If you need to transfer contacts from iPhone to iPhone, the best method depends on one thing: where you are in the move. Use Quick Start if the new iPhone is still on the setup screen. Use iCloud Contacts if both phones use the same Apple Account. Use AltTunes if you are on Windows and want a local contact export before importing contacts to the new iPhone.

This guide covers the safe routes in plain English: Quick Start, iCloud Contacts, Contacts app export, iCloud.com vCard import, AltTunes for Windows, AirDrop, and SIM import. It also fixes a common myth: iPhones do not save contacts to SIM cards. They can only import contacts already stored on a SIM.

Quick answer: best way to transfer contacts from iPhone to iPhone

Use this picker first. It saves you from starting with the wrong tool and wondering why half your contacts disappeared.

Use Quick Start if your new iPhone is not set up yet

Apple Quick Start is the easiest way to move contacts when the new iPhone is still on the Hello screen. Put both iPhones near each other, follow the setup prompts, and choose the transfer option Apple shows.

1. Turn on the new iPhone and place it near the old iPhone.
2. Keep both devices connected to Wi-Fi and power if the transfer will take a while.
3. Follow the Quick Start prompt on the old iPhone.
4. Choose device-to-device transfer or the Apple setup option available on your phones.
5. Wait until setup finishes before wiping or trading in the old iPhone.

Quick Start transfers more than contacts. That is good for a full upgrade, but overkill if you already set up the new iPhone and only need the address book.

How to transfer contacts from iPhone to iPhone with iCloud Contacts

iCloud Contacts is the cleanest contact-only method when both iPhones use the same Apple Account. You turn on Contacts sync on the old iPhone, then turn it on for the same account on the new iPhone.

1. On the old iPhone, open Settings and tap your name.
2. Tap iCloud, then turn on Contacts.
3. If iOS asks, choose Merge so local contacts sync with iCloud.
4. On the new iPhone, sign in with the same Apple Account.
5. Turn on Contacts under iCloud and wait for sync to finish.

If contacts do not appear right away, open the Contacts app and pull down to refresh. Also check whether old contacts live under Google, Exchange, Outlook, or another account instead of iCloud.

Export contacts from the iPhone Contacts app as a vCard

Apple now documents a direct way to export contacts on iPhone. This works well when you want to share selected contacts, export a list, or move contacts between accounts without restoring the whole phone.

1. Open the Contacts app on the old iPhone.
2. Tap Lists if you want a specific group, or choose the list with the contacts you need.
3. Touch and hold a list, then choose Export.
4. Choose the contact fields you want to include.
5. Share or save the exported contact card file.

After export, send the vCard to the new iPhone or import it through iCloud.com Contacts. This route is better than a full backup restore when contacts are the only thing you need.

Transfer contacts to a new iPhone without iCloud on Windows with AltTunes

AltTunes is the Softorino fit for Windows users who want a local copy first. It is not a magic one-click iPhone-to-iPhone bridge. It helps you export contacts from the old iPhone to a Windows PC, then you import that contact file through iCloud.com Contacts or another supported contacts app so the new iPhone can sync it.

1. Install AltTunes for Windows on your PC.
2. Connect the old iPhone with a USB cable and trust the computer if iOS asks.
3. Open AltTunes and choose Contacts.
4. Select all contacts or only the ones you need.
5. Export the contacts to your PC as a local contact backup.
6. Import the exported contact file through iCloud.com Contacts or another contacts app that supports vCard import.
7. Turn on Contacts sync on the new iPhone and check the Contacts app.

Use AltTunes when you hate relying on iCloud blindly, use Windows, or want a local backup before changing devices. It also fits the bigger job if you need to export contacts from iPhone to computer or back up iPhone without iCloud.

Import or export contacts with iCloud.com

iCloud.com Contacts is useful when you already have a vCard file. Apple lets you import and export contacts on iCloud.com, which means you can move a contact file into the Apple account the new iPhone uses.

1. Open iCloud.com on a computer or tablet browser and sign in.
2. Open Contacts.
3. Use import to add a vCard file to iCloud Contacts.
4. On the new iPhone, sign in to the same Apple Account.
5. Turn on iCloud Contacts and wait for the imported contacts to sync.

This is the clean middle step for many no-iCloud-at-first workflows. You can export locally with AltTunes or the iPhone Contacts app, then import the contact file into the account used on the new iPhone.

Use AirDrop for a few contacts, not a full messy migration

AirDrop works when both iPhones are nearby and you only need a small set of contacts. Open a contact, share it, choose AirDrop, then accept it on the new iPhone. For bigger moves, use Contacts list export instead of tapping hundreds of cards one by one.

1. Turn on Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and AirDrop on both iPhones.
2. Open Contacts on the old iPhone.
3. Open a contact and tap Share Contact.
4. Choose AirDrop and select the new iPhone.
5. Accept the contact on the new iPhone.

AirDrop is fast for a parent, coworker, or emergency contact. It is not the method I would pick for a 1,500-contact address book.

When SIM import works -- and when it does not

SIM import only helps if the contacts are already stored on a SIM card from another phone. Apple says the iPhone does not store contacts on the SIM card, so you cannot use a normal iPhone as the source for SIM export.

1. Insert the SIM card that already contains contacts into the iPhone.
2. Open Settings > Contacts.
3. Tap Import SIM Contacts.
4. Choose where to import the contacts if iOS asks.
5. Open Contacts and check the imported cards.

For official details, see Apple Support on how to import contacts from a SIM card to iPhone. Use this route for old phone migrations, not iPhone-to-iPhone transfer.

What about iTunes or a full iPhone backup?

A full backup restore can bring contacts across, but it is a heavy tool for a small job. It can also overwrite the new iPhone setup if you restore during setup. Use it when you want the whole old phone copied, not when you only want contacts.

If you are already thinking about backups, read Softorino guides on how to back up and restore an iPhone. For contact-only moves, iCloud Contacts, vCard export, or AltTunes is cleaner.

Troubleshooting: contacts missing after transfer

Most missing-contact problems come from account mismatch. Your old iPhone may show contacts from iCloud, Google, Outlook, Exchange, or a work account in one combined list. The new iPhone only shows contacts from accounts you added and enabled.

Check which account owns the missing contacts

1. On the old iPhone, open Contacts and tap Lists.
2. Check whether contacts sit under iCloud, Gmail, Outlook, Exchange, or another account.
3. Add the same account to the new iPhone if you want those contacts to sync.
4. If you do not want account sync, export the contacts as a vCard and import them into the account you do want.

Fix duplicate contacts

Duplicates usually appear when the same contacts exist in more than one account or after repeated vCard imports. Clean one source at a time. Do not delete duplicates until you confirm which account owns the correct contact cards.

Different Apple IDs

If the old and new iPhones use different Apple Accounts, iCloud Contacts sync will not move contacts automatically. Export contacts from the old account, then import the vCard into the new account through iCloud.com Contacts.

FAQ

Final thoughts

The best way to transfer contacts from iPhone to iPhone is not one method for everyone. Quick Start wins before setup. iCloud Contacts wins for same-account sync. Contacts export and iCloud.com win for vCard moves. AirDrop wins for a few cards. SIM import only helps with old SIM-stored contacts.

If you use Windows and want a local safety copy before the move, start with AltTunes for Windows. Export the contacts, keep the backup, then import the contact file to the account your new iPhone uses. For broader iPhone data work, the Softorino Universal License bundles the main apps under one plan.