While many people prefer to continue using the mobile operating system they are most familiar with, many users are not afraid to take the leap to something different. If you are planning to switch from an Android smartphone to an iPhone, you are probably wondering how you are going to transfer all your data. The good news is that Apple is simplifying the process with its ‘Move to iOS’ tool, and here you’ll learn how to use it to ensure you switch from iOS to Android without losing a bunch of data in the process.

How and when to use the Move to iOS tool

The Move to iOS tool is something you should use while setting up your new iPhone. If you have already completed the setup on your iPhone and still want to transfer data from your old Android device, you basically have two options according to Apple: you can either reset your iPhone, erasing all the data on it, or you can move your data manually.

Manually moving data can be a tedious process that we wouldn’t exactly call “easy,” so the instructions in this article will assume you have a brand new iPhone (or a freshly erased one) that’s ready to be set up. You will need to have your old Android phone turned on, charged, and connected to WiFi in order to be able to move data from it. If you have it, go through the iPhone setup process until you reach the “Apps & Data” page.

Apple

On this screen, select “Move data from Android” and press the button to display a QR code which you can scan with your Android phone to download the Move to iOS app from the Google Play Store. With the Move to iOS app open, tap “Continue” on your Android device, then agree to the terms and conditions you see on the next page. With that done, go back to your iPhone, hit “Continue” and then enter the passcode that appears on your iPhone in the Move to iOS app on Android.

From there, your iPhone will create a temporary WiFi network that you want to connect to using your Android device. However, it is not necessary to access your WiFi settings to achieve this, as you will be offered an option to connect to the Move to iOS app on your Android phone. Next, select the content you want to move, relax while the transfer is complete (make sure to keep your Android phone and iPhone close to each other throughout the transfer process), and then finish. your iPhone configuration.

What content can be transferred using Move to iOS?

Move to iOS does a pretty holistic transfer of your data, at least when you consider the other methods that can be transferred. You will have the option to transfer contacts, photos, videos, photo albums, files, display settings, bookmarks, email accounts, calendars and even your message history. Apple also says that Move to iOS can even search the App Store for any free apps you might have on Android and download them.

Unfortunately, some things do not transfer automatically, including music, books, and PDF files. If you want to bring them with you, Apple says you’ll have to transfer them manually. To transfer music, you will need to connect your Android device to your PC, drag and drop the music you want to transfer to a folder on that PC, and then drag the songs into iTunes before syncing with your iPhone. On Mac, the process requires the installation of the Android File Transfer app – more details on this can be found on the Apple support site.

The process is more or less the same for transferring ePub books that are not associated with an app and PDF files. On PC, this will require transferring those files to iTunes, while Mac will use the Android File Transfer app again.

What about the apps?

While some free apps will be transferred between devices – assuming the apps in question are available on both the Google Play Store and the iOS App Store – paid apps are another story. Unless you contact the developer and ask them nicely if they can provide you with a code for their app since you’re making the jump, you’ll have to purchase those apps again after transitioning to iOS.

As adorable as many mobile developers are, we assume that most of them won’t want to hand out free codes to people who claim to change mobile operating systems. Of course, if the app is expensive, you might be luckier, but there is no guarantee in this regard.

If you’ve already set up your iPhone and don’t want to delete it just to sync old data from an Android device, there’s a good chance your Gmail account has contacts, calendars, and (of course) saved mails. to that. You can sync all the data associated with your Gmail account by going to Settings, then “Passwords & Accounts”, then selecting your Gmail account and turning on whatever you want to sync. If you don’t see your Gmail account there, you’ll need to add it first.

As someone who previously worked in an operator store, the Move to iOS tool will probably be as easy as it gets when it comes to transferring data between Android and iPhone, and it would have avoided a lot of headaches. associated with data transfers. back when I was a mobile seller. Of course, there are other methods of transferring data, but the Move to iOS tool transfers the most data with the least amount of work, making it an easy recommendation from us.