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 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...
best buy snowflakes

Best Buy's New Weekend Sale Has Record Low Prices on MacBook Pro and MacBook Air

Friday December 8, 2023 7:37 am PST by
Best Buy's month-long holiday sale continues this weekend with multiple all-time low prices on Apple's line of MacBook Pro and MacBook Air computers. In addition to Apple notebooks, Best Buy's event has discounts sitewide on home appliances, TVs, video games, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive...
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 ...
beeper mini

Apple Puts a Stop to Beeper Mini's iMessage for Android Feature

Friday December 8, 2023 2:24 pm PST by
Apple appears to have closed the loophole that Beeper Mini used to bring iMessage to Android, putting a stop to blue bubbles from Android devices. Beeper Mini quit working earlier today, with users receiving "failed to lookup on server: lookup request timed out" error messages. Beeper said on Twitter that it is investigating the issue, but Beeper CEO Eric Migicovsky told TechCrunch that "all ...
apple watch black friday

Apple Watch Ultra 2 Hits New Record Low Price of $699, Alongside Series 9 and SE Sales

Friday December 8, 2023 8:55 am PST by
Amazon has a few big discounts on Apple Watch today, headlined by a new all-time low price on the Apple Watch Ultra 2. Many of these watches can be delivered by Christmas, with delivery dates around the middle of next week for most models. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site ...
maxresdefault

Review: Two Months With the iPhone 15 Pro Max

Thursday December 7, 2023 12:04 pm PST by
Apple's iPhone 15 lineup came out in September, and while most reviews are done shortly after a new device launches, we like to follow up with a longer term review that gives us an opportunity to provide a deeper dive into what it's like using these phones on a day to day basis for months. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. MacRumors videographer Dan Barbera has been...
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 ...
iOS 17

35 Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 17.2 Coming Next Week

Wednesday December 6, 2023 5:57 am PST by
Apple made the first beta of iOS 17.2 available to developers in October. Since then we've seen three more betas, and with each iteration Apple continues to add more new features and changes, many of which users have been anticipating for quite a while. Below, we've listed 35 new things that are coming to your iPhone when the finalized version is publicly released in mid-December. 1....