Buying a new phone in Kenya usually means one of two headaches: figuring out how to move years of photos and contacts across, and hoping you don't lose your WhatsApp history in the process. Good news — both Apple and Google have official, free tools for this, and WhatsApp has its own transfer feature too. Here's exactly how each one works.
Moving From Android to iPhone (Apple's Move to iOS)
Apple's free Move to iOS app handles contacts, photos, videos, messages, and more in one go. Do this before you activate your new iPhone.
- Keep your old Android phone nearby, turn on your new iPhone, and follow the on-screen setup until you reach the Transfer Your Apps & Data screen.
- Tap From Android, then Transfer with App. On your Android phone, install the free Move to iOS app from the Play Store and open it.
- Choose whether to automatically send app data to Apple, then allow location and notification permissions if asked.
- On the iPhone, tap Continue and wait for a one-time code (six or ten digits) to appear — enter this code on the Android phone.
- Your iPhone creates a temporary Wi-Fi network. Tap Connect on the Android device when prompted, then choose what to transfer and let it run without locking either screen.
Prefer a cable? You can also connect the two phones with a USB-C cable for a faster transfer instead of using Wi-Fi.
Moving From iPhone to Android (Google's Switch App)
Google's Switch to Android app moves your Google Account data, photos, contacts, messages, and eSIM (where supported) from iPhone to a new Android phone.
- Before you start, make sure your iPhone is on iOS 15 or later, both phones are charged, and there's enough free storage on the new Android phone.
- Turn off iMessage on the iPhone first (Settings > Messages) — skip this and you may stop receiving SMS texts from other iPhone users after you switch numbers over.
- On the iPhone, download the Switch to Android app from the App Store and open it.
- Follow the prompts to scan the QR code shown on your new Android phone's screen using the iPhone's camera.
- Choose what to copy over and let the transfer run — it typically finishes in under 30 minutes, longer if you have a lot of photos and videos.
A cable-based option is also available during setup if you'd rather not rely on Wi-Fi.
Don't Forget WhatsApp — It's a Separate Transfer
Since WhatsApp is how most people in Kenya actually communicate, this step matters as much as the phone transfer itself. WhatsApp has its own official chat transfer tool, and it only works before you set up WhatsApp on the new phone.
- iPhone to Android: On the iPhone, open WhatsApp, go to Chats > Transfer Chat History > Transfer to Android, and tap Continue when your chats are prepared.
- On the new Android phone, open WhatsApp and verify your account using the same phone number.
- When prompted, scan the QR code on the Android screen with the iPhone's camera, then tap Join to connect both devices to the same Wi-Fi network and start the transfer.
- Android to iPhone: this happens automatically as part of the Move to iOS process above — WhatsApp will offer to restore your chat history the first time you open it on the new iPhone.
A few things WhatsApp won't carry over: chats can't be transferred once you've already activated WhatsApp on the new phone, peer-to-peer payment messages don't transfer, and WhatsApp Business chats currently can't move from iPhone to Android at all.
Three Things Kenyan Buyers Should Do Differently
- Use Wi-Fi, not mobile data. Both transfers can move several gigabytes of photos and videos — doing this over a Safaricom or Airtel bundle will burn through it fast. Connect to Wi-Fi first, or use the cable option if you don't have a reliable connection.
- Log back into M-Pesa and banking apps manually. For security, apps like M-Pesa, banking apps, and other apps with device-level verification generally won't carry your login session over automatically — you'll need to reinstall and log in fresh on the new phone, and in some cases re-register your SIM-linked services.
- Do the transfer before you sell or trade in your old phone. Once you've handed it over, you've lost your only source copy if anything didn't come across cleanly.
FAQ
Will I lose my WhatsApp chats if I switch from iPhone to Android?
Not if you use WhatsApp's built-in transfer before setting up WhatsApp on the new phone. Once you've already activated WhatsApp on the Android device, the transfer option is no longer available.
Do I need Wi-Fi to transfer my phone data?
Yes, for both the Move to iOS and Switch to Android apps — they create a direct Wi-Fi connection between the two phones, or you can use a USB-C cable instead. Either way, it's not sent over your mobile data bundle.
What happens to my M-Pesa app when I switch phones?
You'll need to reinstall and log in to M-Pesa and most banking apps fresh on the new phone rather than relying on the transfer tool, since these apps use device-level security checks that don't carry over automatically.
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