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majkom

macrumors 68020
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May 3, 2011
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Hi, hope I am in correct part of forum, with upcoming pixel 10 I do consider moving from apple, and looking for advice, what steps to take.
Currently I do have macbook (intel pro), iphone and airpods - I plan to buy pixel, not sure about leaving mac os (but truly, not sure i really care that much about mac os anymore, usually I find it rather frustrating than useful). So, at least iphonte to pixel, maybe macbook to win laptot. What are recommended steps to take?

What I identified, as must to do things:
- move photo library from apple to google photos
- deregister imessage
- find multiplatform password manager (now I got all passwords in apple native app - that would be PITA to migrate)
- anything else?

Any ideas about good apps to use, replace, or anything else is highly appreciated. Been in apple walled garden for i dont know, 15 years?

for example, i hope I am correct that find my friend can be replaced natively by google maps? and google pay is as common and as easy to use as apple pay?
 
You’re in the right spot. Welcome!

Bitwarden is a great, platform-agnostic, free password manager.

Google Pay will work anywhere you can tap a credit card.

I don’t track my friends, so I can’t speak to that question.

Are you already using Google for Gmail, Calendar, Contacts on your iPhone? If not, add that account now and sync the data from iCloud to Google.
 
Hi, hope I am in correct part of forum, with upcoming pixel 10 I do consider moving from apple, and looking for advice, what steps to take.
Currently I do have macbook (intel pro), iphone and airpods - I plan to buy pixel, not sure about leaving mac os (but truly, not sure i really care that much about mac os anymore, usually I find it rather frustrating than useful). So, at least iphonte to pixel, maybe macbook to win laptot. What are recommended steps to take?

What I identified, as must to do things:
- move photo library from apple to google photos
- deregister imessage
- find multiplatform password manager (now I got all passwords in apple native app - that would be PITA to migrate)
- anything else?

Any ideas about good apps to use, replace, or anything else is highly appreciated. Been in apple walled garden for i dont know, 15 years?

for example, i hope I am correct that find my friend can be replaced natively by google maps? and google pay is as common and as easy to use as apple pay?
You can use Google Maps for location sharing with friends.
 
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and does it work as apples find my friend - when both users set sharing their location online, you can always locate via google map?
 
and does it work as apples find my friend - when both users set sharing their location online, you can always locate via google map?
I *believe* it does but have never tried it myself as I'm the only Android person in my circle of friends and family.


As for your other questions, it is possible to move iCloud photos to Google. You can download all of them onto a PC / Mac from iCloud and then upload to Google photos. You can also download the photos onto your iPhone and then install Google photos app, sync, and the photos will all be uploaded to Google. I use Google photos despite using iPhone and Android, it makes life much easier.

If you choose to de-register iMessage, make sure to do it for your Apple ID and phone number. You stated you have a Mac laptop, another great option is BlueBubbles, and running the server off of your Mac. It sounds much more complicated than it is, it is not difficult to set up. It syncs and forwards all iMessages from your Mac to your Android phone and if you use the version from the app's Github it works with Android Auto. The server is local on your Mac, so no cloud or other shady service necessary.

I also use Bitwarden, it is free and really nice.

Google Pay is pretty common, I've never been somewhere where it didn't work.

Apple Music and TV+ both have Android apps. If you need to access shared iCloud albums you can create a shortcut on your home screen (or bookmark in browser app) and access those.

I've been using Firefox on my Android phones for a long time and prefer it due to extensions and addons. It supports Dark Reader which is a true dark mode for websites and doesn't really make rendering mistakes. I use it with Safari on my iPhone, great little app. Be sure to also install the uBlock Origin ad blocker extension. Bitwarden also has an extension for Firefox.

In your network settings, use a private DNS - "dns.adguard-dns.com". It will block all ads system-wide and make Google news / feed actually usable again. It does sometimes interfere with certain websites and in-flight wifi, so just revert back to automatic when that happens.

And then there are all of the other "unspoken" benefits of Android such as ReVanced Manager.

There is a learning curve if you've been with iOS for 15 years but once you become comfortable you will love the Pixel. Give it time and try to resist the urge to go back to the comfort zone of Apple. The feeling will go away after some months. Hope you enjoy. 👍
 
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What I identified, as must to do things:
- move photo library from apple to google photos
- deregister imessage
- find multiplatform password manager (now I got all passwords in apple native app - that would be PITA to migrate)
- anything else?

for example, i hope I am correct that find my friend can be replaced natively by google maps? and google pay is as common and as easy to use as apple pay?
1. Apple has a handy iCloud migration tool that takes care of everything in the background :)

2. Messages will default to RCS rather than iMessage. What I mean is I have an Android Phone with RCS and an iPad signed into iMessage. My messages always come to my phone and never ping my iPad instead.

3. Bitwarden, Onepassword and so on are all great.

You'll find that there are equivalents of most of the apps you use on your iPhone with the exception of a few productivity ones (Pixelmator, Ulysses) and more than a few games (Hades, Death Stranding, Tiny Wings etc) but if these names mean nothing to you then you've lost nothing.

Apple Music still works on Android if that's your jam. I'd recommend using Simplenote as a replacement for Apple Notes as its cross platform and 100% free. In terms of web browsing you can use the 'Samsung Internet' web browser on Pixel which is brilliant. Couple this with Adblock+ and you're golden.

Also protip: if you do find you need to sideload an app never, ever grant your web browser the permission to do so. Instead download a file manager like ZArchiver and use that instead. This way you protect yourself from potential hijacks.
 
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2. Messages will default to RCS rather than iMessage. What I mean is I have an Android Phone with RCS and an iPad signed into iMessage. My messages always come to my phone and never ping my iPad instead.
But your iPad is signed into iMessage with your @icloud.com or @me.com email and not your phone number, correct?
 
and does it work as apples find my friend - when both users set sharing their location online, you can always locate via google map?
Yes, and you can see their location in Google Maps when you are just looking around as well.
 
I *believe* it does but have never tried it myself as I'm the only Android person in my circle of friends and family.


As for your other questions, it is possible to move iCloud photos to Google. You can download all of them onto a PC / Mac from iCloud and then upload to Google photos. You can also download the photos onto your iPhone and then install Google photos app, sync, and the photos will all be uploaded to Google. I use Google photos despite using iPhone and Android, it makes life much easier.

If you choose to de-register iMessage, make sure to do it for your Apple ID and phone number. You stated you have a Mac laptop, another great option is BlueBubbles, and running the server off of your Mac. It sounds much more complicated than it is, it is not difficult to set up. It syncs and forwards all iMessages from your Mac to your Android phone and if you use the version from the app's Github it works with Android Auto. The server is local on your Mac, so no cloud or other shady service necessary.

I also use Bitwarden, it is free and really nice.

Google Pay is pretty common, I've never been somewhere where it didn't work.

Apple Music and TV+ both have Android apps. If you need to access shared iCloud albums you can create a shortcut on your home screen (or bookmark in browser app) and access those.

I've been using Firefox on my Android phones for a long time and prefer it due to extensions and addons. It supports Dark Reader which is a true dark mode for websites and doesn't really make rendering mistakes. I use it with Safari on my iPhone, great little app. Be sure to also install the uBlock Origin ad blocker extension. Bitwarden also has an extension for Firefox.

In your network settings, use a private DNS - "dns.adguard-dns.com". It will block all ads system-wide and make Google news / feed actually usable again. It does sometimes interfere with certain websites and in-flight wifi, so just revert back to automatic when that happens.

And then there are all of the other "unspoken" benefits of Android such as ReVanced Manager.

There is a learning curve if you've been with iOS for 15 years but once you become comfortable you will love the Pixel. Give it time and try to resist the urge to go back to the comfort zone of Apple. The feeling will go away after some months. Hope you enjoy.
Is Revanced Manager actually safe to use? I'm wary of giving it my Google username and password to access YouTube. They could hijack that data somehow?
 
Is Revanced Manager actually safe to use? I'm wary of giving it my Google username and password to access YouTube. They could hijack that data somehow?
You aren't providing any information to the app, so it is OK on that front. There are a few imposters so if you decide to try it make sure you go to their Github and download the official app. In order for the modded YT to work you need to also download / install micro g, which you do provide your Google login to, so that it can bypass all the checks in the YT app. Micro g is an unprivileged app and doesn't need any special permissions.

You download the official YT .apk, all Revanced does is patch it.
 
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Guys, rcs are not available here in czechia, at least afaik i can not turn it on on my iphone (mobile providers blaming apple, apple blaming providers;)
 
Guys, rcs are not available here in czechia, at least afaik i can not turn it on on my iphone (mobile providers blaming apple, apple blaming providers;)
On iOS, your carrier has to provide the service.
On Android, Google provides it globally for everyone.
Unless your government blocks it, it should be available.
 
Hm, but in that case, i wont use it anywa, as all android contacts use whatsapp and all ios comtacts cant use it here because of lazy carriers:)
 
- move photo library from apple to google photos
- deregister imessage
- find multiplatform password manager (now I got all passwords in apple native app - that would be PITA to migrate)
- anything else?
Disclaimer: I am an Android developer who uses an iPhone and a Mac for personal usage. I believe Apple's walled garden is much more private, much less distracting and pathetic; and - much less technically capable than Android. In fact Android on any given day will hit iOS out of the stadium when it comes to technical prowess. But iOS is also much safer - mostly because it's a walled garden and Apple (unfairly) keeps some APIs closed except for its own systems. Having said that - congratulation! You are on the right track. P10 is a fantastic phone. Besides Apple at this point is intellectually and technically bankrupt - they are just selling because they have a captive (hostage of a) fanbase (!= customer base). (Though if I had to I'd have bought Pixel 9a or 10a; I hate gigantic phones and I hate camera bumps and too many cameras with everything I have in my bones).

I will try to give some suggestions (as I use both: Android for work and testing; and iPhone as my personal phone) for things that kinda are crucial:

Passwords - https://bitwarden.com/help/import-from-safari. BitWarden essentially is the best password manager out there - even better than 1Password imho; Apple's doesn't even fit in the competition. So you are sorted. Look on their website and see if they have a better way to move out.

Photos: Yeah, Google Photos works fine. If you want privacy - https://ente.io is fantastic. It's FOSS and very capable. I use it on my Mac and iPhone. Yes, just like BitWarden it's FOSS and multi-platform. Also if you have upto 20GB then it's free - after that it costs and it's very reasonably priced. (Whatever you pick - do the transfer/copy to [new solution] before migrating to Android - preferably on the Mac if you can)

Messaging: Yes, ensure you do this when you already have the iPhone preferably and install WhatsApp/Signal (or whatever if your poison in that geography) and let your people know you have moved; and start using RCS. It's not where it should be - but it's important we consumers push cross platform features.

Browser: Install Firefox on Mac and import whatever you want to into Firefox and setup sync - then enable sync on Android. You can do that for Chrome as well. Because even though I absolutely despise Chrome it's really cross platform.

Calendar/Reminder/Notes: For calendar Google Calendar is fine (there are lots of alternatives like https://www.calendar.com, you can explore); https://tasks.org is a great Reminders alt. There's Google Tasks and Keep that I haven't used in a long time. For notes as well there's Google's default one but moving to a great 3rd party notes app is highly recommended - Simplenote (as it says - very simple), Goodnotes, or Obsidian/Joplin (if you do serious note taking which if you did then you'd already be using it).

2FA (if you use/need): BitWarden paid (I don't need paid features but I pay just to support it) supports TOTP 2FA and also Passkeys but I use Ente Auth for TOTP 2FA because it's a standalone app and like everything Ente it's cross platform and yes FOSS. I don't want my passwords and 2FA in the same app.

Sync: If you have been using iCloud for file sync b/w iPhone-Mac then you need to use something else - like Dropbox, pCloud, Koofr, Tresorit (and more) - these are all cross-platform (and - IMHO - at least, let's say, 100 times better than the opaque and incompetent mess iCloud suite is). Then there's also Google Drive (I don't use it but technically it's superior than iCloud but I hate its UI/UX; PS. I hate anything by Google for the constant tracking/scanning it does - so that's there; oh, it's do that on your Android as well - so you will have to accept that).

Music: If you use Apple Music then use one of those "playlist transfer/sync" apps to sync your Apple Music data to something else e.g. Spotify, Youtube Music etc (because Apple Music is pathetic on Android; I've tried it).

Mail: Thunderbird is on Android (unless you use Gmail and Gmail apps then you are sorted already; I personally would use Thunderbird even if I used Gmail which I don't).

Health Data: Look at your Health/movement/training data if it's on iCloud/Apple suites. See how it moves and whether you want to move it. If you have been using something third party like Strava then you are set already.

for example, i hope I am correct that find my friend can be replaced natively by google maps? and google pay is as common and as easy to use as apple pay?
Google Find Hub (I think your friends also need to use it which I suspect might be on iOS)

Any ideas about good apps to use, replace, or anything else is highly appreciated. Been in apple walled garden for i dont know, 15 years?
The thing is a lot will be transferred via this alone: https://www.android.com/intl/en_in/switch-to-android/ (your apps, unless it's an Apple garden only app, will be moved as well - not sure about data in those apps from the iPhone - but certainly it will fetched on login). But I'd rather do moving to other services before the actual transfer to be safe.

tl;dr:
  1. Do whatever migration/copy/sync you can do before actual migration - preferably on the Mac, so you can control and verify better.
  2. Try to use cross-platform apps/services so that the next time you are moving, you don't have to think about it, i.e avoid lock-ins as much as possible.
  3. Also - since you are on Mac, a lot of data isn't going anywhere anyway so you can do it even slowly.
 
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Disclaimer: I am Android developer who uses iPhone and Mac for personal usage. I believe Apple's walled garden is much more private, much less distracting and pathetic; and - much less technically capable than Android. In fact Android on any given day will hit iOS out of the stadium when it comes to technical process. iOS is also much safer - just because it's a walled garden. Having said that - congratulation! You are on the right track. P10 is a fanstatic phone. Besides Apple at this point is intellectually and technically bankrupt - they are just selling because they have a captive hostage of a fan (!= customer) base (Though if I had to I'd have bought Pixel 9a or 10a; I hate gigantic phones and I hate camera bumps and too many cameras with everything I have in my bones).

Having said all that - I will try to give some suggestions (as I use both: Android for work and testing; and iPhone as my personal phone) for things that kinda are crucial:

Passwords - https://bitwarden.com/help/import-from-safari. BitWarden essentially is the best password manager out there - even better than 1Password imho; Apple's doesn't even fit in the competition. So you are sorted. Look on their website and see if they have a better way to move out.

Photos: Yeah, Google Photos works fine. If you want privacy - https://ente.io is fantastic. It's FOSS and very capable. I use it on my Mac and iPhone. Yes, just like BitWarden it's FOSS and multi-platform. Also if you have upto 20GB then it's free - after that it costs and it's very reasonably priced. (Whatever you pick - do the transfer/copy to [new solution] before migrating to Android - preferably on the Mac if you can)

Messaging: Yes, ensure you do this when you already have the iPhone preferably and install WhatsApp/Signal (or whatever if your poison in that geography) and let your people know you have moved; and start using RCS. It's not where it should be - but it's important we consumers push cross platform features.

Browser: Install Firefox on Mac and import whatever you want to into Firefox and setup sync - then enable sync on Android. You can do that for Chrome as well. Because even though I absolutely despise Chrome it's really cross platform.

Calendar/Reminder/Notes: For calendar Google Calendar is fine (there are lots of alternatives like https://www.calendar.com, you can explore); https://tasks.org is a great Reminders alt. There's Google Tasks and Keep that I haven't used in a long time. For notes as well there's Google's default one but moving to a great 3rd party notes app is highly recommended - Simplenote (as it says - very simple), Goodnotes, or Obsidian/Joplin (if you do serious note taking which if you did then you'd already be using it).

2FA (if you use/need): BitWarden paid (I don't need paid features but I pay just to support it) supports TOTP 2FA and also Passkeys but I use Ente Auth for TOTP 2FA because it's a standalone app and like everything Ente it's cross platform and yes FOSS. I don't want my passwords and 2FA in the same app.

Sync: If you have been using iCloud for file sync b/w iPhone-Mac then you need to use something else - like Dropbox, pCloud, Koofr, Tresorit (and more) - these are all cross-platform (and - IMHO - at least, let's say, 100 times better than the opaque and incompetent mess iCloud suite is). Then there's also Google Drive (I don't use it but technically it's superior than iCloud but I hate its UI/UX; PS. I hate anything by Google for the constant tracking/scanning it does - so that's there; oh, it's do that on your Android as well - so you will have to accept that).

Music: If you use Apple Music then use one of those "playlist transfer/sync" apps to sync your Apple Music data to something else e.g. Spotify, Youtube Music etc (because Apple Music is pathetic on Android; I've tried it).

Mail: Thunderbird is on Android (unless you use Gmail and Gmail apps then you are sorted already; I personally would use Thunderbird even if I used Gmail which I don't).

Health Data: Look at your Health/movement/training data if it's on iCloud/Apple suites. See how it moves and whether you want to move it. If you have been using something third party like Strava then you are set already.


Google Find Hub (I think your friends also need to use it which I suspect might be on iOS)


The thing is a lot will be transferred via this alone: https://www.android.com/intl/en_in/switch-to-android/ (your apps, unless it's an Apple garden only app, will be moved as well - not sure about data in those apps from the iPhone - but certainly it will fetched on login). But I'd rather do moving to other services before the actual transfer to be safe.

tl;dr:
  1. Do whatever migration/copy/sync you can do before actual migration - preferably on the Mac, so you can control and verify better.
  2. Try to use cross-platform apps/services so that the next time you are moving, you don't have to think about it, i.e avoid lock-ins as much as possible.
  3. Also - since you are on Mac, a lot of data isn't going anywhere anyway so you can do it even slowly.
Well thought out. I have just made the switch and sold every Apple device I have.

I have bought the pixel 9a as they are down to a good price.
Beautiful medium sized phone.
 
How easy it will be is going to depend on where you live and what the people around you use, your examples of Find My and Apple Pay are two of those. I have been struggling with those myself every time I switched over to Android which makes me less inclined to do it these days.

In my region Google Pay has very limited support for cards for tap-to-pay, Samsung Pay is better but still nowhere near as good of support as Apple has.

When it comes to Find My the sharing location in Google maps uses more battery and updates less often so it isn’t really something I can sell my wife on doing just because I want to switch to Android.
 
Music: If you use Apple Music then use one of those "playlist transfer/sync" apps to sync your Apple Music data to something else e.g. Spotify, Youtube Music etc (because Apple Music is pathetic on Android; I've tried it).

Q for you (or any other Android folks)

What do you use for local music file and playlist management and syncing with ultimately playback on your device?
 
Q for you (or any other Android folks)

What do you use for local music file and playlist management and syncing with ultimately playback on your device?
Musicolet currently. I don't do any playlist syncing though. Just copied my local music over to it and manage it all on device.
 
How easy it will be is going to depend on where you live and what the people around you use, your examples of Find My and Apple Pay are two of those. I have been struggling with those myself every time I switched over to Android which makes me less inclined to do it these days.

In my region Google Pay has very limited support for cards for tap-to-pay, Samsung Pay is better but still nowhere near as good of support as Apple has.

When it comes to Find My the sharing location in Google maps uses more battery and updates less often so it isn’t really something I can sell my wife on doing just because I want to switch to Android.
Oh, this would be really switch killer, if there is no usable/comparabke find my friend app.. i hoped that google would be on par with google maps..
 
Highly recommend YouTube Music! Since I switched to the S25 Ultra, it's been a really good experience and my downloaded music is available and organized well.
 
Q for you (or any other Android folks)

What do you use for local music file and playlist management and syncing with ultimately playback on your device?
I have not used an Android app in a personal-usage daily driver capacity in a long time. Also - while I still carry around my 6-7GB selected MP3s on my iPhone I don't really listen to them anymore. I gave in and moved to streaming which is also what I rarely use. My audio time is mostly eaten up by podcasts now :/

I carry those MP3 files on my Pixel 5 as well. I use Syncthing for syncing stuff between this personal test Android phone and my personal Mac. Well, I use Syncthing for all almost sync needs now.

When I was using Android - I tried too many apps of all kinds. I don't think there was any one app. I am not really sure anymore to be honest.
 
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