Given that these are two of the leading phone brands in the world, you'd think it would be easy to transfer photos from Samsung to iPhone. But Android and iPhone don't really like talking to each other. Like a scene from West Side Story, they eyeball each other, threatening to spill blood, before breaking into song. Or something.
This blood feud makes transferring images much harder than when you are staying within the same OS ecosystem. There is good news, however. If you do decide that you want to keep all your images and transfer them from device to the other, then you can. And we'll tell you exactly how to go about it in this article.
How To Transfer Photos From Samsung To iPhone
We're going to explain two different ways that you can transfer your images from Samsung to an iPhone. One is easier than the other. We'll start with what we like to call, 'the easy way'.
The Easy Way
The simplest way to do this is to have your phones do it for you. To do this, you'll need to download an app called Move to iOS. Here's what you need to do:
Before you do anything else
- Before you get started, check your Android device to make sure that Wi-Fi is turned on.
- Plug your new iOS device and your Android device into power.
- Make sure that the content you're moving, including what's on your external Micro SD card, will fit on your new iOS device. If you don't have as much space on your iPhone as you had on your Samsung, you won't be able to transfer all your content.
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Now you can get started
Once you've done all this, you're ready to start setting up your iPhone. If you've already set it up, you'll need to erase your iPhone and begin set-up again (or read our second option for transferring images). Then complete the following steps:
- As you set up your iPhone, you'll reach a screen labelled Apps and Data. Tap on Move Data from Android.
- Go back to your Samsung phone and open the Move to iOS app.
- Your iOS device will then present a Move from Android screen. Press continue when this screen appears.
- Wait for a 6 or 10 digit code to appear. You may also get a message saying you have a weak internet connection. You can ignore this.
- Enter the code on your Android device.
- Your iPhone will create a temporary Wi-Fi network, which you need to connect to. Press Connect on your Android device when prompted.
- Wait for the Transfer Data screen to appear.
- You then need to choose what content you want to transfer, press Continue, and then wait. Wait until the loading bar on your iPhone has finished.
Keep the devices near one another and plugged in until the transfer is finished.
If you don't want to follow this process, we have another option. This option requires a computer. We'll call it, 'Option 2'.
Option 2
If you've already set up your iPhone and don't want to reset it, this is the option you'll need to follow. The steps are these:
- Connect your Android to your computer and find your photos and videos. On most devices, you can find these files in DCIM > Camera. On a Mac, install Android File Transfer, open it, then go to DCIM > Camera.
- Choose the photos and videos that you want to move and drag them to a folder on your computer.
- Disconnect your Samsung phone and connect your iPhone to your computer.
- On a Mac with macOS Catalina or later, open Finder. If you have a Mac with macOS Mojave or earlier, or on a PC, open iTunes. On your computer, sync your photos to your iPhone. You can find your photos and videos on your device in Photos > Albums.
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The Third Way
One other option is to use a cloud storage service to backup your photos. There are plenty of these available, but some of the best known include Dropbox, OneDrive and Google Drive.
You can then simply back up your images to that cloud service on your Samsung device. Then sign in to that same account on the iPhone. You can then access those photos, and even download them onto your phone should you wish.
Summary
Whichever option you decide, they are both relatively straightforward processes. The first option is perfect if you are setting up your iPhone for the first time, while the second option is more suitable if you've already done that, and don't want to reset it again. This would be especially true if you already have content you don't want to erase on your iPhone.
Follow whichever process is most suitable for you, and then all those photos will move seamlessly onto your iPhone from your Samsung device. And just like in West Side Story, we all lived happily ever after. Possibly.