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Fix issues with data transfer on a new Pixel phone

If you have trouble copying data from your current phone to your Pixel phone during setup, try the following troubleshooting steps.

On Pixel 9 and later, you can restore data from your previous phone anytime without the need to factory reset. You can merge the transferred data with the existing data on your phone. Learn how to transfer data from a cloud backup.

Important: If your data storage is full based on your phone's capacity, data transfer could pause. Be sure to check your storage capacity before you start data transfer.

Prepare your existing iPhone for data transfer

Before you start:

  • Check that both phones are unlocked, charged, and turned on.
  • Make sure your iPhone is up to date with the latest software and has a SIM card.
  • Make sure you have a strong Wi-Fi connection or cable to connect both phones.
  • If you don’t have a compatible cable, you might need a Quick Switch Adapter. To get one at no charge, contact support.
  • If you're switching from an iPhone to a Pixel phone, turn off iMessage and Facetime. Learn how to turn off iMessage.

Learn how to check your phone’s software version:

Transfer doesn't start or stops

Couldn’t pair or "Phone may not be supported" message
  1. Install any available updates for your current phone.
  2. Restart your current phone. On most phones, press and hold the power button until it fully restarts.
Can’t transfer over Wi-Fi

Some older devices may not be able to transfer data over Wi-Fi. If the phone that sends data is an iPhone with iOS 7 or earlier or is an Android 4 or earlier, the transfer may not work. For iOS devices, you can download the Android Switch app on the Apple App Store to help with the data transfer.

"Try another cable" message

Check the cable

  • Unplug and then replug the cable on both ends.
  • Try a different cable. Not all power cables can transfer data.

Try the Quick Switch Adapter

Important: Pixel 9 and later phones don't come with a Quick Switcher adapter in the box. If you need one, contact support to order a Quick Switch Adapter at no extra charge.

  • If you’re using the Quick Switch Adapter, check that it's inserted in your Pixel phone.
  • If you’re not using the Quick Switch Adapter, try it. The adapter can show your phones which direction to move your data. If needed, use a USB-C to USB-A cable with the adapter.

If no cable works, learn how to transfer without a cable.

Lose power or connection

If you lose Wi-Fi or mobile connectivity, power, or your cable comes out, perform a factory reset and then start again immediately.

On Pixel 9 and later, you can restore your data after set-up. Learn how to restore data post setup.

Can't set up a work profile

If you encounter issues when you set up a work profile during phone setup, try these steps:

Skip work profile setup

  1. During setup, when you get the prompt “Add your work account on the next screen,” tap Skip.
  2. Complete setup normally.
  3. Once setup is complete, tap Settings and then Passwords and Accounts and then Add Account and then Google.

Tip: To learn more on how to set up a work profile, refer to Set up Google Workspace on an iOS device.

Clear iPhone settings

If your iPhone’s work account includes device management, it might not update some settings correctly during data transfer. If you encounter issues:

  1. Remove your device management profile.
    1. On your iPhone, open the Settings app.
    2. Tap General and then Device Management.
    3. Select your profile.
    4. Tap Remove Management.
    5. Enter your passcode.
  2. Clear your iPhone settings.
    1. On your iPhone, open the Settings app.
    2. Tap General and then Transfer or Reset iPhone and then Reset and then Reset All Settings.
  3. Repeat phone setup.

Tip: Your apps or data don’t get erased when you reset your iPhone settings.

Setup finished but data didn't copy

What won’t copy during setup
  • In-app purchases
  • Phone settings, like Wi-Fi passwords
  • Music with Digital Rights Management (DRM) protection
  • Bookmarks from Safari®
  • Paid apps and apps not available on Google Play
  • Some app data, like data from apps that isn’t stored in the cloud

Learn what will and won’t copy to your device.

Copy data after setup

Return to setup

  • Within a few minutes:
  1. You'll get a "Pixel setup isn't done" notification.
  2. Tap Finish setup.
  • For a few days:
  1. Open your Settings app.
  2. At the top, tap Finish setup.

After initial setup (Pixel 9 & later)

Important: You can only restore data from one previous device. If you want to restore from a different device, first reset your Pixel phone.

  1. Open your device’s Settings app.
  2. Tap Back up or copy data and then Copy data and then Start.
  3. If you used another device to transfer data, scan the QR code through the old device.
    • If you didn’t use another device to transfer data, you can choose a device to copy data from.
  4. Choose the data you want to transfer over.
  5. Tap Copy.

Tips:

Transfer iCloud data

Copy contacts

In your Google Account:

If you already use contacts in your Google Account, like in Gmail, you'll find them in your communication apps on your Pixel phone.

From your iCloud account:
  1. Make sure all your contacts are in iCloud.
  2. Export your contacts from icloud.com as a vCard file.
  3. Import your contacts to Gmail. Learn how to add, move, or import contacts.
  4. After you copy your contacts, you'll find them in your communication apps on your Pixel phone.

Copy photos & videos

Google Photos will show on your Pixel phone. Learn how to transfer iCloud photos and videos to Google Photos.

To back up your photos and videos from your iPhone to Google Photos, learn how to back up to Google Photos.

Tip: To find your photos and videos, open your Pixel phone's Photos app Photos.

Messages don’t show up after data transfer

Previous messages don’t show up:

  • Check if you've chosen to transfer the messages while setting up. If you didn’t choose the option, if you aren’t sure, or if there’s an issue, follow the post-setup data transfer.
    • To complete the setup:
  1. Open your phone’s Settings app.
  2. Tap Back up or copy data and then Copy data.
  • If you can’t find messages on your new Pixel phone immediately after data transfer, it can take up to 24 hours after setup for messages to show up. This issue occurs more commonly when you transfer from iPhone to Pixel.
  • If you can’t find messages even after 24 hours, complete the post-setup data transfer.

New messages don’t show up:

This issue is common in iPhone to Pixel phone transfer. If you switch from an iPhone to a Pixel phone, turn off iMessage. Learn how to turn off iMessage.

iPhone has HEIF photos (iOS 11 & up)

To automatically find your original High Efficiency Image File (HEIF) photos on your Pixel phone, save your HEIF photos to Google Photos from your iPhone. Learn how to back up Google Photos.

Tip: If your iPhone doesn't have Google Photos, HEIF photos turn into JPG photos on your Pixel phone during setup.

iPhone supervised by an organization

Supervised iPhone

If a business, school, or other organization supervises your iPhone, your data can't copy. To check whether your iPhone is supervised:

  1. Open Settings and then General and then About.
  2. Under the device name, search for "This iPhone is Supervised."

Managed iPhone

If a business, school, or other organization manages your iPhone, your copying could be limited. To check whether your iPhone is managed:

  1. Open Settings and then General and then VPN & Device Management.
  2. Under the device name, search for policy profiles from your organization.

Tip: To increase what you can transfer, you can remove these profiles. This can affect your access to your organization's information.

WhatsApp message transfer issues

If you move from an iPhone to a Pixel phone and want to transfer your Whatsapp messages data, learn how to transfer Whastapp data to an Android phone.

Tip: If you don’t see your Whatsapp data on your Pixel phone, you can remove Whatsapp from your device and reinstall from the Google Play Store.

From BlackBerry or Windows Phone

From a BlackBerry or Windows Phone, only data in Google Accounts automatically show on a Pixel phone. Learn how to manually copy some data from a BlackBerry or Windows Phone.

Still can't copy data

If you still can't copy your data to your Pixel phone, contact us.

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