Google is testing to launch a new iOS app known as ‘Switch to Android’, an app that will enable Apple users to move data from iPhone to Android devices.
The Google “Switch to Android” app will be running on an iPhone wirelessly as you won’t have to worry about connecting the two devices with a cable.
According to the app descr desertiption on the App Store, the Switch to Android app from Google helps you to quickly and securely move your most important data types – photos, videos, contacts, and calendar events to a brand new Android device without fussy cables.
That list does not include messages, so it appears the app won’t be able to transfer those, though it will walk you through how to turn off iMessage so you do miss text messages from friends and family.
9to5Google reported that when moving from one Android device to a new one, it’s easy to simply connect the two phones – either wirelessly or with a USB cable – to seamlessly copy over all of your apps, contacts, messages, photos, and more. By contrast, copying your data from an iPhone to Android has not been nearly as simple of a process, involving backing up your data to Google Drive and restoring it manually. Android 12 made things a bit easier, allowing you to copy over contacts, apps, and media, but only via a Lightning cable connection.
In the opposite direction, for over five years, Apple has offered a dedicated “Move to iOS” app for Android that attempts to make it as easy as possible to join Apple’s ecosystem. Back in July 2021, we reported that Google was working on its app to help new customers make their next phone an Android.
Switch to Android has now been soft-launched into the App Store as an unlisted application – a feature that Apple only recently launched – only accessible through a direct link which our APK Insight team was able to uncover.
With that link, we were able to successfully install Switch to Android on an iPhone, and run it. However, while everything seems to be ready on the iOS side of things, Android’s setup and restore process is not yet prepared for the Switch to Android app’s availability.
To get an idea of how the app will work, check out the hands-on video by 9to5Google:
It was also reported that Apple has proposed a similar app to help users migrate from Android to iPhone since 2015. The app is called ‘Move to iOS.
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