Switching From Android To iPhone – What You Need To Know.
If you change your Android smartphone every year, you may feel that much does not change from one update to the next. Small, innovative steps are fine, but they may not relieve you of the itch you experience from a completely new smartphone experience. In this case, there is only one option – to switch from Android to iPhone.
Moving from Android to iPhone can seem like a daunting process, especially since many Android services are tied to your Google account. However, after you go through these steps, you can start using your new iPhone, but before that you need to prepare. Here’s what you need to know about switching to iPhone from Android.
Switch from Android to iPhone using Transfer to iOS
Let’s start with the bad: By design, you can’t transfer all of your Android experience to the Apple ecosystem. Some services can be used on both types of devices, but Apple offers replacements for others.
You will need to move your content (such as photos and contacts) off your Android device, but luckily, Apple provides an easy process for moving most of your services and content. The Move to iOS app will transfer your SMS messages, contacts, browser bookmarks and Google user accounts to your new iPhone. It will also take care of your saved photos and videos.
If the Move to iOS app detects any cross-platform apps on your Android device, it will find and install the corresponding iOS app on your new iPhone as well. This process may take time to complete, but moving to iOS is the easiest option for users moving from Android to iPhone.
How to use the “Move To iOS” app
To use Move to iOS, you need both devices nearby. Your Apple device will create a temporary Wi-Fi network to connect your Android device – this allows the Move to iOS app to complete the A to B transfer seamlessly.
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- First, download the Move to iOS app from the Google Play store. You will also need your Apple device during the initial setup step. Continue the iPhone setup process until you reach the Apps & Data screen, then tap Move Data From Android to get started.
- Open the Move to iOS app on your Android device. Click Agree to accept the terms, then click Next to go to the Find Code menu screen.
- On your iPhone, tap the “Continue” option. A six-digit or ten-digit code will appear on the screen – enter this code on your Android device. This should complete the connection between your Android and iOS devices.
- Select the content, accounts and services that you want to transfer to your Android device. When ready, click Next to begin the transfer process. It will take a while for the Move to iOS app to completely transfer all files and settings from your Android device to your iPhone.
Leave the devices next to each other and wait patiently – click Continue on iPhone after the transfer process is complete to continue with the iOS installation process, and Done on your Android device to complete the process on that device.
Transfer Media Content from Android to iPhone
The Move to iOS app helps you transfer media content (such as photos and videos) from Android to iOS, but you can still access your content across all types of mobile devices. A good way to solve this problem is to use cloud storage, supported by both Android and iOS.
If you want to stay in the Google ecosystem, you might want to consider installing Google Photos and using it to back up your media. Google Photos is available for both iOS and Android, so you can sync data across both types of devices.
You might also consider using Apple iCloud. It is not technically available on Android, but you can access iCloud content on Android devices by logging into the iCloud website using a mobile browser.
Music can be easily moved around too, especially if you’re using a service like Apple Music. If you don’t use Apple Music, you may need to back up your Android device to PC or Mac first, and then transfer files to iPhone manually using iTunes on PC, or using the Finder app on macOS.
Using Google Services on iOS
As we mentioned, Google Photos is a good cloud storage for your media content, perfect for all Android to iPhone users who don’t want to ditch their Google services entirely. Other Google services are also available for iOS.
You can download and use Google Maps, YouTube (and YouTube Music), other Google data storage solutions such as Google Drive, Gmail, Google Calendar – you get the idea. Almost all Google services are supported by iOS and can be used as replacements for iOS equivalents such as Apple Maps.
Of course, this means that you don’t fully embrace Apple’s approach to work, but that’s perfectly fine – it’s not necessary. If you want to use Google services on iOS, you can do so, which will allow you to switch from Android to iOS without giving up the services you currently use on a regular basis.
Get started with iOS
It’s no easy task, but you can switch completely from Android to iPhone with minimal disruption. You can then continue using your new iPhone, taking advantage of the best iOS apps and features available today.
If you are impatient to switch from Android to iPhone, you might consider using iOS launchers for Android, which will allow you to do iPhone style on your Android smartphone. Have you switched from Android to iPhone? Share your tips for ditching Android with us in the comments below.
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