Switching From iPhone to Android (or Back): What to Know Before You Switch

The new phone is out of the box, the screen looks great, and then the doubts start. Will my texts still arrive? Do I lose the apps I paid for? What happens to my Apple Watch? Will my group chats with iPhone friends break?

Switching between iPhone and Android is far easier than it was a few years ago. Both sides now support modern RCS messaging, transfer tools handle most of your data, and many apps are account-based rather than tied to one store. But a few things still trip people up, and most of them are about what does not move automatically. This guide covers both directions, with the iPhone-to-Android path first.

If you are still deciding whether to switch at all, read our comparison of iPhone vs Android first.

What transfers and what doesn’t

Messaging: RCS, iMessage and group chats

This is the part people worry about most, and it has improved a lot.

RCS is now the shared standard. Apple added RCS (Rich Communication Services) support to iPhones with iOS 18 in 2024. That means messages between iPhone and Android users now support typing indicators, read receipts, high-quality photos and videos, and better group chats, instead of falling back to old SMS and MMS.

Encryption is catching up. In May 2026, Apple began rolling out end-to-end encrypted RCS messaging between iPhone and Android with iOS 26.5, as a beta on supported carriers, with Android users on the latest Google Messages. Encrypted chats show a lock icon. Availability depends on your carrier and region, so do not assume every cross-platform chat is encrypted yet.

What you lose from iMessage. iMessage-only features, such as message effects and some Apple-specific group chat behaviors, will not work on Android. Group chats that were pure iMessage will continue as RCS or MMS groups once you leave.

Turn off iMessage before you switch

This is the single most important step. If your number stays registered with iMessage, iPhone users’ messages to you can keep going to Apple’s servers instead of your new phone.

Apple’s steps:

1. Put your SIM back in your iPhone if you have already moved it.
2. Make sure the iPhone has a cellular data connection.
3. Go to Settings > Apps > Messages and turn off iMessage.
4. Go to Settings > Apps > FaceTime and turn off FaceTime.

If you no longer have the iPhone, use Apple’s online Deregister iMessage page. You enter your phone number, receive a confirmation code by text on your new phone and submit it. Apple says some Apple devices may take a few hours to recognize the change.

Moving your data from iPhone to Android

You have 3 main options:

1. The Android phone’s built-in setup. During setup, most Android phones offer to copy data from an iPhone, either with a USB-C to Lightning or USB-C cable or wirelessly. Samsung phones use Smart Switch; Google Pixel phones use a built-in copy tool. A cable is usually faster and can copy more, sometimes including message history.
2. Google’s Switch to Android app. Install it on the iPhone, scan the QR code shown on the new Android phone and choose what to copy. It moves contacts, calendar events, photos and videos, and walks you through turning off iMessage.
3. Cloud sync. If your contacts, calendar and photos already live in a Google account, signing in on the Android phone brings them over automatically.

iCloud Photos needs attention. If your iPhone stores full-resolution photos only in iCloud, the transfer tool may not copy them all. Apple offers a way to request a copy of your iCloud photos and videos be transferred to Google Photos, which can take several days. Our guide on how to back up your photos explains the options.

For the full step-by-step on cables, Wi-Fi transfer and checking what moved, see how to transfer data to a new phone.

Apps, purchases and subscriptions

Paid apps do not transfer. Purchases from Apple’s App Store and Google Play are separate. If you bought a paid app or game on iPhone, you will usually need to buy it again on Android. Many games and productivity apps, however, sync your progress or subscription through their own account, so sign in rather than starting over.

Account-based services carry over. Streaming, music and productivity subscriptions you pay for directly with the company, such as through its website, usually work on any phone once you sign in.

App Store subscriptions keep billing. If you subscribe through Apple, including iCloud+ storage or a third-party app billed by Apple, the charge continues until you cancel. On iPhone, go to Settings > [your name] > Subscriptions, or cancel on the web at account.apple.com. Do this before you wipe or sell the iPhone. If you are not sure what you are paying for, our guide on how to find and cancel subscriptions helps.

Some Apple services work on Android. Apple Music and the Apple TV app are available on Android, so you can keep those if you like them. iMessage, FaceTime calls you start, iCloud Keychain and AirDrop are the main Apple-only gaps, though some Pixel phones now support sharing with iPhones through Quick Share’s AirDrop compatibility.

Passwords and passkeys. Export or sync passwords to a cross-platform password manager before switching, and make sure your two-factor authentication app or codes will work on the new phone.

Key takeaway: The 3 things that cost people money or messages are forgetting to turn off iMessage, leaving App Store subscriptions running, and assuming their smartwatch will keep working. Handle those 3 and the rest of the switch is mostly waiting for data to copy.

Smartwatch and accessory compatibility

Apple Watch requires an iPhone. Apple’s compatibility list pairs every current Apple Watch with an iPhone; it cannot be set up with an Android phone. If you switch, the watch will stop receiving notifications and syncing health data. Export any health data you want to keep first.

Android watches mostly require Android. Google says the Pixel Watch is not compatible with iPhones, and Samsung’s Galaxy Watch models since the Galaxy Watch 4 do not support iPhone. Moving from Android to iPhone means replacing those watches too.

Fitness trackers are more flexible. Many fitness bands and some smartwatches from other brands work with both platforms through their own app. See smartwatch vs fitness tracker if you are choosing a new one.

Earbuds work, with fewer extras. AirPods connect to Android over standard Bluetooth, but you lose automatic switching, easy pairing and some settings. The same applies in reverse to Android-focused earbuds on an iPhone.

Switching from Android to iPhone

Going the other way follows the same logic:

1. Use Move to iOS. Apple’s Move to iOS app on Android transfers contacts, message history, photos, videos, mail accounts and calendars during iPhone setup.
2. Check your RCS and messaging. On the iPhone, RCS will handle chats with Android friends. Turn on iMessage for chats with other Apple users.
3. Repurchase apps. Google Play purchases do not transfer to the App Store.
4. Cancel Google Play subscriptions in the Play Store under Payments and subscriptions.
5. Replace your watch if it is a Pixel Watch or recent Galaxy Watch.
6. Move Google services as needed. Gmail, Google Photos, Google Maps and Google Drive all have iPhone apps, so you can keep using them.

Where to start: your switching checklist

1. Back up your current phone to the cloud or a computer. See how to back up your phone.
2. List paid apps and subscriptions and decide what to cancel, keep or rebuy.
3. Export health and smartwatch data you want to keep.
4. Move passwords and two-factor codes to tools that work on both platforms.
5. Transfer data using the setup tool, Switch to Android or Move to iOS, ideally with a cable.
6. Turn off iMessage and FaceTime (iPhone to Android) before removing the SIM.
7. Activate service and confirm calls and texts work, including from an iPhone-using friend.
8. Tune your new phone. Our checklist of phone settings to change on a new phone covers privacy, security, notifications and battery.
9. Wipe the old phone only after everything checks out for a few days.

The bottom line

Switching between iPhone and Android is now mostly painless for contacts, photos and messages, thanks to good transfer tools and cross-platform RCS. The pitfalls are predictable: register-and-forget iMessage, App Store or Google Play purchases that stay behind, subscriptions that keep billing and smartwatches that only work with their own platform. Plan for those before you switch, and you can move in an afternoon.

Sources

• Apple Support: Deregister iMessage on your iPhone or online — steps to turn off iMessage and FaceTime and the online deregistration option
• Apple Support: Apple Watch and iPhone compatibility — Apple Watch models require an iPhone
• Apple Support: Cancel a subscription from Apple — how to cancel App Store subscriptions
• Google Pixel Watch Help: Compatibility requirements — Pixel Watch requires Android and does not support iPhone
• Help Net Security: iOS 26.5 brings encrypted RCS messaging — May 2026 beta rollout of encrypted RCS between iPhone and Android