How to Transfer Contacts & Data to your BlackBerry OS10 Phone

Now that you've got your new BlackBerry up and running, you may want to get your contacts moved over from your old handset. This isn't always as easy as it sounds but don't worry, we'll guide you through everything you need to do!

Import contacts from an Android Phone

There are two ways to get the contacts from your Android phone onto your BlackBerry, both of which require the contacts to be in the Google account that's on your old handset. Don't worry, we'll show you how to do this too!

Once your contacts are in Google, you can either add the Google account to your new BlackBerry and sync the contacts, or you can use your computer to download the contacts from the Google account, and sync them onto your new phone using the BlackBerry Link software.

Copy your Android phone contacts into the Google account

To start moving your Android phone contacts into the Google account, make sure your phone is connected to the internet, then open the contacts app from the home screen or Apps menu.

With your contact list open, tap the Menu or More button/icon.
Depending on your handset, you may need to tap Settings.
Tap the option to Move or copy device contacts to Google. Depending on your handset, you may need to go into the Import/Export menu to do this.
If prompted, confirm the Google account you wish to copy your contacts to.

If your handset does not give you the option to move your contacts from the handset to the Google account directly, you may need to export them to the memory card (or SIM) first, then re-import them to the Google account.

Add your Google account to your BlackBerry

BlackBerry Passport add google contacts Adding your Google account to your BlackBerry is a straightforward process, and is done through Settings> Accounts> Add Account. Once you have entered your Google address and password, and given your BlackBerry permission to access the account, you will see a set of switches that determine what data is sync'd from the Google account to your new handset.

In order to sync them successfully, you must ensure that the Contacts option is enabled when choosing which items you want to sync. If you have already added your account and didn't sync the contacts, unfortunately this cannot be changed. You will have to remove the account and re-add it, this time choosing to sync contacts.

Within just a few minutes, you should see those contacts appearing in your contact list on your BlackBerry!

Download the contacts from your Google account

If you don't want your Google account on your BlackBerry, then you can extract the contacts to your computer and sync them onto your handset using BlackBerry Link.

To download your contacts, first follow the steps above to get your contacts into Google, then:

On your PC, head over to Google's contacts page.
Sign in with your Google email address and password.
In the menu on the left, tap More followed by Export, which will direct you to the old contacts page. Click Go to old contacts to continue.
When the old contacts page opens, select the contacts you'd like to export, then click More followed by Export.
Choose either Selected contacts or All contacts (depending on what you're exporting) and in the format section highlight the middle option, Outlook CSV. When you're happy with your choices, click Export. This will save a file called contacts.csv to your computer, usually in your downloads folder.

Now you have downloaded your contacts, you need to sync them onto your new device using BlackBerry Link. Click the link to discover how.

Import contacts from an iPhone

Getting your contacts from an iPhone onto your new BlackBerry is most easily achieved by using the iCloud account on your iPhone. With the contacts in there, you can either add your iCloud account directly to your BlackBerry (if it's in the right format) or you can download your contacts from iCloud in order to sync them to your new device using BlackBerry Link.

Move your iPhone contacts into the iCloud account

In order to transfer them, your contacts need to be in the iCloud account on your iPhone, rather than on the handset itself. To do this, make sure your iPhone has a working SIM in it, or is connected to Wi-Fi, the follow these following steps:

On your iPhone, tap on the Settings icon.
Scroll down and tap on iCloud.
If you are not already signed in with your Apple ID, please do so.
Tap the Contacts switch to turn this on.
Tap Merge to move your contacts into iCloud (the sync process may take a few minutes, depending on the number of contacts).

That's it! Your contacts are now sync'd from your iPhone into iCloud, ready for the next step.

Add your iCloud account to your BlackBerry

blackberry add icloud account If your iCloud address is in the form of xxx@me.com or xxx@icloud.com, then you can add this account to your new device in order to sync the contacts. If your iCloud account is a different type of email address, you would need to get your contacts into that account first by downloading them from iCloud as shown below, and importing them into your usual email account. You can then add your email account as described below.

On your new BlackBerry, go to Settings> Accounts> Add account and enter your iCloud email address and password when prompted. Once you have entered your credentials, you will see a set of switches that determine what data is sync'd from the iCloud account to your new handset. Make sure that the Contacts option is enabled when choosing which items you want to sync.

If you have already added your account and didn't sync the contacts at the time, unfortunately this cannot be changed. You will have to remove the account and re-add it, this time choosing to sync contacts.

Download the contacts from your iCloud account

If you need to download your contacts from iCloud to either sync them with BlackBerry Link, or upload them to another email account, there are just a few simple steps to follow:

Go to your computer. From an internet browser like Google Chrome, Firefox or Internet Explorer, visitthe iCloud website and sign in using your Apple ID and password.
Click on the Contacts button to see your iCloud address book, and hopefully the contacts you’ve just synchronised.
Click the Settings button (which looks like a cog or gear) in the bottom-left corner of the iCloud address book and choose Select All.
Click the Settings button again and choose Export vCard.
Your contacts will now download to your computer as a vCard file. This is usually called Contacts.vcf and normally will end up in your downloads folder.

Now that your contacts have been downloaded, you can either import them into Windows in order to sync them onto your new handset using BlackBerry Link, or import them into another email account in order to add that account to your handset.

Import contacts from a windows phone

If you have a Windows Phone, then your contacts will automatically be backed up into your Microsoft account. If your Microsoft account is the correct type of email address, you can add that account to your handset and the contacts will sync across directly. Alternatively, if you don't want to add your account, or your Microsoft account uses a non-standard email address, you can download them from the Microsoft account and use BlackBerry Link to sync them to your handset.

Add your Microsoft account to your BlackBerry

Passport add Windows phone contacts If your Microsoft account is an xxx@hotmail.com, xxx@live.com or xxx@outlook.com address, or a .co.uk equivalent, then you can add this account to your new device in order to sync the contacts. If your Microsoft account is a different type of email address, you would need to get your contacts into that account first by downloading them from Outlook.com as shown below, and then importing them into your usual email account. You can then add your email account as below.

On your new BlackBerry, go to Settings> Accounts> Add account and enter your Microsoft account email address and password when prompted. Once you have entered your credentials, you will see a set of switches that determine what data is sync'd from that account to your new handset. Make sure that the Contacts option is enabled when choosing which items you want to sync.

Download contacts from your Microsoft account

In order to do this, you'll need to follow these steps on your PC or Mac.

Open the Outlook.com People page by clicking the link.
If prompted, sign in with your Microsoft account email address and password.
Select which contacts you'd like to download by ticking the boxes next to the names. To download all your contacts, tick the All box at the top of the list.
When you've selected your contacts, click the Manage button at the top of the page and choose Export for Outlook.com and other services from the drop down menu. This will download a file called OutlookContacts.csv to your computer, which can usually be found in your downloads folder.

Now you have downloaded your contacts from your Microsoft account, you can upload them to a different email account, or import them into Windows to sync them to your Blackberry.

Import contacts and data from a BlackBerry

BlackBerry Link is the software that connects your device and your PC or Mac, either via a cable or over the air via Wi-Fi. With BlackBerry L;ink you can transfer settings and data from another BlackBerry, backup your handset, sync contacts and media from your Computer to your new phone and much more.

Install the BlackBerry Link software

In order to do all of this, you must first download and install BlackBerry Link. After you have installed the software and opened it for the first time, you will have to agree to the Terms and conditions, and sign in with your BlackBerry ID and password. You can also give your computer a name to enable you to recognise it.

Use BlackBerry Link to move your data from an old BlackBerry

BlackBerry Link can move content directly from on old BlackBerry to your new handset (as long as it is running BB OS 5.0 or newer), or if you have a backup of your old device on your computer then you can use the software to restore that data to your new BlackBerry. To begin, open the BlackBerry Link software on your computer.

On the Computer tab, click Switch Devices.
Connect your new BlackBerry to the computer, and click its picture to select it.
Choose whether to switch from another device, or restore from a backup. When you've made your selection, tap Next. (our example shows transferring from another device. If you;re restoring from a backup, you'll be asked to locate the backup file instead of connecting your old handset).

Connect your old BlackBerry with the USB cable and when it shows onscreen, click its picture, entering the password if required.
You will be shown a list of the types of data that can be transferred. Tap Next to continue.

A progress bar will show on the computer, giving you an indication of how long it will take to copy the data from your old handset.
When the backup of your old handset is complete, you will be asked to make sure that your new BlackBerry has the SIM card inserted, and that you have signed into your online acounts on it to prevent them being removed. Click Next to continue.

When prompted, remove the old device and connect your new BlackBerry, entering the password if required.
Your information will now be written onto your new handset, with a progress bar to show you the status of the data transfer. When the transfer is complete, a screen will show you the data types that were successfully transferred, along with a reminder to take your memory card out of your old phone and put it into your new one. Click Finish.

That's it! Unplug your new BlackBerry and check out your address book with its newly populated contacts list, along with any other data that was transferred across from your old device!

Sync Contacts from your computer using BlackBerry Link

If you have contacts in Windows, or in an email program such as Outlook, then BlackBerry Link will enable you to sync these onto your handset. If you haven't already installed it, you'll need to download and install the software by clicking the link.

Import downloaded contacts into Windows

If you've downloaded your contacts from an online account, you'll need to import these into Windows first before you can get them onto your BlackBerry.

Open Windows Contacts by clicking Start> YourUserName> Contacts.
On the title bar, click Import.
Select the type of fime to import (if you've exported your contacts from your iPhone's iCloud account, click vCard, if your contacts have been downloaded from your Google or Microsoft account click CSV).
Locate your contacts file (it will usually be in your downloads folder, unless you saved it elsewhere) and click on it to select it, then click OK.
You will see your contacts appearing behind the Import window, which is still open. Click Close on that, and you can then click and contact to inspect the details.

That's all you need to do to get your contacts into Windows. Now you need to open BlackBerry Link using either the desktop shortcut or through the start menu, in order to get them onto your new handset.

Sync contacts onto your device

BlackBerry Link is great at keeping your handset synchronised with your computer to make sure your contacts are the same in both locations, every time you connect them. Whether you're using Windows to manage your contacts, or you have them in Outlook or another email program, the steps are virtually identical.

With the BlackBerry Link software open, click on your device on the left-hand side.
On the left-hand side, click on Contacts/Calendar.

The first time you use this function, you will need to select a couple of options to set up the syncing.
Choose the account to sync your contacts with. This will usually be Windows Contacts, but if they are in Outlook (or another email program) you should click the drop-down menu and select your preferred location. Click OK to continue.

By default, your contacts will use a two-way sync, which means that any contacts on your computer will add to the phone, and any contacts on your phone will add to your computer. This is the usual way of managing them, but of you wish to change this you can by clicking Configure. When you're ready to proceed, click Sync Contacts/Calendar.
A progress bar will indicate the status of the transfer, and when it's complete the software will tell you.

Every time you connect your handset to your computer and open BlackBerry Link, your handset and computer will exchange information, keeping your contact list on both up-to-date!

Import contacts from the SIM card

If you have contacts on your SIM card they will show in your contacts list, as a BlackBerry can show contacts from multiple sources. If you remove that SIM card, however, then the contacts on it will also be removed. To avoid this, import them onto your handset in just a few simple steps!

On your BlackBerry, open the Contacts app.
Swipe down from the top and tap Settings.
Scroll down to the bottom of the settings menu.
To copy all your contacts, tap Import Contacts from SIM card.

Yes, it really is that simple!

Manually add a contact

Now that we've got all of your contacts imported, the only thing left to cover is how to add a new contact to the phone.

Open the Contacts app.
At the bottom of the screen, tap New Contact.
At the top, tap Save to to choose where you'd like to store your new contact. Local Contacts is the handset itself, and if you're syncing your contacts with your PC you need to select your computer's name too.
Complete the form with your new contact's details, and when you're sure the information is correct tap Save.

blackberry add contact 1 blackberry add contact 2 blackberry add contact 3 blackberry add contact 4

If you need to edit a contact, simply tap on the name in your contact list and tap Edit at the bottom of the screen.

any problems?

So there you have it - a step-by-step guide to transferring all your contacts to your BlackBerry 10 handset. However, if you're having problems with any of the above steps, we're here to help! Let us know your issue in the comments box below and we'll get back to you as quickly as we can.