Samsung, Google, and Apple have made it easy to switch from iPhone to Android

After I got Galaxy Z Flip 8 For my review unit, I did something I wouldn’t normally do when switching from an iPhone to Android: I used the updated Samsung Smart Switch app to transfer my personal data from my iPhone to my Android phone. This improved process has made it much easier to change my habits and conversations, which is often a big pain point when switching.

I regularly switch from iPhone to Android when reviewing devices, a process that’s usually so cumbersome and prone to disrupting my conversations that I usually prefer to set up a stock Android phone or transfer a previous Android backup.

But as part of Samsung Unpacked event for JulyThe company unveiled the Z Flip 8 at a price of $1,200 and $1,900 Z Fold 8 And $2100 Z Fold 8 UltraThe company said its Smart Switch app now works natively New Transfer to Android feature in iOS 26. Compared to the old method — where you also needed to install Smart Switch on your iPhone and hope your data was gone — this new process has been dramatically streamlined and more portable than I expected.

Apple’s iPhone is now directly involved

It’s strange that the iPhone can now help directly when I switch to an Android phone, but Apple’s direct help seems to be the key to bringing in a lot of my data more easily than before.

As with many Android phone setups, after turning on the device for the first time, I selected the Transfer from iPhone option. Historically, the next step would be to connect phones together using a cable. Instead, Samsung directs you to open the Settings menu on your iPhone, select Transfer to Android, and scanning the QR code connects the phones wirelessly.

On the iPhone, I chose to move only my text history and app data, since information like my photos, videos, and contacts are already synced through Google services and will automatically appear on my Android phone. iOS then asked me to continue the process from my Android phone, and the Galaxy Z Flip 8 started showing the transfer progress as it received my data from the iPhone.

The process wasn’t entirely smooth: After 15 minutes, I received a message saying the transfer had failed and I should try again. Despite the warning, it actually worked, as my data was transferred, and the phone was actually downloading Google Play apps that were equivalent to my iPhone apps. Better yet, the home screen apps are already organized similarly to the way iPhone home screens are designed, replacing apps like Apple Health and the Apple Watch app with their Samsung equivalents. I’ve needed to add weather and calendar widgets, but not having to rearrange my home screens saves a lot of time when I switch phones.

I haven’t finished transferring yet. I wanted to go a little further and try converting an iPhone’s physical SIM card into an eSIM that can be transferred to the Flip 8. While last year’s Pixel 10 phones supported eSIM transfer from iPhone to Android, most other Android phones didn’t immediately follow suit. I started this in the Cellular Settings menu on my Flip 8, which generated a QR code that I scanned on my iPhone to wirelessly sync the devices again.

I followed the prompts, but the first attempt failed, displaying a note saying I might need to contact my phone operator. This turned out to be a temporary issue, so I simply gave it another try following the same prompts – and it worked! The phone number previously on the physical SIM card is transferred and sent to the Flip 8 as an eSIM.

Chats will still need a little work

The biggest complaint about switching from an iPhone to an Android phone is how much it affects leaving iMessage — especially group chats. Last year, my colleague, CNET video producer Carly Marsh, tried switching from an iPhone 12 Mini to a Motorola Razr, and to her horror, many of her group chats splintered into a billion side conversations.

This new process has greatly improved the transition from iMessage conversations to RCS conversations, but I noticed some issues. For one thing, the vast majority of my chat history has done this, including group chats under their fun nicknames (my friends recently had a group chat named after the reality TV show Love Island). The media within those chats was less consistent: One of the first baby photos a friend sent me seemed to remain on my iPhone.

Samsung’s setup process confirms that you need to deregister your phone number from both iMessage and FaceTime to avoid losing text messages, but I still missed a few initial messages after moving the device. When a friend or group sent a text message for the first time after I switched phones, I didn’t receive it, even though I did receive follow-ups.

These initial drawbacks aside, RCS seems to work well as an alternative to iMessage, especially since… Features such as encryption Enhanced multimedia messaging support between iPhone and Android continues to be developed. And since I’m now able to text from the Flip 8’s smaller screen while it’s closed, it’s nice to just focus on processing those texts with that cover screen without lighting up the larger screen.

Transfer process is much better, but could be improved

I’d say switching from iPhone to Galaxy Z Flip 8 took about 3 hours from start to finish, with most of that time spent waiting for the rest of my apps to download and sign into them to finish setup. This may seem like a lot of work, but compared to horror stories where text threads also exploded along the way, this was pretty easy.

We should see this improved process on more phones outside of Samsung’s new Galaxy devices. Android Community Engagement Manager Mishal Rahman to publish A list on Reddit of ways the updated Android Switch for Android 17 should improve the transition from iOS to Pixel phones and other devices, with eSIM transfer I tested being one of the newest features.

I hope that some of these remaining bugs will be resolved over time as this new process improves. For example, getting a more accurate message if a connection was interrupted but most of your data transferred would be more useful than seeing the entire process fail and starting over. There has to be a way to transition from iMessage to Android without losing any text messages, and that would be my top priority.