In summary:
- Tech Advisor reports that Apple’s iOS 26.3 introduces a built-in ‘Transfer to Android’ tool, replacing the previous dedicated app to simplify switching from iPhone to Android devices.
- The feature transfers photos, messages, apps, and eSIM numbers via QR code scanning, though health data and protected items remain excluded from migration.
- This development appears influenced by EU regulations promoting platform interoperability, alongside other mandated features like third-party Bluetooth pairing and smartwatch notification forwarding.
Apple appears to be going out of its way to make it easier for you to switch to Android.
The company has just released iOS 26.3, which is unremarkable but for one key addition: a new Transfer to Android tool. It’s essentially a more convenient replacement for the dedicated Switch to Android app.
You’ll find it in Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Transfer to Android.
As 9to5Mac points out, with this new feature in place, all you need to do is set your iPhone down alongside a new Android phone at setup, and as long as they’re on the same Wi-Fi network (with Bluetooth also enabled), you’ll be able to initiate a data transfer.
That data includes photos, messages, apps, and even your phone number if you use an eSIM. Apple won’t allow you to transfer health data, paired Bluetooth devices, and protected items such as notes and images on privacy grounds.
Jon Mundy / Foundry
The transfer can be initiated by scanning the QR code on the screen of the Android device.
You might well be surprised to see Apple making this user-friendly feature available on iPhone. It’s usually all about building that walled garden over at Apple HQ.
However, both Apple and Google have been working on ways to make the platform-switching process more intuitive in recent times, likely prompted by EU pressure.
More iOS 26.3 additions
Talking of EU-instigated changed, iOS 26.3 also includes support for high-bandwidth Wi-Fi in a peer-to-peer setting, which is at the heart of this new Transfer to Android feature. Proximity pairing of third party devices like Bluetooth headphones is another addition prompted by the EU.
Perhaps the most welcome EU-instigated addition is notification forwarding, which should allow third party smartwatches and the like to receive notifications on behalf of an iPhone.
Devices that utilise Apple’s own modem, such as the iPhone 16e, the iPhone Air, and the iPad Pro (M5), also gain the ability to limit precise location sharing with cellular networks.
You might also want to turn an Android handset into an iPhone with these changes.
Author: Jon Mundy, Contributor, Tech Advisor
Jon is a freelance journalist who got his start covering mobile games at the dawn of the App Store. He has since covered everything from smart home tech and laptops to food and culture, but always seems to return to his fascination with smartphones.