PhoneTrans: Move Everything to Your New Phone, iPhone or Android, from a Windows PC
PhoneTrans is iMobie's $45.99 one-time-purchase Windows program for moving your data to a new phone: iPhone to iPhone, Android to Android, or across the two in either direction. You connect both phones to the PC, pick what to move, and PhoneTrans copies it over, including apps and WhatsApp chats when the new phone is an iPhone.
It's for the evening you unbox a new phone and want it to feel like your old one: same contacts, photos, chats and, for same-system moves, the same settings, without waiting on a cloud restore.
Quick facts
- Developer: iMobie
- Version: 5.4.1, released August 29, 2024
- Runs on: Windows 11, 10, 8 and 7, 64-bit only (a Mac version is sold separately)
- Phones: iPhones and iPads (iOS 7 and later; Phone Clone and Phone Merge iOS 9 to 18) and Android 5 and later
- Transfer modes: Quick Transfer, Phone Clone, Phone Merge, plus backup, restore and app transfer
- Price: $45.99 one-time for 1 computer and 5 devices, with lifetime free updates
- Free version: transfers 5 items of each type; Clone, Merge, app and WhatsApp transfers need a license
- Refund period: 60 days on the one-time and yearly plans, 30 days on the 3-month plan
- Vendor's rating: 4.7 out of 5 from 75 reviews, as shown on iMobie's page
What we checked: the Windows setup file from iMobie (3.6 MB, a small installer that downloads the program, version 5.1.0.4, dated September 3, 2024), the version history on iMobie's tech specs page, and an order page price of $45.99 for "PhoneTrans for Windows - One-Time Purchase", all on November 8, 2026. We didn't move a phone with it.
Before you buy
Check your direction. PhoneTrans does the most between two iPhones or two Android phones. Between iPhone and Android, Quick Transfer moves photos, music, videos, contacts and calendar, but not messages or call history directly: for those you make a full backup of the iPhone and restore from it. Apps and WhatsApp, LINE and Viber chats only go to an iPhone.
Newest iPhones and Phone Clone. iMobie lists Phone Clone and Phone Merge for iOS 9 to iOS 18, while its other features cover up to iOS 27. If your old or new iPhone runs a newer iOS than 18, test it with the free version first. The last update, 5.4.1, dates from August 2024.
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Overview
PhoneTrans has four sections down the left side: Phone to Phone, Phone Restore, Phone Backup and App Transfer. Each job runs as a short wizard with the same layout: the source device on the left, the target on the right, a Switch button to swap them, and a big Transfer button in the middle. iMobie says it covers more than 32 kinds of iPhone data and 12 kinds of Android data, and works with over 20,000 Android models.
Quick Transfer with an iPhone on the left and a vivo X60 on the right; Switch swaps the direction.
Features
Quick Transfer: pick what to move, any direction
PhoneTrans's Quick Transfer moves only the kinds of data you tick, between any pair of iPhone, iPad and Android devices. It's the fastest way to bring photos, music, videos, contacts and calendar to a new phone without a full restore. Moving from iPhone to Android, the screen tells you plainly that messages and call history can't go across directly and offers a Full Backup instead.
Choosing data for an iPhone-to-Android move, with the note that messages and call history need the backup-and-restore route.
Phone Clone and Phone Merge for same-system moves
PhoneTrans's Phone Clone copies an old phone's data and settings onto a new one, iPhone to iPhone or Android to Android, so call history, kept messages and custom ringtones are where you left them. Phone Merge is for a new phone you've already started using: it adds the old phone's content without overwriting anything and skips duplicates. Neither works across iPhone and Android.
Apps and WhatsApp chats to a new iPhone
PhoneTrans's App Transfer moves apps from an old iPhone or iPad to a new one in one go, and moves WhatsApp chat history and files from an Android phone or an iPhone to an iPhone. LINE and Viber chats move iPhone to iPhone. For WhatsApp going to an Android phone, iMobie points you to its AppTrans instead.
WhatsApp Transfer: the source can be an iPhone or Android phone, the target must be an iPhone.
Backups you can restore any way you like
PhoneTrans backs up a phone to your PC, a full backup for iPhones and a selective backup of chosen data types for both systems, and you can point the backup folder at an external drive. Phone Restore then puts data back from a PhoneTrans or iTunes backup, in full or item by item, and can restore an iPhone backup to an Android phone or the other way round. It can also pull from iCloud, a Google account or an iTunes library and converts formats to suit the phone.
Selective Backup: the phone on the left, the PC and its backup path on the right.
Benefits
- Your new phone is ready the same evening. A cable-to-cable move skips waiting on cloud uploads and downloads.
- Nothing gets wiped by accident. Phone Merge adds rather than replaces, so a phone you've already set up keeps its data.
- Old backups become useful. An iTunes backup from a phone you've sold can still fill a new Android phone.
- One license for the family. The one-time plan covers 5 devices on one computer.
Real-World Uses
- Upgrading iPhones. Phone Clone the old iPhone onto the new one, then move the apps and WhatsApp chats with App Transfer.
- Android to iPhone. Bring contacts, photos and calendar across with Quick Transfer, and move WhatsApp history to the iPhone.
- iPhone to Android. Quick Transfer for media and contacts; full backup of the iPhone, then a selective restore of messages to the Android phone.
- Two phones into one. Merge a work Android phone's contacts and photos into your personal one without losing either.
Who It's For, and Who Should Skip It
It suits people switching phones who want more than the free tools carry over, especially WhatsApp history going to an iPhone, a full clone between two Android phones of different brands, or data from old iTunes backups.
Skip it if you're moving iPhone to iPhone and Apple's Quick Start or an iCloud restore already does the job for free, or if you need WhatsApp moved to Android (that's AppTrans). If you mainly want to manage an Android phone's files from a PC day to day, iMobie's AnyDroid fits better.
Usage Guide
- Install and launch. Run the small setup file, which downloads PhoneTrans, and pick a language on first launch. iTunes must be installed for iPhones.
- Choose a job. Under Phone to Phone pick Quick Transfer, Phone Clone or Phone Merge; or use Phone Backup, Phone Restore or App Transfer.
- Connect both phones by USB. Use Switch if the source and target are the wrong way round.
- Select data and click Transfer Now. Keep both phones connected until it reports Complete.
- Activate once you've bought it: click Activate and paste the account and activation code from your order email.
Where it falls short
- Cross-system limits. Clone and Merge only work between phones of the same system, and messages and call history need the backup-and-restore route from iPhone to Android.
- One-way extras. Apps and chat apps only move to an iPhone.
- 64-bit Windows only. 32-bit support is listed as "coming soon".
- Slow updates. Two updates since 2022, the latest in August 2024, so very new phones may lag behind.
- Fixed-size window. Redmond Pie's reviewer found the Mac version's window couldn't be resized to fit his display.
What Users Say
Independent reviews
iGeeksBlog (Arshmeet Kaur, first published December 2020 and since updated) concluded: "Overall, PhoneTrans is efficient, reliable, quick, flexible, and easy-to-use." and "It does what it promises, and I am pretty impressed and satisfied with its performance." She also liked that the program is upfront about its limits: "And what I loved is the software's honesty." At the time she noted: "As of writing this article, the support for messages & data transfer between iOS and Android wasn't available."
Redmond Pie (Paul Morris, December 2020): "Information within the app is extensive and provides prompts where necessary." and "Each step is broken down extremely well". His complaint was the window: "As an example, the Mac interface is fixed to a single size." and "It can't be resized or made to fit the window of my display."
On iMobie's own page
iMobie rates PhoneTrans 4.7 out of 5 from 75 reviews and quotes customers and press:
- "This is the best phone to phone transfer software I've ever used. It managed to move all contacts, messages, photos, and apps to my new phone. Worth the price!" (Edwin Tate)
- "It worked. I transferred WhatsApp chats and SMS from my Pixel to iPhone 12. It took me just a few minutes." (Ema Vincent)
- "PhoneTrans is a flexible, powerful, and — most importantly — intuitive way to migrate and backup your smartphone data." (Android Central Team)
These are hand-picked by the vendor, so read them as the best case.
iMobie as a company, on Trustpilot
iMobie Inc. has a TrustScore of 3.3 from 1,517 reviews, with 49% five stars and 34% one star. The recent one-star reviews are mostly about other tools failing on the newest iPhones, such as "it doesn't work, it gets stuck at 99 with a iphone 15 ios 27 and don't move". Support gets the praise: "The customer support is excellent. They understood the issue and had a ticket submitted and resolved within hours." (Christopher Montalvo, 5 stars).
The common themes: reviewers find PhoneTrans clear and step-by-step, and it does what the screens say. The gaps people hit are the ones the program itself spells out: what can and can't cross between iPhone and Android, and support for the very newest iOS.
Comparisons
PhoneTrans vs AnyTrans
AnyTrans is iMobie's everyday iPhone manager, with a phone switcher as one part of it. PhoneTrans is built only for moving to a new phone, adds Phone Clone and Phone Merge for Android to Android, and costs less if switching is all you need.
PhoneTrans vs free tools
Apple's Quick Start and Google's setup wizard handle simple moves within one system for free. PhoneTrans earns its price for WhatsApp to iPhone, Android-to-Android clones across brands, merging two phones, and restoring an old iTunes backup to Android.
Editions and Pricing
| Plan (Windows) | Price | Term | Covers |
|---|
| One-Time Purchase | $45.99 | Lifetime, free updates | 1 computer, 5 devices |
| 1-Year Subscription | $35.99 | Renews yearly | 1 computer, 5 devices |
| 3-Month Subscription | $29.99 | Renews quarterly | 1 computer, 2 devices |
| 1-Year, 10 devices | $55.99 | Renews yearly | 1 computer, 10 devices |
For a one-off phone switch, the one-time plan costs $10 more than a year's subscription and never renews, so it's the better buy unless you only need it for a weekend.
FAQs
Can PhoneTrans move WhatsApp from iPhone to Android?
No. PhoneTrans moves WhatsApp, LINE and Viber data to an iPhone only. iMobie sells AppTrans for WhatsApp moves to Android.
Can PhoneTrans transfer text messages from iPhone to Android?
Not with Quick Transfer. PhoneTrans makes you take a full backup of the iPhone first, then restore the messages from that backup to the Android phone with Phone Restore.
Does PhoneTrans work over Wi-Fi?
No. PhoneTrans needs both phones connected to the computer by USB cable.
Will Phone Clone erase what's already on my new phone?
PhoneTrans's Phone Clone is meant for setting up a new phone as a copy of the old one. If you've already put data on the new phone, use Phone Merge, which adds the old content without overwriting.
Can I use PhoneTrans on a 32-bit Windows PC?
Not yet. PhoneTrans for Windows needs 64-bit Windows 11, 10, 8 or 7; iMobie lists 32-bit support as coming soon.
How many phones does one PhoneTrans license cover?
The PhoneTrans one-time license covers 5 devices on 1 computer. A 10-device yearly plan and a business plan exist for more.
System Requirements
- Windows 11, 10, 8 or 7, 64-bit
- 1 GHz CPU, 256 MB RAM (1 GB recommended), 500 MB free disk space, 1024x768 display
- iTunes installed for iPhones and iPads; 800 MB free space on the phone
- iOS 7 or later (Phone Clone and Merge: iOS 9 to 18), iPadOS 13 or later, Android 5 or later
Conclusion
PhoneTrans is worth $45.99 if you're switching phones and the free tools leave something behind: WhatsApp history going to an iPhone, a full clone between two Android phones of different brands, or data stuck in an old iTunes backup. The one reason to buy it is that it handles every direction from one window and tells you honestly what each direction can carry. The main reason not to is a straight iPhone-to-iPhone move, where Apple's own tools are free, and its uncertain Clone support past iOS 18. Use the free version to move a few items first; if both phones connect, the license is a fair price for a stress-free switch.
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