How to transfer files from Android to iPhone

To transfer files from Android to iPhone, use Quick Share, which works with AirDrop on supported Android phones since late 2025, or send a download link that the iPhone opens in Safari, which works between any two devices. If you are switching phones entirely, Apple’s Move to iOS app transfers your photos, messages and contacts during the iPhone setup.

For years, moving a video from an Android phone to an iPhone meant a blurry MMS or a detour through email. That has improved a lot, but each method still has conditions. Here are the options as of October 2026, from the quickest to the most thorough.

The options at a glance

Quick Share with AirDrop: the new default nearby

In November 2025, Google announced that Quick Share works with Apple’s AirDrop, starting with the Pixel 10. By mid-2026 support had extended to the Pixel 8a and later and to a growing list of Samsung, OPPO, OnePlus, vivo, Xiaomi, HONOR, Transsion and Motorola models, according to Google’s Pixel help centre. The transfer goes directly between the phones, so there is no upload and no compression.

1. 1

   Step 1

   On the iPhone, make AirDrop visible

   Open Control Centre or Settings › General › AirDrop and choose “Everyone for 10 minutes”.

2. 2

   Step 2

   On the Android phone, share with Quick Share

   Select the photos, videos or files, tap Share, then Quick Share.

3. 3

   Step 3

   Pick the iPhone

   It appears in the list of nearby devices. Tap it to send.

4. 4

   Step 4

   Accept on the iPhone

   Accept the incoming AirDrop. Photos and videos go to Photos, other files to Files.

The iPhone does not show up in Quick Share: what to check

• Visibility: on the iPhone, AirDrop must be set to “Everyone for 10 minutes”; after that it falls back to contacts only.
• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth must be on for both phones, and the phones close to each other.
• Supported model and software: the Android phone must be on Google’s list of supported devices and up to date.
• Fallback: if it still does not work, use the QR code option or a transfer link.

Send a link: works with any Android phone and any iPhone

A transfer link has no compatibility list: you upload from the Android phone’s browser, and the iPhone downloads from Safari. It also works when you are not in the same place, and it is the easiest way to send to several people at once. With Transfr, up to 100 GB per transfer is free, with no account and no app on either phone.

1. 1

   Step 1

   On Android, open Transfr in Chrome

   Go to Transfr and add the files from your gallery or file manager.

2. 2

   Step 2

   Create a link

   Choose the link option, or type the recipient’s email address.

3. 3

   Step 3

   Send the link to the iPhone

   By message, WhatsApp or email. A link is a few characters, so nothing gets compressed.

4. 4

   Step 4

   Download on the iPhone

   Open the link in Safari and download. Photos and videos can be saved to Photos from the Files app or the download list.

Sending to several iPhones, or to someone far away

Quick Share and AirDrop are one-to-one and need the phones side by side. To share a holiday album with a whole family group, or a video with a friend in another city, one link does the job: post it in the group chat and everyone downloads the originals, on iPhone, Android or a computer. Add a password and an expiry date if the photos are private; our guide to share link expiry and passwords explains how to choose them. For large videos, check how long the upload will take from your phone with our upload time table: on mobile data, Wi-Fi is usually much faster.

Switching to a new iPhone: Move to iOS

If you are moving everything to a new iPhone, Apple’s Move to iOS app transfers contacts, message history, photos and videos, albums, files, bookmarks, mail accounts, WhatsApp messages and media, call history and calendars. The catch: it runs during the iPhone’s initial setup. If you have already finished setting up the iPhone, Apple says you need to erase it to use Move to iOS, or transfer content manually. Apple also describes a method without the app for phones running Android 17 or later.

Google Photos and Google Drive

If your photos are already backed up to Google Photos, installing the Google Photos app on the iPhone gives you access to them right away, and Google Drive does the same for files. Every Google account includes up to 15 GB of storage shared between Gmail, Drive and Photos. Check that your backup is set to keep the original quality if you plan to download full-resolution files later.

How to send a video from Android to iPhone without losing quality

Blurry videos come from MMS and chat apps, which compress media. Quick Share, a transfer link, Google Drive and Move to iOS all deliver the original file. If you use WhatsApp, send the video as a document (up to 2 GB) rather than as media; see WhatsApp file size limit. For more on keeping quality, read how to send video without losing quality.

What about a cable or a computer?

You can also copy files from the Android phone to a computer over USB, then to the iPhone with Finder on a Mac, the Apple Devices app on Windows, or iCloud. It works without internet but takes more steps, and it only makes sense for very large libraries when a fast online upload is not available. For large uploads, our upload time table helps you decide.

Which method should you choose?

• Next to each other, recent Android phone: Quick Share with AirDrop.
• Different places, or an older Android phone: a transfer link.
• Full switch to a new iPhone: Move to iOS during setup.
• Photos already in Google’s cloud: Google Photos on the iPhone.
• Sending the other way, from iPhone: see how to send large files from iPhone and our page on sending from Android.