How to Move Photos From Your iPhone to an Android Phone

The fastest way to transfer your photos

The quickest method is to use Google Photos, which works on both iPhone and Android. Download the app on your iPhone, sign in with a Google account, turn on backup, and your photos upload to the cloud. Then sign into the same Google account on your Android phone, and the photos appear in your Google Photos library. This takes a few minutes to set up and works whether you're switching phones or just moving photos between devices you own.

If you have only a handful of photos, you can also email them to yourself or use AirDrop to send them to a computer, then move them to Android from there. But for anything more than a few dozen photos, cloud backup is simpler and faster.

Key Takeaways

Google Photos is the easiest method: install it on iPhone, turn on backup with your Google account, then sign into that account on Android.
Photos upload to Google's servers, so you need an internet connection and a Google account, but the transfer happens in the background.
If you're switching phones entirely, you can also use a computer as a middle step: connect your iPhone, export photos to a folder, then connect Android and move them over.
Emailing photos or using AirDrop works for small batches but becomes tedious with hundreds of images.

Using Google Photos on both phones

Start on your iPhone. Open the App Store, search for Google Photos, and install it. Open the app and sign in with a Google account — create one if you don't have one. Tap your profile picture in the top right, then Photos settings, then Backup and sync. Turn on the toggle. Your iPhone will begin uploading photos to Google's servers. This happens in the background, so you can close the app and come back later.

The upload speed depends on your internet connection and how many photos you have. A few hundred photos might take an hour or two on a home WiFi network. Google Photos keeps uploading until all your photos are backed up. You can check progress by opening the app and looking at the backup status at the top of the screen.

Once your photos are uploaded, go to your Android phone. Install Google Photos from the Google Play Store, sign in with the same Google account you used on the iPhone, and your photos will appear in the app. They're stored in Google's cloud, so they take up no space on your Android phone's storage — though you can download individual photos to your device if you want them saved locally.

Moving photos through a computer

If you prefer not to use cloud storage, you can move photos through a computer. Connect your iPhone to a Mac or Windows PC with a USB cable. On a Mac, the Photos app or Image Capture will open automatically. On Windows, File Explorer will show your iPhone as a device. Select the photos you want and copy them to a folder on your computer.

Next, disconnect the iPhone and connect your Android phone with its USB cable. On Windows, Android appears as a device in File Explorer. Navigate to the DCIM folder (this is where Android stores photos) and paste your photos there. On a Mac, you'll need to use Android File Transfer, a free tool from Google, to move files between your computer and Android phone.

This method is slower than Google Photos if you have many images, but it gives you full control over which photos move and where they go. It also doesn't require a Google account or internet upload time.

Using email or messaging for a few photos

For a small number of photos, email is straightforward. Open the Photos app on your iPhone, select the photos you want, tap Share, and choose Mail. Compose an email to yourself and send it. On your Android phone, open your email, download the photos, and they'll appear in your gallery.

You can also use messaging apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, or Google Messages to send photos. Open the app, start a conversation with yourself or a contact, attach the photos, and send. The photos will be available on your Android phone through that app. This works well for one or two images but becomes tedious if you're moving dozens.

What happens to photos already on your Android phone

When you sign into Google Photos on your Android phone with the same account you used on your iPhone, the app shows both the photos you're transferring from iPhone and any photos already on the Android device. Google Photos doesn't delete or overwrite existing photos — it simply adds the iPhone photos to your library.

If you want to keep your Android photos separate from the iPhone photos, you can create a separate Google account just for the transfer, move the photos, and then switch back to your main account. But most people find it simpler to use one account and let all their photos live in one place.

Storage and backup after the transfer

Once your photos are in Google Photos, they're backed up to Google's servers. Google Photos offers free storage up to a certain limit — the exact amount depends on your Google account settings and when you created it. If you exceed the limit, Google will ask you to buy more storage or delete photos. You can check your storage use in Google Photos settings.

If you don't want to pay for extra storage, you can delete the originals from your iPhone after confirming they're safely on your Android phone and backed up in Google Photos. This frees up space on both devices. Alternatively, you can keep photos on your Android phone's local storage by downloading them from Google Photos, which saves them to your device's gallery but doesn't count against your Google storage limit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a Google account to transfer photos?

Google Photos requires a Google account, but creating one is free and takes less than a minute. If you don't want to use Google, the computer method works without any account — just connect both phones to a computer and move files manually.

Will my photos be deleted from my iPhone after I transfer them?

No. Google Photos backs up your photos but doesn't delete them from your iPhone. Your photos stay on the iPhone until you manually delete them. You can delete them after confirming they're on your Android phone if you want to free up space.

How long does it take to transfer hundreds of photos?

Google Photos uploads in the background and speed depends on your internet connection. On a home WiFi network, a few hundred photos typically upload within an hour or two. The computer method is faster for large batches because it's limited only by your USB cable speed.

Can I transfer photos if I don't have WiFi?

Google Photos can upload over cellular data, but it's slow and uses a lot of data. The computer method doesn't need internet at all — just a USB cable and a computer. For large transfers, WiFi is recommended.

What if I want to transfer videos too?

Google Photos backs up videos the same way it backs up photos. The computer method also works for videos — just copy them to the same folder as your photos and move them to Android. Email and messaging apps have file size limits, so they're not practical for video transfers.

This guide is for general information only and is not medical, financial, legal, or other professional advice. For decisions specific to your situation, consult a qualified professional. See our Editorial Policy.