How To Transfer Phone Contacts From IPhone 6s to IPhone 6 Plus?

[jerrypenny2]

Someone I know wants to use another iphone that they have. Both of these iphones are old. I believe it's the iphone 6s that they are using and want to use a iphone 6 plus.


When we put the sim card from the iphone 6s to the iphone 6 plus that they want to use, none of the person's phone contacts show up on the iphone 6 plus. Is that normal? I thought when you take a sim card from one iphone and put it to another, it would show that? It doesn't.


I read that you can transfer the contacts using icloud. However, it doesn't seem to work? I checked and the old iphone 6s had 4.3gb of backup or so. That person does not pay for icloud monthly. That person is using less than 5gb then right? So when I click on backup on the iphone 6s, it backs it up. However, when I check the iphone 6 plus which already has the sim card in it, it shows no phone contacts? I read you suppose to merge the backup but where is that option? I then tried to do it manually by air drop with the phone contacts but that doesn't work as I can't even choose the iphone 6 plus phone to air drop it to? Now could I transfer everything like messages as well from the iphone 6s to the iphone 6 plus? Contacts is sync and turned on so I'm not sure what is the issue here?

 

[FreakinEurekan]

It depends on how the contacts are stored.

First - they are NOT on the SIM card, so that’s normal.

They “might” be on iCloud, in which case turning on iCloud Contacts (on both devices) would bring them over, if he has iCloud storage space. He might not; backup is just one portion of iCloud so seeing backup is <5GB doesn’t tell anything. Check actual iCloud storage free. If it’s full, have him buy a month.

If there is space and that doesn’t move them - then likely the contacts are stored on “some other server,” that he’ll need to log into in order to bring them to the other phone. Gmail, yahoo, exchange, whatever. Usually, but not always, the same as his primary email.

I know those steps are vague; if you need more detail provide the iOS version on each phone and maybe somebody can give step-by-step from that. iPhone 6 is… maybe iOS 15? 14? Not sure. Older than I have so that’d be “somebody other than me.”

 

[jerrypenny2]

The icloud contacts are turned on in both. But don't you have to merge it somehow? Icloud shows 4.3gb space so it isn't over the 5gb though.


Iphone 6s is IOS. Iphone 6 plus is IOS 12.


What about the airdrop method? I tried that but it doesn't seem to work because it ask you which person you want to airdrop it to and it doesn't allow the other iphone 6 plus? That person is using the iphone 6 plus now.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

If iCloud contact is turned on at both ends - they’re not iCloud contacts.

No clue about AirDrop, I barely use it.