How to Copy Contacts from SIM Card to Phone

The storage space on a SIM card is severely limited. Furthermore, a portion of it is occupied by carrier data from the get-go. It’s also somewhat an outdated practice, since cloud storage via iCloud and Google Contacts is superior in almost every way. Notice how we said almost? That’s because without one crucial thing, an Internet connection, you’re powerless. For that reason, saving contacts to a SIM card still has its use, and can save you in a clutch. It also makes swapping SIM cards and using two smartphones simultaneously a breeze. With that out of the way, let’s show you how to copy contacts from SIM card to phone.

How to copy contacts from SIM card to Android

Follow these steps to copy contacts from SIM card to Android phone:

1. Tap to open the Contacts app.
2. In the top left corner, tap the three-line (hamburger) menu.
3. Tap on Settings, then go to Import.
4. Clarification. On some Android versions, the option is called Import/Export or inside an option called Contact management.
5. Tap on the SIM card, then select SIM 1 or SIM 2 option.
6. Clarification. On some versions of Android, the options are titled Import from SIM card 1 and Import from SIM card 2.
7. Mark contacts by tapping and holding on one of them, then tap once for every other contact.
8. Tap on Done in the top right corner.
9. When prompted on where to save contacts to, select Device or Phone, depending on the version of Android.
10. You’ll see a message similar to “X contacts imported!”

Copying contacts from SIM card to Samsung phone

Samsung uses a modified version of Android, where only phone numbers and the name are copied over, and any other information won’t. To give you an idea, here’s how copying contacts from SIM card to a Samsung phone using Android 9/10 works:

1. Tap on Contacts, then the three-line menu in the top left corner.
2. Select Manage contacts from the left sidebar.
3. Tap on Import/export contacts.
4. Tap on Import contacts, then the Import option.
5. First, select SIM card (SIM 1/SIM 2) under step 1 of 3.
6. Tap on Import, tap, and hold to select all contacts you want to copy, then Done.
7. Under step 2 of 3, select Phone.
8. Under step 3 of 3, select Import at the bottom.
9. You’ll see a success message after the process is complete.

Using an Android app to import contacts from SIM card to phone

There are plenty of apps that allow this functionality but they share a similar interface, which beats the point. However, if you’re new to Android, we recommend installing Contact2SIM. It shows all contacts in form of notes. Additionally, you’ll see a checkmark on contacts that already exist on both SIM card and phone. By taping on the three-dot menu, then Copy missing to [phone name], you’ve taken care of things with zero technical knowledge.

How to copy contacts from SIM card to iPhone

We already concluded that saving contacts to a SIM card isn’t possible on an iPhone because of its ecosystem design. Luckily, copying contacts from a SIM card to iPhone is. Here’s how to duplicate contacts from SIM card to iPhone:

1. Open Settings from the app drawer.
2. Scroll down and tap on Contacts.
3. Scroll down again and tap on Import SIM contacts.
4. When asked to Import SIM Contacts to Account, tap On My iPhone.
5. All of the contacts will be imported at once.
6. Since there’s no verification message, open the Contacts app to check whether contacts appeared.

How to copy contacts from SIM card to Windows Phone

Even though Windows Phone is discontinued, it doesn’t negate the fact that many people still hold onto their Lumia phones. Follow these instructions to copy contacts from SIM card to Windows Phone:

1. Open the People app from your  Home screen.
2. Tap on the three-dot menu in the bottom right corner.
3. Select Settings,  scroll down, then tap on Import from SIM.
4. The operating system pre-selected all contacts. Tap on the Import button.
5. Tip. If you don’t want to copy every SIM card contact, tap on the Clear button. Manually check the boxes in front of contact names before tapping on Import.