Source: https://gamesranker.com/blog/transfer-mobile-game-purchases-android-iphone/

 Picks & advice  Mobile game article 

# Do mobile game purchases transfer between Android and iPhone?

A game purchase, a saved run, and an in-game unlock can move differently. Check what survives an Android–iPhone switch before paying again or erasing your old phone.

 Published Sep 7, 2026  Reading time5 min read  Written by[GamesRanker Editorial](/authors/gamesranker-editorial/) 

![Android and iPhone with matching game symbols, a cloud question mark, and a locked purchase receipt between them](/_astro/phone-game-transfer-illustration.B2GeINDQ_Z1DFOxV.webp)

 Original GamesRanker illustration  · [View source](https://gamesranker.com/blog/transfer-mobile-game-purchases-android-iphone/phone-game-transfer-illustration.svg)

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**Usually, no: buying a mobile game on one store does not automatically unlock its edition on the other. Your progress may transfer even when the purchase does not.** Before switching between Android and iPhone, check three things separately: access to the game, your save, and anything bought inside it.

[Google explicitly excludes paid apps and in-app purchases from its iPhone-to-Android transfer](https://support.google.com/android/answer/13626960?hl=en). In the other direction, [Apple’s Move to iOS guidance](https://support.apple.com/en-us/118670) describes matching some supported free apps. Neither process promises to turn your old store purchases into purchases on the new store.

We checked the official guidance below on September 7, 2026. Use it to plan the move, then check the publisher’s instructions for your exact game and edition before deleting anything from the old phone.

## Make three checks for each game

“Will my game transfer?” is too broad to produce a useful answer. A familiar icon on the new phone does not tell you whether the paid chapters or your latest save arrived with it.

| What you want to keep | What to check | What would confirm success |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Access to the paid game | The destination store listing and the publisher’s purchase rules | You can open the full game or its paid content |
| Progress and unlocks earned by playing | The game’s account-linking or save-transfer instructions | Your player ID, checkpoint, or unlocked levels match |
| Purchases made inside the game | The rules for that particular unlock, currency, or subscription | The specific item or benefit is available |

Treat an unanswered row as something to resolve before paying again or trading in the old device. A statement about cloud saves answers the progress question; it does not settle the purchase question.

## Phone setup tools have limits

When moving **from Android to iPhone**, Apple’s setup tool can match certain free apps that exist on both stores and support the transfer feature. You then download those matches from the App Store. That is useful for rebuilding a library, but it is not a guarantee that each game’s internal data or paid unlocks follow. [Apple explains the supported transfer categories here](https://support.apple.com/en-us/118670).

When moving **from iPhone to Android**, Google lists paid apps and in-app purchases among the things its transfer process does not copy. It directs readers to the developer for further help. A successful phone migration can therefore leave a perfectly ordinary game-purchase problem unresolved. [See Google’s transfer exclusions](https://support.google.com/android/answer/13626960?hl=en).

Before buying the destination edition, compare its full cost, including any full-game unlock. Our [Android and iPhone game-price comparison](/blog/same-mobile-game-costs-more-on-iphone/) shows why the download button alone can be misleading.

## A real example: progress moves, purchased worlds do not

Super Mario Run makes the distinction unusually clear. [Nintendo’s official FAQ](https://support.supermariorun.com/en-US/faq) says that purchase status does not carry between different device platforms. Playing all courses on the new platform requires buying that content there. However, a previously linked Nintendo Account can carry data such as collected coins, Rally Tickets, and Toads.

For a move within the same platform, Nintendo gives a different route: use the original Apple or Google account, then choose **Restore Purchase** on the World Tour purchase screen.

The practical lesson is to ask about both purchase status and user data. Seeing your old collection after signing in can be completely consistent with seeing another purchase button. This is Nintendo’s documented behavior for one game, not a rule to apply to every publisher.

## Cloud saving does not automatically mean Android–iPhone saving

[Google’s recovery guidance](https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/9275812?hl=en) says some games save progress through Google Play Games and can restore it on another Android phone using the same account. It also says not every game autosaves and that Google does not manage developers’ game accounts or in-app data.

[Apple describes iCloud and Game Center synchronization](https://support.apple.com/en-us/101643) for supported games across Apple devices. That support page does not promise an Android destination.

Look for an explicit statement about **Android and iOS**, rather than relying on the words “cloud save” or “multiple devices.” A publisher account can provide a separate transfer route, as the Nintendo example shows, but account linking by itself is not proof that every edition supports it.

Also check the edition name. A standard release and a subscription edition may be separate apps. If subscription access is part of your decision, our [Apple Arcade and Google Play Pass comparison](/blog/apple-arcade-vs-google-play-pass/) covers the different device ecosystems and what happens when access ends.

## What Restore Purchases can recover

**Restore Purchases is not a universal save-recovery button.** [Apple’s instructions](https://support.apple.com/en-us/108096) cover eligible in-app purchases and require the same Apple Account used to buy them. They do not describe importing a Google Play receipt.

For a missing iOS purchase, open the original app and look for its restore option, often in a menu or settings. If the correct account and restore option do not recover it, use the developer’s support route before buying the same item again.

Apple also distinguishes a permanent unlock from something you consume. A full-game unlock or an ad-removal purchase can be restorable; spent coins or hints are not purchases you can simply download again. [Apple explains those purchase types here](https://support.apple.com/en-us/102383). Separately, a game’s own account system may carry a saved currency balance: Nintendo’s coin-transfer example illustrates why you must check the game’s policy rather than assume all currency disappears.

For another device using Google Play, [Google’s installation guidance](https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/14274288?hl=en) says compatible purchased content can be used without buying it again when you use the same Google Account. That is different from changing storefronts, and it still does not establish that a particular save was backed up.

## Before you erase or trade in the old phone

Start with the games you would most regret losing. For each one:

1.  **Record the exact edition and player ID.** Keep a screenshot of the account screen, current progress, and any important paid unlocks. Store those records privately.
2.  **Read the publisher’s transfer instructions.** Look for your direction of travel, such as Android to iOS, and whether linking must happen on the old device first.
3.  **Check both accounts.** Identify the store account that paid and the game account that holds progress. They may serve different purposes even if they use the same email address.
4.  **Complete any supported linking or save step.** Keep the old installation until you can inspect the result on the new phone.
5.  **Verify the destination.** Compare the player ID or checkpoint, open the paid content, and check important balances. Merely reaching the title screen is not enough.
6.  **Resolve mismatches before wiping.** If the new game offers a choice between saves and you cannot identify the correct one, stop and ask the publisher rather than guessing.

A useful support message is specific: “I’m moving from Android to iPhone. My player ID is \[ID\], and I bought \[edition or unlock\]. Can my progress and that purchase transfer, and what must I do on the old phone first?” Never include passwords or verification codes.

If a purchase cannot move, decide whether buying the destination edition is worthwhile. If progress cannot move, keeping the old phone for that game may be preferable to starting over. Make that decision while both installations are still available to check.

## Sources

*   [Apple: Move from Android to iPhone or iPad](https://support.apple.com/en-us/118670)
*   [Google: Copy apps and data from iPhone to Android](https://support.google.com/android/answer/13626960?hl=en)
*   [Nintendo: Super Mario Run purchase and data transfer FAQ](https://support.supermariorun.com/en-US/faq)
*   [Google: Restore game data in Google Play Games](https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/9275812?hl=en)
*   [Apple: Access gameplay progress across Apple devices](https://support.apple.com/en-us/101643)
*   [Apple: Restore in-app purchases](https://support.apple.com/en-us/108096)
*   [Apple: Types of in-app purchases and subscriptions](https://support.apple.com/en-us/102383)
*   [Google: Install purchased content on other devices](https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/14274288?hl=en)

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