Are you ready to jump the ship and finally accept Android as your daily driver for work and play? Here’s a comprehensive guide to help you make the migration from iOS to Android without losing a kilobyte of data. The only argument in the modern tech industry that has been comparable to the waging war of PC vs consoles is that of Android and Apple. The two mobile operating systems were pretty much released during the same era by the giants of the industry, and their evolution has been awe-inspiring over the years.There was a time when the iPhone was the epitome of user-friendly interface and style while Android attracted the heavy users and nerds. However, Android has come a long way with a refreshing user interface and iconic material design from Google with every update. All of this can tempt even the most devoted sheeple to switch from iOS to Android.While there is an easy way to move from Android to iOS is made easy by Android’s open-source design and the Move to iOS app, things get complicated when the tables are turned. The painstakingly enclosed working of the iOS can be a nightmare for those who wish to take the leap of Android.

Things to know before moving from iOS to Android

When looking forward to tons of new features and a brand new phone, the realization of a handful of things that you are giving up may not hit you right away. While there is always a way to retrieve data such as mail, calendar, contacts and music when performing phone transfer, there are a few things you need to consider.

Say goodbye to iMessage

While an Android user may look at Apple’s exclusive messaging service and find nothing special compared to WhatsApp, iMessage is a large part of networking on iOS. Despite dozens of alternative social and instant messaging apps you can find on both iPhone and Android, there is no way to get iMessage on Android.Not only should you make your peace with this fact but if you plan to move forward, you need to turn off iMessage. Since the service will continue to work as long as your iPhone is connected to the internet, head over to Settings->Messages and press the toggle switch next to iMessage to disable the service.

Au revoir apps (even paid ones!)

Since iPhone is powered by the Apple App Store and Android relies on the Google Play Store, there is no way to simply pick up and drop off your apps from one device to another. While losing functionality isn’t a risk since most apps these days come with cross-platform compatibility, but if you have an iOS-oriented app that you paid for, there’s a slim chance you’ll be able to take it with you on your Android phone.Nevertheless, you will be able to use subscription-based apps and services from iOS to Android without a hiccup. Apps like Spotify, Netflix, Evernote and many others that provide you user credentials will work just as usual even on your Android device. You can always take screenshots of your iPhone screen to remember which apps you had installed in case you are doing away with the device or performing a factory reset.

Guide to switching from iOS to Android

Admittedly, the process of moving specific data from iPhone to Android can get tiresome, but it is the price you pay to get all of your data safely over to an open-minded OS. If you are an Apple veteran who is ready to embrace the freedom of Android but don’t want to compromise your data in lieu of the new phone, here is your ultimate guide on how to switch from iOS to Android.

Contacts backup from iOS to Android

Before you prep your device in order to sell it or repurpose it in some way, the first thing you want to do is to backup your contacts. While there is no direct way to move contacts from iOS to Android, iCloud can help you retrieve your contacts and share them with your Google account.The easiest way to get contacts over is using iCloud to export the contacts from your iPhone and Google to import contacts to the Android device. You will need a PC or Mac to access iCloud from the browser and export the contacts in vCard format, which can then be moved to your Android device with the help your Google account.

How to transfer iPhone contacts to Android with iCloud

If you don’t have a computer nearby to help you out, there are plenty of apps that can create contacts backup and transfer it over to Android. For instance, even some popular carrier networks like Verizon and AT&T offer iOS and Android apps that allow you to copy your contacts and move them over to your new device.Download Verizon Backup AssistantDownload AT&T Mobile Transfer

Keep emails when migrating from iOS to Android

Retrieving your emails when performing a phone transfer is one of the easiest feats since all of them are already stored on the cloud server. If you were a Gmail user all along, moving onto Android is simpler than ever and will probably save you the trouble of even moving your contacts, since they are already synced.However, if you are an avid iCloud user and probably wish to stay the same way, it can be daunting to not find the ability to sync your iCloud account with Android right away. But since Android doesn’t discriminate, you can set up your iCloud account on Android manually through the Settings app.
  • Head over to Settings->Accounts, tap on the “+” icon and select IMAP from the list of options available.
  • Go ahead and enter your iCloud email address and password and tap the Next” button.
  • You will be greeted with the Incoming Server Settings page, where you must remove “@icloud.com” from the username. change IMAP server to “imap.mail.me.com”.
  • Set the security field to SSL/TLS (Accept all certificates), and set the Port to 993 and press Next to complete the process.
There are also plenty of app services like Newton Mail and Sync for iCloud that help you set up iCloud on Android automatically.

Fetching calendar from iOS to Android

Calendar entries can be pretty important to manage your work and personal life, for which iCloud is the only option on iOS devices. While you can’t get the suite of services that iCloud offers onto Android, you can export the calendar entries from iCloud and import them to Google Calendar to stay up to date on Android.
  • Head over to the Calendar app on your iPhone and access the calendar events that you want to share to Android.
  • Press the Share button next to the calendar entry and select “Public Calendar” and hit the “Email Link” button below it to share the calendar.
  • Copy the link in the email and head over to your Google account and access Calendar from the browser on your computer.
  • Select the drop-down button on the “Other calendars” tab and click on “Add by URL” and enter the copied link and press Add.
The URL will help Google fetch the .ICS file from the iCloud server and sync it with your Google account. You can also access iCloud from the browser, export the calendar entries as .ICS files and import them with the help of Google Calendar directly.

Getting photos and videos from iOS to Android

Moving photos from iPhone to Android has always been an issue, and until lately the only way to do so was using a USB cable and a computer. By connecting the iPhone to a computer and accessing the DCIM folder, you can retrieve all of your photos and videos physically from the iPhone.However, Google has made this process far more efficient by releasing Google Photos app for iOS. With the help of Google Photos, you can backup and sync all of the images and videos on your iPhone to your Google account, and then have them synced to your Android device by using the same Google account.

Download Google Photos for iOS

  • The first time you launch the app and go through the setup, you will be asked to enter your Google account details.
  • You will then be asked if you would like to back up your media, so press the toggle switch next to “Back up & sync” and press “Continue” button.
  • On the next screen, you will be asked to store the images in either “High quality” or “Original”. You get unlimited storage space on your Google cloud account if you choose to keep the media quality to “High quality”.
Once the iPhone has had the time to sync your media with your Google account, you can go ahead and open the Google Photos app on your Android with the same account and find all your media in the right place.

Sync the tunes with Google Play Music

There’s no one-click solution to move music from your iTunes library to your brand new Android device, but Google Play Music sure makes it a lot easier. Giving you the ability to sync up to 50,000 songs to the cloud library for free, you will need to manually move your music library from iTunes on Mac or PC to the Google Play Music PC client.
  • Start off by downloading Google Play Music Manager on your Mac or PC from the official website here.
  • Once you have signed into Google Play Music Manager with your credentials and have everything set up, it is time to fetch your music files from iTunes.
  • On the Mac you will find the music files in Music>iTunes>iTunes Media, while on Windows, a good place to start is My Music>iTunes.
  • Now that you have the music files at hand, go to the Google Play Music Manager tab and add them.
Unless the songs are copyright protected, they will be synced automatically to Google Play Music and can be accessed on Android through the app.

Device-exclusive ways to move from iOS to Android

The methods listed above to retrieve your data from the iPhone and move to Android is universally applicable and will work with all Android devices. However, some brands have gone a step further to persuade iPhone users to join their team with special data migration apps and services.

Samsung Smart Switch

Whether you’re an Android user moving to a Samsung Galaxy device or an iPhone user switching sides, Samsung Switch will work for you. Smart Switch can be used amongst Android devices wirelessly to migrate data files such as contacts, mail, notes, music, photos and more.

How to use Samsung Switch to transfer data

However, you will need the Smart Switch adapter to connect an iPhone to the Samsung Galaxy devices through the USB cable. By simply launching the Samsung Switch app on your Galaxy device and connecting it to your iPhone you can begin the data transfer and have your new device set up within minutes.

Pixel Switch

If you have decided to get behind Google’s very own flagship Android device, you will be rewarded with the easiest method to move from iOS to Android. The first time you set up your Google Pixel, you will be greeted with the option to “Copy data using a cable”. At this point, you can use a USB-A to USB-C adapter to connect your iPhone to your Pixel and begin data transfer.Make sure that both the iPhone and the Pixel are connected to the same Wi-Fi network, as you will be asked for the Wi-Fi network password as a confirmation. Once the Pixel has connected to your iPhone, it will list all of the data that can be copied (Calendar, Contacts, Messages, Email etc.) Select the data you want to keep and press “Copy” to get the process started.

Wrapping it up

As we mentioned earlier, Google Play Store and Apple App Store are two separate platforms, so there's no way move apps from iOS to Android. However, if there is an app that you loved on your iPhone and can’t find it or anything similar on Android, AlternativeTo can help you find the right app in no time.There is not a doubt over the fact that there are tons of apps and service that can help you move from iOS to Android. However, we have listed only the most reliable methods that in most cases do not require you to install a third-party app or service. If you are an ex-iPhone user who has something to add to this guide, hit us up on the Updato Forum and educate your fellow Android users.

View Comments

What's my model number?

There are several ways to locate your model number:

Option 1
On your device, go to Settings, then "About device" and scroll down to "Model number"
Option 2
Often times you can view the model number inside the device, by removing the battery
Option 3
Using Samsung's model/serial number location tool

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