTime, agree on a video app that works on both platforms.

Move two-factor codes and passkeys first

Losing your authenticator app is the most painful way a switch can go wrong, because its codes unlock your other accounts.

1. Authenticator apps. Check whether yours offers cloud backup, account sync or an export feature that works across platforms. If it does, set that up and confirm the codes appear on the new phone before wiping the old one. If not, sign into each account and move two-factor authentication to the new phone one account at a time.
2. Text-message codes. These follow your phone number, so they will work once your number is active on the new phone. It is a good moment to switch important accounts to an authenticator app instead.
3. Passkeys and saved passwords. Passkeys saved in Apple's iCloud Keychain do not automatically show up on Android, and those saved in Google Password Manager do not automatically show up on iPhone. A third-party password manager that runs on both platforms avoids the problem. Otherwise, while you still have the old phone, sign into key accounts on the new one and create new passkeys there, or make sure you know the password and recovery options for each.
4. Banking and payment apps. Expect to re-verify your identity, and you will need to add your cards to the new phone's wallet again.

Keep the old phone charged, connected to Wi-Fi and untouched for at least a week. It is your fallback if a login fails.

Chat apps and their own transfer rules

Third-party messaging apps store history in their own way, and the phone-level transfer tools only move what each app allows. WhatsApp, for example, has its own process for moving chats between iPhone and Android, which is tied to the phone setup step; check its help center before you start so you do not miss the window. Other apps rely on their own cloud backup, sync from your account automatically, or offer no cross-platform history transfer at all. For any chat history you cannot afford to lose, look up that app's instructions before you reset the old phone.

Your phone number, carrier and eSIM

Your phone number stays with you; it is the SIM, physical or digital, that moves. With a physical SIM, you can usually swap the card into the new phone if it has a slot. With an eSIM, you typically need your carrier's app, a QR code from the carrier, or a quick call or chat with support, because transfers between iPhone and Android are not always as seamless as transfers within the same platform. Our eSIM explainer walks through how that process works with US carriers.

Two other carrier checks: make sure the new phone is unlocked or sold for your carrier, and if the old phone is still being paid off on an installment plan, confirm what happens to that balance before you trade it in.

The ecosystem costs nobody mentions

The phone's price is only part of the switch. Before you commit, add up:

• Subscriptions billed through the app store. Anything you pay for through Apple or Google billing has to be managed and canceled there, not on the new phone. Cancel or move them deliberately so you do not keep paying for something you cannot use.
• Platform services. iCloud storage, Apple Music or Google One may still make sense on the other platform, or you may want an alternative. Apple Notes, Reminders and iCloud Photos have no full Android app, although some can be reached in a browser.
• Accessories. An Apple Watch will not work with Android. AirPods and other wireless earbuds still work as Bluetooth headphones, but some convenience features depend on using them with the same company's phones. Chargers and cables may also differ.
• Paid apps and games. Make a list of the ones you would actually buy again.

A step-by-step switching checklist

1. A week before: list your paid apps, subscriptions and chat apps, and look up how each chat app transfers history.
2. Back up the old phone fully, and make sure photos are synced to a cloud service or copied to a computer.
3. Set up two-factor authentication on the new phone, or confirm your authenticator app's sync works, and sort out passkeys and passwords.
4. Leaving iPhone: turn off iMessage and FaceTime before moving your number.
5. Run the official transfer tool when you first set up the new phone, with both phones charged and on the same Wi-Fi network.
6. Move your SIM or eSIM, then make a test call and send texts to both an iPhone and an Android user.
7. Reinstall apps and sign in, starting with email, banking and messaging.
8. Check the details: contacts, calendar events, recent photos and important message threads.
9. Re-pair accessories and replace anything that does not work with the new platform.
10. After a week of normal use, sign out of your accounts on the old phone, remove it from your Apple or Google account, and wipe it before selling, trading in or recycling it.

Done in that order, the switch is mostly waiting for progress bars. The one-way doors are iMessage, authenticator codes and chat histories; settle those before the old phone is reset and fix the rest at your own pace.