The fastest way to move your data depends on what you're moving
Google has built a tool called Google Drive that can move contacts, calendar events, photos, and messages from iPhone to Android in one process. If you have a Google account, you can start the transfer before you even turn on your new Android phone. For photos and videos specifically, Google Photos works faster and gives you more control over which items move. Text messages, email, and app data often need separate handling because they're tied to different services — your email stays with your email provider regardless of phone, but text message history doesn't transfer automatically between platforms.
The trade-off is between speed and completeness. A full Google Drive transfer takes 15 to 30 minutes and moves most things at once. Doing it piece by piece — photos through Google Photos, contacts through your Google account, calendar through Google Calendar — takes longer but lets you choose exactly what moves and what stays behind.
Key Takeaways
- Google Drive can move contacts, photos, calendar events, and some app data from iPhone to Android before your new phone arrives, if you have a Google account.
- Google Photos transfers photos and videos faster than Google Drive and lets you pick specific albums or date ranges instead of moving everything.
- Text message history does not transfer between iPhone and Android; you will need to screenshot important conversations or use a third-party app before switching.
- Email, passwords, and two-factor authentication codes stay with their original services and do not need to be moved — they follow you to Android automatically.
- App data from iPhone apps does not move to Android because the apps themselves are different; you will need to download Android versions and sign in again.
Using Google Drive to move everything at once
Before you get your Android phone, sign into your iPhone and open Settings. Tap your name at the top, then tap iCloud. Scroll down and tap "iCloud Backup." Make sure "Back Up Now" shows a recent backup — if it does not, tap it to start one. This backup holds your contacts, calendar, photos, and some app data. The backup takes 5 to 15 minutes depending on how much data you have and your Wi-Fi speed.
When your Android phone arrives, turn it on and follow the setup screens. When you see "Sign in with your Google Account," enter the Google account you want to use. On the next screen, you will see an option to restore from backup. Tap "Restore from Google Drive" and select the iCloud backup you just made. Android will pull the data from that backup and move it to your new phone. This process runs in the background and can take 30 minutes to an hour depending on file size.
One limitation: Google Drive can move your contacts and calendar, but it cannot move text messages or iMessage conversations. It also cannot move passwords you saved in iPhone's keychain — you will need to re-enter those on Android or use a password manager like Bitwarden or 1Password that works on both platforms.
Transferring photos and videos with Google Photos
Google Photos is faster than Google Drive for images and gives you more control. On your iPhone, download the Google Photos app from the App Store. Open it, tap your profile picture in the top right, then tap "Photos settings." Tap "Backup and sync" and turn it on. Choose "Original quality" if you have unlimited storage, or "Storage saver" if you want to save space on Google's servers. Google Photos will start uploading every photo and video on your phone.
The upload runs in the background and can take several hours if you have thousands of photos. You can check progress by opening Google Photos and looking at the upload indicator at the top. Once the upload finishes, sign into the same Google account on your Android phone, open Google Photos, and all your photos will appear. You can also choose to back up only specific albums or date ranges instead of everything — tap the three lines in the bottom left, go to "Settings," and choose which folders to sync.
Google Photos keeps a copy on Google's servers even after you delete photos from your phone, so you can safely delete old photos from your iPhone to free up space without losing them. On Android, you can download photos back to your phone or keep them only in the cloud.
Moving contacts and calendar events
Contacts stored in your Google account on iPhone move automatically when you sign into that same Google account on Android. To check: on your iPhone, open Settings, tap your name, then tap iCloud. Look for "Contacts" — if it is turned on, your contacts are in iCloud, not Google. If you want to move iCloud contacts to Google before switching phones, open Contacts on your iPhone, tap "Groups" at the top left, and make sure "All iCloud" is selected. Then open a web browser, go to iCloud.com, sign in, click Contacts, select all contacts with Ctrl+A (or Cmd+A on Mac), and look for an export option. Most people find it easier to just re-add important contacts on Android or use a contact sync app.
Calendar events follow the same rule: events in Google Calendar on iPhone move to Android automatically. Events in the iPhone Calendar app that are stored in iCloud need to be moved manually. On your iPhone, open Settings, tap your name, tap iCloud, and check if "Calendars" is on. If it is, go to iCloud.com in a browser, click Calendar, select the calendar you want to move, and look for an export option (usually three dots or a menu icon). Download the file and import it into Google Calendar on Android, or ask your IT department if your workplace uses a different calendar system.
Handling text messages and iMessage
Text message history does not transfer from iPhone to Android because Apple's Messages app stores them in a format Android cannot read. If you need to keep important conversations, screenshot them on your iPhone before you switch. For ongoing conversations, you will start fresh on Android — your contacts will still be able to text you, but you will not see the old message thread.
iMessage conversations are more complicated because iMessage is Apple's service. When you switch to Android, your phone number will still work for regular text messages, but people using iMessage on iPhone may not know you have switched and might send messages that do not arrive. To prevent this, go to iMessage.com on a computer, sign in with your Apple ID, and remove your phone number from iMessage before you switch. This tells Apple to stop routing messages to iMessage and use regular SMS instead. If you do not do this, some messages may be delayed or lost.
If you want to keep message history, consider using a third-party app like Signal or WhatsApp that works on both iPhone and Android. You can export your iPhone messages to a backup file, but importing them into Android requires a specialized app and is not straightforward.
What does not transfer and what to do about it
App data from iPhone apps does not move to Android because the apps are built differently for each platform. When you download an app on Android, it is a separate app from the iPhone version. Some apps, like Gmail and Spotify, automatically sync your data across platforms if you sign in with the same account. Others, like games and note-taking apps, keep data only on the device where you created it. Before you switch, open each app you use regularly and check if it has a sign-in option or a backup feature. If it does, sign in or back up before you switch.
Passwords saved in iPhone's keychain do not move to Android. If you use iCloud Keychain, you will need to use a password manager instead — Google Password Manager (built into Android) does not sync with iCloud. Download a cross-platform password manager like Bitwarden, 1Password, or LastPass on your iPhone, import your passwords, and then download the same app on Android and sign in. Two-factor authentication codes from apps like Google Authenticator or Authy do move if you set them up to sync, but SMS codes and email codes do not — you will receive new codes on your Android phone automatically.
Finishing up: what to check after you switch
After your data moves, spend 10 minutes checking that everything arrived. Open Contacts and search for a few names to make sure they moved. Open Google Calendar and check that your appointments are there. Open Google Photos and scroll through to confirm your photos are there. Try sending a text message to a friend and ask them to reply — this confirms your phone number is working. Sign into your email app and make sure you can receive messages.
If something did not move, it usually means it was stored in iCloud rather than in a Google service. Go back to your iPhone (if you still have it) and check Settings to see where that data was stored. If you no longer have your iPhone, you can still access iCloud.com from a computer to retrieve files or export data. Keep your iPhone for at least a week after switching in case you need to go back and grab something you forgot.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I move my iMessage conversations to Android?
iMessage conversations do not transfer because iMessage is Apple's service and Android does not support it. You can screenshot important conversations before you switch, but the message history will not appear on Android. Regular text messages work normally on Android, but iMessage users may not know you switched and might send messages through iMessage instead of SMS.
What happens to my Apple ID and iCloud account when I switch to Android?
Your Apple ID and iCloud account stay with Apple — they do not move to Android. You can still access iCloud.com from any computer or phone to retrieve files or manage your account. If you want to use Google services on Android instead, you will need to set up a Google account, but your Apple ID remains active if you ever go back to iPhone.
Do I need to delete my iPhone data before I switch?
You do not need to delete anything before you switch — your data will stay on your iPhone until you erase it. It is a good idea to keep your iPhone for a week or two after switching in case you need to retrieve something you forgot. When you are ready to erase it, go to Settings, tap General, tap Transfer or Reset, and tap Erase All Content and Settings.
Will my apps automatically download on Android?
No. Android apps are different from iPhone apps, so you will need to download them separately from the Google Play Store. When you sign into your Google account on Android, the Play Store may suggest apps you used on iPhone, but you will need to tap Install for each one. Your app data (like saved games or notes) does not move unless the app has a sign-in feature or backup option.
Can I move my passwords from iPhone to Android?
Passwords saved in iPhone's keychain do not move automatically. Download a password manager like Bitwarden or 1Password on your iPhone, import your saved passwords into it, then download the same app on Android and sign in. Google Password Manager (built into Android) works well for new passwords but does not sync with iCloud Keychain.