iPhone Users Can Now Swap to Any Android 12 Phone With Google's 'Switch to Android' iOS App

[Beautyspin]

Well, that is something I won't be doing. I've only recently moved from Android because I was fed up with phones only offering one or two major versions of Android. At least with iPhones, you know Apple will update iOS for five years or similar.

I think you were ill-informed. There is a difference between how Apple updates iOS and Google updates Android.
Apple updates are monolithic. It is all or nothing and hence receiving an update is mandatory to enjoy the latest features.
Android updates work differently. Yes, they have annual OS updates which have interface updates and under the hood improvements.

Android’s underappreciated upgrade advantage

Yup, you read that right. And it's as true as can be, even if Apple does everything in its power to make you forget.

www.computerworld.com

But with Android, those operating system updates are only half the story. For well over a decade now, Google's been pulling what were once core operating system elements out of the operating system proper and treating them as standalone apps instead. That means those elements — all of which are still considered part of the single-bundle operating system in the land of iOS — get updated numerous times a month, all throughout the year. And those updates reach every single Android device within a matter of days, regardless of which company made it or how long ago it was released.
Yes, security updates are an issue.

 

[Cognizant.]

But with Android, those operating system updates are only half the story. For well over a decade now, Google's been pulling what were once core operating system elements out of the operating system proper and treating them as standalone apps instead. That means those elements — all of which are still considered part of the single-bundle operating system in the land of iOS — get updated numerous times a month, all throughout the year. And those updates reach every single Android device within a matter of days, regardless of which company made it or how long ago it was released.
Yes, security updates are an issue.

And even with this better update process, their Pixel phones continue to have bugs that go on sometimes for years.

 

[Beautyspin]

I came from using Android for over five years, and my iPhone 13 Pro Max is far better for my use case than Android ever was. I know some people say Android is far better than iOS because you can't customise iOS the same way you can with Android, and they have a point. I argue that I want something that works well out of the box. I don't want to waste my time customising my iPhone to make it do what I want it to. It should do that automatically, so I switched to the iPhone.

If you can waste your time customising everything, then more power to you. I want things that work and am willing to pay for that.

Everything works fine for me on my Galaxy S20 FE 5G and it is way cheaper. Not sure what you meant by "something that works out of the box." Why would 80% of the people buy Android phones if they do not work out of the box, especially when a lot of them are uneducated/technically unsavvy.

 

[Beautyspin]

Well number two is part of what the iPhone does better than android. My 2 year old son can operate it. So can his 95 year old grandma.

Not sure what you’re talking about for the first point though. If you have lost your phone then you must rely on a back up. If you don’t have one then yes it’s lost.
But if I have my old phone, it’s a very simple wire free secure transfer. Snap a pic of the snazzy graphic, wait a couple of minutes. All done. Wifi, apps, settings, nothing is different on your new phone.

I think (imo) ‘clean install’ is a redundant concept these days, even with macos - certainly with iOS.

Billions of children are operating Android phones all over the world, maybe more children are using Android phones than iPhones considering its market share. I think you need to give better examples.

 

[Analog Kid]

Bookmarking for the next “I want alternate AppStores” debate.

 

[mi7chy]

But.. Why would anyone want to?

If you don't want to wait for a lesser implementation.

 

[planteater]

In your defense, early Android sucked. I know because I had one too (the HTC Incredible) back in 2010. Wayyy different now.

I had the original Nexus One phone from G. I loved the phone at the time. But eventually the fact that G data mines and sells every morsel one ones existence became too much for me. How well the OS works or does not work is immaterial. I’m not using G products or services. Period. You couldn’t pay me. **** the big G.

 

[cupcakes2000]

Billions of children are operating Android phones all over the world, maybe more children are using Android phones than iPhones considering its market share. I think you need to give better examples.

‘Billions’ 😂

I doubt there are even one billion kids under 5 in the world let alone 2 year olds as per my example.

 

[H2SO4]

The only thing this doesn’t explain is why you would want to do this.

Same reason I don't like bananas but my partner does.
It's not to my taste.

My friends don't extoll the virtues of bananas and tell me I'm crazy for not liking them. I just don't like them.

Despite liking iOS, guess what - not everybody does.

 

[H2SO4]

I’m amazed by the vitriol that always comes up towards Android in these kinds of articles. I’m only recently back on iPhone after having been on Android for five years, but that was the best phone I’ve ever owned. It was a Nexus 6P (the precursor to the Pixel line for those who don’t know).

I’ve never tried Samsung or any other manufacturers’ phones. Maybe their phones are that bad. I don’t know. But I urge people to give the Pixel line a shot and then make a decision. I reckon most people that “hate” Android have never even had a phone that runs it. Or they had a cheap phone where the problem was the hardware. Reminds me of Windows. A lot of people hate Windows, but it’s because they used it on a $200 laptop.

I'm not surprised at all. If you are, you've not been around forums for long?

I can't stand Android personally but I'm happy to have a look at them every now and them to see if what they have or what they do might suit me in the future.

 

[_karrol]

This is a Apple forum for Apple enthusiasts. I don't expect to come here to see any sympathy for Android.

I also had a Note 4 which was high end at the time. While the display at the time was very nice, It ran like turd and so does the battery. The Pixel might be better than Samsung but I'm trying to stay away from the Google ecosystem as much as I can.

I used to have the Galaxy S3 back in the day when it was a flagship and had a similar experience as you did with the Note. After one year the phone was almost unusable and brought me only frustration which is why I switched to iPhone and stayed with it for the next seven years. But after that I got terribly bored with iphone and one my friends was totally in love with her Galaxies (S7 and then S20), so I gave Samsung another chance and bought the Note20 Ultra. It's been over 1.5yrs and it's absolutely lovely. The battery life is comparable with my last iPhone (i.e. at the same stage of use) and the phone itself is just as smooth as it used to be on day 1. So definitely Samsung changed a lot in this aspect and learned how to optimize android for their phones. Plus now they committed to 3 or 4 years of updates, so there's that, but let's see how this plays out.

I'm not sure what my next phone is going to be. iPhone is still very boring to me, althought I admit the 13 Pro is a pretty nice phone (bar crazy smoothing trickery in the camera...), but I'm pretty happy the switches are getting easier and easier.

 

[OnawaAfrica]

Google today announced that support for its Switch to Android app on iOS is rolling out to all Android 12 smartphones, which means iPhone users can now take advantage of the app's transfer features to swap over to any device that supports Android 12.

Prior to now, the Switch to Android app for the iPhone was limited to Google's own Pixel phones, so it worked with a limited number of devices.

iPhone users who purchase an Android device can link their iPhone to the Android smartphone over WiFi or through a Lightning to USB-C cable. Data that includes apps, photos, contacts, and messages can be copied over for a more seamless transition.

Google accompanied the new support for Android 12 devices with a blog post on why iPhone users should switch over to an Android smartphone, highlighting features like the Messages app and Gboard, Google Meet, Google Play, Android privacy protections, Home screen customization, and more.

Apple has its own Move to iOS app for Android devices, which is the counterpart to Google's app. Designed for Android switchers, it allows for the transfer of messages, contacts, calendar events, photos, and more.

Article Link: iPhone Users Can Now Swap to Any Android 12 Phone With Google's 'Switch to Android' iOS App

Why does the UI looks like Windows Phone???

 

[George Dawes]

Bit like swapping a Lamborghini for a Skoda

 

[MowgliWolf]

Good feature that, I know a few people who just don’t get on with iPhones for whatever reason. It’s good to have something like this ease a transition

 

[wanha]

Why would anyone on this board want or prefer Android? Remember this is a apple site.

Because articles like this illicit reactions - comments, outrage, debate - and that's what most sites live off of.

Engagement (good or bad, doesn't matter) is what pays the bills of free sites like this one.

 

[wanha]

Great, this goes both ways. Let the user decide

"MOARRR CHOICE, MATEYS!"

 

[JM]

So if you used the apps to swap from iPhone to Android, then Android to iPhone, I wonder how much data you’d lose in the process.

Maybe it’s like a JPEG, where the more you save, the more it deteriorates 😆

 

[ericg301]

Does what?

 

[theob05]

Choose what to copy, the more the better 🤡

 

[svish]

Good to know about this functionality.

 

[Canyonrider]

Android has never been and will never be as slick as iOS due to its birth injury. It's still J2ME in disguise. And boy, do I have to tell anyone how awful J2ME phones used to be? Like you can take any flagship Android phone you want, and its animations won't be nearly as smooth as on an iPhone SE. Also, it's inherently more difficult to create a good looking and stable app on Android than on iOS. That's why your user experience will always be compromised in comparison, no matter how much you pay, or whether it's Pixel, Samsung, Huawei or whatever.

 

[ProfessionalFan]

The way I know that even Android owners know iPhone is better is that they can't stop themselves from coming over to Apple news stories, Apple forums, Apple subreddits, etc to tell you Android is better. It is like they are trying to convince themselves of it.

 

[Mousse]

Everything works fine for me on my Galaxy S20 FE 5G and it is way cheaper. Not sure what you meant by "something that works out of the box." Why would 80% of the people buy Android phones if they do not work out of the box, especially when a lot of them are uneducated/technically unsavvy.

Every phone "works" out of the box. With android, if you want the best experience, you need to remove all the manufacturer's bloatware. A lot of them are veiled ad-ware.😑 Often times you gain an extra half a gig of storage and the interface is snappier. Win-win.😊
The nice thing about Android is I can use the same launcher/UI app in any version. I have grown accustom to Nova Launcher so I replace the default with that one. No learning new whacky gestures.

And even with this better update process, their Pixel phones continue to have bugs that go on sometimes for years.

Among some of us Android users, this is a welcomed feature.😲 We use the exploits to root/custom ROM/tinker with our phones.

But yeah, for the average user, this is a bad thing.😔

 

[H2SO4]

This is a Apple forum for Apple enthusiasts. I don't expect to come here to see any sympathy for Android.

I also had a Note 4 which was high end at the time. While the display at the time was very nice, It ran like turd and so does the battery. The Pixel might be better than Samsung but I'm trying to stay away from the Google ecosystem as much as I can.

Only what you want to see right?
Got it.

Apple is made better when people sympathise with Android. Those users see things they want and that feedback goes back to Cupertino who decide, (or not), to implement such a feature.

We don't want that though do we, our echo chamber is lovely and comfortable.

 

[nintendoswitch]

Surprised apple hasn’t pulled it from the App Store yet…