Google takes six years to copy Apple in releasing 'Switch to Android' app for iOS
Google has released a new app for iOS called "Switch to Android," a counterpart to Apple's "Move to iOS" app for moving important user data from an iPhone to an Android smartphone.
Apple has provided its "Move to iOS" Android app since 2015, with the app built to help transfer data from an Android device to an iPhone, with as little fuss as possible. On April 14, Google finally offered its own alternative, with "Switch to Android" enabling users to migrate data away from an iPhone and onto an Android smartphone.
According to the App Store listing, the Switch to Android app transfers data including photos, videos, contacts, and calendar events, to a target Android device. This is all performed wirelessly, rather that requiring any physical cables.
The app also assists by taking users through important steps that they should perform on their iPhone before switching away. This apparently includes tasks such as turning off iMessage, as that can cause problems with receiving messages on Android if not properly disabled.
As part of the process, the app can make a request to copy photos and video from iCloud, for transfer over to the Android smartphone. The product listing also says the app will "ask you for a series of permissions so that your iPhone's data can be moved to your Android device."
It is unclear why the app is suddenly available to download and use in the App Store, given the bitter rivalry between the two platforms, as well as it surfacing over six years after Apple's tool was released. It seems feasible that Apple could've prevented the app from being listed in the App Store, but it is unknown if such a position was taken by the iPhone maker.
The "Switch to Android" app is free, 39 megabytes in size, and requires an iPhone or iPod touch running iOS 12.0 or later.
Read on AppleInsider
Apple has provided its "Move to iOS" Android app since 2015, with the app built to help transfer data from an Android device to an iPhone, with as little fuss as possible. On April 14, Google finally offered its own alternative, with "Switch to Android" enabling users to migrate data away from an iPhone and onto an Android smartphone.
According to the App Store listing, the Switch to Android app transfers data including photos, videos, contacts, and calendar events, to a target Android device. This is all performed wirelessly, rather that requiring any physical cables.
The app also assists by taking users through important steps that they should perform on their iPhone before switching away. This apparently includes tasks such as turning off iMessage, as that can cause problems with receiving messages on Android if not properly disabled.
As part of the process, the app can make a request to copy photos and video from iCloud, for transfer over to the Android smartphone. The product listing also says the app will "ask you for a series of permissions so that your iPhone's data can be moved to your Android device."
It is unclear why the app is suddenly available to download and use in the App Store, given the bitter rivalry between the two platforms, as well as it surfacing over six years after Apple's tool was released. It seems feasible that Apple could've prevented the app from being listed in the App Store, but it is unknown if such a position was taken by the iPhone maker.
The "Switch to Android" app is free, 39 megabytes in size, and requires an iPhone or iPod touch running iOS 12.0 or later.
Read on AppleInsider
Comments
What else?
Move To iOS can transfer your message history since Android can grant permission to read SMS. However, Switch to Android can’t copy iMessages to Android because Apple has no such permission to grant access.
Therefore, Apple preventing access to iMessage via permissions is just another attempt by Apple to make it difficult to switch.
/s
For example, when I need to switch an app, Android takes the screen shot of the app, making it a thumbnail “card” in app switcher. When you do it too quickly, it takes the screenshot a bit later - of another app. Result is card with proper app icon on top, but thumbnail shows another app. It’s pretty confusing. And it’s only one of many Android system services outages. This sh*t never happens on iOS.
Android is so shitty under the hood.
Other companies have already plugged the gap this Google app is trying to fill and in a cloud environment a lot of our data is already 'off device' already (especially GMS related Data).
For example, as a long time Huawei user, every time I've configured a phone it has asked me whether I want to migrate from another Huawei phone, another Android phone or an iPhone.
Huawei's own Phone Clone is used for the task. It's been that way for years. Maybe Samsung had its own app too. This Google offering looks like it is simply a new addition to this space.
And this is because the brains of those who sell this service, are inherent in the android Middle Ages!
Finally, to find the "Switch To Android.app", I had to send via iMessage the link: <apps.apple.com/app/id1581816143>, which led me back to the App Store and to the correct application to download!
Because who the hell would want all his data to be in the hands of google?
By the way, why so many broken iPhone screens? Seems like every other one I see is cracked and it's frankly odd considering an owner is presumed to be wealthier and therefore would fix it.