Switch from Android to iOS with Apple's 'Move to iOS' and from iOS to Android with Samsung's 'Smart Switch'

Article by George Norman (Cybersecurity Editor)

on 17 Sep 2015

If you want to jump ship and switch from an Android smartphone to an iPhone, you can use Apple’s aptly named Move to iOS. This is Apple’s very first app for Android mind you, an app that will help you transfer multiple types of content from Android to iOS.

Alternatively, if you want to switch from an iPhone to an Android-powered smartphone, you can use Samsung’s Smart Switch app. Besides helping you transfer your stuff from your iPhone to your new Samsung Galaxy, it will also help you find interesting apps for your mobile.

Apple’s very first Android app is meant for those who want to switch

Microsoft, Google, Samsung and other major developers have shown interest in platforms that aren't their own, particularly Apple’s iOS mobile platform. Consequently, you’ll find apps made by Microsoft, apps made by Google, and apps made by Samsung on Apple’s App Store.

Apple on the other hand, hasn’t been keen to embrace other platforms. Take iTunes for example. It took Apple several years to make iTunes available for Microsoft’s Windows operating system. The same goes for Google’s free and open source Android operating system, Apple’s main competitor on the mobile OS market. Until now, Apple has resisted the urge to publish apps for Android on Google Play. Until now!

On September 16, 2015, Apple released iOS 9 to the public (read this article if you’re interested in upgrading; read it to see what you have to do to prepare your iPhone for the upgrade). Shortly after the release of iOS 9, Apple did something astonishing: it released its very first Android app, Move to iOS.

The app’s purpose is clear right from the name: it’s meant to help you move all your stuff if you want to give up on your old Android and switch to a new iPhone. Perhaps you want to get the new iPhone 6S or iPhone 6S Plus which introduces 3D Touch, the next generation of multi-touch and a new means of interacting with your mobile.

By using Move to iOS you’ll be able to transfer all the content that matters to you. And more to the point, you’ll be able to transfer your contacts, your message history, the photos and videos you took, the websites you bookmarked, your calendars, and your mail accounts.

Here’s how the whole thing works. When setting up your new iPhone, you’ll see a “move data from Android” option in the Apps & Data setup screen. Select this option on your iPhone, then take your Android and run the Move to iOS app. A private Wi-Fi network will be created by your new iPhone and the Android device running Move to iOS will be detected. You’ll be prompted for a 10-digit security code; once you enter it, you can choose what content to transfer. When the transfer between your two devices completes, you’ll be ready to start enjoying your new iPhone.

Move to iOS – Main Features
  • Types of content – the app will transfer multiple types of content from your Android to your iPhone: contacts, message history, camera photos, camera videos, web bookmarks, mail accounts, calendars.
  • Secure transfer – all the content mentioned above will be transferred in a secure manner. Your iPhone will create a private Wi-Fi network and use it to get all your Android’s content.
  • Ease of use – Apple puts a great deal of emphasis on ease of use. iOS is very easy to use and the Move to iOS app is very easy to use as well.
  • Apps – you’ll want to use your favorite Android apps on your new iPhone. Since most apps are available for Android and for iOS, this shouldn’t be a problem. Move to iOS will compile a list of all your Android apps and will find their iOS counterparts. Free apps will be suggested as downloads, paid apps will be added to an iTunes wishlist.

Move to iOS is available for download on Google Play for free. Please note that you’ll need a device that runs Android 4.0 or newer to use the app.

If you need a detailed guide on how to use Move to iOS, check out this support article. And if you have problems with Move to iOS, if you can’t use the app to transfer your content, check out this support article that explains how to do things manually.

As you can see in the image below, Apple’s Move to iOS will inform you that you can recycle your old Android phone for free, at any Apple Store. The choice is always up to you, but if I were you, I’d try to sell it (assuming of course that there’s no major problem with it).




Samsung's Smart Switch will help you with the opposite situation

Samsung, the company that has flooded the market with so many Android-powered Galaxy smartphones that I'm having a hard time keeping track of them all, won’t be outdone by Apple. If you want to do the opposite and switch from iOS to Android, you can use Samsung’s Smart Switch to transfer the content you can’t live without.

That is Smart Switch’s purpose: to make it easy to transfer content to your Android-powered Samsung Galaxy device. Just like Apple’s Move to iOS, Samsung’s Smart Switch app can transfer your contacts, your photos and videos, your bookmarks, and your calendars. You can also use it to transfer your notes, music, call logs and app list.

The nice thing about Samsung Smart Switch is that it gives you multiple transfer options. Here’s what I mean by that. You can use this app to:
  • transfer content from an iPhone to a Galaxy device.
  • transfer content from an Android phone to a Galaxy device.
  • transfer content from one Galaxy device to another Galaxy device.
Samsung Smart Switch is available for multiple platforms: Microsoft's Windows, Apple's OS X, and Google's Android. The Samsung Smart Switch mobile app, which is available for free on Google Play, needs Android 4.0 or newer to run (just like Move to iOS).

Visit the official Smart Switch website to learn more about this application and to view tutorials like the one embedded below.




Anyone interested in switching from Android to Windows Phone?

I don’t know why you would want to switch from Google’s Android to Microsoft’s Windows Phone. I’m sure you have your reasons and I’m sure they’re perfectly valid, whatever they are.

You can move your content from your old Android to your new Windows Phone with a free app from Microsoft, an app that’s called Switch to Windows Phone. It offers two ways of transferring content: via Wi-Fi and via OneDrive.

The types of content that can be transferred depend on which one of these two options you choose:
  • Wi-Fi – contacts, text messages, photos, videos, and music.
  • OneDrive – bookmarks, photos, videos, and apps.

To transfer content via Wi-Fi, you’ll need to install the Switch to Windows Phone app on your Android and on your Windows Phone. You can get the Android version from Google Play and the Windows Phone version from Microsoft.

The OneDrive option will create a backup copy of your bookmarks, photos, videos, and apps. When you’ll set up your Windows Phone, you’ll be able to download them to your device.




Which platform is your favorite? Apple’s iOS, Google’s Android, Microsoft’s Windows Phone?

Would you consider switching from iOS and Android, from Android to iOS, or from Android to Windows Phone?

Tell us by leaving a comment below.


Latest News


Sony's 'Attack of the Blockbusters Sale' Slashes Prices in Half for a Ton of PS4 Games

17 Aug 2017

How Samsung's New T5 Compares to the Old T3 Portable SSD (Infographic)

17 Aug 2017

See all