How to easily transfer contacts, photos, and videos from an iPhone to another

easy transfer photo and video

Depending on your set up, transferring contacts, photos and videos from your old iPhone to your new one can be pretty simple. You might use iCloud to store all this data, in which case, your contacts and photos/videos will automatically come back once you sign in your new device. Or maybe you back it all up in iTunes, which allows you to sync all that data from your computer to your new iPhone. Maybe you don’t do any of that, and if you’re looking for a relatively quick and easy way to transfer all this data from one iPhone to another, then read on.

There definitely are several ways you can go about transferring content from one iPhone to another, and one I just found out about relies on an application by US carrier AT&T, called AT&T Mobile Transfer, a free download in the App Store. The best part is, you apparently don’t even need to be an AT&T customer to use this application.

In this post, I will show you how to use the AT&T Mobile Transfer app to move your photos, videos, and contacts from one iPhone to another. This is obviously pretty handy if you just got a new iPhone and want to transfer all this data without stressing too much about how to go about it.

1) Download the AT&T Mobile Transfer application on both devices (the iPhone you want to transfer From, and the iPhone you want to transfer To).

2) Make sure both devices are connected to the same Wi-Fi network.

3) Open the application on the old iPhone. Tap on the “From this device” button at the bottom of the screen. The application will briefly scan your device and ask permission to access your contacts, as well as your photo library. You obviously want to allow it access.

prepare data to transfer

4) The app will now display a QR code, which will be used by the other iPhone (the new one). Keep this screen on as you move to the next steps.

5) Open the AT&T Mobile Transfer app on the new iPhone, and tap on the “To this device” at the bottom of the screen.

6) You will now be asked to enter your phone number. But if you aren’t an AT&T customer, fear not, because this step is virtually useless. Simply enter 10 digits, and you will be good to go. No need to enter an actual phone number. Tap Next to move to the next step.

enter phone number

7) The application will request access to your contacts and photo library. Again, you want to make sure you allow it access.

8) Now you will be able to scan the QR code that was presented to you in step 4 above. With your iPhone, aim at the QR code, which the app will quickly recognize.

scan QR code

9) You will now see some basic transfer options. You can choose to transfer all content at once, or selectively choose contacts, or photos, or videos. The app also gives an estimate of how long it will take to transfer all your data. For example, it would take about 49 minutes to transfer my 227 contacts, 1,606 photos, and 37 videos.

content to transfer

10) When you’re done selecting what you want to transfer, tap the Transfer button in the upper right corner. Transfer will then start. From there, you will just have to be patient, and make sure you don’t touch either devices until the transfer is completed. Note you can abort the transfer at any time by tapping on the Stop button.

transfering contants and photos

Contacts should transfer in a matter of seconds, however if you have hundreds or thousands of photos and videos, it’s going to take a while. Just make sure not to quit the apps on both devices during transfer.

For alternative options, you can also read out post about how to transfer photos and videos from your old to new iPhone.

What method do you use to transfer your data to a new device? I personally like to start fresh and don’t transfer any photos. I just let iCloud take care of my contacts. Share your experience below.