Finally, Google is planning a similar tool for those wanting to switch from iOS to Android. Switching platforms is hard. It’s possible, but the deeper you are into an ecosystem, the harder it is to switch without that move costing you a lot of time, effort, money, and you can never fully replicate some features. Currently, if you want to switch platforms, you first have to squirt all your iPhone data, such as photos, to Google Drive and then download it all back to your new Android smartphone. It works, but you don’t get a seamless switch for things like apps. This is about to change. Must read: Why you need to urgently update all your iPhones, iPads, and Macs - NOW! The eagle-eyed folks over at 9to5Google have spotted some changes to Google’s Data Restore Tool that mentions a “Switch to Android” app for iOS that transfers the data over a Wi-Fi connection between the two devices. It’s worth bearing in mind that no switch is going to be perfect. Some apps are exclusive to certain platforms, and even where they are not, any paid apps will need to be repurchased for the new platform. Switching from iOS to Android will also mean losing iMessage, which for many is an unacceptable loss. Currently, there’s no “Switch to Android” app in the Apple App Store, but it might be worth keeping an eye out for it.
