The guide to switch from iPhone to Android

For better or for worse, the holidays are closer every day and, with them, traditional gift exchanges. Among them, some years have won many points all kinds of gadgets. A few years ago, giving an electronic device was little more than an eccentricity, but now smartphones, tablets, cameras and other prominent among the most desired place. And of course, manufacturers are well aware of this and do not waste the opportunity offered by these dates to try to do business, whether introducing new products (such as next-generation consoles Microsoft Xbox and Sony Play Station One 4) or by special offers of existing (mode gift packs or simply with discount prices.) And there’s even more surprising actions, as recently conducted by Eric Schmidt, Google executive. What have you done? Very simple, it has published its own guide to switch from iPhone to Android.

In his words, many of his friends have recently decided to switch from iOS to Android, since the performance and size of the screens of the latest handsets based on Google’s operating system is a great temptation. So, having helped some of them in the process of migration from one platform to another, has decided to share that knowledge pill with the rest of the world, and has posted on his Google+ profile with instructions to carry out the process easy and secure. So let’s see the guide to switch from iPhone to Android from Eric Schmidt.

Contrary to the usual for this type of methods (first prepare what you want to get the old) order, the manager of Google recommended to start preparing the new Android phone, which you are transferring everything possible from the iPhone. This indicates it is turned on, you connect to a wifi network (you must still put the SIM card, do not get ahead), do the same login to your Google account (Gmail account he states, but it is actually the Google account, or you do not reuse emplees mail service) and sign into Google Play Store looking for the apps that you use regularly on the iPhone.

Note (this will not tell us, not Schmidt, the apps you’ve purchased in iTunes, i.e. those that are not free, you will have to buy on Android, and some may not be available in this platform). Also make sure you have the most current version (4.3 or Android 4.4) operating system. As he says, you should be notified if an update of it is published. At this point, you should be able to your Gmail and apps you’ve installed should work correctly.

The next step is to update your Apple device. So turn it on (if it was not already), make sure you did login in Gmail (understand that means that you have the email account Google set to iOS) and be sure to update your device to the latest version now iOS (7, unless you have an old device). Once there, make sure you’re using iCloud to store your contacts. In case you do not have it so, go to settings and activate iCloud for contacts. In the event that no nickname yet this service of Apple, now takes advantage of to give you high (yes, just before leaving its platform, is it not ironic?). Then, go to the mail settings, specifically the Gmail account. And active contacts sync. Thus, you had contacts in the iPhone, now on iCloud and should be what is most important in this operation, in Gmail. Then go to properties and disable iMessage messages, instant messaging service from Apple that integrates with SMS. Finally, synchronize the contents of your iPhone with your computer using iTunes. This way you will ensure you do not lose anything you keep in your “old” phone.

Check now, with a reboot in between if necessary, your new phone with Android. If all went well, you had contacts in the iPhone should already be displayed in the new. If not, check the settings on the Google account on the phone, to make sure you’ve configured to sync contacts with the web. The solution will take a bit more work. Go to the iCloud website, log in with your service credentials (the same that you use to buy apps or music on mobile), access to contacts and click on the gear shown in the lower left corner. In the menu that appears select “Select All”, again click on the gear and click “Export vCard”. Once you download the file with all contacts in vCard format access Gmail from the browser, go to the contact management and from there, import the file you just downloaded from iCloud. Thus, your contacts should now load, or yes, the new phone.

It is something that, if you make this change, you will never want to leave behind, is your music. So to take its from iTunes (and, eventually, iTunes in the cloud) to download the Google’s Google Music Manager Program. This will analyze your iTunes library and transfer your music to an account of Google Play. For this it is essential that you provide your credit card number, but Eric Schmidt promises you more so sacred that they will not charge you a penny euro. Note, however, that the music purchased on iTunes and subject to DRM (ie copy protected) will stay on the path, ie you can not transfer it. The rest itself should already be available on the mobile again, so make sure of it.

Is everything ready? Then remove the iPhone SIM and insert it into your new Android mobile com. Restart it, enter the PIN and … ready! The transfer will be completed, and all (or most) you could move from one phone to another, and will be available in the new. You can also transfer iPhone photos to new, but for reasons of space, worth more you save in the computer you copy the new smartphone.

And these are the simple steps with the manager of Google explains in its profile Google Plus (which also offers to hear all kinds of comments about it), how to change your iPhone to Android. And in the same fashion that explains it to his friends. There’s one, though, it caught our attention: although the process can be carried out both in Windows and Mac OS X, all indications Schmidt refer to Apple computers. Is it the preferred choice of friends?