7 Easy Ways | Transfer Contacts from iPhone to iPhone

Read this post to learn about 7 ways on how to transfer contacts from iPhone to iPhone, help you achieve seamless contact migration from old iPhone to new iPhone.

Dylan

By Dylan / Updated on November 20, 2023

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How do I transfer messages from my old iPhone to my new iPhone?

Just ordered a new iPhone 15 Pro in Apple Store. I have a lot of contacts on my old phone and want to transfer all of them to my new iPhone. Does anybody know how to copy contacts from iPhone to iPhone easily?

- Question from Apple Community

Preserving your contacts during an iPhone upgrade is crucial, ensuring you maintain access to essential information. This guide outlines various methods on how to transfer contacts from iPhone to iPhone hassle-free.

🌟Tips:
  • The SIM card option has been removed from the US iPhone 14, but if you ever had a SIM card with some important contacts, you can read about other ways to transfer contacts from the SIM card to the eSIM of the iPhone 14/15.

iPhone Contacts Icon

How can you transfer contacts from iPhone to iPhone at once or partly? This guide will show you 7 ways with detailed steps to do that.

Way 1. Transfer all/selective contacts from iPhone to iPhone 

We highly recommend using FoneTool, a powerful iOS backup and transfer tool, that provides a quick method to move contacts between iPhones. Notably, this tool allows for selective or all contact transfers, ensuring efficient data migration.

FoneTool
Free iPhone Transfer Software
  • Secure and ultra-fast contacts transfer without data loss.
  • Fully/selectively transfer iPhone contacts with ease.
  • Preview contacts and transfer won't erase any iPhone data
  • Support multiple data transfers, including WhatsApp, Photos, etc.
  • Support different Apple IDs, transfer data from one Apple ID to another.

FoneTool supports all iPhone models and latest iOS 17, install it on your computer. Then follow the steps below to see how to export contacts from iPhone to iPhone without iCloud and iTunes.

Transfer contacts from iPhone to iPhone with USB cable

Step 1. Select "iPhone to PC" from the Phone Transfer interface and choose Contacts for transfer.

transfer to computer

Step 2. You can preview and choose the specific contacts you need.

select contacts

Step 3. Choose the storage path and format, and click "Start Transfer" to save the contacts on PC.

transfer

Step 4. Disconnect the old iPhone and connect the new iPhone to the computer. Choose "PC to iPhone".

transfer to iphone

Step 5. Then hit "Start Transfer" to transfer the saved contacts to the new iPhone.

transfer contacts

Transfer contacts from iPhone to another wirelessly

Besides, for users who don't have USB cable or a computer around, the FoneTool app enables you to move contacts from old iPhone to new iPhone without a USB cable. Scan the QR code to install FoneTool on both iPhones.

mbackupper qr code

Step 1. Run FoneTool app on both iPhones. Choose the "Connect Device", and tap the other one from an iPhone to build a connection. 

connect iphone

Step 2. Then select the contacts you need. Tap "Send" to share contacts to the targeted iPhone.

connect iphone

Way 2. Transfer contacts from SIM card to new iPhone 

The iPhone 14/15 in the USA has removed the SIM card slot and replaced the SIM with an eSIM. For iPhone 14/15 users without a physical SIM card, certain carriers offer transfer options during the setup process. Follow these steps:

Step 1. Turn on your new iPhone, and follow the screen to Set Up Cellular screen.

Step 2. Choose Transfer From Nearby iPhone or Use QR Code according to your condition. 

set up cellular

Step 3. Follow the guide to choose phone number you need or scan the QR code.  

If you have completed the Setup process. You can go to the "Settings" app on the new iPhone >  Cellular > Set up eSIM > Transfer from another iPhone

Way 3. Sync contacts from iPhone to iPhone with iCloud

iCloud allows you to sync contacts on all your Apple device signed in with the same Apple ID. iPhone contacts and iCloud contacts will be merged, And all the devices will keep the same contacts. Follow the steps to learn how to sync contacts from iPhone to iPhone wirelessly:

Enable iCloud Contacts on both iPhones: Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > toggle on Contacts.

Enable Contacts Sync

Note:

The disadvantage of this method is that you cannot keep different contacts on different devices. You have to keep unwanted contacts on iPhone and use up your iCloud storage space.

Way 4. Migrate contacts to iPhone 15 from iCloud backup

If you backed up your contacts to iCloud, you just need to restore the previous iCloud backup to your new iPhone to complete the how to import contacts from iPhone to iPhone process.

Note:

If your new iPhone is already set up, you'll need to erase all data before restoring the iCloud backup to your new iPhone. And this method can only transfer all the data to the new iPhone at once, not only select the contacts.

Step 1. Open your new iPhone, go to Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings.

Step 2. Set up your iPhone, and when the Apps & Data header appears on the screen, select the Restore from iCloud Backup option on that page.

Restore From iCloud Backup

Way 5. Send contacts to new iPhone via iCloud.com

What if you want to use new iPhone with different Apple ID? The best way is using FoneTool in Way 1, and iCloud can still do this for you. You can export contacts from iCloud to a computer, then import them into another iCloud account.

If you phone is broken, you can use this way to access iCloud to complete how to transfer contacts from iPhone to iPhone with different Apple id.

Step 1. Switch on the button of Contacts in iCloud on your old iPhone as in Way 2.

Step 2. Go to icloud.com and sign in the Apple ID of your old iPhone. Select the contacts you want to transfer and click Export vCard to download contacts from iCloud to iPhone.

Transfer Contacts From iPhone

Step 3. Sign in the new Apple ID on the site. Click Import vCard to upload contacts to iCloud.

Import vCard

Step 4. Switch on iCloud Contacts on your new iPhone, and complete how to transfer multiple contacts from iPhone to iPhone.

Way 6. Transfer contacts from iPhone to iPhone via iTunes

You could use iTunes to learn how to pass contacts from iPhone to iPhone. Use it to sync contacts from your computer to the new iPhone after saving contacts from iCloud to a local file like Outlook.

Step 1. Get contacts off iPhone from iCloud as in Way 4 and save them to Outlook.

Step 2. Connect your iPhone to the latest iTunes and tap the device icon in the upper-left corner.

Device Icon iTunes

Step 3. Select Info in the sidebar, check Sync Contacts and click Apply.

Sync Contacts to Outlook via iTunes

Note:

The steps involved in this method are complex and not very friendly to novice computer users, and it is worth noting that restoring the data to the new iPhone overwrites all of its data.

Way 7. Share contacts between iPhones with AirDrop

Airdrop is a file-sharing app designed for iOS devices. You could also use it to transfer songs from iPhone to iPhone or share a file, photo, videos between Apple devices.

Note:

The operation of AirDrop relies on a good connection. It does not perform well in transferring a large number of contacts or files to your iPhone.

Step 1. Enable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on both iPhone. Swipe down from the upper-left corner to enable AirDrop on the target iPhone.

Step 2. Select contact on the source iPhone and select Share Contacts.

Step 3. Tap the name of the target device and it will receive the information of the contact.

Airdrop Contacts from iPhone to iPhone

FAQ on iPhone Contacts Transfer and Sync

Many users will encounter tricky problems in the process of iPhone contacts transfer or sync, don't worry, we will solve the problem for you.

Why didn't all of my contacts transfer to my new iPhone?

Contacts not properly enabled for syncing, network outages, or program errors can all cause incomplete transfers. We recommend that if your current network is not very stable, the safest way is to use a free iPhone transfer tool that does not require a network to do it.

Why did contacts disappear from my iPhone?

Possible reasons for iPhone contacts disappeared: Sync problems, accidental deletion, iOS update glitches, or account issues. Before you do anything, you'd better back up your iPhone contacts to another location, just in case.

Why is sync not working on my iPhone?

If you are experiencing iPhone contacts syncing not working while using cloud drives such as iCloud and Dropbox, it may be due to connection issues, software glitches, or settings.

You can troubleshoot iPhone contacts not syncing by checking the network, updating iOS, and verifying sync settings.

Conclusion

You have got 7 effective ways on how to transfer contacts from iPhone to iPhone You can transfer selected or all the contacts to your new iPhone easily, please choose a method according to your need.

FoneTool is suitable for most users, and it caters to a variety of needs. Whether you want to transfer some or all of your contacts, it can do it quickly and easily. Additionally, you can backup contacts for free with FoneTool and leave a copy on your computer to keep your iPhone data safe.