How to sync your contacts between all your devices iphone android and the web
Matthew Perez
Published Mar 29, 2026
This article explains the way to sync your Gmail contacts to an existing Gmail account on the iPhone. It also includes information on how to sync your Gmail contacts once you initially found out a replacement Gmail account on an iPhone. These instructions apply to iPhones with iOS 14 or iOS 13.
Syncing Contacts to an Existing Gmail Account on iPhone
Although you’ll prefer to sync your Gmail contacts once you initially add the Gmail account to your iPhone, you’ll add them later to an existing Gmail account.
Here’s the way to get those Gmail contacts into your iPhone.
- On your iPhone, open the Settings app.
- Tap Mail and choose Accounts.
- Tap your existing Gmail account.
- Tap the slider next to Contacts to maneuver it to the On position.
- Your Gmail Contacts begin to sync with the iPhone immediately.
Syncing Contacts When Adding an New Gmail Account
If you haven’t added your Gmail account to the iPhone, you’ll do this and sync the Contacts at an equivalent time.
- To add Gmail as a replacement account on your iPhone, select Settings > Mail > Accounts > Add Account.
- Choose Google from the choices within the next screen.
- Enter your Gmail address when prompted and choose Next. Next, enter your password and tap Next.
- Tap the switch next to Contacts until it’s within the On/green position, then tap Save.
- All your Gmail contacts sync to your iPhone.
How to Sync Google Contacts With Android
- Open your device’s Settings app.
- Scroll down and tap Accounts. It’s within the “Personal” section of the menu.
- Tap Google
- If you’ve not added your Google account to your Android device, tap + Add account, then tap Google and follow the on-screen prompts to feature or create a replacement Google account.
- Slide Contacts to the “On” position. Your Google Contacts will now sync with the contacts or address book app on your Android device.
How to Sync Google Contacts With iCloud?
If you regularly switch between Android and Apple devices, having Google Contacts synced on your device may be a great option since you’ll access all of your contacts from any device.
Sync Your Google Contacts With Your Mobile Device or Computer
You can easily sync your Google Contacts with an iPhone, iPad, or Mac device in only a couple of steps:
- First, tap the gear icon for “Settings.”
- Tap “Contacts.”
- Tap “Accounts & Passwords.”
- Tap “Add account.”
- Choose “Google.”
- Log in to your Google account.
- Switch on the toggle bar next to “Contacts.”
- Tap “Save.”
- Go back to “Settings.”
- Tap on your Apple ID.
- Tap “iCloud.”
- Switch on the toggle bar next to “Contacts.”
By following these steps, you’ll sync all of your Google Contacts with iCloud.
How to Move Your Contacts From Google to iCloud?
If you would like to prevent using Google Contacts and move all of your data to iCloud, you’ll do that by following the steps below:
- Open your browser and attend Google Contacts.
- Tap the three lines icon at the top-left corner to open the most menu.
- Tap “Export.”
- Under “Export as” select “vCard.”
- Tap “Export.”
- Log in to your iCloud account and tap “Contacts.”
- Tap the gear icon at the bottom-left corner.
- Tap “Import vCard.”
- Select the contacts you exported.
- Tap “Open.”
You can also plan to move one or a couple of contacts to iCloud:
- Open your browser and attend Google Contacts.
- Select the contacts you would like to export.
- Tap the three dots icon on the proper of the chosen contact.
- Tap “Export.”
- The rest of the steps are equivalent to moving all contacts.
How to Move Your Contacts From iCloud to Google?
If you would like to maneuver your contacts from iCloud to Google, follow the steps below:
- First, log in to your iCloud account.
- Tap “Contacts.”
- Tap the gear icon at the bottom-left corner.
- Tap “Export vCard.”
- Log in to Google Contacts.
- Tap the three lines button at the top-left corner.
- Tap “Import.”
- Tap “vCard.”
- Choose the contacts you downloaded.
User Questions:
- Is syncing safe?
If you’re conversant in the cloud, you will be good reception with Sync, and if you’re getting started, you will be protecting your data in no time. Sync makes encryption easy, which suggests that your data is safe, secure, and 100% private, just by using Sync.
- What happens if I close up Google sync?
If you switch off Sync, you’ll still see your bookmarks, history, passwords, and other settings on your computer. However, if you create any changes, they will not be saved to your Google Account and synced to your other devices. Once you close up Sync, you’ll even be signed out of other Google services, like Gmail.
- Should you sync your devices?
Why Is Syncing Your Android Device Important? If you think about your data as important, syncing should be important for you. Your data may be a precious thing that ought to be kept safe and retrievable in the least time. By syncing backing up the relevant data on your device, you’d be safe for future use.
This guide is written to help you transfer contacts from computer to your iPhone or iPad. No matter you are Mac users or PC users, you can find a solution here.
Joy Taylor Last Updated: Mar. 19, 2020
iPhone 11 comes with all-new designs and all-new features. In this exciting and pleasant “Upgrade to new iPhone” season, please have a look at our How to Transfer Contacts from Old iPhone to New iPhone tutorial to have a quick start.
Keeping contacts up to date across your PC, Mac and iPhone/iPad ensures you have access to phone numbers, emails, and addresses whenever you need them. If you saved the contact information on the computer in CSV or VCF format, you can transfer them to your iPhone when you need them, say, your contacts on iPhone may disappear due to iOS upgrade, jailbreak or mistaken deletion.
Image Credit: support.apple.com
iTunes is capable of transferring contacts from computer to iPhone/iPad, however, you may meet some unexpected situation when syncing with iTunes, for example, the contacts on your computer are replaced by the contacts on iPhone or iPad, or these contacts from computer don’t show up in your device after syncing, etc. In this guide, we will show you an iTunes alternative that helps transfer contacts from computer to iPhone iPad with ease.
The Tool You Need
To transfer contacts from computer to iPhone iPad easily and quickly, all you need is a professional iOS data transfer tool that is capable and efficient of transferring contacts from computer to iOS devices. iMobie AnyTrans is an ideal choice for you, why?
- Supports transferring many kinds of iOS contents, including photos, videos, music&, messages, notes, contacts, etc – Whatever you want to transfer, AnyTrans helps you make it.
- Supports syncing iOS data and files between iDevice and computer, even between two iDevices – No matter you want to transfer contacts from computer to iPhone or the opposite way, AnyTrans is at your disposal.
- Offers you the ability to manage and editing iOS contents – Manage your contacts better and keep them organized.
- Superfast speed makes you transfer a large number of contacts in minutes.
More than anything, iMobie AnyTrans supports all the modes of iPhone iPad, including new iPhone 11, so be free to download and explore more >
How to Transfer Contacts from Computer to iPhone iPad
Step 1. Run AnyTrans on your computer > Connect your iPhone/iPad to computer with USB cable > Choose Device Manager > Go to category management screen > Click Contacts.
How to Transfer Contacts from Computer to iPhone iPad
Step 2. Click Import button > Pick up the file of contacts you want to transfer to iPhone > Click Open to transfer contacts from computer to iPhone.
How to Transfer Contacts from Computer to iPhone iPad
1. This tutorial is only limited to that you have stored contacts in vcf or csv format, or you can export contacts from your iPhone firstly.
2. This method also can be applied to sync contacts from PC/Mac to iPod touch.
3. iPhone allows users to add emergency contacts on the lock screen, for detailed steps, please refer to How to Set Emergency Contacts on iPhone >
The Bottom Line
With iMobie AnyTrans and this detailed tutorial about how to transfer contacts from computer to iPhone iPad, you can easily sync contacts from computer to iPhone iPad. What’s more, except transferring contacts, many other iOS contents also can be transferred to iPhone iPad, such as, Photos, Videos, Music, Notes, Messages, Calendar, etc. Free Download and Try AnyTrans Now >
Joy Taylor
Member of iMobie team as well as an Apple fan, love to help more users solve various types of iPhone related issues.
Have you just bought a new Android phone like Samsung Galaxy S8/S8+ with an improved operating system, design, and performance? You must be very happy as you can enjoy all the latest games, Apps, network and etc. on the Android market. Before all these good stuff, I guess that you’ve already added transferring contacts on the must-to-do list. If you have trouble in transferring contacts from old Android phone to the new Android phone, please try the methods below:
- Method 1: How to Transfer Contacts from Android to Android Within Clicks?
- Method 2: How to Send Contacts from Android to Android Manually?
- Method 3: How to Import Contacts from Gmail to Android Phone?
Method 1: How to Transfer Contacts from Android to Android Within a Click?
To transfer contacts between Android devices, the easiest way is making use of some third-party programs such as Gihosoft Mobile Phone Transfer. This software can not only transfer Android phone contact list to new Android phone but also transfer photos, text messages, call log, calendar, music, video, Apps etc. to the new phone within several clicks. Please download and install the correct version according to your computer OS:
Step-by-step Guide to Transfer Contacts between Android Phones:
Step 1. Start Gihosoft Mobile Transfer
Once you have installed Gihosoft Mobile Transfer on your computer, please launch it. Afterward, you will see the main interface. The free trial version can allow you to transfer 10 contacts from old Android phone to a new Android phone without any cost.
Note: Gihosoft Mobile Transfer can also enable you to send contacts to Android from iPhone directly or from iTunes backup.
Step 2. Connect Android Phones to PC
Tap “Phone to Phone” and connect both your old and new Android phones to the computer via USB cables. Once the two devices have been connected to the computer successfully, the phone model name will be shown on the software interface. You can click “Flip” button to switch the source phone and destination phone.
Step 3. Transfer Contacts from Android to Android
After the two Android phones have been detected by our software, please mark “Contacts”, then click “Start Copy” to copy contacts from Android to Android. When contacts transferring process is completed, you will be informed by a pop-up message. Now you can check the contact list on new Android phone.
Method 2: How to Send Contacts from Android to Android Manually?
Besides the above method, you have another way to copy contacts from old Android phone to a new Android phone. Please follow the below steps:
- Copy old Android phone contacts to SIM card: go to “Contacts” -> tap on “More” -> choose “Export contacts” -> export to SIM card.
- Pull out the SIM card from old phone and insert it into the new phone.
- Import contacts from old Android phone to new Android phone: go to “Contacts” -> tap on “More” -> import contacts -> from SIM card.
Then all your contacts will be transferred from old Android to new Android phone.
Tip: If your contacts get lost or deleted by mistake, you can quickly recover them by using Gihosoft Free Android Data Recovery Software.
Method 3: How to Import Contacts from Gmail to Android Phone?
If you have synced your contacts to Gmail account, that would make easier to move contacts from one Android phone to another. You’re supposed to sign in with the old Gmail account instead of setting up a new Google account on the new Android device.
Step 1: Tap “Settings”> “Accounts and Sync”/ “Accounts”> “Add Account”> “Google”
Follow the path above to add Google account on the new phone. When prompted for which account you want to add, tap “Google” and proceed with “Next” button. Then type the Gmail address and the password into the device.
Step 2: Tap on the Gmail account in the settings and tap “Sync” button
With the account added, tap on the Gmail account and tap “Sync” button. Then wait a while until the entire process is complete. After all this, you should see all the synced contacts on the new device.
Besides the above 3 ways, you can also transfer contacts from Android to Android via SD card etc. If you want to move messages, please refer to how to transfer SMS from Android to Android.
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Why synch your contacts you might ask. Often times, the problem of getting back or retrieving contacts and phone numbers of friends and family comes pretty handy if you find yourself having to do wit a new or blank device. A problem mostly caused by change of smartphone, data reset and a few others.
Regardless of what the situation is, this guide will show you how to sync your contacts to other devices for easy retrieval and accesibility, whether you use an iPhone or an android device.
What does it mean to Sync – Meaning of Sync
“Sync” is short for synchronize, which means to transfer or share information between devices. When you sync a device with your computer, it typically updates both device and the computer with the most recent information.
For example, you might sync the address book stored on your computer with your cell phone to update the contacts. This is typically and in most cases done by connecting the device to your computer via a USB or wireless Bluetooth connection.
Two main Contact Sync options: iCloud and Google
Whether you use an Android device or an iPhone, there are basically two main options to Sync your contacts.
For Android
If you use an Android device or a range of android devices with Google services, to sync your contacts between your devices, all you have to do is use Google Contacts, which is integrated into everything Google, and works like a charm. This is also ideal if you use a mix of Android and iOS devices, since Google Contacts can sync with pretty much any platform.
For Apple devices and iPhone
For Apple devices users who exclusively uses apple devices, it is recommended to use the Apple’s iCloud, or alternatively, you can also use Google Contacts. While iCloud is designed to work seamlessly with iOS devices, its the best choice if you use iCloud or Apple’s Mail app everywhere for your email. However, if you have an iPhone or an iPad and use Gmail on the web for your email, using Gmail contacts makes your contacts synced between your phones, tablets, and your web-based email.
How do I sync contacts between my mobile phone and Pipedrive?
There are two ways to sync your mobile phone contacts with Pipedrive. The first option will import your phone contacts to Pipedrive through the Pipedrive mobile app. The second option will sync your phone contacts and Pipedrive contacts with each other through a third-party contact provider.
Syncing Contacts in the iOS app
- Use the Import Contacts feature on the Pipedrive iOS app to transfer contacts directly from your Address Book to Pipedrive.
To do this, go to More from your app’s home screen and select Import Contacts. You will have to grant Pipedrive access to your Contacts. You will be given the option to individually select the contacts you wish to be imported to your Pipedrive contacts or to import all of them by toggling the Select all button, and clicking Done.
To use a third-party app — such as Google Contacts or Outlook Contacts — to sync your phone contacts and Pipedrive, you will have to first sync your phone contacts with that third-party contact provider.
To read more on how to sync Google Contacts with your Mobile device, click here. To read more on how to sync Outlook Contacts with your Mobile device, click here.
Syncing contacts in the Android app
- Use the Import Contacts feature on Pipedrive Android app to transfer contacts directly from your Address Book to Pipedrive.
To do this, go to the “. ” button in the bottom right of your app’s home screen, scroll down, and select Import Contacts. You will be able to individually select the contacts you wish to be imported — or import all of them by toggling the Select all button— and click Import > Import Contacts.
- Use a third-party contact sync provider to sync your Android contacts with Pipedrive contacts.
To use a third-party app — such as Google Contacts or Outlook Contacts — to sync your phone contacts and Pipedrive, you will have to first sync your phone contacts with that third-party contact provider.
To read more on how to sync Google Contacts with your Mobile device, click here. To read about how to sync Outlook Contacts with your Android device, click here.
Some contacts on your phone or tablet may not be saved as Google contacts. For example, some apps save contacts in device storage, which means they can only be managed on that device. Changes you make to these contacts don’t sync across Google services or to other signed-in devices. If the device is ever lost or damaged, these contacts may be lost.
To keep your contacts backed up and synced to all your devices, you can automatically save device contacts as Google contacts. Google contacts are available across Google services and can be managed on any signed-in device. If the original device is lost or damaged, the contacts can automatically sync to a new device when you sign in.
These steps work only on Android.
Back up & sync device contacts
Back up & sync device contacts by saving them as Google contacts:
On your Android phone or tablet, open the “Settings” app.
Tap Google Settings for Google apps Google Contacts sync Also sync device contacts Automatically back up & sync device contacts.
Turn on Automatically back up & sync device contacts.
Pick the account you’d like your contacts to be saved in. Your contacts can only be automatically saved to one Google Account.
Tip: You can’t back up contacts to a child’s account or a G Suite account (one you use for work or school).
Your existing device contacts and any future device contacts you add will be automatically saved as Google contacts and sync to your Google Account.
When you sign out of a phone or tablet, all your Google contacts will be removed from that device to prevent other people who use that device from accessing them. Your Google contacts will remain in your Google Account and sync to a new device when you sign in.
Tip: Depending on your device make and model you may not be able to automatically back up and sync device contacts.
What about SIM contacts and contacts that sync with other cloud services?
SIM contacts and contacts syncing with other cloud services (like Exchange, Yahoo, or others) cannot be automatically saved as Google contacts. Learn how to import contacts.
Tip: To use device contacts across Google services without saving them as Google contacts, turn on Save contact info from your devices. That setting includes SIM contacts and contacts syncing with other cloud services, but you can only manage them on the original device. To back up device contacts without saving them as Google contacts, learn how to back up data on your Android device.
Stop saving device contacts as Google contacts and move contacts out of your Google Account
To stop automatically saving device contacts as Google contacts:
On your Android phone or tablet, open the “Settings” app.
Tap Google Settings for Google apps Google Contacts sync Also sync device contacts Automatically back up & sync device contacts.
Turn off Automatically back up & sync device contacts
Contacts that have already been saved as Google contacts will remain in your account unless you manually remove them.
Learn how to move Google contacts to another account using the Contacts app.
Learn how to export Google contacts to another account on the web. Exported contacts won’t be removed from your account unless you delete them.
When you sign in to Microsoft Edge and turn on sync, you can easily browse the web from any of your devices, keep your favorites organized, and always pick up right where you left off. For more support, check out the help for the Microsoft Edge app for iOS and Android.
Sync your account on your computer
1. Select the profile image in the browser taskbar.
2. Select Manage profile settings > Sync > Turn on sync. If you see an option to sign in, continue to the next step. Note: If you see Manage profile settings, you’re already signed in.
3. Select Sign in and choose an account or enter your account details. Select Continue.
4. Select Sync when you’re asked if you want to sync your account. This syncs your favorites, passwords, and other browsing data across the devices you use with this account. Note: If you choose to sync favorites, any tabs you previously set aside will also be synced.
5. To switch to another account, click on your profile image, then add or select another profile.
Sync your account on your mobile device
1. Download the Microsoft Edge app for iOS and Android. We’ll send a download link to your phone if you enter your phone number.
2. Select an account and sign in, following the prompts.
3. After the app is installed, select Settings and more and then select your profile image.
4. Under Sync settings, tap Sync and then toggle Sync to the on position.
As an Android user, we think it is easy to transfer photos, music, videos, etc., between Android phone and computer. However, have you ever noticed the important contacts on Android? Have you transferred contacts from Android to computer? Do you back up Android contacts frequently? My answer is no. It is no doubt that contacts are important for us, but we always ignore to back up Android phone contacts. In this point, Google is generous enough to allow you to sync Android contacts to Google with a Google account.
Keep reading this article to get the secret: How does Google sync Android Contacts?
Kindly note: before you transfer phone contacts to Google, you must be sure you have gotten a Google account. If you forgot Google password, recover Google password.
Method one: How to sync contacts to Google on Android directly
In method one, what you need is to make sure your Android phone is in the condition of Wi-Fi.
Step 1 Sign in Google account
Tab “Settings” on your Android phone, find “Account” > “Google account”, sign in your Google account with Gmail address and password.
If you do not have one on your phone, just create Google account on Android.
If you forgot Gmail, just lauch the Gmail recovery firstly.
Step 2 Back up android contacts to Google
Tab “Sync Contacts”. Wait several minutes to sync Android contacts to Google.
If you keep turning on this button, then Google will sync your Android contacts automatically with the internet connection. If you turn it off, then it will not sync your Android contacts even with Wi-Fi.
In this way, you have to keep your Android phone connecting Wi-Fi. And every time, when you move contacts from phone to Google, your previous contacts backup on Google will be replaced with a new backup.
Method two: How to export contacts from Android to Google with USB cable
Method two is a little complicated to sync Android phone contacts to Google. We need a USB cable to realize it.
Step 1 Export Contacts
Tab “Contacts” on your Android phone, you will see your contacts list. Select those contacts that you want to sync to Google.
Step 2 Select Contacts
Tab the “Menu” button on the right bottom of the contact list > “Import/Export” > “Export to storage”. Then you will find your contacts are transferred into internal storage or SD Card as vCard File (VCF).
Step 3 Export phone contacts to Google
Plug Android phone with USB cable to computer. Log in your Gmail address on PC. Click “Contacts” > “More” > “Import”. Click “Browse” to navigate to your synced contacts backup, click “Open” to import phone contacts to Google.
If you have Android contacts backup before on your PC, then you can skip two steps above, and come to step 3 directly.
Kind tip: Gmail only allows users to import phone contacts with the VCF file or CSV. This way is capable of syncing the contacts to Google with Android phone and USB cable. But it will take you some time to operate the process on your Android phone.
Method three: How to sync phone contacts to Google with Google Contacts App
If you only need to sync contacts on your Android to Google, then the above two methods are suitable for you. But if you want to sync all your contacts to Google, including those accidental deleted contacts on your phone, then you can follow method three. It is the perfect choice for you. Before you begin to transfer phone contacts to Google, you need to use a third-party tool, Google Contacts App for Android. It will achieve this goal with two steps.
Step 1 Back up Android contacts to PC.
This app will help you recover and transfer deleted and existing Android contacts to PC. For the detailed steps to move contacts from Android to computer, you could refer to this part: Export Android contacts to PC
The exported Android contacts are kept in three formats in your computer, HTML, CSV and VCF.
Step 2 Import contacts to Google
Sign in your Google account, click “Contacts” > “More” > “Import” to sync your Android contacts backup to Google. (This step is the same as the step 3 of method two.)
After you sync phone contacts to Google account completely, you could manage the contacts on Definitely, if you do think Google account is a little troublesome to let you manage Android contacts, you can eaisly delete Gmail account.
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If you lost contacts n Android, you can try to restore contacts from Gmail in thid post.
Switching Android to iPhone is easy with money. How about transferring Android SMS messages to iPhone? Also easy with two apps to make it.
If you want to sync contacts from Android to iPhone, then you shoule read this article.
This article explains three ways to transfer the contacts from your Android address book to iPhone. The information applies to smartphones or tablets with Android 4.0 or higher and iPhones with iOS 9.3 or higher.
Use the Move to iOS App to Transfer Contacts
Apple makes transferring data from Android to iPhone easy with its Move to iOS app for Android devices, which is available in the Google Play store.
This app pulls together all the data on your Android device—contacts, text messages, photos and videos, calendar, email accounts, website bookmarks—and then imports them to your new iPhone over Wi-Fi. The process couldn't be simpler.
Download the Move to iOS app from Google Play and get started.
While it transfers your data, it doesn't transfer your Android apps. Instead, it makes suggestions from the App Store based on the apps you have on your Android device. Matching free apps are suggested for download during the transfer. Matching paid apps are added to your App Store Wishlist for later purchase.
When switching phones, there’s a lot of data besides contacts you need to transfer. To learn all about that, check out What You Need to Know When Switching from Android to iPhone.
Use Your SIM Card to Transfer Contacts
If you are only interested in moving your contacts and not your other data, you can use the SIM card in your Android phone. Since you can store address book data on an Android SIM card, you can back up your contacts there and move them to your iPhone (the SIM cards need to be the same size in both devices, of course). All iPhones beginning with iPhone 5 use Nano SIMs.
Here's what you need to do:
On your Android device, launch your Contacts app, tap on the menu button, and navigate to Settings. Find the Import/Export setting and tap it.
The following images show the steps on a Samsung device running Android Oreo. Your screens may look a little different, depending on the device you own, but the basic steps should be roughly the same.
Tap the Export button. Then choose to export to the SIM card.
Wait for the contacts to be exported to your SIM card.
When the export is complete, remove the SIM card from your Android phone and insert it into your iPhone.
On the iPhone, tap the Settings app to open it.
Tap Contacts (on some older versions of the iOS, this is Mail, Contacts, Calendars).
Tap Import SIM Contacts.
When the import is done, your contacts will be available in the pre-installed Contacts app on your iPhone.
Use Google to Transfer Contacts
You can use the power of the cloud to move your contacts from Android to iPhone. In this case, using your Google account is the best choice because of both Android and iPhone support for it.
For this to work, you need a Google account. You almost certainly created one for your Android device.
To transfer your contacts, follow these steps:
On your Android device, back up your contacts to Google. The backup should happen automatically if you use your Google account on your device. You can also tap Settings > Account, the Google account you want to sync to, and then toggle Sync Contacts to On.
With that done, add your Google account to your iPhone.
When the account is set up, you may be able to enable contact syncing right away. If not, go to Settings > Passwords & Accounts and tap the Gmail account.
Move the Contacts slider to the On (green) position, and the contacts you added to your Google account will sync to the iPhone.
From now on, any change you make to your iPhone address book syncs to your Google account. You'll have a complete copy of your address book in two places, safely backed up and ready to transfer to other devices as needed.
If you prefer, you can use Yahoo to sync your contacts to the iPhone rather than using Google. The process is similar.