Do you think you could actually give up your Apple devices? I mean, switching your iPhone to an Android device. Or give up your MacBook for a Windows Laptop? I’m having heart palpitations just thinking about it. All drama aside, I am a huge fan of the Apple ecosystem. But there’s a growing number of problems brewing at Apple these days. So maybe now is the time to give up these devices in favor of Android. iOS 11 is super buggy. The latest version of macOS left owners facing a huge vulnerability. The iPhone X is super cool, but Apple kind of missed the mark when it comes to delivery of the product. If you are considering making the switch, we’ve got some tips, tricks, and guides to help you with this process.
iPhone to Android Device
Your iPhone is probably going to be one of the first things that you’ll want to get rid of. Thankfully though, some of the most popular Android phones make it easy to switch over without losing any of your personal data. Google’s Pixel smartphones are seemingly designed to compete directly with Apple, offering an Android alternative to the iPhone that’s easy to use, well designed, and loaded with special features. Google also made it extremely easy to transfer all your iPhone data by simply following the prompts on your Pixel phone. Just remember to shut off iMessage on your iPhone first so you don’t miss any text messages after making the switch to Android.
Switch from a Mac to a Windows Computer
Next up is your computer. Leaving Apple means saying goodbye to the company’s overpriced laptops and desktops—though Microsoft does offer its own comparably high-end computers, too. Whether you opt for a fancy Surface or a cheaper PC, you’ll still have to do some work if you want to carry over all the information stored on your old Mac. The first thing you’ll want to do is set up a Microsoft account to replace your old Apple ID. From there, you should connect your Mac to an external hard drive and transfer over all your files.
iMessage Dependence
Apple Messages is probably the biggest single thing keeping most people from leaving the Apple universe. Deleting your account is easy, and the bugs that used to cause former iMessage users to miss out on text messages have been ironed out. However, if the rest of your friends and family keep using iMessage you may have a bit of a disconnect due to the extra features Apple keeps adding to its messaging app. There are a lot of third-party messaging apps that you could use as well.
Move Your Files From iCloud to Google Drive
Next up is transferring all the files you’ve stored in Apple’s cloud service over to Google Drive. This is a big one if you’re switching to Android since you’ll likely want to start using Google Apps instead. Unfortunately, Apple doesn’t make it easy, either. The trick is to use desktop apps. The first thing you’ll need to do is download the Google Drive and iCloud Drive apps onto your computer. Then open up both cloud storage services in separate Finder windows on Mac (or File Explorer windows on PC). Highlight all the iCloud Drive files you want to transfer and drag them into Google Drive. That’s it, you’re done.
iCloud KeyChain to Another Password Manager
iCloud Keychain is a nice introduction to the world of password managers, but you can do so much better. Plus, if you’re getting rid of all the Apple products in your life, you don’t really have a choice but to find another option since it doesn’t work on non-Apple devices. Thankfully, it’s relatively easy to switch to a more powerful service like 1Password. You can transfer all your iCloud Keychain data over to 1Password, but you’ll need a Mac computer on hand to do it. Assuming you meet that qualification, you can use an importer tool to move your data over. Follow the instructions from that link and you will be good to go.
Apple Music to Spotify
This one is a little complicated. Apple doesn’t exactly want you to leave its music streaming service for a competitor, but you still have options. You can transfer all your music by using a program called Soundiiz. This one requires you to export playlists from Apple music as .m3u files and then upload them to Spotify through Soundiiz’s website. You can also use an automation app called Workflow. First, download it from the App Store and then search through the Workflow gallery for “Add playlist to Spotify.” The app should handle the rest for you pretty quickly. Neither of these solutions are perfect, and they might lose a few tracks in the process.