Earlier this week, Google released the stable version of Android 17 for Pixel devices. Besides design improvements and new features, the company has introduced major enhancements to Android Switch, the tool used to transfer personal data when switching from an iPhone to an Android device.
A lot of personal data, including photos and videos can already be transferred from an iPhone to an Android phone. With Android 17, Android Switch can transfer even more types of personal data from iPhones to Android devices (via 9To5Google). Newly supported data includes:
Google accounts
Calendar attachments
Call history (call logs)
iMessage history, including media and stickers
Encrypted RCS messages
Home screen app layouts, shortcuts, and wallpapers
Files and folders
Alarms
Apple Notes attachments and labels
eSIMs (not all carriers are supported yet)
Wi-Fi network credentials
Passwords and passkeys
In-app data (when supported by app developers)
Select accessibility settings
Some of the features listed above are not currently supported on Galaxy devices running One UI 8.5, as that version is based on Android 16. These improvements will likely arrive on Galaxy devices through a future version of Samsung’s Smart Switch app, potentially alongside the stable release of One UI 9.0. It will reduce the friction for anyone who is thinking of switching from an iPhone to a Galaxy phone.
Android Switch is also used to transfer data between Android devices and supports cross-brand migrations. Hopefully, the improvements listed above will eventually extend to Android-to-Android transfers as well.