Switching from an iPhone to an Android phone is about to feel a lot less painful.
Google has quietly upgraded its Android Switch tool as part of its Android 17 update rolling out to Pixel phones right now, removing some of the biggest friction points in the setup process and expanding what can actually be transferred between devices.
The key change is built around simplicity. According to Paul Dunlop, Product Lead for Onboarding, Settings, and Switching at Google, Android Switch is now integrated directly into both operating systems. This means users no longer need to download a separate app just to start moving their data.
Even more importantly, the transfer process is now fully wireless, removing the need for the USB cable setup that was previously required to get everything started. That alone should make switching between platforms feel significantly less awkward.
But the bigger upgrade is what Google can now move across. Android Switch can now transfer far more iPhone data than before. This includes passwords, passkeys, Wi-Fi credentials, alarms, files and folders, call history, SMS, MMS, encrypted RCS chats, calendar attachments, and Apple Notes content such as labels and attachments.
It also goes a step further by bringing over more of your personal setup. That includes your wallpaper, home screen layout, app placement, and accessibility settings. As a result, your new Android device should feel much closer to your old iPhone from the moment you turn it on.
Google has also introduced new APIs for developers that should eventually allow more apps to support cross-platform data migration directly, rather than relying on system-level transfers alone.
Another notable improvement is during setup itself. Android Switch can now automatically migrate your Google account, logging you in without requiring a password. It can also transfer your eSIM from iPhone to Android as part of the onboarding process, and set up RCS messaging in the background so messaging works immediately after setup is complete.
The updated experience is currently rolling out to Android 17 devices, with wider availability expected over the coming weeks and months.
While the improvements are clearly aimed at removing long-standing friction from switching ecosystems, the gradual rollout means not everyone will see the new experience right away. Still, it’s a significant step toward making iPhone-to-Android migration feel closer to a single, guided setup than a manual data transfer process.
