How to Transfer Angry Birds Progress Between iOS Devices

Did you know that with a little legwork and a free application you can easily transfer your Angry Birds progress across an iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, or Mac? This is great if you happen to have more than one iOS device (i.e. an iPhone and an iPad) or recently upgraded. This is also a great way to backup your Angry Birds progress in the event something goes awry. I know we are all dreaming of the day when our Angry Birds progress automatically syncs across all devices we own, but that day isn’t quite here yet, so if you have more than one iOS device that you’d like to play on this article is for you.

Note, as of writing this DOES work between the standard and HD versions (i.e. you can transfer progress back and forth between Angry Birds to Angry Birds HD). Disclaimer: We are not responsible if something goes wrong while performing the steps below.

Step 1: Before We Begin Lets Take Some Precautions

1. Be sure you have the same version of Angry Birds installed on both devices (exception, Angry Birds and Angry Birds HD are considered the same version).
2. Be sure you’re copying the files off your device and not removing them.
3. Before you overwrite any .lua file on your device create a backup copy first.
4. Sync ALL devices with iTunes first.  This way if something happens you can always restore.

Step 2: Install iExplorer, DiskAid, or PhoneView (Mac only)

1. Install iExplorer (Mac & PC), DiskAid (Mac & PC), or PhoneView (as of writing only Mac).  Since PhoneView is Mac only this article will focus on using iExplorer.

DiskAid users: DiskAid is now offering a free version of its program, or you can purchase the full version for only $24.90. The free version is sufficient for this process.

Once downloaded and installed configure these settings in DiskAid then follow the instructions in Step 3 below. In the menu bar go to “DiskAid” » “Preferences” » “Advanced” (tab) then check boxes for:

1. “Display all Apps even if …”
2. “Show root path for Apps”
3. “Show hidden files and folders”

A BIG BIG thanks to Temba-Dog for finding this and providing the helpful tutorial on how to get set up.

Step 3: Copying the Angry Birds .lua Files Off Your iOS Device

1. Open iExplorer.
2. Now connect the device you want to transfer your progress FROM.  Once your device is connected iExplorer should recognize it and you’ll see two directory in the left hand pane (Apps & Media).
3. Expand “Apps” and find the application directory that maps to the version of Angry Birds you’re looking to transfer / backup.  This can be a little challenging if you have a lot of apps or different versions of Angry Birds installed.  Just scan and if necessary expand the directory until you find the version you’re looking for.
4. Once you’ve located the directory click on it. Now in the right hand pane double-click the “Documents” folder to open it.  If you get a “File or Directory not found.” error just close and reopen iExplorer. iExplorer can be a bit finicky, so you may have to do this from time to time. It does work though. DiskAid is a little less temperamental, if so desired.
5. In the “Documents” folder you’ll see a highscores.lua and settings.lua. Select them both and drag them onto your PC / Mac. Note, for Angry Birds Seasons there are additional .lua files with a date for the file name (e.g. 2010-12-01.lua). Copy those over as well. Once all these .lua files are copied over you effectively have a backup copy.

Step 4: Copying the Saved .lua Files onto Another iOS Device

1. Connect the iOS device you want to transfer your progress to and sync it with iTunes (if you already did you can skip this step). This way if something goes wrong you can restore.
2. After the sync with iTunes is complete disconnect the device, launch iExploer, then reconnect the same device again.
3. Now repeat steps 3 and 4 above in order to navigate to the version of Angry Birds you’re looking to copy your data too. Reminder, if copying from an iPhone or iPod Touch to an iPad you can go from non-HD to HD versions (the directory on the iPad includes “HD” in the name).
4. Once you have the “Documents” folder open in iExplorer copy or drag the respective .lua files you previously saved on your computer onto your device (in other words, drag them from you computer into iExplorer, which will in turn copy them to your device — overwriting what was previously there).
5. Once this is done you’ve effectively transferred your progress from one device to another, but in order to see the progress on the new device you need to completely close and reopen Angry Birds.

Step 5: Completely Restarting Angry Birds

1. If you’re running a next generation iOS device you don’t have to restart to completely close Angry Birds, Angry Birds Seasons, etc. Rather, double-tap the home key. That will open the quick launch menu. Tap and hold any icon in the quick launch menu until the red close button appears. Now tap the red close button to completely close the app.
2. For those running older devices, such an older iPod Touch, just old down the power key and restart your device.
3. Finally, reopen Angry Birds and you should see your progress correlates with what was on your other device.
4. Rejoice!

Thanks to Joseph for leaving a comment about iExplorer. Also, a big thanks to sasquatch519 for providing a write-up in the forum.

Below is a new video tutorial that FujiToast created that walks you through the entire process.  He’s on a Mac and is transferring Angry Birds progress from an iPhone to an iPad.  If you’re using a PC the method is similar and uses the same software.

This tutorial shows you how to transfer your progress from an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch to your Mac version of Angry Birds.