Google stealth-launches a 'Switch to Android' app into the App Store

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Google Pixel, iPhone transfer
Google Pixel, iPhone transfer (Image credit: iMore)

What you need to know

  • Google has rolled out a new app to help people switch to Android from iPhones.
  • The new Switch to Android app doesn't yet appear in App Store search.
  • The app helps people disable iMessage and move content from one device to the other.

Google has quietly launched a new app that is designed to make it easier for people to switch to an Android device from their iPhone. The new app, called Switch to Android, is now available in the App Store but only to those who know the link. At the time of writing, it doesn't appear in searches for reasons unknown.

While searching the App Store is no good, clicking our link should take you straight into the app's App Store entry.

The app, which was first spotted by TechCrunch, helps people turn off iMessage to avoid any lost texts while also lending a hand on moving photos and videos from iCloud.

What's more, Google's App Store description says that no cables are required.

The Switch to Android app from Google helps you quickly and securely move your most important data types – photos, videos, contacts, and calendar events — to a brand new Android device without fussy cables.

Predictably, the app is already garnering fake reviews with one person simply asking "Why would anyone ever want to downgrade their phone?" Switching from Android to iPhone is something that seems much more likely to happen, right?

Apple already offers an app that helps people come the other way — it offers an App in the Google Play store as well as a support document that outlines the steps required.

Oliver Haslam
Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.