Apple Aims to Lure Android Users to iPhone With Improved 'Move to iOS' Experience in iOS 15

To help new iPhone owners transition from an Android device, Apple uses the "Move to iOS" Android app for transferring content like contacts, message history, photos and videos, web bookmarks, mail account information, calendars, DRM-free songs, wallpapers, and more.

apple move to ios
This app has been around since 2015, but with the release of iOS 15, Apple is improving the Move to iOS experience.

With iOS 15, Apple will also allow Android users to transfer photo albums, files, folders, and Accessibility settings from their Android devices to their iPhones to allow for a more personalized ‌iPhone‌ usage experience right from the start.

Apple is also making it easier to get the Move to iOS app by implementing a QR code that Android users can scan to be taken to the download link in the Google Play Store.

The new transfer options will be available when setting up a new device running iOS 15 from an Android phone, so the transfer process likely won't be available in full until iOS 15 launches to the public this fall. Apple may also need to release a new version of the Move to iOS app, which is not out as of yet.

Related Forum: iOS 15

Top Rated Comments

SBlue1 Avatar
33 months ago

I feel bad for Android. Apple is taking over!
Care to elaborate? What makes you think so? Or are you just going for the post count again?
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
antnythr Avatar
33 months ago

Imagine coming on this site and writing long comments about people using a different platform than you. Imagine getting that worked up where you’re to the point where in your eyes, they are inferior to you simply because they have a preference that differs from you.

Honestly, a LOT of you have something seriously wrong with you. Like, let people enjoy what they enjoy. Do you do the same thing when people listen to a band that’s one that you don’t like?
I enjoy the Apple products I have, but trying to follow any kind of Apple news is practically unbearable. The number of absolutely insufferable pro-Apple asshats is disturbing. Literally anything that anyone mentions that could even remotely be perceived as negative brings them out. Have an opinion on how a feature could be better? Downvotes. It’s absolutely bizarre behaviour, and honestly really makes my overall Apple experience worse.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
pgiguere1 Avatar
33 months ago
Wow, haven't seen an HTC phone in a long while...

Fun fact: The HTC One M7 (2013) pictured above has a Beats logo on the back.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CarpalMac Avatar
33 months ago

Multitasking and pop-window apps are the two things that keep people to Android.
That and oh so very much more. A huge part is the configurability, it's almost like I own my own device. I know people here won't want to hear it but there is so much more you can do with Android and so easily, if you are prepared to invest some time and are willing to learn. It is why it is still my daily driver, my iPhone 11 does some things very well and I like the integration with my Mac's, but as a device on the go Android is so much better for me.

Just off the very top of my head:


* File storage / management / transferring is so easy, especially across networks
* My morning alarm plays a song at random from my Spotify playlist
* Once the alarm is turned off by me it kicks off a routine which turns on my bedroom lights (Hue), turns on the hot water for my shower and then reads out the weather and then the news.
* Widgets (actually useful) once setup enable me to see information quickly and control multiple apps without having to open and enter each one
* There is very little I cannot configure to my personal preference, especially with Nova launcher
* I have set it so if I swipe up a folder (rather than expanding it) it opens the main app in that folder that I previously set. That is an amazing feature, I love it.

That is just a 5min reflection, there is so much that I take for granted that it can do. Like I say, few here will want to hear it, sadly, easier to chase likes by making snarky Google comments instead. That's fine, my use cases are all that matter to me and hopefully iOS and Android will continue their healthy battle and consumers like me will win.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GenesisST Avatar
33 months ago

Multitasking and pop-window apps are the two things that keep people to Android.
Also, there are people that can't stand Apple and/or their fan(boys/girls).

Well, this is true for most things: Apple/Android, sports teams, political affiliation, toilet paper direction, Paul Rudd, etc.
Except maybe Betty White.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
antnythr Avatar
33 months ago

I don't care what phone anyone uses, I just wish iOS and Android group texting would grow up and play nicer.
Apple said they don’t bring iMessage to Android is because they’re worried that given the choice of phones, they’re worried people will pick Android.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 17

iOS 17.2 Will Add These 12 New Features to Your iPhone

Friday December 1, 2023 12:19 pm PST by
iOS 17.2 has been in beta testing for over a month, and it should be released to all users in a few more weeks. The software update includes many new features and changes for iPhones, including the dozen that we have highlighted below. iOS 17.2 is expected to be released to the public in mid-December. To learn about even more features coming in the update, check out our full list. Journal ...
iOS 16 4 Web Push

Apple Confirms Governments Using Push Notifications to Surveil Users

Wednesday December 6, 2023 5:06 am PST by
Unidentified governments are surveilling smartphone users by tracking push notifications that move through Google's and Apple's servers, a US senator warned on Wednesday (via Reuters). In a letter to the Department of Justice, Senator Ron Wyden said foreign officials were demanding the data from the tech giants to track smartphones. The traffic flowing from apps that send push notifications...
airpods pro 2 pink

Apple Releases New AirPods Pro 2 Firmware

Tuesday December 5, 2023 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware update for both the Lightning and USB-C versions of the AirPods Pro 2. The new firmware is version 6B34, up from the 6B32 firmware introduced in November. Apple does not provide details on what features might be included in the refreshed firmware beyond "bug fixes and other improvements," so it is unclear what's new in the update, but prior software releases ...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue

'All-Screen' iPhone Under-Display Camera Enters Development

Wednesday December 6, 2023 2:03 am PST by
Apple's Korean suppliers have begun developing smartphone under-display cameras (UDC), paving the way for the first iPhone with a true "all-screen" appearance. According to The Elec, LG Innotek has entered the preliminary development of the UDC, which sits under the display and does not result in a visible hole in the panel when the camera is not in use. A UDC differs from a typical front ...
magsafe blue 2

iOS 17.2 Brings Qi2 Support to iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 Models

Tuesday December 5, 2023 11:04 am PST by
The iOS 17.2 update that Apple is set to release to the public in the near future will bring support for the next-generation Qi2 wireless charging standard to the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 models. Qi2 was mentioned in the release notes for the RC version of the update that came out today. With the addition of support for the new standard, iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 models will work with Qi2...
iphone se 4 modified flag edges

iPhone SE 4 May Reuse Existing iPhone 14 Battery

Wednesday December 6, 2023 1:17 pm PST by
Recently, MacRumors has received details on the battery currently being tested on the upcoming fourth-generation iPhone SE, and the information corroborates previous findings in relation to the device. The iPhone SE 4, known by its device identifier D59, is expected to use the exact same battery found in the base model iPhone 14. Partially assembled prototypes of the next iPhone SE have been ...
airpods pro bulbs

Black Friday Prices Return for AirPods Pro 2 With USB-C, iPad, and More

Tuesday December 5, 2023 7:30 am PST by
Today we're tracking a collection of deals that are matching - or nearly matching - the same all-time low discounts we saw during Black Friday. This includes the AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C, 9th generation iPad, and M1 MacBook Air. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the ...
instagram messenger

Instagram and Facebook Messenger Chats to Disconnect This Month

Tuesday December 5, 2023 1:57 am PST by
Meta has revealed plans to end Instagram users' ability to chat with Facebook accounts later this month, rolling back a feature that it introduced over three years ago. In September 2020, Meta (then Facebook) announced it was merging its Facebook Messenger service with Instagram direct messaging, allowing Instagram users to chat with Facebook users and vice versa using the same platform....