Changing a smartphone is always stressful, especially when it comes to the safety of personal information. The most valuable asset for most users remains phone book, containing the numbers of colleagues, relatives and delivery services. The loss of this data can paralyze communication for several days while you restore connections via instant messengers or social networks.
Fortunately, the ecosystem Android provides many built-in and third-party tools for seamless data migration. You don't need to be a technical expert to perform this procedure: modern interfaces are as simplified as possible. In this article, we will look at all the current methods, from cloud synchronization to good old SIM cards, so that you can choose the most convenient option for yourself.
Before you begin any active actions, make sure that both devices are charged at least 50%. The process of transferring large amounts of data, especially via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi Direct, can consume a significant amount of energy. Also make sure that device discovery is enabled on both phones.
Sync via Google Account: the most reliable method
This is the “gold standard” for transferring contacts and works automatically on most modern devices. If you use the same account on your old and new phones, your entries will appear in your address book instantly after connecting to the Internet. System Google Contacts stores data in the cloud, protecting it from physical damage to the gadget.
To activate the function, you need to go to the settings of your old smartphone. Find the section Accounts and synchronization or simply Users and accounts. Select your Gmail email address and make sure the switch next to Contacts is enabled. If it is turned off, turn it on and press the sync button.
On the new device, just add the same Google account. During initial setup, the phone itself will offer to restore data from a backup copy. If you are already using a new device, just go to the Contacts application, open the settings menu and select the synchronization option.
⚠️ Attention: Make sure that the contacts are saved in your Google account and not in the phone memory or SIM card. Local entries are not automatically synchronized with the cloud.
Enable auto-upload and synchronization in the Google Photos and Contacts settings so that new numbers are saved in the cloud immediately after creation.
The main advantage of this method is the ability to manage the list through the web interface contacts.google.com from any computer. You can easily remove duplicates, merge records and export the database in .vcf format to create a local copy on your hard drive.
Use built-in tools during initial setup
Smartphone manufacturers often implement their own data migration utilities that run when you turn on a new device for the first time. apps such as Samsung Smart Switch, Xiaomi Mi Mover or Huawei Phone Cloneallow you to transfer not only contacts, but also photos, applications and system settings.
The process usually looks like this: on the new phone you select the “Transfer data from another device” option, and on the old one you launch a similar application or scan the QR code. Devices connect via a secure channel Wi-Fi Direct, which ensures high transfer speeds without consuming mobile traffic.
☑️ Preparing for transfer through a proprietary utility
It is important to note that such tools often require root access to transfer some system settings, but this is not required for the phone book. The algorithm works at the user data level, copying the database contacts2.db or exporting it to a temporary file.
If you change a phone of one brand to another (for example, from Honor to Samsung), proprietary utilities may not work correctly or require the installation of additional software on both devices. In such cases, it is better to use the universal methods described below.
Export and import via VCF file
Universal format .vcf (vCard) is the de facto standard for exchanging contacts between different platforms. This file contains all the information about the entry: name, number, address, email and even a photo. You can create such a file on your old phone and transfer it in any convenient way.
To create a backup copy, open the Contacts application, go to settings and select Import/Export contacts. Click "Export to device memory" or "Export to storage." The system will create a file with the name type 00001.vcf or contacts.vcf in the root folder or directory Downloads.
| File transfer method | Speed | Reliability | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | Low | High | Low |
| Messengers (Telegram/WhatsApp) | Medium | High | Low |
| Email (mail) | Depends on the network | High | Medium |
| USB cable (PC as an intermediary) | High | Maximum | High |
After creating the file, it must be transferred to a new smartphone. The easiest way is to send it to yourself in a messenger (for example, in Telegram to “Favorites”) or by email. Once you receive the file on your new device, simply tap on it.
The system will automatically offer to open the file through the Contacts or Google Contacts application. Confirm the import and all records from the file will be added to the current database. This method is ideal if you need to transfer contacts between phones of different brands without creating accounts.
What to do if the file does not open?
If, when you click on a file, the system asks what to open with, select “Contacts” or “Contact Storage”. Do not choose text editors, as they will distort the data structure.
Transfer via SIM card: the old proven method
Despite the development of cloud technologies, the method of copying to a SIM card remains in demand, especially when switching from old push-button phones or in the absence of the Internet. This method requires physically rearranging the card or using two slots.
First you need to copy the records from the phone's memory to the chip. Go to contact management, select the “Copy from phone” option and select “SIM card” as the destination. Please note that the (capacity of) SIM card is limited: it usually holds from 200 to 500 entries.
⚠️ Attention: When copying to a SIM card, the long contact name is often cut off and additional fields (addresses, notes, second numbers) are lost. Only the main name and one phone number are saved.
After copying, move the SIM card to the new smartphone. Go to the contacts settings of the new device and select “Import from SIM card.” The system will prompt you to select the account in which you want to save the data (it is recommended to select a Google Account for further synchronization).
This method is good for its autonomy: you do not need the Internet, a computer or special applications. However, if you have a large phone book, the process may take a long time due to the low speed of writing to the card chip.
Using third-party applications and Bluetooth
If the built-in functions are not available for some reason, specialized utilities from the store come to the rescue. Google Play. Applications like Copy My Data or Send Anywhere allow you to transfer contacts, calendars and media files over a wireless network.
The principle of operation of such apps is simple: you install the application on both phones, connect them to the same Wi-Fi network (or create an access point on one of them) and select the type of data to transfer. The process takes place in a matter of seconds.
Also, do not forget about the classic one Bluetooth. Although the transfer speed is low, for a small contacts file (even 1000 entries in vCard format are only a few kilobytes) this does not matter. Turn on Bluetooth on both devices, pair and send the file through the “Share” menu.
Some users prefer to use NFC (Android Beam), bringing the phones back to each other. However, support for this feature was removed in Android versions above 10, so this method may not work on modern smartphones.
Troubleshooting and common errors
Sometimes the transfer process does not go smoothly: contacts may be duplicated, pictures may not be displayed, or numbers may disappear. A common cause of duplicates is the simultaneous synchronization of several sources (for example, they imported from SIM, and then pulled up data from Gmail).
To solve this problem, use the “Merge Duplicates” function, which is in the Google Contacts application. An automatic algorithm will find entries with the same names or numbers and offer to merge them into one card.
⚠️ Attention: Menu interfaces may differ depending on the version of Android and the manufacturer’s shell (MIUI, OneUI, ColorOS). If you don't find the item you need, use the settings search.
If contacts are not displayed after import, check the display filter. In the settings of the Contacts application, the “Show only contacts with numbers” checkbox is often checked or a specific account is selected for display. Make sure that display of all available sources is turned on.
Regularly creating backup copies in .vcf format and saving them on a cloud drive is the best protection against data loss when changing devices.
Is it possible to transfer contacts if the old phone is broken and does not turn on?
If the screen does not work, but the phone turns on, you can try connecting it to your computer via USB and copying the contact database (USB debugging required). If the phone is completely dead, but the SIM card is intact, move it to any other device and copy the numbers from it. If the contacts were only in memory and synchronization was disabled, it is almost impossible to restore them without turning on the phone.
What to do if, when importing, contact names are displayed in hieroglyphs?
This is an encoding problem. Usually occurs when transferring from very old phones or through non-standard applications. Try opening the .vcf file on your computer using Notepad and saving it with UTF-8 encoding, then importing it again. Using the Google Contacts app to import instead of the manufacturer's standard phone book will also help.
How many contacts can you store in your Google account?
The contact limit in Google Account is 25,000 entries. For the average user, this is an almost infinite number. However, if you are importing a very large file, the process may take time and the server may temporarily limit the frequency of sync requests.
How to transfer contacts from iPhone to Android?
The easiest way is to use the Move to iOS app (it doesn't work the other way around) or export contacts from iCloud to a .vcf file. Go to iCloud.com from your computer, select Contacts, select all (Ctrl+A), click on the gear and select “Export vCard”. This file can then be transferred to Android in any way.
Will the contacts disappear from the old phone after the transfer?
No, when using the copy, export or synchronization methods, the original data on the old device remains intact. Deletion will only occur if you specifically selected the “Move” option instead of “Copy” or reset the old phone to factory settings.