Google is making it easier to switch from iPhone to Android. The company worked with Apple to improve the iOS-to-Android migration experience.
Now, when switching from iPhone to Android, you can transfer your passwords, photos, messages, apps, and home screen layout.
Apple’s newly released iOS 26.5 update supports end-to-end encryption for RCS messaging between iPhones and Android devices.
However, the feature requires the cooperation of wireless carriers. Fortunately, Apple released a list of which ones do, and all three of the biggest U.S. carriers are on board: AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon.
Ready to switch from Android to iPhone? Before you make the move to an Apple device, you need to know the biggest problems you’ll face during the transition — and how to avoid them.
While some challenges are manageable, others are unavoidable. If you feel ready to jump to Apple’s ecosystem from Google land, here’s what you need to know.
May 4, 2011: Reports circulate that Apple is negotiating with carriers to bring over-the-air updates to iOS, beginning with iOS 5.
Such a move would free iPhone owners from using iTunes to get updates for their devices. That means no more plugging an iPhone into a computer via USB to download the latest version of iOS.
You can FaceTime with Android and Windows friends, too — you don’t need to leave them out of the loop. You need to jump through some extra hoops, naturally, but you can video chat with your whole family and friend group.
While there’s no FaceTime app for Android or Windows, if you have an iPhone, you can initiate a group call by creating a link. Others can join the call from their web browser. It will be end-to-end encrypted, just like regular FaceTime calls, for maximum privacy.
Here’s how it works.
Phone users are sticking with Apple at unprecedented levels, according to a new nationwide survey, underscoring the growing strength of the company’s ecosystem and the challenges facing rivals trying to win them over.
And while Android users’ loyalty to their smartphone maker is noticeably weaker, that doesn’t mean huge numbers are switching to Apple.
Sharing holiday pictures with the whole family just got easier. Google found a way to make Android’s Quick Share feature cross-compatible with Apple AirDrop. This means Android and iPhone users can wirelessly transfer images and other files between their handsets.
The feature was announced Thursday, and currently only works with a few Android handsets, but Google promised wider availability is in development.
A new open-source app called LibrePods aims to make the AirPods experience on Android nearly as good as on an iPhone.
Currently, Androids do not officially support AirPods. You can technically pair Apple’s earbuds with Android phones, but you won’t be able to access most of coolest features.
August 3, 2009: Google CEO Eric Schmidt resigns from Apple’s board of directors amidst increasing competition between the two companies.
The root of the problem? The growing feud over Android’s encroachment on iOS as the two smartphone platforms battle for dominance.
Apple’s walled garden approach means you can’t use the Apple Watch with a smartphone other than the iPhone. But with its latest Android foldable, Vivo claims full support for the Apple Watch.
The Vivo X Fold 5 even promises deep iPhone and Mac integration, apparently mirroring your calls, messages, and notifications.
HKMLC Smart Boards transform how people collaborate and interact in various settings, from business meetings to home entertainment. These cutting-edge interactive whiteboards offer tremendous benefits in today’s interconnected world, where effective visual communication and collaboration prove crucial.
Developed by HKMLC, a leading provider of cutting-edge interactive whiteboards in the United States, this amazing hardware serves as an all-in-one solution that combines the functionality of a projector, digital whiteboard, computer, TV, monitor and audio system. These interactive whiteboards eliminate the need for multiple devices, saving valuable space while simplifying setup and management.
Android phones got an official Apple TV+ app on Wednesday. This makes it easier for people around the world to watch Severance, Silo and other popular series on the streaming service.
There are already versions of the application for Roku, Google TV and more.
In a strategic move that could reshape the mixed-reality landscape, Google and Samsung announced a partnership Thursday to develop a new mixed-reality headset running on the Android XR operating system, according to a new report. Clearly, the Google and Samsung Android XR headset directly challenges Apple’s Vision Pro and Meta’s headsets in the premium market.
The collaboration aims to create a more accessible and diverse ecosystem for extended reality (XR) devices, potentially offering buyers, including Apple users, alternative options in the growing mixed-reality space. More competition could impact both features and pricing, of course.
What to do with your old phone? If it’s an iPhone, there’s a good chance you can resell it. But a market analyst firm reports that a significant percentage of Androids get pitched out because they aren‘t worth anything. They apparently can’t even be given away.
One result is that not very many Androids are resold. The rate is about half that of iPhones.
Apple introduced audio sharing to Beats Studio Pro over-ear headphones in a firmware update Tuesday, a feature already known to AirPods Max and AirPods users. So once your Beats Studio Pro update over the air to firmware version 2C301, up from version 2B68 installed at launch, you can easily share what you listen to with family and friends via a connected iPhone or iPad.
The number of Android applications on Google Play is likely to drop after Google updated its Minimum Functionality policy to block apps that “only have limited functionality and content.”
Unlike the experience in Apple’s App Store, Android users must wade knee-deep through useless apps to find anything worthwhile. The new policy should remedy this … assuming Google enforces it.
In a sign Apple TV+ may yet arrive for Android users — meaning hell must be entirely coated in ice — Cupertino is looking to hire a senior engineer to build a TV and sports app for the smartphone platform, according to a new report.
Apple wants the process of moving from Android to iPhone to go as smoothly as possible, of course. To make the switch simpler, it created a Move to iOS application.
A recent video from Apple Support explains how to use the Android app.
Google let slip that Apple will fulfill its promise to add support for Rich Communication Services to the iPhone Messages app “in the fall of 2024.”
That almost certainly means iPhone and Android users will enjoy higher quality cross-platform texting with the release of iOS 18 and not before.
Apple is building a way out of the iOS “walled garden.” It promised on Thursday to make it easier to switch the data from an iPhone to an Android or other handset.
That said, the migration tool is part of Apple complying with the European Union’s Digital Market Act so the solution might not be available outside of the EU.
No company sold more smartphones than Apple in 2023, according to a market-research firm. iPhone shipments grew last year and outnumbered Samsung’s Androids.
It’s a milestone Apple never reached before.
Security and privacy concerns caused Apple to block messaging service Beeper Mini, the company said Sunday. But on Monday Beeper Mini got around the block and pledged to keep making its service available.
This followed Beeper Mini’s highly publicized launch on December 5. It said it had successfully reverse-engineered iMessage to turn green Android text bubbles blue on iPhones.
From that moment, many people wondered how long Apple would let it stand (just a few days, it turned out).
Update: Beeper Mini is back with improvements, according to a new blog post that puts the ball back in Apple’s court. Beeper said it’s willing to share its codebase with an independent research firm and reirterated it could add a pager emoji to enable filtering of Beeper Mini messages in iMessage. See more on the story so far below.
Believe it or not, a 16-year-old high school student may have been the first to fully reverse-engineer iMessage and turn green Android text bubbles blue on iPhones with the new Beeper Mini app, released Tuesday.
The text messaging world is buzzing over it, wondering how it may avoid security pitfalls like other recent attempts to merge the two texting worlds — and puzzling over whether Apple may put a stop to this incursion into its “walled garden.”
In what is apparently an enormous change of direction, Apple reportedly plans to add support for Rich Communication Services to the iPhone Messages app in 2024. This will enable iPhones and Androids to communicate more effectively, with more of the bells and whistles associated with Apple’s proprietary iMessage platform.
It also could be the end of the green bubble versus blue bubble controversy, though not necessarily. If you’re wondering how to get RCS on iPhone, Apple’s latest update will bring end-to-end encryption to RCS messaging. Find out more here.
Want to create an immersive cinematic experience almost anywhere? Now you can with the GV31 Portable Projector BenQ released earlier this month.
With built-in Netflix and Android TV among other streaming options, the 1080p projector can stream on walls or ceilings via AirPlay from your Mac, iPad or iPhone, or from Android devices via ChromeCast.