If you have recently switched to an iPhone and are wondering how to get all your Gmail (or Google) contacts on iPhone, worry not. This article will tell you two of the easiest ways to import Gmail contacts to your iPhone.
Whether you are looking to merge your Gmail account contacts with iCloud or add it as a supplement to your contact list, this guide will help get both done in the least time. Not just that, we will also show you how to find and access your Google contacts on your iPhone; let’s start.
Method 1: Add Your Google Account to iPhone
The easiest way to get your contacts from Gmail is to add your Google account to your iPhone. It will directly sync all your Google contacts to your iPhone and iCloud. Here’s how to do it.
Step 1: Open the Settings app on your iPhone, scroll down to Contacts, and tap on it.
Step 2: Tap Accounts.
Step 3: Tap Add Account.
Step 4: Now, tap Google to add a Google account to your iPhone.
Step 5: Type your email and tap Next.
Step 6: Now, type your password and hit Next.
Step 7: If you have the 2-step verification on your account, open the Google or Gmail app to verify it.
Step 8: Tap Yes, it’s me.
Step 9: Tap Allow to permit iOS.
Step 10: Tap Save, and that’s it.
Now, all your Gmail contacts will sync to your iPhone (if you want to know how to find your Google contacts on your iPhone, we’ve mentioned the steps below for the same).
Method 2: Export Google Contacts and Import to Your iPhone
You can also transfer your Gmail contacts to iCloud without adding your Google account to your iPhone. Doing so will merge your Gmail contacts with iCloud ones. The process is very simple. For better convenience, we’re breaking the steps into two sections, i.e., ‘exporting Google contacts’ and ‘importing Google contacts to iPhone’. Let’s look at the steps to follow.
Note: If you are trying to import all Google contacts on your iPhone using this method, it won’t work. It will import only a single contact at a time, i.e., the first contact from your contact list. This is some sort of bug. Or you can try exporting contacts individually, but that would be tedious. Instead, we suggest using a Mac or laptop and following the steps below.
Export Google Contacts
Step 1: Open the Google contacts on the web in any browser and click the Export icon.
Step 2: Select the format as vCard and click Export.
Note: iPhones only support the vCard format for importing contacts.
Step 3: Click Save to save the exported contacts file.
Step 4: Open the Downloads folder, locate the exported contacts, right-click on it, and click Share.
Step 5: Click AirDrop from the Share sheet.
Tip: If you use a Windows computer, learn to transfer files between iPhone and Windows PC.
Step 6: Now, click and choose your iPhone to send the exported contact to your iPhone.
Once done, move on to your iPhone for further steps.
Import vCard Contacts to iPhone
Step 1: As the Airdrop completes, you’ll get a pop-up on your screen. Tap ‘Add All (N) Contacts’.
Step 2: Tap Create New Contacts. And that’s it.
Now, you can find all your Google contacts imported on your iPhone.
Choose Default Account For Saving Contacts
If you have successfully added your Google account to your iPhone, consider setting it as the default account for a better contact syncing experience. Here are the steps to follow.
Note: Once you change your default account to save new contacts, it will stop saving contacts to your iCloud account.
Step 1: Launch the Settings on your iPhone and go to Contacts.
Step 2: Tap Default Account.
Step 3: Tap your Google account from the list.
Step 4: Hit back to save and go back.
Find Your Google and iCloud Contacts
Once you have imported your Google contacts, you should know how to find or sort your Google contacts and iCloud contacts to your iPhone. Let’s look at the simple steps.
Step 1: Open the Contacts app on your iPhone and tap Lists near the top right corner of the screen.
Step 2: Now, tap All iCloud or All Gmail to view the contacts from the respective account. For illustration, we are tapping on Gmail.
Step 3: If you want to switch to all contacts, i.e., combining lists of both iCloud and Gmail, tap Lists.
Step 4: Scroll to the top and tap All Contacts. And that’s it.
Get Your Contacts on iPhone
No need to juggle your computer and iPhone; with the help of these methods, you can quickly transfer contacts from Gmail to your iPhone. However, there is an added benefit if you add your Google account following the first method, i.e., you can access all your emails on your iPhone.