A person holds a smartphone showing a download screen, ready to move photos from an iPhone to a new Android phone.
How to Transfer Photos from iPhone to Android is the guide most switchers need first, because photos are usually the most personal files on a phone and the hardest to replace if they are lost.
Moving to a new Android phone does not mean leaving those memories behind, and several free methods can carry a whole camera roll across with little fuss.
The best method depends on timing, because transferring during the first setup of the new phone is usually smoother than moving photos weeks later.
This guide covers the setup-time transfer first, then Google Photos, Samsung Smart Switch, and a computer method, so you can pick the one that fits your phones.
Key Highlights of Moving Photos from iPhone to Android
- Transfer during setup when you can.
Android setup offers a copy step that moves photos, contacts, and messages from an iPhone, and doing it at setup avoids a second round of sorting, signing in, and reconnecting cables later on.
- Charge both phones to at least 80 percent.
Android's official switch guidance asks for both devices to be charged to at least 80 percent before starting, because a large photo library can take a long time to copy and a dead battery can interrupt it.
- Turn off iMessage and FaceTime first.
Switching off iMessage and FaceTime on the iPhone, and deregistering the number if prompted, helps make sure messages and calls reach the new Android phone instead of staying tied to Apple services.
- Use a cable for large libraries.
A cable connection is recommended for the most complete transfer, and it is usually faster and more stable than Wi-Fi when the library contains thousands of photos and long videos.
- Google Photos works after setup too.
Backing up the iPhone camera roll to Google Photos gives you a second route that works at any time, even if the new Android phone is already set up and in daily use.
- Check the result before wiping the iPhone.
Open albums, favorites, and a few videos on the Android phone after the transfer, and keep the iPhone untouched until you are sure nothing important is missing or damaged.
Before You Start: Prepare Both Phones
Preparation takes only a few minutes, but it prevents the most common transfer failures, including phones dying halfway through and messages going missing after the switch.
Start by charging both phones to at least 80 percent and keeping them plugged in if the library is large, because video files in particular can slow the copy down considerably.
On the iPhone, open Settings, tap Messages, and turn off iMessage, then open Settings, tap FaceTime, and turn that off as well.
Android's switch guidance also advises deregistering iMessage so texts are not trapped in Apple's system, and that step is worth doing before the old phone is wiped or traded in.
Next, check how much space the new Android phone has free, and compare it with the size of the iPhone photo library shown in iPhone Settings under General and then iPhone Storage.
If the Android phone does not have enough room, free space first or plan to keep part of the library in Google Photos instead of copying every original file to the device.
Finally, sign in to the same Google account on both phones if you plan to use Google Photos or Android setup, and connect both phones to the same stable Wi-Fi network as a backup route.
A cable is still the better choice for a big library, but having Wi-Fi ready means a wireless transfer can take over if an adapter is missing.
Method 1: Transfer During Android Setup with a Cable
This is the recommended route for most switchers, because it runs before the new phone fills up with apps and settings, and it moves photos alongside contacts, messages, and other data in one pass.
The exact screens vary slightly by Android brand, but the flow is consistent across modern Android phones, including Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy models.
- Start the new Android phone and reach the copy step.
Turn on the new Android phone, follow the setup screens to activate the SIM, sign in to a Google account, and set up a screen lock, then choose to copy data from an iPhone or iPad when setup asks where your old data lives.
- Connect the two phones with a cable.
Connect the iPhone to the Android phone with a USB-C to USB-C cable, or a Lightning to USB-C cable for older iPhones, and confirm any trust or allow prompts that appear on the iPhone screen during the connection.
- Choose photos and other data to copy.
Follow the on-screen instructions to select the data types you want, making sure photos and videos are ticked, then tap the copy or transfer button at the bottom of the screen to begin the move.
- Wait for the transfer to finish completely.
Leave both phones connected and undisturbed while the copy runs, because unplugging early can leave albums half-copied, and very large libraries may take an hour or more to finish.
- Verify photos, then finish setup.
When the completion screen appears, open the Android gallery or Google Photos app, check that albums, recent photos, and videos are present, and only then continue with the remaining Android setup steps.
One timing detail is worth knowing before you panic about missing messages, because Android notes that messages can take up to 48 hours to appear after a transfer is completed.
Photos should appear much sooner, so if pictures are present but a few messages are not, give the phone a day or two before assuming the transfer failed.
Method 2: Move Photos with Google Photos
Google Photos is the best fallback when the Android phone is already set up, because it does not need a cable, a setup screen, or both phones in the same room.
It also doubles as a backup, so the photos remain safe in the cloud even if either phone is lost, damaged, or traded in afterwards.
- Install Google Photos on the iPhone.
Download Google Photos from the App Store, open it, and sign in with the Google account you will use on the Android phone, because the backup and the new phone must share the same account.
- Turn on backup and wait for it to finish.
Open the app settings, turn on backup for photos and videos, keep the iPhone charged and on Wi-Fi, and wait until the backup completes before moving on to the Android phone.
- Open Google Photos on the Android phone.
Sign in to the same Google account on the Android phone, open Google Photos, and let the library sync, after which the backed-up photos and videos should appear in the app.
- Decide what to keep on the device.
Photos in Google Photos are available in the cloud, but you can also download selected photos or albums to the Android phone for offline viewing if you want local copies as well.
Watch the storage limit here, because Google account storage is shared across Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos, and a large original-quality backup can fill the free allowance quickly.
If storage runs short, back up over Wi-Fi in Storage saver quality where offered, or keep the most important originals and leave the rest in the cloud until you need them.
Method 3: Samsung Smart Switch for Galaxy Phones
Samsung Galaxy owners get an extra option in Smart Switch, which is built into Galaxy phones and can also be installed on the iPhone from the App Store.
It offers two routes, a direct cable or wireless connection between the phones, or an import from an iCloud backup, which is useful when the iPhone is no longer nearby.
- Open Smart Switch on the Galaxy phone.
On the Galaxy phone, go to Settings, then Accounts and backup, then Bring data from old device, and choose iPhone or iPad as the source device for the transfer.
- Connect by cable or choose iCloud instead.
Connect the iPhone with a cable and follow the on-screen directions, or select the option to get data from iCloud, sign in with the Apple ID, and choose the data to import.
- Select photos and start the transfer.
Make sure photos and videos are selected, start the transfer, and keep both phones awake and connected until Smart Switch reports that the move is complete.
For the iCloud route, Smart Switch guidance for iPhone users includes turning off Contacts sync in iCloud settings and choosing to keep contacts on the iPhone first.
That detail matters mainly for contacts rather than photos, but following the on-screen prompts in order avoids a half-finished import that has to be run twice.
Method 4: Copy Photos with a Computer
A computer is the most hands-on method, but it gives the most control, because you can pick exact albums, keep a backup folder on the computer, and move only the photos you actually want.
It is a good choice when the cloud is full, the phones will not connect directly, or you want a second copy anyway.
- Connect the iPhone and trust the computer.
Plug the iPhone into the computer with a USB cable, unlock the phone, and tap Trust This Computer if prompted, so the computer is allowed to read the photo folders.
- Copy photos from the DCIM folders.
Open the iPhone in the computer file manager or Finder, look inside the DCIM folder for subfolders such as 100APPLE, and copy the photos and videos you want into a folder on the computer.
- Connect the Android phone and copy them across.
Plug in the Android phone, choose the file transfer option from its USB notification if asked, and copy the photos from the computer folder into the Android phone's Pictures folder.
- Check the Android gallery before deleting anything.
Open the gallery on the Android phone, confirm the copied photos open correctly, and keep the computer folder as a backup until you are fully happy with the result.
Two format notes can save confusion at this stage, because iPhones often save photos in HEIC format and Live Photos combine a still image with a short video clip.
Most modern Android phones handle HEIC files, but if an older phone struggles to preview them, converting those copies to JPEG before copying them across is a simple workaround worth trying.
Tips for a Smooth Photo Transfer
Do the transfer somewhere with time to spare, because rushing a large library is how cables get unplugged and backups get cancelled halfway through.
A quiet evening with both phones on charge is a better setting than the last ten minutes before leaving the house with a new phone.
Keep the iPhone exactly as it is until the Android gallery has been checked, including a few older albums and not just the most recent pictures.
It is far easier to re-copy a missing album from the original phone than to recover it from a cloud trash folder after the iPhone has been wiped.
Sort favorites and albums after the move rather than before it, because album structures do not always survive a transfer perfectly and tidying first can waste effort.
Once the photos are safely on Android, use the gallery or Google Photos to rebuild albums, mark favorites, and delete duplicates at leisure.
If videos are the problem, move them separately in smaller batches, because a single huge video folder is the most likely part of a transfer to stall.
Splitting videos from photos, or moving year by year, makes it much easier to spot which batch failed and run just that part again.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will my iPhone albums transfer to Android?
Photos themselves usually transfer well, but album organization does not always carry over perfectly between Apple Photos and Android gallery apps.
Expect the pictures to arrive safely, then plan a short tidy-up session on the Android phone to rebuild your most important albums and favorites.
Do I need a cable to transfer photos from iPhone to Android?
A cable is recommended for the most complete and fastest transfer, especially for a large library, but it is not strictly required in every case.
Google Photos and wireless transfer options can move photos without a cable, although they are slower and depend on Wi-Fi speed and cloud storage space.
Will Live Photos still work on Android?
Live Photos may not behave exactly the same on Android, because the motion-photo feature is an Apple format and Android gallery apps handle it differently.
The still image normally transfers without trouble, while the short motion clip may arrive as a separate video or not at all, depending on the method used.
What happens to photos if the transfer is interrupted?
An interrupted transfer usually leaves some photos copied and others missing, rather than damaging the originals still on the iPhone.
Reconnect the phones or rerun the backup, check which albums are incomplete, and copy only the missing part again before wiping or trading in the old phone.
Should I delete photos from the iPhone after transferring?
Do not delete anything from the iPhone until you have opened the Android gallery, checked older albums and videos, and confirmed the photos you care about most are intact.
Keeping the iPhone as a backup for a few days costs nothing and protects against a transfer that looked complete but quietly missed a folder.
Switching from iPhone to Android feels daunting mainly because photos carry years of memories, but the process itself is straightforward once the right method is chosen.
Transfer during setup with a cable for the smoothest move, use Google Photos when the phone is already set up, and always verify the result before letting the old iPhone go.