5 Ways to Transfer Contacts to New iPhone 13/12/11

Updated on Jun 19, 2024 | by Woodward

After reading this article, you will learn five ways on how to transfer contacts to new iPhone 13, iPhone 12, iPhone 11 or earlier iPhones. Whether you want to AirDrop contacts or transfer contacts from iPhone to iPhone without iCloud, you will find the solution here.

Whenever you switch to a new iPhone, you will want to take the files, especially contacts and photos, from the old iPhone together with you. In our previous article, we have detailed how to transfer photos from iPhone to iPhonein different ways. Here we will show you how to transfer contacts from iPhone to iPhone in five workable ways. (You can also transfer contacts to a new iPhone from a computer. If that's what you want, learn how to transfer contacts from Mac to iPhone here.)

PAGE CONTENT:

Transfer Contacts from Old iPhone to New iPhone All At Once

Transfer Contacts to New iPhone with iCloud

AirDrop Contacts to New iPhone

Transfer Contacts to New iPhone via SIM Card

Transfer Contacts from iPhone to iPhone with iTunes

How to Transfer Contacts to New iPhone 13/12/11 in 5 Ways

The five methods below are all useful to help you transfer contacts to a new iPhone. Some of them need a USB cable while others may require a network connection. Choose the most suitable way according to your needs to apply.

Method 1. Transfer Contacts from One iPhone to Another All at Once

"How do I transfer contacts from iPhone to iPhone without iCloud?", many users asked. One of the answers to the question is to use a reliable iOS data transfer software tool, like Qiling MobiMover. Qiling MobiMover will help you transfer contacts from iPhone to iPhone all at once or selectively, without iCloud or iTunes. It will help a lot whenever you need to transfer contacts, photos, videos, messages, and more to or out of your iOS device.

To transfer contacts to new iPhone 13/12/11 with Qiling MobiMover:

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Step 1. Connect your iPhones to your computer with two USB cables and launch Qiling MobiMover. Unlock your iDevices and click "Trust" to trust your computer. To transfer contacts from one iPhone to another, click "Phone to Phone" and specify the transfer direction. Then click "Next" to continue.

Step 2. Select "Contacts" and click "Transfer" to start transferring contacts from your old iPhone to your new iPhone.

Step 3. When the transfer process has completed, go to open the "Contacts" app on your iPad/iPhone to check the transferred items.

Except for the data transfer between two iOS devices, it also allows you to:

Transfer data between a computer and an iOS device
Download videos from websites like YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo, and more to your computer or iPhone/iPad
Unlock an iPhone when you forget its passcode

Great, right? Get it now and you will enjoy much convenience whenever you perform iOS data transfer.

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Method 2. Sync Contacts from iPhone to iPhone with iCloud

If you want to copy all the contacts from your old iPhone to the new iPhone wirelessly, using iCloud is the best way for you. iCloud requires a Wi-Fi connection to work and can help you in two ways.

If you only want to transfer contacts to the new iPhone, turn on iCloud Contacts only. While if you attempt to transfer everything from your old iPhone to the new one, use iCloud Backup instead.

Option 1. Transfer Contacts from iPhone to iPhone

Step 1. Make sure both of your iPhones are using the same Apple ID.

Step 2. One the old iPhone, go to "Settings" > [your name] > "iCloud" and toggle on the "Contacts" option.

Step 3. Repeat Step 2 on the new iPhone. If there is a prompt asking you what to do with the local contacts on your iPhone, click "Merge" if you want to keep them.

How to transfer contacts to new iPhone with iCloud

Option 2. Transfer All Data to New iPhone via iCloud Backup

This option is recommended if you haven't set up the new iPhone yet. Or you will need to reset your iPhone by erasing all the data and settings on the device.

Step 1. Make sure both of the iPhones are signed in with the same Apple ID and there is enough space in iCloud for the backup of your device.

Step 2. On the source iPhone, open "Settings" and go to click [your name] > "iCloud" > "iCloud Backup" > "Back Up Now".

Step 3. When the backup has finished, go to the new iPhone and set it up.

Step 4. When you see the Apps & Data screen, choose "Restore from iCloud Backup". By doing so, you can transfer everything from your old iPhone to the new iPhone, including the contacts.

How to transfer everything from old iPhone to new iPhone with iCloud

Method 3. Transfer Contacts to New iPhone Using AirDrop

Another way to transfer contacts from one iPhone to another wirelessly is to use AirDrop. AirDrop is available on iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac and can help you transfer contacts, photos, videos, locations, websites, and more between two AirDrop supported devices. It's no doubt that you can AirDrop contacts to your new iPhone.

However, AirDrop only allows you to transfer contacts one by one. The answer to the question "How do I AirDrop all my contacts at once" is "In no way." If you want to transfer all contacts to the new iPhone at once, using Qiling MobiMover or iCloud will fulfill your needs perfectly. If you only want to import a few contacts to the new iPhone, using AirDrop is a good choice.

To AirDrop contacts to new iPhone 13/12/11:

Step 1. Make sure the iPhones are within the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi range.

Step 2. Turn on AirDrop on both of the iPhones from the Control Center.

Step 3. Go to the "Contacts" app on the old iPhone, tap on the contacts you'd like to send to the new iPhone and then click "Share Contact".

Step 4. Choose "AirDrop" and click the name of the new device.

Step 5. Then a notification will pop up on your target iPhone. Click "Accept" to receive the contact and then check it in the "Contacts" app.

How to transfer contacts from iPhone to iPhone with AirDrop

Although it's easy to use AirDrop, you may encounter the issue of AirDrop not working on the iPhone. Try the solutions to fix it if you happen to come across the problem.

Method 4. Import Contacts to New iPhone via SIM Card

On an iPhone, you can import contacts from the SIM card to the device. Thus, one of the ways to transfer contacts to new iPhone is to import contacts from the SIM card on the old phone to the new one, on condition that your old contacts are stored on the SIM card. However, iPhone doesn't allow its users to store contacts on the SIM card, which means you can only transfer contacts to the new iPhone from an Android phone.

To import contacts to new iPhone from SIM card:

Step 1. Insert the SIM card to the new iPhone.

Step 2. Open "Settings" on the iPhone and choose "Contacts".

Step 3. Choose "Import SIM Contacts" to import contacts from the SIM card to your new device.

How to import contacts to new iPhone via SIM card

Method 5. Sync Contacts to New iPhone Using iTunes

Honestly speaking, using iTunes is a workable way but is not advisable since it's much more complicated than all the tips introduced above. However, if you have installed iTunes and don't mind the complex steps, give it a try.

To transfer contacts from iPhone to iPhone using iTunes:

Step 1. Download and install the latest version of iTunes on your computer.

Step 2. Connect the source iPhone to the computer and launch iTunes if it doesn't open automatically.

Step 3. In iTunes, click the "Device" tab and choose "Info" > "Sync Contacts".

Step 4. Click "Apply" to sync the iPhone contacts to the computer.

Step 5. When it has done, remove the source iPhone and connect the target iPhone instead.

Step 6. In iTunes, click the "Device" tab and choose "Info" > "Sync Contacts".

Step 7. Check the "Contacts" option in the "Advanced" section and click "Apply" to copy contacts to your new iPhone.

How to transfer contacts from one iPhone to another using iTunes

The Bottom Line

Now you know how to transfer contacts to a new iPhone in five different ways. In addition to the way on how to import SIM contacts to iPhone, the other four methods all show you how to transfer contacts from old iPhone to new iPhone. For you to make a better choice:

Qiling MobiMover can transfer all contacts at once or copy items selectively.
iCloud syncs all contacts from one iPhone to another and requires the same Apple ID on the devices.
AirDrop is free and easy to apply but can only transfer one contact at a time.
To import SIM contacts to a new iPhone needs you to save the contacts on the SIM card, which iPhone disallows. Thus, it's applicable only when you attempt to transfer contacts to a new iPhone from an Android device.
iTunes works to copy contacts from one iPhone to another but needs more steps than other proven tips.

Clear now? Carry out the one best suited to your needs.