How to Transfer Contacts to a New Android Phone

Most Android contacts are saved to a Google account now, so moving to a new Android phone is usually a sign-in and sync job, not a manual typing project. The important first step is confirming where the contacts are stored on the old phone.

These steps apply to moving contacts between recent Android phones from Samsung, Google Pixel, Motorola, and similar brands.

Does This Affect You?

Use this if your new Android phone is missing contacts, only some contacts transferred, or old SIM contacts did not appear after setup.

Sync Contacts with Your Google Account

1. On the old phone, open Settings > Accounts and backup on Samsung, or Passwords and accounts on Pixel and many others.
2. Tap the Google account that holds your contacts.
3. Open Account sync.
4. Make sure Contacts is turned on.
5. If it was off, turn it on and wait a few minutes for the list to upload.
6. On the new phone, sign in with the same Google account during setup, or add it later under Accounts.
7. Open sync settings on the new phone and confirm Contacts is enabled.
8. Open the Contacts app and wait for the list to appear.

Use Samsung Smart Switch

Smart Switch is useful when the new phone is a Samsung Galaxy and you want more than contacts transferred.

1. Open Smart Switch on the new Samsung phone, or install it from the Play Store or Galaxy Store.
2. Choose Receive data.
3. Select the old phone type.
4. Connect wirelessly or with a cable when prompted.
5. Make sure Contacts is selected on the transfer screen.
6. Add photos, messages, apps, or other data if you want them too.
7. Tap Transfer and keep both phones close until it finishes.

Export and Import Contacts Manually

1. On the old phone, open Contacts.
2. Open the menu and choose Manage contacts, Export, or a similar option.
3. Export the contacts to a file on the phone.
4. Move that file to the new phone with email, cloud storage, USB, or another transfer method.
5. On the new phone, open Contacts, choose Import, select the file, and confirm.

Clean Up After the Transfer

Merge Duplicates

If contacts appear twice because they were stored in Google, SIM, and phone storage, open Contacts and look for Merge duplicates or Manage contacts > Merge contacts.

Force a Sync

Large address books can take a few minutes. To push it along, open the Google account sync screen, tap the menu, and choose Sync now.

Check the SIM Card

Very old contacts may live only on a SIM card. In Contacts, use Import and look for a SIM option so those names are copied into the phone or Google account.

Sources

• Google: Transfer contacts to a new phone
• Samsung Support: Transfer content with Smart Switch
• Google Contacts Help: Import or export contacts

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