How to Quickly and Easily Transfer Files from Android to iPhone

This article explains how to transfer files from Android to iPhone.

How to Transfer Files via Cloud Storage

Perhaps the easiest, most versatile way to transfer data between Android and iPhone is cloud storage. A variety of applications are available for this, like Google Drive and Dropbox, among others. Along with making it easy to move files between devices, these apps also back up your data.

The exact steps for transferring files with cloud storage depend on exactly what you want to transfer and which service you use. In general, though, using cloud storage is best if you're looking to transfer over just certain things, like particular files, and not everything on your phone.

If you have a couple of files you want to be moved over, uploading them to your cloud storage app of choice and downloading them on iPhone works, or using Google Photos to back up all your pics and then downloading the app on iPhone will let you access them easily.

However, if you're looking for an easy all-in-one way to transfer files from Android to iPhone, Apple's Move to iOS app is the better option.

How to Transfer Files via Move to iOS

Apple has an app called Move to iOS that you can download on your Android device. It will directly transfer just about everything on your Android phone over to your iPhone in just a few taps.

Before you begin, have both your Android device and iPhone nearby and make sure that all of the data on your Android phone will actually fit on your iPhone.

Once you're ready, simply follow the steps below.

1. With a fresh iPhone ready to be set up, place it near your Android, and follow the onscreen instructions, choosing to Set Up Without Another Device.

2. Once you arrive at the Transfer Your Apps & Data screen, select From Android.

3. On your Android phone, download, install, and open the Move to iOS app. You can find it on the Google Play Store.

4. Back on your iPhone, tap Continue when the Move from Android screen appears. Then, wait for a code to appear.

   Once you have your code, enter it on your Android phone.

5. iPhone will then create a temporary Wi-Fi network, which you'll connect to on your Android phone. After connecting, wait for the Transfer Data screen to appear on your Android phone.

6. Select all the data you'd like transferred from your Android phone to your iPhone.

7. Once you've made your choices, the transfer process will begin. Keep your phones near each other and, ideally, plugged in. This process can take a while, especially if you're transferring a lot of data.

8. When finished, tap Done on your Android phone and follow the onscreen steps on your iPhone to complete the process.

What to Know About Move to iOS

The process, as you can see, is quite simple, but there can be issues.

Sometimes, contact names can be wrong or merged, not every message may transfer over correctly (particularly group chats), or you may have to restart the transfer process if it gets stuck before it finishes.

Of course, you may not experience these issues, but once this process is finished, it's worth going through your data on your iPhone, checking for issues, and correcting anything that pops up, like adjusting contacts or deleting corrupted messages.

Apple updates the Move to iOS app regularly, so they'll likely sort out any bugs over time.

Use Email if You're Only Moving One or Two Files

Cloud solutions and Move to iOS are your best choices for transferring a large number of files between Android and iPhone, but if you're just trying to move over a few documents, you have a quicker option: emailing them to yourself.

In this process, create an email on your Android device, and attach the files to it. Then, email it to yourself. Finally, log in to your email on your iPhone and retrieve the files from there. Again, this method is best for one-offs, and you shouldn't use it if you're replacing your phone entirely, but it is effective for what it does.