Moving from iPhone to Android or vice versa? Here’s how
It’s finally time for your phone upgrade and you’re really excited! But for the first time in your iPhone-owning life, you’re thinking you may want the new Pixel instead.
Or maybe you loved your Samsung Galaxy but now the iPhone 11 is calling your name. Switching from Android to iPhone or iPhone to Android is such a hassle; it can’t possibly be worth it, right? Tap or click here for 10 Android tips and tricks.
What if we told you it’s actually very easy to switch between Androids and iPhones? You can easily transfer data from one OS to the other. Let’s start with the move from Android to iPhone.
What you need to know from A to i
When you go from iPhone to iPhone, you just connect to Wi-Fi and log into your Apple ID on your new device, then things transfer over automatically. Miraculously, going from Android to iPhone is a similar process.
First, there is some initial prep you have to do to ensure the connection between your devices works. It starts by having your old Android and your new iPhone with you. Once you’ve got your devices and charging cables, here’s what you do:
- Get both devices charging, as the data transfer can take a while and you don’t want a phone to die partway through.
- Make sure Wi-Fi is turned on for your Android.
- Download the Move to iOS app to your Android phone.
- Turn on your new iPhone and follow the onscreen prompts to move through the initial setup process. Once you reach the Apps & Data page, choose Move Data from Android.
- Make sure the Wi-Fi for both devices is turned on, and they’re connected.
- You’ll be able to log in to Wi-Fi after the iOS tour, before making your passcodes, during setup on your new iPhone.
- Make sure you’re doing this in a place with reliable Wi-Fi that won’t disconnect or turn off on you unexpectedly.
- On your Android, open the Move to iOS app, tap Continue and Agree to the terms and conditions that appear there.
- You’ll reach a page on your Android called Find Your Code. Tap Next.
- On your iPhone, a window titled Move from Android should appear. Tap Continue and a 6-10 digit code will appear.
- Type this code into your Android device. Ignore alerts on your Android about having a weak internet connection; it will only slow the transfer, not make it impossible to do.
- A Transfer Data screen will appear on your Android. Select all of the content you want to transfer to your new iPhone, like your contacts, messages, photos, etc.
- Tap Next. The transfer will now begin. This step can take a while, so leave both devices alone as they perform the transfer.
When the transfer is complete, it’s just a few more steps for you to start using your new iPhone. Those last steps are:
- When the load bar fills up on your iPhone, tap Done on your Android, and Continue on your iPhone.
- Finish the iPhone setup per the on-screen instructions.
- Double-check that your data transferred over, then enjoy your new phone!
- Data like music, books, and PDFs don’t transfer automatically between Androids and iPhones. For tips on moving these things manually, check out the Apple support page.
From iPhone to Android
Transferring from an iPhone to an Android is just about as simple as the instructions we described above. Once again, once you have both phones with you, there’s just some basic prep to do before the data transfer can take place.
These steps are similar, but not identical to the previous instructions, so make sure to read the following carefully.
- Plug both your iPhone and your new Android in to charge, so you don’t lose power and your transfer progress with it.
- Ensure both devices are connected to a reliable Wi-Fi network.
Now there’s specific prep you need to do with your iPhone. To get your iPhone ready for the transfer:
- Download the Google Drive app to your iPhone.
- If you don’t have a Google or Gmail account, you’ll have to set one up once you have the Drive app.
- Back up your iPhone to Google Drive. To do that:
- Open Google Drive and tap on the menu icon (the three lines on top of each other) from the top left part of the screen.
- Tap on“Settings, then Backup.
- Select what content you want to save in the backup by tapping on the menu and turning the switch for it on or off. We recommend backing up all of it, so everything makes it to your new Android phone.
- Tap the Start Backup button at the bottom of the screen and wait for the backup to complete.
- Turn off iMessage and FaceTime on your iPhone. This will prevent you from getting messages that can’t or won’t show up on your new iPhone. To turn off iMessage/FaceTime:
- Go to Settings, then Messages.
- Turn the iMessage switch to off.
- In Settings, go to FaceTime, then turn the FaceTime switch to off as well.
Once the above is done, you can turn on your new Android device and begin the data transfer. To transfer data from your iPhone to your new Android phone:
- Turn the new Android on, and sign in to the Google account you used in your iPhone backup.
- Your new Android will begin downloading the data from the iPhone backup. Wait for this to complete (it may be a few minutes).
- Once it’s complete, and you’ve gotten through the remaining set up prompts, your iPhone data should now be on your shiny new Android.
With the new data there, you can start using your new Android right away, just like you could start using your new iPhone above. Some data, like music, may still need some manual transfers.
So as you can see, going from Android to iPhone, or iPhone to Android, is pretty simple. Because of the different operating systems, you’ll still have to re-download apps and some content, but the bulk of your data is easily transfered.
We hope you feel empowered by this freedom of choice, and encourage you to look between a wide variety of devices when it’s time for your next upgrade. Your dream phone is out there — and now you know how to transfer what you want regardless of operating systems.
Tags: accounts, Android, Apple, Apple iPhone, Apple iPhone 11, books, contacts, messages, Music, photos, Pixel, Samsung Galaxy, upgrades, Wi-Fi