How to get your Google contacts on iPhone

Find out how to add your Google account to your iPhone or iPad and sync your Google contacts with the iOS Phone and Contacts apps.

Google Contacts on iPhone

If your contacts are saved to your Google/Gmail account, you have a few easy ways to get them on your iPhone.

To get started, you can transfer your Google Contacts to iCloud Contacts. This is ideal if you no longer want to sync new contacts to your Google account and want to switch entirely to Apple’s contacts solution.

Your second option is to use the Move to iOS app to transfer contacts from your Android phone to your iPhone during device setup.

And finally, the method we have explained below is perfect if you want to continue using your Google account so contacts can sync and stay updated across your iOS and Android devices.

Sync Google or Gmail contacts to your iPhone and iPad

1) Open iOS Settings, tap Apps from the bottom, and select Contacts from the list of installed applications. Then, tap Contacts Accounts from the top.

Contacts Accounts on iPhone

2) If you have previously added your Google/Gmail account, tap it and enable the switch for Contacts.

Enabling Contacts for Gmail account on iPhone

3) If you haven’t or if you want to add yet another Google account, tap “Add Account,” select “Google” from the list of services, and tap “Open Browser.” Then, sign in with your Google or Gmail login credentials and allow iOS to access your Google account.

Tap Add Account and select Google in iOS Contacts app settings

Once you’re signed in to Google on your iOS device, enable the switch next to Contacts if it isn’t already. Optionally, you can turn off Mail, Calendar, and Notes or keep them enabled. Finally, tap Save to successfully add your Google account to your iPhone and import the contacts.

Syncing Google Contacts to Apple Phone app on iPhone

See your Google contacts on iPhone

Open the Contacts app or the Phone app and go to the Contacts section. Stay here for a couple of minutes with your iPhone connected to Wi-Fi or a stable cellular data connection. Soon, all your contacts from your Google account will appear on your iPhone.

Seeing Google Contacts in iOS Phone app

Any changes you make to your contacts, such as adding new contacts or deleting existing ones, will be synced to your other devices where you use the same Google account.

What to do if Google contacts are not appearing on your iPhone

If the contacts don’t appear in about 5 minutes, force close the Contacts app and reopen it. Also, double-check to make sure your iPhone is connected to the internet.

Secondly, tap the arrow button in the top-left corner of the Contacts section and select either All Contacts or All Gmail. This will instruct the Contacts app to show all relevant entries.

Accessing contacts lists on iPhone to show Gmail contacts

In case the above tips don’t help, restart your iPhone and wait for everything to sync.