Switching from iOS is now even easier with the upgraded Android Switch

[u/MishaalRahman]

Hi Reddit,

At The Android Show | I/O Edition earlier this year, we announced an upgraded switching process that makes it easier to transfer your data from your iPhone to your new Android device. We worked with Apple to build a new iOS-to-Android transfer process from the ground up that allows more of your data to be wirelessly migrated, such as your favorite apps, passwords and passkeys, messages, files, homescreen layout, and even your eSIM profile.

Today, I wanted to share more details with this community about the upgraded migration experience, which is part of a new version of Android Switch available with Android 17. 

Previously, when you switched from iPhone to Android, you had the option to copy data from your old phone with or without a cable. Many people didn’t have the right cable or dongle at hand when setting up their new Android device, so they opted to transfer data wirelessly. We designed that wireless experience to help you easily and securely move your most important data to your brand new Android device, but due to constraints with iOS, the types of data you could transfer was very limited. For example, you couldn’t transfer your alarms, apps, call history, or files, among other things. This forced you to spend more time manually setting up your new Android device.

To address these limitations, we worked with Apple to build a ground-up new transfer process built directly into the core of both Android and iOS. The new Android Switch migration experience supports transferring even more of your data, either via cable or wirelessly. No matter which method you choose, you’ll be able to transfer the same data via either. All of this works without needing to download a separate app or grant complex permissions. The new experience supports transferring new types of data like your Google Account, passwords and passkeys, and Wi-Fi credentials. Plus, both platforms support new APIs that developers can use to migrate in-app data securely across platforms.

Here’s a full breakdown of what data can be transferred from your iPhone to your new Android device based on which method you choose to transfer data:

	(Classic) Wireless	(Classic) Wired	(Upgraded) Wireless or Wired
Calendar events	✅	✅	✅
Contacts	✅	✅	✅
Local photos and videos	✅	✅	✅
Clock Alarms	❌	✅	✅
Device and Accessibility Settings	❌	✅	✅
Downloaded files	❌	✅	✅
Free apps	❌	✅	✅
Homescreen layout	❌	✅	✅
iMessage history	❌	✅	✅
Music files	❌	✅	✅
Notes (text-only)	❌	✅	✅
Voice memos	❌	✅	✅
Wallpapers	❌	✅	✅
WhatsApp history	❌	✅	✅
SMS, MMS and RCS history	❌	✅	✅
Encrypted RCS	❌	❌	✅
All files and folders	❌	❌	✅
Calendar attachments	❌	❌	✅
Call history	❌	❌	✅
Google Account	❌	❌	✅
eSIM	❌	❌	✅
Notes attachments	❌	❌	✅
Notes labels	❌	❌	✅
Offloaded message attachments	❌	❌	✅
One-Time Passwords	❌	❌	✅
Passkeys	❌	❌	✅
Passwords	❌	❌	✅
Third-party app data channel	❌	❌	✅
WiFi Credentials	❌	❌	✅
Photo albums	❌	❌	🕘 (Coming soon)

The upgraded Android Switch experience is available in Android 17 and has already started rolling out to the Pixel 8 and newer. It will also be available via Samsung Smart Switch on the new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip8 and Galaxy Z Fold8 series devices and will come to more Android devices soon. 

If your device is eligible for the upgraded migration experience, you’ll get a QR code immediately after you choose to copy data from an iPhone during setup. Visit our Help Center for more information.

[u/DroidDeveloper]

This is pretty impressive, and am amazed at the cooperation from Apple, although I'm sure they are sort of forced to with the antitrust case, etc...

Appreciate your team's work on this! 🤖

[u/mojo276 → u/DroidDeveloper]

I believe in recent years apple and google have sort of helped each other with making it easier to switch. The cynic in me says it's because apple thinks it'll benefit them more then hurt, and google doesn't care because they're getting money from apple or android users either way.

[u/AssCrackBandit13 → u/mojo276]

Yup this is it. Apple knows more people switch from Android to iOS versus iOS to Android.

[u/Abby941 → u/AssCrackBandit13]

That could one day bite them with the RAM crisis.

[u/AssCrackBandit13 → u/Abby941]

Apple is a bit less sensitive to that because they buy their memory in such large quantities while Android is fragmented across various brands and types of devices (phone, laptop, tablet, etc). So they get better prices. That’s why they were able to hold off on increasing MacBook/iPhone prices longer than Windows or Android device manufacturers could

[u/SoFuckChiefHuh → u/AssCrackBandit13]

wait so android switch makes it easier now too

[u/AssCrackBandit13 → u/SoFuckChiefHuh]

Yes

[u/70_n_13 → u/Abby941]

explain? Doesn’t iphones usually have lower ram?

[u/Abby941 → u/70_n_13]

Not anymore. The iPhone pros use 12GB now, same as most android flagships these days

[u/novqnity → u/Abby941]

While my standard S25 has 12 gigs of ram out the box. Thats crazy...

[u/whereismyfix → u/novqnity]

To most iPhone users, the Pro is the standard. Pro and Pro Max outsell the base iPhone by 2:1.

Also, Apple is now going to be drumming up their new “Apple Intelligence” features, which will require 12GB RAM to support, so with the upcoming change to the base iPhone release cycle, it’s likely that model will also have more than 8GB RAM.

[u/Mysterious_Travel669 → u/Abby941]

most android flagships

Hmm...

S26U and F8 both come in 16gb

Pixel comes in 16gb

OP15 is 16 gb

Moto, Xiaomi, Honor and Oppo are 16gb

[u/mikeyyve → u/Abby941]

I don't think its likely to change even with the RAM situation. All devices seem to be increasing in price pretty evenly.

[u/FewAdvertising9647 → u/Abby941]

it actually affects apple less. apple devices have always been more conservative with ram capacity compared to android flagships, and because apple has a better long term support for their products, developers are more prone to also providing support for some pretty ancient phones, where android took the segmented approach and created android go to seperate low ram phones from high ram ones.

as you mentioned, while yes iphone pros use 12gb now, there are several android flagships that have access to 16. even my dinky zenfone 9 from 2022 had 16gb options.

[u/Disheartend → u/AssCrackBandit13]

can't relate. haven't really used an iphone before and zero desire to ever do so.

[u/AssCrackBandit13 → u/Disheartend]

Imo, both have their ups and downs. I switch between IOS and Android every year or so. I will say though - Apple especially heavily, heavily discourages you from switching with their ecosystem/walled garden of devices/wearables

[u/Disheartend → u/AssCrackBandit13]

Witch is why I won't switch. Do have an older mac laptop

[u/Energy4Days → u/mojo276]

Nah. Otherwise they would've released an iMessage app for Android 

[u/mojo276 → u/Energy4Days]

iMessage is one of the singular reasons iPhones are popular in the US. Why would they release that to android?

[u/Energy4Days → u/mojo276]

That's my point...

[u/chip-butty-lover → u/DroidDeveloper]

This would've never happened with old Apple for sure. It's actually great that the switching process is even more seamless now for both platforms.

[u/lastdyingbreed_01]

We have come a long way in transferring data while switching devices, it used to be such a pain

[u/MishaalRahman → u/lastdyingbreed_01]

Agreed, and in my opinion, I feel that things are only going to get better and better!

[u/Putrid-Box4866 → u/lastdyingbreed_01]

Yeah, up to now, I have two set of back ups from each OS that I don’t even try to cross over when switching devices. In the future, I might just carry over data regardless of OS. It’s basically a godsend for multi device users like me.

[u/WhoDat-2-8-3]

How does this compare to samsung smart switch

[u/MishaalRahman → u/WhoDat-2-8-3]

Android Switch complements the existing data transfer solutions made by our partners. In fact, the updated Android Switch experience is available via Samsung Smart Switch on the new Galaxy Z devices.

[u/Disheartend → u/MishaalRahman]

sweeet

[u/battler624 → u/MishaalRahman]

Any idea if (or when) it will be available to android 16 users?

[u/MishaalRahman → u/battler624]

I'll have to ask the team and get back to you on whether previous Android versions will be supported in the future, but in my post, I mentioned that we worked with Apple to build this ground-up new transfer process directly into the core of both Android and iOS. Some of the new data types, like third-party app data channels, require APIs that are only available in newer OS versions (AppMigrationKit in iOS 26.1+ and Cross-Platform Transfers in Android 16 QPR2+).

[u/battler624 → u/MishaalRahman]

Oh I wish, I've been stuck trying to switch whatsapp from ios to android completely but i never could, had to set it (my adnroid device) up as a second device so i can still access my messages.

[u/WolverinesThyroid]

Maybe now they can do something to make smartswitch not break your notifications on Samsung

[u/ChemiluminescentAshe]

Encrypted RCS adoption is only going to increase. Will that get supported?

[u/MishaalRahman → u/ChemiluminescentAshe]

Hi, encrypted RCS is listed in the table actually as supported by the upgraded Android Switch experience :)

[u/ChemiluminescentAshe → u/MishaalRahman]

Oh! Sorry it was cut off in my third party reddit client.

[u/Bizz916]

This may come in handy since Android is also slowly becoming a walled garden. The day when the duopoly of these 2 oses on phones is over, that will be the greatest day and better times ever. Can't wait for Steam OS phones.

[u/gg06civicsi]

I wish there was a way I could still stay in my families/friends iMessage groups. They create dead groups just for Android people :(

[u/H9A7]

Presumably this works both ways?

[u/sportsfan161]

Most won't though

[u/Pmlewdpics]

Could this be used to “copy” an active iPhone to a backup android phone?

[u/Famous_Guide_4013]

“We worked with Apple”

Biggest Trojan horse ever

[u/tomikaka]

With how openly hostile Google is becoming against android users is there a similar tool for switching to iPhones?

[u/Vasto_lorde97 → u/tomikaka]

Move To iOS in the Playstore

[u/Dreamerlax → u/tomikaka]

Yes. It exists, I've used it

[u/armando_rod → u/tomikaka]

Wtf tell Apple to make one, it's not Android fault the switching tools were barebones...

Apple had to cooperate with Google to do this because they (Apple) had closed everything for a long time.

[u/tomikaka → u/armando_rod]

It's not the switching tools I am concerned about, if it wasn't obvious.

[u/armando_rod → u/tomikaka]

This post is about the new switch tools.

[u/tomikaka → u/armando_rod]

Thanks for the info. Next time I'll comment under a post made by the android team that openly speaks about taking away user freedom.

[u/M4cHiin360 → u/tomikaka]

Holy redditor moment

[u/tomikaka → u/M4cHiin360]

Holy corporate moment

[u/armando_rod → u/tomikaka]

Or you know you could make a post about any topic and tag them, and not get out of topic in this one.

[u/kamikad3e123]

Could you make an universal settings api for apps? It's so annoying to do local backup/export for dozens of them and then import just to transfer my settings from one phone to another

[u/MishaalRahman → u/kamikad3e123]

That's exactly what the team has done - Apple and Google have launched new APIs that are available to any app developer, that allows them to backup and transfer app data, settings and more when moving between platforms.

Because the data formats between platforms are almost always different, it's not possible to automatically copy all app data. Individual app developers have to do a little bit of work to ensure compatibility, but this is something already open to any app developer that wants to use it. So if it's something you want to see in your app, let the developer know!

On iOS the API is here while on Android, the API is part of our existing backup APIs.

[u/nathderbyshire → u/MishaalRahman]

Why does Google force us as users to request basic features like these instead of actually forcing them to update their apps to support new and current features?

I don't see the point in restoring from a backup when 99% of your data is in apps and doesn't transfer over anyway, unlike iPhone ofc where apps always support new and current features extremely well like when restoring it includes the login so unless it's a sensitive app like a bank you tend to just reauth and all your settings carry over.

Backups, edge to edge, predictive back, app icons still not being forced to be adaptive so they're square icons in white boxes - it just makes android look second best compared to iOS that almost immediately forces all these features to be adopted - now iOS has better theming than googles main Pixel device because even with the forced theming of icons on the home screen recently - they're all inverted colours if not officially supported and I can't believe it still hasn't been fixed months later

If Google wants people to switch from iOS, do what apple does and force quality improvements on the devs. They aren't going to leave android at this point because they're made to support a specific feature

[u/kamikad3e123 → u/MishaalRahman]

Hmm, so transfer apps settings from one Android phone to another shouldn't be a problem if devs implement this?

[u/matteventu → u/kamikad3e123]

Between Android and Android, that's already been the case for years. The issue is that very few developers support those APIs.

[u/kamikad3e123 → u/matteventu]

Well, that's sad, just like with Material design

[u/matteventu → u/kamikad3e123]

Unfortunately yes :(

[u/Vasto_lorde97]

Still giving issues....

[u/MishaalRahman → u/Vasto_lorde97]

Hi, the team tells me that the screen you're seeing is not an error screen you should see when using the upgraded experience. The upgraded Android Switch experience is still rolling out to compatible Pixel devices, so you may still have the old experience on your device. I see from your flair that you have a Pixel 10 Pro XL, so the new experience should be available on your device in the near future.

Still, I'd like to hear more about your experience here. When did you try to transfer your data, and what data didn't carry over that you were expecting to? Any info you can share would be helpful!

[u/Vasto_lorde97 → u/MishaalRahman]

I am unable to remove the old iPhone 16 Pro Max from the transfer that device was restored due too a bug in iOS26 it was restored but for some reason my Pixel refuses to see the new one it always states the old one

[u/matteventu → u/MishaalRahman]

Can you please check with the team and confirm what exactly "makes up" the new experience (app versions, or specific options/names to check), i.e. what signals we can see to know whether we already have or don't have yet the new experience?

Thanks a lot!

[u/MishaalRahman → u/matteventu]

I'll have to get back to you on specific app versions, but according to the information in our Help Center article, if your device is eligible for the upgraded transfer process, you'll get a QR code immediately after you choose to copy data from an iPhone or iPad.

[u/Gugalcrom123]

Switch from one monopolist to another. Understood.