UPDATE: We’ve made it incredibly easy to sync your iPhone and Google contacts. Just install Contacts+ For iOS and you can sync your contacts from Google, Twitter, and more.
You can sync Google contacts to your iPhone in just a few steps. If you have a Gmail account, you might want to import all of your Google contacts to your iPhone so your address book is properly. Your iPhone will then ask which parts of your Google account you’d like to sync. Make sure the Contacts option is selected; then your iPhone and Android devices will start syncing contacts with.
Last updated: 31 March, 2021
We hear from a lot of folks who have trouble syncing their iPhone Contacts with their Google Contacts. This is a common pain point for iPhone users – especially compared to the relative ease of setting up an Android to sync with Google Contacts.
Open your iPhone or iPad's Settings app. Tap Accounts & Passwords Add Account Google. Enter your email and password. Switch 'Contacts' on. At the top, tap Save. By default, the Contacts Sync app syncs your iCloud contacts with Google, even if you have more than just iCloud contacts on your iPhone. If you have multiple contact accounts on your iPhone, and you want to sync all of them with Google, go to Contacts Sync Accounts iPhone Account to Sync, and select 'All.'
We’re working on some new features for the Contact+ address book app that will make the process of syncing your contacts with an iPhone much, much easier. In the meantime, we’ve written up a quick guide to help you get things set up right.
This entire process will take 10-15 minutes max, and it will save you a lot of confusion later. Set it and forget it. If you’re an Outlook.com, Yahoo, or Hotmail user, don’t worry – we’ll help you out in a future blog post.
1. Decide Which Google Accounts to Connect
Many people have multiple Google accounts that include contact lists. For example, I have a work Google Apps account, a personal Gmail account, and a separate personal Gmail account (reserved for beta signups, receipts, Craigslist sales, and other junk where I don’t want to give out my personal email). Each of these accounts has its own corresponding Google Contacts list.
So which accounts should you connect to your phone?
You probably don’t want all your contacts on your phone, because that will slow down the process of searching or scrolling through contacts to make a call. Instead, if you’re like me, you’d rather see a focused list of people with whom you might need to communicate while on the go.
As you consider, it’s important to note that, on your iPhone, you can easily connect an email account without syncing the contacts. This can be helpful when you don’t want to sift through a list of several thousand contacts (pulled from multiple Google accounts) to place a call. For Google accounts specifically, you won’t be able to connect both your contacts and email in one step.
2. Connect Your Gmail to Your iPhone
For the most part, this is pretty simple. Tap the Settings icon on your iPhone. Scroll down a bit until you see Mail, Contacts, Calendars. Tap it.
You’ll then see all of your connected email accounts listed under Accounts. Tap Add Account…, select Gmail, and you’ll then be prompted to enter the relevant information, such as email address, password, and description.
I like to label the email accounts with simple names like “Work Mail,” “Personal Mail,” or “Junk Mail” to make it easy to find the right account in my iPhone inbox instead of trying to decipher between several similar email account names (like bartlorang@ceos.com and bart.lorang@ceos.com, for example). For Google accounts, I specifically add the “Mail” at the end of the description to remind me that the default connection only connects Mail and Calendar, not Contacts.
This is a key point, and a point of confusion and frustration for Google Contacts users. Just because you connect your Gmail does not mean your Google contacts are connected as well. This means that if you stop right now, any changes you make to contacts on your iPhone – or new contacts you add – will not show up in your Google Contacts on the web (and vice versa).
For Google, you’ll have to use separate protocols to sync contacts.
3. Connect Your Google Contacts to Your iPhone
There are two ways to sync your Google Contacts. For Google, the one you use depends on whether you’re using a personal Gmail (or Googlemail.com) account or a Google Apps account.
Of note, no matter which Google method you use, your phone will only sync with your “My Contacts” in Google. It will not sync your Other Contacts* or Google Plus Circles.
*Gmail automatically adds addresses to your Other Contacts list each time you use the Reply, Reply to all, or Forward functions to send mail to addresses that don’t already exist in your “My Contacts” list.
4. Enable Contact Sync Over Cellular
Here’s a stumbling block that a lot of people have found – Go to Settings > Cellular and then scroll down until you see the slider beside Contacts. Enabling this will make sure that your phone can manage your contacts while using cellular data, rather than having to wait for a wifi signal.
For a Personal (Non-Google Apps) Google Account:
You’ll have to use a method called CardDAV. As we’ve written before, CardDAV is a sync protocol that Google recently decided to support. It allows for better synchronization of contact fields than the traditional Microsoft Exchange method (below). Google provides detailed instructions on how to set up CardDAV sync on their help page.
You’ll find the CardDAV option under Other in the Add Account… menu. It’s well worth the minute or so it takes to set up.
Keep in mind, the CardDAV sync does not bring in the associated Gmail and Google Calendar information. You did that in the previous step, which is why you’ll see two different accounts in the Accounts menu that actually represent the same Google Account.
For a Google Apps Account:
The setup for a Google Apps account is the same as if you’re adding a regular Gmail. iOS now supports the addition of Google Apps via the Google option.
We hope this was helpful in setting up your Google Contacts to sync with your iPhone Contacts!
There are a lot of nuances to fully setting up sync with your various email accounts and apps – we’ll deal with more of these issues in future posts, so let us know what you’re interested in!
If you're new into the Android world and have used an iPhone all your life, there are a few things that you might want to transfer from your iPhones to your new Android device. One of the most important things that you need to transfer is your contact list. If you're using an Android device, your contacts are backed up onto your personal Google accounts automatically. However, if you're using an iPhone, you must use iCloud for the same purpose. There are a number of apps in the App Store that can help you sync contacts between the two devices, but using iCloud for the same is quite easy as well. Here is a step by step guide on how to sync iCloud contacts with Google for Android phones.
Part 1. How to Sync iCloud Contacts with Google Manually
Anyone who has recently switched to an Android device will find things to be a bit confusing initially. One of the first things that you need to do when you start using an Android device after using an iPhone is to sync your iPhone contacts with Android. The simplest way to do this is to do it sync your iCloud contacts with Google manually. This guide shows you exactly what needs to be done.
Step 1. Access iCloud Contacts
Visit www.icloud.com from your PC. Use your unique Apple ID and password to log into iCloud. Click on 'Contacts'.
Sync Ios Contacts Google
Step 2. Export the Contacts
Click on 'Settings'. This icon is located on the bottom left of the screen. Once you click on 'Settings', click on 'Export VCard'. Keep a track of the destination where the file gets saved.
Step 3. Import Contacts to Google from iCloud
Visit www.google.com/contacts. Log in with your Google ID. Click on 'More' and click on the 'Import' option that appears. Choose the VCard file that has already been downloaded onto your PC. This is the same VCard that has been downloaded from iCloud.
Things to Remember – You need to ensure that your Google account has been offered permission to sync contacts on the Android device. If you're not clear on what to do, a short set of instructions that let you allow sync access to Google has also been included in this guide.
Sync Iphone Contacts With Google Contacts
Part 2. How to Sync iCloud Contacts with Google Using Phone Transfer
Sync Iphone Contacts To Gmail
If you're looking for a simpler alternative to the manual method, MobileTrans for Mac ( or MobileTrans for Windows) is an ideal option to go for. This program makes it very simple to transfer data from iCloud backup to Android accounts and sync it with Google. Moreover, the program doesn't just let you sync your contacts, it also allows you to sync things like messages, call logs, photos, apps, music, calendars and more.
Step-by-Step Guide on How to Sync iCloud Contacts
Step 1. Connect Your Devices
Connect your Android phone to your Mac using a USB cable. Run the Phone Transfer program on your Mac. The program automatically detects your device.
Step 2. Transfer iCloud Contacts to Android
The next step is to go to 'Restore From Backups', and click the 'from iCloud backup file' option. Then in the new open window, log in your iCloud account to view your contents. Then all you have to do is select the things that you wish to transfer from iCloud to Android and press the 'Start Copy' button. Your iCloud backup will be transferred to your Android device.
Step 3. Sync Your Android Device with Google
Tap on the Settings icon. Once you enter the Settings menu, tap on the Accounts tab to enter the Accounts window. Tap on the Google icon. The next window takes you to your Google account. Tap on your email id to choose the things that you wish to sync with your Google account. If you wish to sync everything, simply tap on the Sync All button.
If you do choose to select specific items, enter the next menu and make your selections. You should also find the Sync Contacts tab here. Check the box next to the Sync Contacts tab and tap on Sync now to complete the process.
Irrespective of which way you choose to sync your iCloud contacts to your Google account, you should be able to enjoy a seamless experience. The process doesn't take much time and it ensures that you don't end up losing valuable contacts.
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