How to Transfer Data from Android to iPhone After Setup

You switched to an iPhone, tapped through the setup, and only later realised your Android photos, contacts, and chats never came across. The bad news: Apple's free Move to iOS tool only runs during the very first setup. The good news: you do not have to wipe your iPhone and start over. You can move everything across after setup, and this guide shows you exactly how.

Here is the thing nobody tells you when you buy an iPhone. Move to iOS, the official Android-to-iPhone tool, only appears during the initial setup screens. Once you have finished setting up and you are on the home screen, that option is gone. If you skipped it or it failed partway, your choices are either to factory reset the iPhone and try again, or to use a desktop tool that moves your data without erasing anything. Most people do not want to reset a phone they have already started using, so let us start with the method that keeps your data intact.

Why Move to iOS does not work after setup

Move to iOS is built into the iPhone setup process, not the apps you download later. It creates a private Wi-Fi link between your two phones during setup and copies data once. After your iPhone is set up, there is no button anywhere in Settings to launch it again. On top of that, plenty of people hit problems with it even during setup. A weak Wi-Fi signal can stall the transfer, and large photo libraries sometimes fail near the end. So whether you skipped it or it broke, you end up in the same place: needing another way in.

Method 1: Transfer after setup without resetting (recommended)

The cleanest fix is a desktop app that connects both phones to your computer and copies the data straight across. We use iCareFone iTransGo by Tenorshare for this. It runs on Windows and Mac, it does not need you to reset your iPhone, and it lets you pick exactly what to move instead of forcing an all-or-nothing copy. It supports current devices, including iOS 26 and Android 16.

How to transfer Android to iPhone with iTransGo

The whole process takes about ten minutes depending on how much data you have. You will need both phones, two USB cables, and a computer.

1. Install iTransGo and choose Android to iOS

   Download iCareFone iTransGo on your Windows PC or Mac, install it, and open it. On the main screen, pick the "Android to iOS" transfer direction.

   Get iTransGo →
   Screenshot

   Start screen
   The mode selection with "Android to iOS" chosen

2. Connect both phones and enable USB Debugging

   Plug your Android and your iPhone into the computer with USB cables. On the iPhone, tap "Trust" when asked. On the Android, the app walks you through turning on USB Debugging, which is what lets the computer read your data. Check that the Android shows as the source and the iPhone as the destination. If they are swapped, use the flip button.

   Screenshot

   Both phones connected
   Source and destination shown correctly

3. Pick the data you want to move

   The app scans your Android and lists what it can transfer: contacts, photos, videos, music, messages, and more. Tick the categories you want. This is the part Move to iOS cannot do, you are in control of what comes across.

   Screenshot

   Data selection
   Categories listed with checkboxes

4. Click Start and wait

   Hit Start to begin. Keep both phones connected until it finishes. Nothing already on your iPhone is deleted, the new data is added alongside what is there. When it is done, check your iPhone and your contacts and photos should be waiting for you.

   Screenshot

   Transfer complete
   The success screen after the copy finishes

Method 2: Reset and use Move to iOS (the free way)

If you would rather not use a paid tool and you do not mind starting fresh, you can factory reset your iPhone and run Move to iOS again. Be clear on the trade-off though: this erases everything you have already set up on the iPhone. Any apps, accounts, photos, or settings you added since unboxing will be wiped. Only do this if your iPhone is nearly empty.

To do it, go to Settings, General, Transfer or Reset iPhone, then Erase All Content and Settings. Once the iPhone restarts into the setup screens, choose "Move Data from Android," install the Move to iOS app on your Android, and enter the code shown on the iPhone to pair them. Select your data and let it run.

In short, if your iPhone is brand new and empty, the free reset route is fine. If you have already been using it for days or weeks, resetting is a painful step backwards, and a desktop transfer tool is the saner choice.

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