The easiest way to transfer data from Android to iPhone is Apple’s free Move to iOS app, used while you set up the new iPhone. It copies contacts, messages, photos, calendars and even WhatsApp chats over a direct Wi-Fi link; if the iPhone is already set up, your Google account can sync most of the same things.
Before you start: what you need
- Both phones charged and plugged in. A transfer can take from a few minutes to over an hour, so don’t start it just before a KPLC outage, or keep both on a power bank.
- The iPhone fresh out of the box, or erased. Move to iOS only appears during setup.
- Space on the iPhone for everything on your Android, including photos.
- The Move to iOS app installed on the Android phone from Google Play.
- Your SIM sorted. iPhones take a nano-SIM or an eSIM. Some imported iPhones are eSIM-only; Safaricom and Airtel shops can set up an eSIM on your same number (take your ID).
Option 1: Move to iOS during setup
- Start the iPhone and follow setup until Transfer Your Apps & Data, then choose From Android.
- Open Move to iOS on the Android phone, accept the terms and tap Continue.
- Type the code shown on the iPhone into the Android phone.
- The iPhone creates a temporary Wi-Fi network; let the Android join it.
- Tick what to move: contacts, messages, photos and videos, calendars, files, bookmarks, mail accounts and WhatsApp.
- Leave both phones alone until the bar on the iPhone finishes, even if Android says it is done.
Don’t use the phones, take calls or switch off Wi-Fi during the transfer; it will stop and you start again. Full walkthrough with screenshots: how to use Move to iOS.
Option 2: Google account sync
Already set up the iPhone and don’t want to erase it? Use what Google already stores:
- Contacts and calendar: on the iPhone, go to Settings and add your Google account, then switch on Contacts and Calendars.
- Photos: install Google Photos, sign in, and your backed-up photos appear. Download favourites to the iPhone if you want them offline.
- Gmail, Drive, Keep: install the apps and sign in.
Step-by-step: moving from Android to iPhone after setup.
What does not transfer (and the fixes)
| Doesn’t move | Fix |
|---|---|
| Paid apps | Buy again on the App Store (free apps with an iPhone version are offered automatically) |
| Music files and ringtones | Copy through a computer, or use a streaming app |
| Saved passwords | Use the same password manager on both, or sign in to Chrome on the iPhone |
| App data (games, banking) | Sign in again in each app |
| Call history | Not supported |
M-Pesa and banking apps must be set up again. Install the M-Pesa app on the iPhone and log in with your Safaricom number and PIN; bank apps usually ask you to re-verify with an OTP sent by SMS, so keep your SIM in the new phone.
Contacts, photos, WhatsApp and apps: where to go next
- Contacts missing? They may have been saved to the SIM or phone, not Google. See transfer contacts from Android to iPhone.
- Photos incomplete? Large libraries are better moved with Google Photos or a computer: transfer photos from Android to iPhone.
- WhatsApp: Move to iOS carries chats and media if you tick WhatsApp, use the same number on both phones and update WhatsApp first. Your Android WhatsApp is signed out afterwards.
- Apps: open the App Store and download your usual apps; most free ones are suggested during setup.
Keep the Android phone untouched for a week before resetting or selling it, in case you find something missing.
Quick answers
Install Move to iOS on the Android, start setting up the iPhone, choose From Android at the Apps & Data screen, enter the code and pick what to transfer.
Most things, yes: contacts, messages, photos, calendars, files and WhatsApp. Paid apps, app data, music files and call history don’t move.
From a few minutes to over an hour, depending mainly on how many photos and videos you have. Keep both phones plugged in.
