How to Transfer iPhone Contacts Over to Your Samsung Galaxy Note 2 or Other Android Smartphones

Why is transferring contacts from an old smartphone
to a new one still insanely difficult? I can check my
bank account, upload a picture to Instagram, email
someone across the globe, and check the weather
forecast on my phone—all in under five minutes.
So why does transferring contacts from an iPhone 5
over to a Samsung Galaxy Note 2 feel like it takes
hours?
What gives?
You'd think that since we can do everything else
almost instantaneously, transferring contacts would
be a quick, simple process. But different operating
systems, SIM cards, and phone carriers don't always
play well together—especially when it's between
Android and iOS.
If you have an iPhone and want to ditch it for a
Samsung Galaxy Note 2, Galaxy S4, or other Android
device, you won't want to lose your contacts. Even if
you've already made the switch and still have your
iPhone, how exactly do you port those contacts over?
Luckily, there are a few easy ways to transfer them
over, whether you have a Mac, PC, or no computer at
all.
Contacts (for Mac Users)
If you have a Mac, it's a pretty sure bet that your
iPhone contacts are already synced to your Contacts
application (connecting your iPhone usually syncs
them automatically). In order to transfer these
contacts to your Galaxy Note 2, you'll need to first
export them to your Gmail account. To do this:
1. Open Contacts on your Mac.
2. Select all of your contacts (Command+A).
3. Click on File -> Export -> Export VCard.
4. Save the file somewhere that you can easily find
it.
5. Log in to your Gmail account and go to
Contacts.
6. Click on Import Contacts and select the VCard
you just saved.
7. Your contacts will show up as Imported (Date
you imported).
The next few steps will take place on your
Samsung Galaxy Note 2:
If you're turning on your device for the first time, it
will ask you if you want to sync your Google
account. Sync that account and all of your contacts
will show up.
If you've already been using the phone, you can
head over to Settings -> Add account and log in
to your Google account, making sure to check Sync
Contacts under Sync settings.
Note: If you have more than one group of uploaded
contacts on your Gmail account, either delete the
ones you don't need or make sure you can
differentiate between the two. The contacts are
synced on your Note 2 as one huge entry unless you
specifically create a group that divides them.
iTunes (for Windows Users)
If you have Windows, you'll want to connect your
iPhone to your computer and follow these steps:
1. Open iTunes.
2. Select your iPhone.
3. Under the Info tab, choose Sync Contacts
with Google Contacts.
4. Enter your Gmail username and password and
wait for it to sync.
5. Once finished, open your Gmail account and
look under Contacts to make sure they
appeared.
6. On your Note 2, go to Settings -> Add account
and log in to your Google account, making sure
to check Sync Contacts under Sync settings.
If you don't want to sync the contacts through your
Note 2, you can connect it to your computer and use
Kies, Samsung's desktop software for wirelessly
transferring files.
Through Kies, you can select your device, click on the
Sync tab, and choose which account you want to
sync your contacts with under Personal
information.
Applications (Android/iPhone)
If you want to transfer the contacts directly through
the two devices, you can do it using a few different
applications—no computer required!
First, you'll need to download the iOS version of
Contacts Sync. It's really simple to use—with
nothing more than an upward swipe, all your
contacts are backed up to the NQ Contacts Cloud.
Now that you're done with your iPhone, grab your
Note 2 and download the Android version of the
application, called Contacts Imported.
Open the app and tap on Restore Contacts, which
will pull all the contacts you uploaded to the cloud
onto your new device.
That's all there is to it.