The iPhone 14, 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max hit stores and customer hands in Malaysia starting today. Now, many of you will be switching from an Android phone, and if you’re like me, you probably find migrating your data to your new device a real ordeal.
But you really don’t need to start over. There are ways to move your stuff without too a lot of noise, even if you live your whole life in your phone. Here’s how you can transfer your data to your new iPhone and start running.
Use Apple’s Move to iOS app
The easiest way to move your data from Android to iOS is to use Apple’s Move to iOS app, available on the Google Play Store. The company says you will be able to transfer:
- contacts
- Message history
- Photos and videos
- photo albums
- Files and folders
- Chrome bookmarks
- Email accounts
- Calendars
- Accessibility settings
- Display settings
- WhatsApp messages and media
- Some free apps that exist on both Google Play Store and Apple App Store
For this process to work, you must have both the Android phone and the iPhone near each other and charging, and the iPhone must still be in the setup phase (if you already have it configured, you will need to erase and start over). On the Quick Start page, select “Configure Manually” and follow the on-screen instructions. You will then be asked if you want to restore from a backup or transfer from an existing iPhone or Android device. Select “Move data from Android”.
From there, you will need to switch to your Android phone. Open the Move to iOS app, select “Continue” and agree to Apple’s terms and conditions. You will then be asked to enter a six or ten digit code which will be displayed on the iPhone.
To transfer the data, the iPhone will create a temporary Wi-Fi network, which you can connect to on your Android phone by pressing “Connect”. After that, you will be able to select the data types you want to transfer. Select “Continue” and let the big move begin.
There is one crucial thing you will need to do while this is happening: you have to leave both phones alone no matter how long it takes. Don’t touch your Android device – don’t walk away from the Move to iOS app, use another app, or even answer a phone call. If you do any of these, the transfer will cancel and you’ll have to start all over again. Let your iPhone’s progress bar complete, even if your Android phone says the process is complete.
Only when the progress bar is complete, you can tap “Done” on your Android phone. You can now select “Continue” on your iPhone and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the setup. Next, go to the App Store to download the free apps that were on your Android device.
Not everything can be migrated, of course – music, books and PDFs will all need to be transferred manually using a Mac or PC and the iTunes/Music app. You also can’t transfer app data (so say goodbye to game progress etc.), and you’ll also have to buy paid apps again (if there’s an iOS version, of course). Also, if you use WhatsApp, you cannot transfer your call history or display name.
Log in to your Google account
Another way to transfer some data from your Android phone is to sign in to the Google account that you used as your primary account. You can sync your contacts and add your Gmail and Google Calendar by going to the Contacts, Mail and Calendars menu in Settings (Accounts > Add Account). Of course, for the best experience, you can download Google’s own apps (Gmail, Google Calendar, Chrome, Google Drive) from Apple’s App Store.
And my grades?
This is a more complicated question when it comes to Notes, as most Android phones have their own Notes app which cannot be migrated to iOS. However, you can copy the text from your notes and paste it into a compatible notes app, such as Google Keep. Keep in mind that this is quite a tedious process, especially if you have a lot of notes – but it might be worth it if there’s important information.
Install in iOS
If you’re using a recent full-screen Android phone, an iPhone should look pretty familiar. Apple ditched the home button from the iPhone X, which means you have to swipe down from the bottom to return to the home screen and swipe along the bottom bar to switch between apps.
Cupertino added Android features in later versions of iOS to make it even easier for Android users to feel at home. You can add widgets to the home screen, browse an app library, and remove apps from the home screen without deleting them from iOS 14, and with the latest iOS 16, you can now change fonts and add widgets on lock screen.
