By Vernon Roderick, Last updated: February 3, 2021

It’s been quite a long since last I extracted all my contacts from Gmail so I can import them into my smartphone. And considering how common this scenario is, I’m sure a lot of people are in the same position as I am.

You may know how to transfer Gmail contacts to iPhone before, but do you still know how to do it now that Gmail has changed quite a lot for the past few years?

This article will show you how you can transfer Gmail contacts to iPhone so you can do what you need to do with your contacts when you need to do it.

• If you are iOS users with iOS 7 or later installed, you can follow the steps below to sync Gmail contacts to iPhone. Tap Settings Mails, Contacts, Calendars Add Account, and add Gmail into your iPhone. Then tap Contacts to ON. Go back to Home screen, and launch Contacts App, then the Gmail contacts will be synced to your iPhone.
• Open your Gmail contacts. Choose 'Import Contacts' in the left panel. Click 'Choose File' button to select contacts you just transfered to your computer. Tap 'Open' and then 'Import' to backup iPhone contacts to Gmail.
• Switch 'Contacts' on. At the top, tap Save. To start syncing, open your iPhone or iPad's Contacts app. If you have a work or school Google Account. To make sure you can view details like job titles or work addresses from a company directory, learn how to sync contacts on your work or school device. Contacts aren't syncing.

How to Transfer Gmail Contacts to iPhone Easily in 2021

The easiest way to transfer Gmail contacts to iPhone would be through the use of specialized software. That is why I suggest using FoneDog Phone Transfer right off the bat.

FoneDog Phone Transfer is a tool that is capable of transferring music, videos, photos, and of course, contacts. It supports the latest version of iOS so it’s all good whatever your iPhone’s model may be.

Below are the steps to transfer Gmail contacts to iPhone:

Step 1: Export Gmail Contacts

On your computer, open a browser and go to Google Contacts. Select your contacts by checking the boxes. You may also click Selection Actions > All to select all. Click More actions from the top left corner represented by three dots and select Export. Choose vCard and click Export.

Step 2: Connect Your iPhone to Computer

Connect your iPhone to the computer. Make sure FoneDog Phone Transfer is already open. Once your device is recognized, click on the dropdown menu from the top and select your computer and not your iPhone.

Signifying that the selected Gmail account's contacts are being added to your iPhone's Contacts app. If this switch is already green, your Gmail contacts are enabled on your iPhone.

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Step 3: Choose File Type

Choose a file type from the list on the left side of the window. Since our goal is to transfer Gmail contacts to iPhone, select Contacts. This will scan for files that belong to the Contacts category.

Step 4: Transfer Gmail Contacts to iPhone

Select the contacts that you want to transfer by clicking on their corresponding boxes. Once you have done this, click on the second button at the top menu bar. This will export the selected files into the connected device, which in our case is the iPhone.

This will allow you to easily transfer Gmail contacts to your iPhone. You should now be able to see the contacts once you check out your iPhone.

If you don’t fully trust third-party software, then you can proceed to the next section for another method.

Transfer Gmail Contacts to iPhone with SSL

A very reliable way to transfer Gmail contacts to iPhone is by syncing them. By syncing your Gmail contacts to your iPhone, any change that is done to contact on Gmail will change the contacts on your iPhone as well.

There are several ways to sync the Gmail contacts to iPhone. One is by using SSL.

Below are the steps to sync thru SSL to transfer Gmail contacts to iPhone:

1. On your iPhone, go to Settings.
2. Head to Accounts & Passwords > Add Account.
3. You will see a list of email providers and other platforms here. Select Google.
4. Enter the email and password for the Google account where the contacts are located.
5. Tap on Next.
6. There will be a couple of options here such as Mail, Calendar, and more. Make sure the slider for Contacts is on.
7. Tap on Save.

This will give your iPhone the ability to sync to the Google account. However, you will first have to select a method which it will use to do so.

1. Go to your iPhone’s Settings.
2. Head to Contacts > Accounts.
3. Tap on the Google account.
4. Now go to Account > Advanced.
5. There will be a couple of options here. Simply make sure to turn the slider for Use SSL
6. Now tap on Account and Done.

This will transfer Gmail contacts to iPhone. You simply have to open the Contacts app of your iPhone to start the syncing process.

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The advantage of this is that it is a one-time process. However, sometimes, when you delete a contact on Gmail, it will also be deleted on iPhone, so it’s a bit double-edged.

Transfer Gmail Contacts to iPhone with CardDAV Account

Another way to sync your Gmail to iPhone is by using a CardDAV account. There’s a great chance that you don’t know about it right now since it was only recently developed.

As you have learned before, you need to turn on SSL or any other server to completely sync and transfer Gmail contacts to your iPhone. However, with CardDAV, you don’t have to turn on any server because it will do it automatically.

Below are the detailed instructions to transfer Gmail contacts to iPhone:

1. Open Settings on your iPhone.
2. Go to Mail, Contacts, Calendars.
3. Tap on Add Account.
4. Select Other.
5. Choose Add CardDAV Account.
6. Fill out the form which will appear on your screen. Below is the guide for the fields:
   • Server: Type com
   • Username: Enter your email address or simply the name on your account.
   • Password: Enter the password for your Google account.
   • Description: Enter anything you want as a description of the CardDAV account that you are creating.
7. Tap on Next.

This will transfer Gmail contacts to iPhone without having to turn on SSL or any other servers. This is because, in the form, you have directly entered the server.

If it didn’t work, turn on the Contacts option in the Google Accounts settings if it isn’t yet. If it still doesn’t work, proceed to the next section for another method.

Transfer Gmail Contacts to iPhone with G Suite

This is the third and last method for syncing your Gmail to your iPhone. You can say that this is a method for premium or paid users since it makes use of the G Suite.

As you may already know, G Suite is a set of services only available for those that have paid for a subscription on Google. It allows them various services and some of them are for Gmail. Now it just happens that one of those services allows for syncing Gmail contacts to iPhone.

Below are the steps to transfer Gmail contacts to iPhone if you have a G Suite account:

1. Open Settings on your iPhone.
2. Go to Accounts & Passwords > Add Account.
3. This time, instead of Google, select Microsoft Exchange.
4. Although you are using Microsoft Exchange, enter the email address for your G Suite account and tap on Next.
5. Now select Configure Manually.
6. Enter your G Suite password and tap on Next.
7. Fill out the form just like you did before, but with some adjustments:
   • Server: Type in google.com
   • Username: Type the G Suite email address.
8. Now select the services that you want to sync. Since our goal is to transfer Gmail contacts to iPhone, choose Gmail.
9. Tap on Save.

If you have anything that you want to change, you can always go to Settings > Accounts&Passwords > Exchange and turn on or off the services.

The advantage of this is that you can freely turn on or off any services you like. The disadvantage is that you have to pay for G Suite to get this service.

Transfer Gmail Contacts to iPhone as vCard

Our very last method doesn’t involve syncing. This time, we will manually transfer Gmail contacts to iPhone by exporting the contacts from Gmail and importing them into your iPhone. For this, you will need a computer.

Follow the steps below if you are ready to transfer Gmail contacts to iPhone:

1. On your computer, export the Gmail contacts by going to Google Contacts > More Actions > Export > vCard > Export, basically the same as you did in the previous section.

Note: If you can’t see the Export button, you should switch to the old version of Gmail since the new version doesn’t support the export function.

2. Once the contacts are exported, go to com. and login to your Apple ID.
3. Click on the Contacts
4. On the iCloud Contacts, click on the gear icon and select Import vCard…
5. Locate and select the vCard files that you have recently exported from Google Contacts.
6. Now go to your iPhone Settings > AppleID > iCloud and turn on the slider for Contacts.

With these steps, you should be able to transfer Gmail contacts to iPhone. You simply have to go to your Contacts app and it should be filled with contacts from Gmail.

Conclusion

Gmail is a very helpful platform for many users. Not only was it made for simply sending emails, but it can also help you store various files and one of them includes contacts.

And when it comes the time when you need to get those contacts, you can always rely on Gmail to help you with that. Hopefully, this guide on how to transfer Gmail contacts to iPhone helped you a lot to accomplish what you needed to do.

Nowadays, we are presented with different options to get in touch with our colleagues, friends, and family members. We have e-mail accounts, smartphones, and a lot more media through which we get to connect with the people we need to connect to anytime.

Among the e-mail services being provided today, Gmail is one of the most-used. Not only does it provide a lot of features and extensions for its users. It takes pride in its simplistic interface that provides ease of use, helping both experienced and non-experienced users to get started right away. When it comes to smartphones, on the other hand, it's undeniable that Apple's iPhone is one of the leading models. With all the connectivity features that people get with Apple's ingenious flagship mobile device, it has helped connect millions of people to their friends and family all over the world.

Now just imagine what you can do when you get the best out of these two communication media. What if you can just simply transfer your Gmail contacts to your iPhone and have a unified communication system on your Apple smartphone that's all for you to enjoy and take advantage of?

Part 1: How to Transfer Contacts from Gmail to iPhone

Transferring contacts from your Gmail account to your smartphone may feel like a daunting task, as it seems that these two communication media are far from each other for you to get the most out of them at the same time. But fear not, for if you follow these instructions, you'll have your Gmail contacts up and ready for use on your iPhone:

Step 1. The first thing you have to do is to sign in to your Gmail account using your computer. Open your browser and head to http://mail.google.com and fill in your Google account credentials once asked. Click on 'Sign In' if you're ready.

Step 2. Click on the Gmail drop-down menu at the upper-left corner of your browser's window and select Contacts from the list.

Step 3. Under the More drop-down menu located just below the Google search bar, hit Export… and a pop-up window will appear.

Step 4. From the pop-up window, set which contacts you want to export. For the export format, make sure you choose the vCard format. This will make things easier since the vCard format is well-supported in iPhones. Hit Export when you're done.

Step 5. Should you be asked where you'd like to save your exported contacts, select Save to Disk and choose a location on your computer.

The next step is to import your contacts in vCard format (with .vcf extension) to your iPhone. You can do this by using Microsoft Outlook which comes with the Microsoft Office suite of productivity software. Open Microsoft Outlook and set-up your e-mail account you want to use with it if you haven't yet.

1. On the 'File' menu, click 'Import and Export'. 2. Click 'Import a Vcard file (.vcf)', then click 'Next'. 3. In the' Look' in box, click the folder that contains the vCard file you want. Double-click folders until you can click the vCard file you want to import. 4. Click 'Open'.

Part 2: How to Transfer Gmail Contacts to iPhone Directly

In the previous part, we discussed how you can get your Gmail contacts on your iPhone by downloading them from your Gmail account and sending them to your phone with the help of a third-party application. The problem is that there were quite a great deal of steps to follow and special instructions to remember. Fortunately, you can do the exact same thing while having a more convenient experience. Here are the instructions you should follow:

Step 1. You'll have to go to your iPhone settings first. Do this by tapping the 'Settings' icon on your iPhone.

Step 2. Once you've been taken to the Settings screen, you may have to scroll down a bit to see the 'Mail, Contacts, Calendars' option. Tap on it to proceed. You'll be taken to a different screen once more and this time you'll have to select 'Add Account' under the 'Accounts' options. Afterwards, select 'Gmail' once you've been taken to the Add Account screen. Enter your Gmail login credentials when asked and tap 'Next' when you're done.

Step 3. The last thing you'll have to do is get your Gmail contacts connected to your phone. You will be asked which Gmail features you want to have enabled. From the list of options and features available, make sure you turn on the 'Contacts' option. You can do so by tapping on or sliding the little switch just to the right of this option. The switch turns green once the option is enabled. Enabling this option will sync your Gmail contacts with your iPhone.

Step 4. If you're done, tap the 'Save' option located on the upper-right portion of your screen to finish the process.

And that was the more convenient way to have your Gmail contacts on your iPhone. It saves you a lot of time and effort and as you might have seen, you have lesser instructions to follow if you opted for this method. Keep in mind, however, that while both of the methods presented in this article get your Gmail contacts to your iPhone, using one of them will most probably entitle you to features quite different to what the other method can provide. The second method we've shown you may be more convenient but the Gmail contacts you sync may be limited to use within Gmail features available for your iPhone. The first method, on the other hand, may allow you to use your exported Gmail contacts to a whole lot of different features outside the Gmail app on your iPhone.