Getting people to leave behind their iPhones and move to Android is something Google has focused on more heavily in recent months. For example, its new Pixel smartphones ship with a “Quick Switch” adapter that let you easily transfer data between your iPhone and your new Pixel phone. For everyone else, Google has just released a tool that turns Google Drive into a useful utility for backing up data to Google’s cloud before switching devices.
The feature was spotted by The Verge on Android’s “Switch” page, which is where you’ll find instructions on how to transfer your digital life from iOS to Android. A section on that page describes how to use Google Drive on iOS to back up your data, including your Contacts, Calendar, Photos and Videos.
The data from these services are backed up to Google Contacts, Google Calendar, and Google Photos, respectively.
The service warns that a backup of this size could take “several hours” so it’s something you would want to do when you have time, access to power, and a Wi-Fi connection. The app also must stay open and on the screen during the process.
While a handy addition, the backup process misses some of the content that people are hesitant to leave behind, like their music collection as well as their iMessage and SMS text messages. Those items, however, are handled by the Pixel’s Quick Switch adapter, which makes that phone the better choice for newcomers who are making their first move to Android from an iPhone.
Google isn’t the only company trying to smooth the transition between devices, of course. Apple, too, released an Android utility called “Move to iOS” which performs this same process in reverse.