Ryan Haines / Android Authority
I absolutely love how things are unfolding between Android and iOS. First, it was RCS coming to the iPhone (in whatever watered-down form it arrived), and now, with Google making AirDrop interoperable, the walls between the two ecosystems suddenly don’t feel that high anymore. Google has done a mammoth job here. Getting AirDrop to play nice with Quick Share on Pixel 10s, while keeping security intact, is a big deal for the “community effect” iPhone users have always enjoyed. I know I won’t feel left out when people around me AirDrop videos they took of the stage at a concert just because I’m carrying a Pixel.
While this is just a start, Google could take on a bunch of other areas and make them more seamless for both Android and iPhone users, bringing down the ecosystem walls brick by brick.
Would you switch between Android and iPhone more often if the ecosystems were more interoperable? 23 votes Yes, definitely 22 % Maybe 26 % Nope 52 %
Standard onboarding process
Tushar Mehta / Android Authority My close-to-ideal toggle setup in Android 16. One UI 8.5 should make it better.
Switching between Android and iPhone is almost always a scary process. You never really know what will and won’t transfer — granted, the process doesn’t randomly stop midway for no reason whatsoever. Sure, both Google and Apple have apps to help you move data across, but the experience is nothing short of hell. The biggest sore point for me has always been WhatsApp, and worse still, moving not one but two WhatsApp accounts. I’d need a separate post to indulge in my sorrow in all its depth.
Calls, messages, photos, and calendar entries make the jump in full, but Google could make the whole process far more seamless by bringing app libraries along as part of the transfer. Besides that, eSIM transfers across platforms are possible today too, but nowhere near as smooth as moving between two iPhones or two Android phones. Add Android’s fragmentation to the mix, where eSIM transfers can vary from brand to brand, and it just adds fuel to the fire.
Smart home and wearable interoperability
Aamir Siddiqui / Android Authority
... continue reading