How to Fix “Move to iOS Not Connecting” Issue

Move to iOS app won’t connect to device. There doesn’t seem to be a more appropriate forum for this so feel free to move. But is there any plan to update the Move to iOS app for Android? It hasn’t been updated in over three years and does not work with current versions of Android. I’m returning my iPhone 12 because I cannot transfer data to it.

— A user from Apple Support Communities

We’ve heard many people complain that Move to iOS issues when they try to transfer data to their new iPhone 13 using the Move to iOS app. One of the most annoying issues is that Move to iOS won’t connect to the Device so that people failed to transfer data from Android to iPhone. Other issues like Move to iOS Could Not Communicate with Device, Move to iOS unable to migrate, Move to iOS WiFi Issues are discussed a lot. Here are some potential tips to helps you solve the problem on Move to iOS.

Further Reading: Common Move to iOS Issues and How to Fix them >

Restart Your Device

This is the basic tip you can have a try first if you meet any common phone-related problem. Here are the specific steps:

1. For Android phone: push and keep holding the “Power” button until the menu of “Shut Down” and “Restart” appear, then choose “Restart” to reboot your Android device.
2. For iPhone: hold down the “Power” button and then slide to power off. Please wait for a few seconds and manually start the device again.
   

   Restert Your iPhone

Check the Network Connection

The reason why can’t you move data from Android to iPhone maybe you connected to an unstable Wi-Fi network. Check if the Wi-Fi network is stable on both your Android phone and iPhone. If the Wi-Fi signal you are using is weak or it cannot be connected sometimes, please change WiFi to ensure that Move to iOS works normally.

Check Android Phone Network Settings

“Move to iOS” only uses a private Wi-Fi network connection to transfer data. If the WiFi connection is automatically switched or interrupted by cellular data, the data transmission will fail. You need to manually turn off the “Smart network switch” option on your Android device as it may hinder the proper connection with iPhone. To turn it off follow the steps. 

1. Go to the Settings and then choose “Connections” on your Android phone.
2. In this interface click on the “Wi-Fi” option, tap “More Networks” on the top right corner, and then you can see the “Smart Network Switch” option here.
3. Now disable “Smart Network Switch”.
4. Reconnect the Wi-Fi and try the Move to iOS again.
   

   Turn off Smart Nectwork Switch

Turn on Airplane Mode

To turn off “Smart Network Switch” is to keep your mobile data closed when you use the Move to iOS app and to ensure that your phone doesn’t automatically switch to cellular data for the Internet.

In case of any incoming calls that can interfere with the data transfer process, you’d better use the airplane mode on both your Android device and iPhone. It’ll cut you off from all other mediums of connectivity but will keep you connected to your iPhone’s WiFi network.

1. On Android phone: pull down the notification panel and you’ll find the Airplane mode option. Tap on it and the mode will be activated.
2. On iPhone go to Settings and press the Airplane or flight mode icon to turn it on.
3. Now turn on Wi-Fi and choose a stable wifi network so both the devices can communicate and transfer content.
   

   Turn on Airplane Mode

Turn off battery optimization for Move to iOS

One of the restrictions for using “Move to iOS” is that the app must always be running in the foreground of the device, and no other apps should be used at the same time. Please do not minimize the application during use. But if you set the battery settings of the application in some way before, the phone may switch the application to run in the background automatically. Therefore, you should turn off battery optimization for the Move to iOS app.

1. Launch the Settings on your Android phone and tap on the Battery option.
2. Tap on the Battery optimization option and find the Move to iOS app in the list and tap on it.
3. Select Don’t optimize from the options available on your screen and tap on Done.
   

   Turn off Battery Optimization

Use Move to iOS Alternative Tool

Move to iOS Alternative – AnyTrans

If you don’t fix the “Move to iOS not connecting to iPhone” issue yet, or if you could not connect to the device “Move to iOS” at all, then you can try the iOS data management tools to help you switch from Android to iPhone like AnyTrans.

• Manage Data – AnyTrans is an excellent iPhone data management tool that can manage your iOS device’s data in daily life.
• Transfer Apps with 1 Click – It can also transfer Apps and App data from iPhone to iPhone with a few clicks. So you do not have to re-download the Apps from App Store one by one. The transferring process will not be interrupted so you can use your new iPhone quickly.
•  All Types of Data – It supports sorts of types of data including contacts, messages, photos, music, videos, ringtones, etc that “Move to iOS” not supported.
• No data loss – The data already existing on your iPhone will not be erased. Free download it to have a try.

Step 1: Launch AnyTrans on your computer (PC/Mac) > Connect both your Android and iPhone to your Computer via USB cables > Choose “Phone Switcher” > Click on “Phone to iPhone” mode.

Step 2: Select your source device and target device > Click the “Next” button to continue.

Step 3: Click on the “Next” button to start transferring Android files to your iPhone. All supported files will be checked by default.

Move to iOS Alternative – PhoneTrans

As you can see, there are a lot of erratic elements that will affect the transfer process when you use Move to iOS to transfer data from your Android device to the iPhone. However, a reliable third-party tool like PhoneTrans doesn’t have such problems. PhoneTrans is a professional phone to phone transfer tool which provides you a Quick Transfer function to move your Android data to your iPhone quickly and safely. Let’s check what PhoneTrans can do for you:

Now, follow the steps below to move your important data from Android to iPhone:

Step 1. Free download PhoneTrans and install the app on your computer > Now, choose the “Phone to Phone” mode and click on the “Quick Transfer” option on the main interface.

Step 2. Tap on the Start Transfer button and then connect both your Android device and iPhone to the computer > When the two devices are detected successfully, please click “Transfer” button.

Step 3. Now, you can choose the types of data to transfer.

The Bottom Line

That’s all for how to fix “Move to iOS not connecting to iPhone”. AnyTrans or PhoneTrans is a better choice for you to transfer your important data from Android to a new iPhone. It can also help you save time. So without further ado, let us free download and have a try! Besides that, we also offer guides to help you fix other Move to iOS related problems, like the transfer interrupted and the transfer takes forever. Or if you meet any other issue, you can leave a comment to tell us.