Google is expanding support for its “Switch to Android” app on iOS — making it easier for iPhone users to bring their data over to any modern Android phone. Until now, the app was limited to Google’s own Pixel handsets. But that changes with this new update. Starting today, the Switch to Android app will be compatible with all phones running Android 12.
The app makes it much easier to transfer data from iOS to Android. While the move is much appreciated, we would have liked to see more Android versions covered under this update. There are a lot of Android phones still running Android 11 and older. However, Google’s app is locked to APIs introduced in Android 12.
The Switch to Android app is Google’s equivalent of Apple’s “Move to iOS” app. Google quietly launched Switch to Android this April with little fanfare. As the name of the app implies, its purpose is pretty straightforward. Switch to Android allows you to transfer apps, contacts, photos, videos, and messages from your iPhone to a new Android device.
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There are two methods to perform this transfer, including the wired route or wireless road. In order to transfer via a cable, connect your iPhone to the Android phone and head over to the Switch to Android app. Select the data that is supposed to be transferred (contacts, messages, photos, etc.) and then tap the transfer button. For wireless transfer, you need to select the no cable option and then use your iOS device to scan a QR code displayed on your Android phone. Once the devices are connected, you can choose what to transfer. After this, you will be prompted to allow access to all the locations that you’ve selected. While both the methods would work fine, we recommend transferring data via Lightning to a USB-C cable. This way you will be less prone to potential mishaps during the process.
Despite the Android 12 limitation, it’s still great to see Google expanding Switch to Android beyond the Pixel lineup. Now, if someone wants to ditch their iPhone for a recent Samsung, OnePlus, or another Android handset, that process should be much easier than before this update.
iOS 17: Apple didn’t add the one feature I’ve been waiting for
Multiwindow on the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra (left) and multiwindow with pop-up window on the Oppo Find X6 Pro (right). Prakhar Khanna/Digital Trends
I’m a big-screen phone advocate. While I like the comfort of holding a compact phone (such as the Samsung Galaxy S23 with a 6.1-inch display), I prefer using devices like the Galaxy S23 Ultra, Oppo Find X6 Pro, Xiaomi 13 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max.
Android is still beating the iPhone in a small (but important) way
Our phones, as you know, can sometimes become depthless abysses. Almost everyone has experienced the inconquerable pull of spending hours switching from one social media or entertainment app futilely. And this routine even has a name -- "doomscrolling."
Thankfully, overlords that control the smartphone world, namely Google and Apple, have been conscious of this issue and offer tools that constantly remind you to spare your eyes from the screen and revisit the physical world to replenish your senses.
Apple gave us a jam-packed WWDC 2023 keynote, and it was one of the most significant ones in years. After all, it introduced a brand new product category for Apple with the Vision Pro mixed reality headset. It’s basically as significant as when Steve Jobs revealed the iPhone in 2007, then the iPad in 2010, and when Tim Cook showed off the Apple Watch in 2014.
But the headset isn’t the only thing we got in the WWDC keynote. Since it’s a developer conference, it’s also about the software for all of our devices. This includes iOS 17 for the iPhone, along with iPadOS 17, watchOS 10, and macOS 14 Sonoma.
