How To Transfer Contacts, Messages, Photos, and Other Data from iPhone to Samsung Galaxy S9

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Published 15 Mar 2018

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How To Transfer Contacts, Messages, Photos, and Other Data from iPhone to Samsung Galaxy S9

 

The Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are now on sale in most parts of the world. The handsets might not seem like that big of an upgrade over the Galaxy S8, but the Samsung has made some meaningful refinements to the Galaxy S9 to improve its overall user experience. And if you have purchased a Galaxy S9 or its Plus sibling, you have made a wise decision. Now, chances are if you are coming from an iPhone, you are wondering how to move your important data like contacts, photos, messages etc to your new Galaxy. 

Worry not as we are here to help you out. You will find plenty of ways of moving data from your old iPhone to your new Galaxy S9. The one from Samsung though is the best as it makes the whole process relatively easy. Using Samsung’s Smart Switch app, you can transfer data using either a wired or wireless connection. The wired way is faster, but the wireless option is more convenient.

Transferring Data Wirelessly from iPhone to Samsung Galaxy S9

  • Backup your iPhone to the iCloud
    • If you haven’t already done so, you can follow the steps here
  • Open the Smart Switch app on your Galaxy S9
    • Alternatively, go to the Settings menu and under Cloud and accounts select Smart Switch
Screenshot 20160817 175833

Samsung Smart Switch App

Screenshot 20160817 185701

Smart Switch in the Settings menu

  • Select Wireless as the method of transferring data and then select iOS as the as the type of older device
Screenshot 20160817 191054

Method of transfer

Screenshot 20160817 174744 1

Select iOS for older device

  • Key in your Apple ID and password for the iCloud account you want to transfer data from. Also, make sure to disable the two-factor authentication of your iCloud account first.
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Log in with your iCloud credentials

  • Select the data you wish to transfer over from the iPhone
    • You can transfer the following data:
      * Contacts
      * Calendars
      * Memos
      * Messages
      * Pictures
      * Videos
      * Paid Music
      * Alarm Settings
      * Bookmarks
      * Call Logs
      * WiFi Profiles
      * Documents
      * App List
  • Select Start to begin the transfer process

With the transfer complete, you can now start using your Galaxy S9.

Transferring Data using a wired connection from iPhone to Samsung Galaxy S9

  • Connect the iPhone to the USB Connector that comes with the Galaxy S9
  • Galaxy S8 Smart Switch
    Wait for the Galaxy S9 to sync with and read the available files on the iPhone
  • Select Next on your Galaxy S9 and select the content to transfer:
    * Contacts
    * Calendars
    * Memos
    * Messages
    * Pictures
    * Videos
    * Paid Music
    * Alarm Settings
    * Bookmarks
    * Call Logs
    * WiFi Profiles
    * Documents
    * App List
  • Now press Start to begin the transfer
    • The transfer speeds can be as high as 15mbps, but if you have a lot of photos and videos, the process will take a fair bit of time
    • Once the data has been transferred over, you can disconnect the two devices.

The disappointing thing here is that there is no way for you to transfer apps and their associated app data from your iPhone to your new Galaxy. This even includes your WhatsApp chat history. While you can transfer your chat history between Android devices or from one iPhone to another, there’s no way to transfer your WhatsApp chat data from an iPhone to Android.

What do you think about your new Galaxy S9? Drop a comment and let us know!