Ready to jump from Android to iPhone without losing your photos, chats and settings? The official app Move to iOS is the most direct route, because it guides the entire process from the iPhone itself and creates a secure connection with your Android, either over Wi‑Fi or using a USB‑C cable, so you can migrate calmly, without surprises and with the peace of mind that WhatsApp and friends come with you.
Before you begin: prepare the ground
Before touching any button, it’s a good idea to have everything under control: enable Wi‑Fi on your Android and connect both devices to power, since a transfer interrupted by low battery is the perfect recipe for alarms. If you have a compatible USB‑C cable at hand to connect the Android directly to the iPhone, even better, because you can speed up the process and reduce possible wireless dropouts.
An important detail that is sometimes overlooked: make sure everything you plan to move, including your MicroSD card memory, fits on the new iPhone; if you run out of storage the migration will stop. And if you want to bring over Chrome bookmarks, update the browser on your Android to the latest version.
Turn on the new iPhone, place it near the Android and follow the initial setup. On the Quick Start screen, choose “Set Up Without Another Device” and proceed with the on‑screen instructions; it may ask you to activate the eSIM, which is normal and you can handle it even while the data are being copied.
Transfer with Move to iOS: step by step
On your Android, open the Move to iOS app. Don’t have it installed? On the iPhone you’ll see a QR code button: tap it and scan it with the Android camera to go straight to Google Play Store. When the app opens, tap Continue, accept the terms and choose whether you want to send usage data to Apple or not; when prompted, grant the location and notification permissions needed so the connection works smoothly.
If you connected both devices with a cable, you may see a notice on Android to change the USB mode; adjust it before continuing. Next, the iPhone will create a temporary Wi‑Fi network: when prompted on Android, tap Connect to join that network and wait for the “Transfer Data” screen to appear.
Now for the important part: on Android, select what you want to transfer and tap Continue. You can include contacts, message history, camera photos and videos, albums, files and folders, accessibility and display settings, web bookmarks, email accounts, WhatsApp messages and media files, Voice Memos, call history and calendars. Keep both devices close and plugged in throughout the process, and even if Android says it has finished, don’t touch them until the progress bar on the iPhone completes fully.
While the data is moving, you can activate your number with a SIM or eSIM; sometimes the carrier redirects you to its website to finish. When the iPhone indicates it’s done, tap Accept on Android, press Continue on the iPhone and complete the final setup steps. Afterwards, open the App Store to download the free apps for which equivalents were found on iOS.
What transfers (and how to troubleshoot)
To make clear what to expect, here’s what arrives on the iPhone with Move to iOS:
- Contacts, message history and call logs.
- Camera photos and videos, as well as your albums.
- Files and folders.
- Accessibility and display settings.
- Web bookmarks and email accounts.
- WhatsApp messages and media.
- Voice Memos and calendars.
- Some free apps, if they are available both on Google Play and the App Store.
Keep in mind that music, books and PDF files are not transferred with this tool and you will need to move them manually; likewise, if you don’t see an app after the process, search for and download it from the App Store on the new iPhone.
Something got stuck along the way? Start with the basics: keep the Move to iOS app visible on the Android screen and don’t receive calls or open other apps until it finishes. Disable any Android feature that automatically switches networks and, in Wi‑Fi settings, forget known networks before retrying. If it still doesn’t work well, restart both devices and try again, and even disable mobile data on Android to prevent it interrupting the temporary connection to the iPhone.
If you notice only part of the content copied or the iPhone reports being full before finishing, erase it, check the available storage and repeat the transfer making sure the total size of the Android doesn’t exceed the iPhone’s space. Also, if after migrating something like Messages doesn’t sign in or work as expected, look for specific help and follow the steps suggested on the iPhone itself.
In short, with a bit of planning, a good USB‑C cable at hand and following each step without rushing, Move to iOS lets you switch to an iPhone like a pro, keeping your data safe and with as little friction as possible. Who said changing platforms had to be painful?
