Transfer my contacts to a new device

Got a new device? Here’s how to transfer your contacts (and photos and messages and everything else) from your old device across to your new phone or tablet.

How do I transfer contacts and content to or from an Apple device?

iTunes is required to back up content on an iPhone. iTunes can be download from the Apple website and is available for PCs and Macs.

Alternatively if you don't have access to a PC / Mac you can use the iCloud service available on your iPhone to back up and restore all your content.

How to back up using iTunes

  1. if you have access to a PC / Mac computer, open iTunes and connect your device to your computer
  2. if a message asks for your device passcode or to 'Trust This Computer' please follow the onscreen steps
  3. select your device on the right hand side - this will bring up a summary page which will present you with the option to ‘Back Up Now’. Once clicked the back up process will begin
  4. you can see when the back up has completed – simply check the space below the back up button and it will display the date and time of last back up

How to back up using iCloud

  1. connect to a WiFi network
  2. make sure your device is on the latest software by going into Settings > General > Software Update
  3. go to Settings > 'Your Name' > iCloud and make sure all the features that you want backed up are activated and showing a green switch. You can control which content you want backed up by switching them off and on individually on the right hand side of each option
  4. go to Settings > 'Your Name' > iCloud > iCloud Backup and make sure this is switched on and once switched on click 'Back Up Now'. Stay connected to your WiFi network while this process completes
  5. you can check the progress and confirm the back up has been completed by going to Settings > 'Your Name' > iCloud > iCloud Backup and you'll see the date and time of your last back up

How to restore your back up to your new device

If you haven't already you need to insert your SIM into your new device and power the device on. You should see a ‘Hello’ message on your screen – follow the onscreen setup until you reach the Apps & Data section. This will give you two options; restore from iCloud Backup or restore from iTunes Backup.

How to restore from iTunes Backup

  1. open iTunes on your PC / Mac computer
  2. connect your new device using the USB cable provided. When a message appears asking for your device passcode or to 'Trust This Computer' please follow the onscreen steps
  3. select your device when it appears on the right hand side and then select 'Restore Backup'
  4. select the relevant back up by using the date and time that you backed up your old device
  5. click 'Restore' and wait for this process to complete
  6. keep your device connected after it restarts and wait for it to sync with your computer - you should not disconnect until the sync is fully completed

How to restore from iCloud Backup

  1. on the Apps & Data section click 'Restore from iCloud Backup'
  2. sign in with your Apple ID
  3. once signed in you need to select the relevant back up
  4. when required, sign in to your Apple ID account to restore all available apps and purchases
  5. stay connected and wait for a progress bar to appear and complete. Depending on the size of the back up and the network speed, it could take between a few minutes to up to an hour to complete. If you disconnect from WiFi too soon, the progress will pause until you reconnect
  6. once completed your new device will be ready to go with all your backed up content now restored

How do I transfer contacts and content to or from an Android device?

To transfer your contacts and content to or from an Android device you will need to have set up a Google account.

How to back up content

  1. go into Settings > Google > Backup
  2. make sure the 'Back up to Google Drive' option is switched on
  3. this should automatically back up all your content such as settings, photos, messages, videos and contacts

How to restore content

  1. work through the set up steps for your new device and when prompted connect to a WiFi network
  2. accept the terms and conditions
  3. you'll then be asked if you have another Android device – if you do simply click the option to copy your Google accounts, apps and data from your other device and follow the steps
  4. you can also click 'No thanks' and still do a restore. This will require you to submit your Google account email address and password - it will then guide you through setting up your preferences such as automatic back up
  5. on the 'Which device' screen you can select your previous device backup and select restore. The restore will then happen automatically and your device will prompt you to set up other personal settings such as fingerprint settings while the backup is completed in the background

How do I transfer contacts and content to or from a Windows device?

How to back up content

  1. go into Settings > backup
  2. in backup you'll find three different sections: apps+settings, text messages and photos+videos. Under each is displayed the status such as 'backup on' or 'backup off'. Tap each to set your preference but we recommend turning on backup for everything
  3. under photos+video, there are options to back up photos at 'good quality' which will use your data plan (or WiFi if you're connected) or 'best quality' which is to be used with WiFi only
  4. to manually create a backup, tap on apps+settings and then select 'back up now'

How to restore content

  1. when you first turn on your new device, you'll need to choose your language, accept the terms of use, connect to WiFi, choose WiFi Sense options, set general phone settings. Only then will you be asked to sign in to your Microsoft account
  2. once signed in to your Microsoft account, tap the backup you want to restore and tap 'next'. The restore process will begin and you should see a message saying that your apps will be downloaded in the background. If there are any apps you need to use straight away, you can download them manually from the Windows Store

How do I transfer contacts and content to or from a BlackBerry device?

How to back up content on Blackberry 10 smartphone

  1. open BlackBerry Link
  2. connect the device to the computer using the USB cable
  3. at the side of the screen, select the device
  4. click 'Back Up & Restore' (to choose specific information to be backed up, select the 'Custom Backup' option)
  5. click 'Back Up Device'
  6. wait until the backup process has completed before disconnecting your device

How to restore content data on Blackberry 10 smartphone

  1. open BlackBerry Link
  2. connect the device to the computer using the USB cable
  3. at the side of the screen, select the device
  4. click 'Back Up & Restore'
  5. click 'Restore Device'
  6. select the relevant backup file
  7. click 'Restore'
  8. wait until the restore process has completed before disconnecting your device

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