Moving from an iPhone to a Pixel running GrapheneOS is not like moving to an ordinary Android phone. On a normal Pixel, Google's setup wizard can copy data across from an iPhone during first setup. That tool is part of Google's software, and GrapheneOS does not include it. So nothing comes across on its own.
The good news is that almost everything that matters can still be moved. It is done app by app, and the order matters: some things have to be done on the iPhone before you switch, and one of them (WhatsApp) has to be done before you even sign in on the new phone. This guide covers what transfers, what does not, and how to do each part.
Still choosing the phone? Our guide to which Pixel to buy for GrapheneOS lists every supported model and how long each one gets updates.
The short answer
| What | Does it transfer? | How |
|---|---|---|
| Contacts | Yes | Export a vCard file from iCloud and import it, or keep syncing with iCloud |
| Photos and videos | Yes | Copy them with a computer or a USB drive |
| Calendar | Yes | Keep syncing with iCloud, or export and import |
| WhatsApp chats | Yes | WhatsApp's own iPhone to Android transfer, done before you activate WhatsApp on the Pixel |
| Signal | Account yes, history depends | Check your app's backup and transfer options before you wipe the iPhone |
| iMessage history | No | It stays on the iPhone and in iCloud |
| Passwords and passkeys | Yes | Through a password manager that runs on both |
| Authenticator (2FA) codes | Yes, account by account | Export from your authenticator app, or set each account up again |
| Banking apps | Usually | Install and test; a few refuse to run |
| Apple Pay cards | No | Google Wallet tap to pay does not work on GrapheneOS |
| Paid App Store apps | No | Purchases do not carry over to Android |
| Apple Watch | No | It only pairs with an iPhone |
| AirPods | Partly | They work as ordinary Bluetooth headphones |
| Your phone number | Yes | Move the SIM card, or ask your carrier for a new eSIM |
Before you switch: three things to do on the iPhone
- Turn off iMessage and FaceTime. Open Settings, then Messages (listed under Apps on recent iOS versions), and switch iMessage off. Do the same for FaceTime. If you skip this, other iPhone users may keep sending you blue-bubble messages that never arrive on the Pixel. If the iPhone is already gone, Apple has a "Deregister iMessage" page on its support site where you can release your number with a text message code.
- Move your sign-in codes while the iPhone still works. Two-factor codes are the one thing that can lock you out of an account. Keep the iPhone working and unwiped until every account has been confirmed on the new phone. The details are below.
- Get your passwords into a password manager that runs on Android. If they live in Apple's Passwords app or iCloud Keychain, move them now, while you can still open them.
Contacts
If your contacts are in iCloud, sign in at iCloud.com on a computer, open Contacts, select them all and use the export option to download a single vCard (.vcf) file. Copy that file to the Pixel and open it from the GrapheneOS Contacts app's import option. The contacts are then stored on the phone itself, with no account attached.
If you would rather keep iCloud as your address book, the open-source app DAVx5 can sync iCloud contacts and calendars to the phone using an app-specific password that you create in your Apple account settings. That keeps the iPhone and the Pixel in step while you are still using both.
Photos and videos
The simplest route is a computer. Before you start, set Settings, then Photos, then "Transfer to Mac or PC" to Automatic on the iPhone. That converts Apple's HEIC photos to widely supported formats as they are copied off, so they open everywhere. Copy the photos to the computer, then plug in the Pixel, choose File transfer on the phone, and copy them across. A USB drive works too: GrapheneOS can read files from an external drive.
If you use iCloud Photos with "Optimize iPhone Storage" on, the full-size originals are in iCloud, not on the phone. Download them from iCloud.com, or request a complete copy of your data from Apple's Data and Privacy site (privacy.apple.com). Live Photos come across as a still photo plus a short video.
Messages and chat apps
WhatsApp has its own iPhone to Android transfer, and it is the one step where timing matters. Install WhatsApp on the Pixel but do not finish setting it up yet. On the iPhone, open WhatsApp, go to Chats, then Transfer chat history, then Transfer to Android. Verify your number on the Pixel, scan the QR code it shows with the iPhone, and keep both phones unlocked on the same Wi-Fi until it finishes. Your chats, media and call history come across; status updates do not. WhatsApp's own help page is clear that this only works before WhatsApp has been activated on the new phone, so do it first.
Signal: registering the same number on the Pixel brings your account, contacts and groups. Whether your message history comes too depends on the backup and transfer options your versions of the app offer between iPhone and Android, which Signal has been changing. Check Signal's settings on the iPhone for a backup option before you wipe anything. If there is no route, the history stays on the iPhone.
Telegram keeps your chats on its servers, so signing in on the Pixel brings them back.
iMessage and SMS history do not transfer. There is no iMessage app for Android, and Apple offers no export of your message history to Android. Your old conversations stay readable on the iPhone, and on a Mac if you use Messages in iCloud. On the Pixel, texts from iPhone users arrive as ordinary SMS and MMS. If you want RCS (typing indicators, better group chats and high-quality media with Android users and with iPhones on iOS 18 or later), GrapheneOS supports it through Google Messages with sandboxed Google Play.
Passwords, passkeys and two-factor codes
Passwords and passkeys. On iOS 26 and later, the Passwords app can hand your saved passwords and passkeys directly to another password manager: open Passwords, tap the More button, and choose Export Data to Another App. Bitwarden supports this, and other managers are adding it. Install the same password manager on the Pixel and sign in, and everything is there. On a Mac, the Passwords app can also export everything to a file that most password managers can import; delete that file afterwards, because it is not encrypted. If a passkey does not come across, sign in to that account from the Pixel and add a new passkey there. Most services let you keep several.
Codes sent by text message follow your phone number, so they keep working as soon as your SIM or eSIM is in the Pixel.
Authenticator app codes need moving. If you use Google Authenticator on the iPhone, its Transfer accounts option shows a QR code that Google Authenticator on the Pixel can scan. The open-source Aegis Authenticator can import those QR codes too, if you would rather not use a Google app. For codes kept anywhere else, including Apple's Passwords app, the reliable method is to sign in to each account from the Pixel, open its security settings, and set up the authenticator again by scanning a fresh QR code. Do this one account at a time, confirm the new code works, and only then retire the old one. Save each service's backup or recovery codes while you are there.
Banking apps and payments
Most apps from the Google Play Store run on GrapheneOS once you install sandboxed Google Play, which GrapheneOS provides through its own App Store app. It runs as an ordinary app with no special access, and you can keep it in a separate profile if you only want certain apps to use it.
Banking apps are where you may hit a wall. Some banks check that the phone runs software certified by Google. GrapheneOS passes Google's basic check but is not Google-certified, so a few banking apps refuse to start. Many work normally, and some banks now accept GrapheneOS through Android's hardware attestation instead. There is no way to know for certain until you try your bank's app. If it refuses, your bank's website in the built-in Vanadium browser almost always still works.
Tap-to-pay with your phone is the real loss. Apple Pay cards do not move, and Google Wallet contactless payments do not work on GrapheneOS, because Google only allows them on Google-certified software. Most people switch to paying with the card itself.
Apple accessories and services
An Apple Watch only pairs with an iPhone, so it will not work with the Pixel. AirPods connect as normal Bluetooth headphones, without automatic switching and the other Apple-only features. FaceTime has no Android app, but people with an Apple device can send you a FaceTime link, which opens in a browser. Apps you paid for on the App Store do not carry over; check whether each one has an Android version and whether your subscription is tied to your Apple account or to the app's own account.
Your phone number and eSIM
A physical SIM card simply moves to the Pixel. If you use an eSIM, ask your carrier to issue a new eSIM for the new phone, then turn on eSIM support in GrapheneOS at Settings, then Network & internet, then eSIM support. Your carrier does not need to know which operating system the phone runs.
Frequently asked questions
Can I transfer everything from my iPhone to GrapheneOS in one go?
No. GrapheneOS does not include Google's iPhone transfer tool, so there is no one-step copy. Contacts, photos, calendars, WhatsApp chats, passwords and two-factor codes can all be moved, but each one is moved separately.
Will my iMessages come with me?
No. iMessage history cannot be moved to any Android phone. It stays on your iPhone, and in iCloud if you use Messages in iCloud. Turn off iMessage on the iPhone before you switch so that texts from iPhone users reach the Pixel.
Can I move my WhatsApp chats from an iPhone to GrapheneOS?
Yes. Use WhatsApp's built-in iPhone to Android transfer, which pairs the phones with a QR code over Wi-Fi. It must be done before you finish activating WhatsApp on the Pixel.
Will my banking app work on GrapheneOS?
Usually, but not always. Most banking apps work with sandboxed Google Play. A few refuse to run because GrapheneOS is not certified by Google. Test your bank's app before you rely on it; the bank's website is the fallback.
Does tap-to-pay work on GrapheneOS?
Not with Google Wallet. Google only allows contactless payments in Google Wallet on Google-certified software, and GrapheneOS is not Google-certified.
How do I move my two-factor authentication codes?
Codes sent by text follow your phone number. For an authenticator app, either use its export feature (Google Authenticator's Transfer accounts QR code works with Google Authenticator or Aegis on the Pixel) or sign in to each account from the Pixel and set up the authenticator again. Keep the iPhone working until every account is confirmed.
Do my AirPods and Apple Watch work with a GrapheneOS Pixel?
AirPods work as ordinary Bluetooth headphones. An Apple Watch does not work, because it only pairs with an iPhone.
No Pixel yet? We sell a Google Pixel 9a with GrapheneOS installed ($699 USD), bought for you after you order, installed and verified, with a 45-minute onboarding call where we can help you move across from the iPhone.
If you would rather have someone do this with you, our GrapheneOS Guided Session ($99 USD, up to 90 minutes live) installs GrapheneOS on your Pixel with you, and the optional $49 data migration add-on moves your contacts, photos and chats across in the same session.