Google quietly launches Switch to Android app on iOS – TechCrunch

Last year’s reports Trading started That Google was developing a Switch to Android app for iOS users looking to switch from an iPhone to a smartphone running Google’s Android OS. Now this app has arrived. On Monday, Google quietly released a file Switch to the Android app On the App Store in a number of global markets, including the US as expected, the app promises to make the transition between mobile platforms easier to manage by helping users import contacts, calendar, photos and videos to their new Android phone.

The app also instructs users how to turn off Apple iMessage for getting text messages on their new devices and have them connect to iCloud to migrate their photo and video library to Android.

The Google Switch to Android site It has not yet been updated to indicate that the new app is available and the company has not officially announced its launch. The app also does not appear on the Google developer page on the App Store or in the App Store search results. It can only be found when you click on the direct link.

Currently, the Switch to Android website guides users through the standard process of switching to Android which includes users backing up their contacts, calendar, photos and videos via Google Drive iOS app before changing devices.

The company’s plan to develop a standalone app for switches from iPhone to Android was first revealed last year, when 9to5Google Dig into the code inside the official Android data recovery tool and discover a reference to the Switch to Android app developed by Google for iOS. The site only last month pointed The app appears to have gained the ability to automatically migrate users’ photos and videos from iCloud to Google Photos, also based on mentions in another Android app icon.

There have been other hints that Google is making it easier for users to switch media content to its platform and services through back-end developments. Recently, Google About an update to the Google Photos app It provides a way for mobile device owners to copy photos from competing cloud storage services, including iCloud, Facebook, and others. Previously, transfers had to originate from Facebook or iCloud, not from the Google app itself.

Unfortunately, one thing that Google’s new Switch to Android iOS app doesn’t help is migrating users’ apps. This is likely due to limitations on what third-party apps can access on the user’s device. The apps are not supposed to scan the user’s iPhone to extract a list of all the other apps the user has installed, ie.

In its App Store description, the new app enhances its ability to handle the transfer of users’ content between devices without using “complex cables”, which means the two phones don’t need to be linked together to complete the process, a feature.

The Google app arrives many years after the Apple app that helped convert Android users to iPhone. Back in September 2015, Apple Launched It’s a Move to iOS app For Android users which was, in particular, its first Google Play app (along with those from its Beats acquisition.). Likewise, its app helped migrate users’ data including Camera Roll, Messages, Google Account, Contacts, and Bookmarks.

The app is publicly available from the URL here: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1581816143.

Google did not provide comment prior to publication, but reached out later to alert us to the fact that the app is not currently available for download in the iOS App Store – as we already noted in our original story above.

Updated 4/13/22 3:50 PM ET with Google comment.