How to Transfer Contacts from One Android Phone to Another
If your contacts are synced to your Google account, moving them to a new phone requires no manual transfer at all — here is how to make sure they are, and what to do if they only live on the SIM.
The simplest way: syncing with your Google account
- On the old phone: Settings → Accounts → Google → make sure "Contacts" is enabled for syncing.
- On the new phone: sign in with the same Google account.
- Your contacts sync automatically — no manual transfer needed.
Why this works so well: if your contacts are stored in your Google account (not just on the device itself), they live in the cloud regardless of which phone you happen to use — any device signed in with that account downloads them automatically.
If your contacts are only on the SIM card or the device
Settings → Contacts → "Export" → choose exporting to your Google account (not just to a file) — this uploads them to the cloud so the process above works from now on.
Tip: take a moment now to review which account your current phone syncs contacts to — before you need it urgently during a future phone swap.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to do anything manual if my contacts are already in Google?
No — just sign in with the same Google account on the new phone. Contacts sync automatically with no manual transfer required.
What if my contacts are only on the SIM card?
Export them to your Google account first via Settings → Contacts → Export, so they are stored in the cloud and available on any future device change.