Abandoning your iPhone with the Switch to Android app just got much simpler, since Google's now letting you use it to move to the best Android phones that it doesn't make.
A new Google blog detailing Switch To Android (and some reasons why you'd want to use it) confirms that the app now lets you move your iPhone data over to any Android phone running Android 12. When the app launched, it worked only for switching to Google Pixel phones like Pixel 6.
If you moved from iPhone to Android previously, you'd either have to hope your brand of Android phone offered an iOS import option, or use a wired connection to send over your files, photos and other data, but not including your text messages or app settings. But now you're able to switch fully to any device using a Google-made app, making the process far simpler and consistent across all Androids.
During the setup of your new Android device, you'll be prompted to download Switch to Android if you tell the phone you're moving to it from an iPhone. After scanning a QR code and selecting what items to transfer, your info will be transmitted via WiFi to your new Android. You still have a wired connection option though, if you'd prefer to send your data through a USB-C to Lightning cable.
Now that all Android 12 devices work with Switch to Android, basically all of the best Android phones you might be tempted to get will be covered. Take care with older models or some cheaper new phones (like the Redmi Note 11 Pro) which still use previous Android versions though. You'll have to wait for Android 12 to arrive on these handsets, or maybe find a different phone or use an alternate switching method.
A lot of the time, it feels like we're hearing more about users switching from Android to iPhone than the other way around. Maybe now Google's finally caught up with Apple's excellent onboarding process, we'll get more users moving the other way to enjoy the wider variety of hardware or the different apps available on the Google Play Store.
If you’re interested, you can download Switch to Android on your iPhone or iPad right now (although for some reason it's still unlisted in the App Store) and get started on moving into your new Android phone or tablet.
If you're wondering which Android phones are worth switching for, check out our reviews of the Google Pixel 6 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S22 and OnePlus 10 Pro.
