Apple’s iPhones always draw a lot of attention. But another tech giant is Apple some real beef to contend with. Google’s new suite of Google Pixel phones are more affordable and also operate at lightning speeds. The latest models are: Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6 and Pixel 6a; and the Google Pixel 7 is slated to be released in late 2022.
As an existing iPhone user, you may be fed up with your current device, or too stunned by the crazy prices of iPhones. Or, you might just want to try something different. To switch over smoothly, you’ll need to ensure that all your wealth of data (contacts, photos, videos, personal info, WhatsApp messages, apps, etc), all get transferred over properly.
And if you’ve never used an Android smartphone before and you’re starting with Google Pixel, you’ll want to follow this guide before you change your SIM card.
How to sync Google contacts with iPhone the right way
First things first, you need to make sure all your contacts are backed up properly so you don’t lose the number of anyone important! We’re all so reliant on our phones these days that no one ever remembers or writes down phone numbers anymore, so you’ll need to make sure your contacts don’t get lost when transferring your data to your new phone.
There are several ways to sync the contacts in your iPhone to your Google account.
Backup iPhone contacts to Gmail
One easy way is to save your current iPhone contacts to a Gmail account, which most people have. If you’re not on Gmail, you can also just sign up for a free account, which will probably take you less than 5 minutes to do so.
iPhone users can easily backup iPhone contacts to Google Gmail by following these steps:
1. Go to Settings > Select Passwords & Accounts.
2. Tap Add Accounts > Tap Google > Enter the required information to add your Gmail account and click Next.
3. Click Save after your account is verified.
4. Turn on Contacts Sync
5. Click Save to confirm.
Backup iPhone contacts to Google via iCloud
On your iPhone, turn on Contacts Sync — Settings > Your account > iCloud > turn on Contacts.
On your laptop, sign in to iCloud and open up Contacts.
Click the gear icon in the lower left corner to open a menu. You’ll see the option to Select All to export all the contacts from your iCloud.
Once selected, click the gear icon again and select Export vCard. This downloads your contacts to your laptop.
Once that’s done, you have to sync the iPhone contacts to your Google account. Open a web browser, type contacts.google.com in the url, and sign in to transfer your saved iPhone contacts to Google.
Backup iPhone data with Google Drive Backup
You can use Google Drive on your iPhone to back up content stored on your device, including photos and videos, contacts and calendar.
Your data will be backed up to the corresponding Google apps — Google Photos, Google Contacts and Google Calendar
Here are some things to take note of before getting started:
- Make sure you have the most recent version of Google Drive installed on your iPhone.
- You need to be on a wifi network to back up photos and videos
- Any multimedia organised into photo albums will not back up to Google Photos
- Do not do multiple back ups as it will overwrite any previous backups done with your Contacts and Calendars
Open the Google Drive app > tap the three lines for Menu > Settings > Backup > Start Backup.
Once the process is complete, you’ll be able to see your current iPhone data in the corresponding Google Pixel apps.
If you see an error message “Backup did not complete”, this means you ran into some problems and not all of your data was able to be backed up. The usual option is to try again as it may be a temporary issue due to internet connection.
Check out the Google support page if you need more information.
Google’s Switch to Android – iPhone app
Now that you’ve decided to make the switch, there’s even an official Google app that can help you with it.
Google’s Switch to Android app is an iOS app that makes the process of switching to an Android based phone that much easier for iPhone users.
The app works by scanning the contents of your phone and uploading them directly into the appropriate folders on your new phone.
To get started, open the Switch to Android app on your iPhone, and scan the displayed QR code with your Google Pixel to get the transfer process started.
The transfer can be done wirelessly but using a cable that connects both phones will speed up the process, which is way more efficient for those who have large files.
Sync iPhone contacts to Google
Oftentimes, your contacts may turn up as duplicates on your devices with someone’s old numbers saved as two different entries. This can be a tad annoying when you need to find the person’s phone number in a jiffy.
Thankfully, there’s an app to fix that. Contacts Sync for Google Gmail lets you sync all the contacts you have stored on multiple accounts on your device such as your iCloud and Google accounts.
Open the Contacts Sync app > Accounts > iPhone Account to Sync > select All.
If you have a problem with your Google contacts on your iPhone not matching with those of your Google contacts on the web, you can fix that too by with the app. Go to Contacts Sync > Accounts > iPhone Account to Sync and choose your Google account. Then go to Contacts Sync > Sync > Google (iOS) > Google (web).
Technology has certainly made it easy for data transfer and there are many ways to ensure that all your phone history and content are not lost or stuck in an old phone. Follow these steps to make the data transfer as seamless as possible, and you’re good to go with your spanking new Google Pixel.
Switch to the better choice, choose M1
Regardless of whether you continue to stick with the iPhone or jump ship, ensuring that you have a good data plan is paramount to getting the best out of your phones.
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