Updated September 2026: in 2021 I needed to bring contacts from an older, secondary Gmail account onto my new iPhone, and found a simple method that was not easy to find online. I have rewritten it into a clear guide to importing Google contacts to an iPhone.
When moving from Android to iPhone, most contacts transfer easily. The difficulty I faced was a second, older Gmail account whose contacts I also wanted on the iPhone, without installing extra apps.
What is the easiest way to sync Google contacts?
Add the Google account to the iPhone. In Settings, open Apps, then Contacts, then Contacts Accounts, and add your Google account. Turn on Contacts for it. The contacts appear in the Contacts app and stay in sync with Google. You can add more than one Google account this way.
How do you move contacts permanently into iCloud?
- On a computer, open Google Contacts and select the contacts to move.
- Export them as a vCard file.
- Sign in to iCloud.com, open Contacts and import the vCard file.
- The contacts then sync to all your Apple devices.
This was the method I found most reliable: using a computer to export and import.
Should you sync or import?
Sync if you still use the Google account and want changes to flow both ways. Import if you are leaving the account behind and want everything in iCloud.
How do you avoid duplicate contacts?
Do not both sync and import the same account. If duplicates appear, the Contacts app offers to merge them when it detects duplicates. Check a few merged entries to be sure nothing was lost.
Which account do new contacts save to?
Set your default account in the Contacts settings. Choose iCloud or Google deliberately, so new contacts go where you expect.
What about Apple's Move to iOS app?
It transfers data from the Android phone itself during setup. It will not bring contacts stored only in a separate Google account, which is why adding the account or exporting is needed.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.