Essential Tips for Moving From iPhone to Android

There is no denying that a lot of people are jumping ships nowadays when it comes to their smartphones. The biggest reason, as always, is money. Especially for people that are living in developing countries.

Now, as a person that used to adore Apple and every new iPhone (except for iPhone 6) I found it quite difficult to actually sell my 6S and then find a good Android phone replacement.

After a few months of digging, I decided to give Samsung Galaxy S10e a chance. And, oh boy was that a good decision.

I won’t go into detail and explain why I believe I made a good decision. But, I will focus on things I didn’t do to make this transition as smooth as it should have been.

Keep reading and you will learn what you should do if you are ready to transition from the Apple ecosystem to the Android. Trust me, it’s easier to do these things and chill than to come unprepared and rush afterward just like I did.

Write down what apps you want to bring over

This is still the biggest problem when migrating from an iPhone. There is simply no way to automate this process.

So, instead of losing all your apps, sit down and take some notes. Write down all the essential apps you need to have on your new phone. In my case, I forgot to download a few important ones that really had an impact on my life.

I forgot to download my banking app so I was in the dark for a few days when it came to finances and I forgot to download Moovit. This one ‘hurt’ more since I couldn’t make my way through the city. No matter how long you live somewhere you don’t really know every bus line, trust me.

Additionally, you should know that some apps may not be available on Android. For instance, I had Musi on my iPhone and I used that app to listen to my favorite tunes. Once I started using the S10e I quickly found out that Google Store doesn’t offer Musi.

Back up your phone

It’s best that you back up your phone using Google Drive before you do a factory reset.

All you need is a Google account and that’s it. Apple and Google are, no doubt, fierce rivals but they made it easy to move some stuff from your old phone to a new one.

So, back up your contacts, calendar, and photos using the Google Drive app. If you have too many things to back up and you exceed Google Drive’s limit of 15GB of free space, you might have to purchase more storage.

What I found to be the most important when backing up were the photos I took in the previous 5 years. You know, you can always download a game and start from scratch. You will reach the level you reached before.

But, if you lose your photos, photos that are actually precious memories you will regret that. That happened to me once and I never stopped regretting it.

So, even if you don’t want to use Google Drive or purchase more storage, at least download Google Photos, this app will back all your photos and videos automatically.

Don’t forget to transfer stuff from iTunes

Personally, I find music quite important. Since I am on the go at least 3 to 5 hours a day, I really appreciate listening to good songs on my earbuds.

But, that is also what I failed to back up before I bought my new phone. If you don’t want to lose all of your tunes, transfer them from iTunes with the help of Google.

Sign in to Google Play Music from the computer that also has your iTunes. Then install the Music Manager and choose iTunes as the source of your music collection.

You will be able to choose if you want everything to be transferred or just what you select during the process.

And, that is it, even if you want to keep using iTunes as your primary music storage hub, Google Play Music will automatically add new music whenever you upload it on iTunes.

Turn off iMessage and FaceTime

Your iPhone will soon be disconnected from cell service but it will still be able to send and receive iMessages and FaceTimes when connected to the internet.

And, we don’t want that to happen, right? So, disable iMessage and FaceTime before selling your phone.

Just go into settings, choose Messages or FaceTime. It’s easy since they are conveniently located next to each other.

On the other hand, if you forgot to do this, deregister your device on this page. You will just need to enter the phone number you want to take off iMessage and you will receive a confirmation code to complete the process.

Transfer your texts

This is probably one of the more difficult things you should do.

Some people simply love to keep text conversations and there are many reasons for that. If you belong to that group, you should definitely learn how to transfer them.

The easiest (and free) method is by using iSMS2droid app. However, it may not work for everyone and it also requires you to back up your SMS to iTunes and then go digging around to find the right file to convert.

Also, try using Samsung Smart Switch or Kies software to restore an iPhone backup since it most likely includes text messages.

I did not manage to back texts up and restore them but if you wish to do so, good luck.

Conclusion

This is everything I know and I hope you will find it helpful.

Maybe one day I will buy an iPhone again and when that happens be prepared for an article of this kind. The only difference is that I will be prepared for the transition contrary to the situation I landed myself in when I switched from my previous iPhone.

All photos were downloaded from Pixabay.com.