Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Google launches Switch to Android app to chirping crickets

Google has quietly launched the Switch to Android app on the App Store to the sound of chirping crickets. As reported by TechCrunch, the tech giant rolled out the app on Monday to make it easier for users who want to switch to an Android device, whether they want to try out Android for the first time or they just miss having one of the best Android phones in their hand. It was a quiet launch, so nobody paid any mind to it — until now.

The Switch to Android website gives you steps on how to copy all the data in your iPhone — contacts, photos, videos, calendar events, etc. — and send them to the new Android device of your choice. It also instructs you to turn off iMessage, so you’ll be able to see important text messages once you open your new device, and request Apple to transfer a copy of your data from iCloud. The app works in a similar manner to Move to iOS, which Apple launched in 2015 to ease users’ transition from Android to iPhone.

Unfortunately, the website doesn’t mention the availability of the Switch of Android app, nor has Google officially announced the launch. The app doesn’t show up on the App Store either, so the only way to access it now to click on the direct link when you read this story on your mobile device — especially the iPhone if you plan on switching to any Android-run device.

The current method of transferring your data from iOS to Android is to back everything up on Google Drive, then download it again once you activate your new Android device. Once the Switch to Android app launches to a wider audience, whenever that may be, that will take Google Drive out of the equation, thus saving you time you need to get everything in order.

Editors' Recommendations

Cristina Alexander
Cristina Alexander has been writing since 2014, from opining about pop culture on her personal blog in college to reporting…
Does the Google Pixel Watch work with an iPhone?
A person wearing the Google Pixel Watch 2.

Google threw its hat into the smartwatch ring last year when it introduced the Google Pixel Watch, and now it's back for a much-needed encore with the Pixel Watch 2 — an updated version that proves how good an idea it is to wait for the second generation of a new tech product.

The Pixel Watch 2 improves upon its predecessor in nearly every way, with better battery life, a more comfortable design, and far smoother performance. It's enough for Google to make a mark among Wear OS smartwatches and give Samsung’s Galaxy Watch lineup a run for its money in a way that other challengers like the Moto 360 and Oppo Watch never could.

Read more
Nothing’s iMessage for Android app is unbelievably bad
The Nothing Chats splash page in the app.

Earlier this week, Nothing did the unexpected and launched the "Nothing Chats" app for the Nothing Phone 2. The premise? Let anyone with a Nothing Phone 2 send and receive texts via iMessage. Nothing partnered with Sunbird to make Nothing Chats work, with Nothing essentially using Sunbird's own messaging tech to bring iMessage to Android.

It was a bold idea ... but one that was short-lived. That's because Nothing Chats is already dead (for the time being) due to a shocking number of security vulnerabilities that were discovered almost immediately. And by security vulnerabilities, we don't mean minor oversights that could have been easy to overlook. We're talking about major, game-breaking design flaws that massively compromise the personal information of anyone who used Nothing Chats.
The problem with Nothing Chats
iMessage on an iPhone 15 Pro Max (left) and Nothing Chats on a Nothing Phone 2 Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Read more
It’s finally happening — your iPhone is getting RCS in 2024
iMessage on an iPhone 14 Pro Max, plus iMessage on an Android phone using the Beeper app.

Today is a day I truly didn't expect would ever happen. On November 16, 2023, Apple officially confirmed that RCS texting is finally coming to the iPhone in 2024.

Yes, you read that correctly. Starting "later next year," Apple will add RCS support to the iPhone. In other words, if you have an Android phone and are texting someone with an iPhone, you'll be able to text each other over RCS instead of SMS. That means you'll get many iMessage-like features such as typing indicators, read receipts, higher-resolution photo/video sharing, etc.

Read more