Apple and Google team up to deliver a more seamless way to switch between iPhone and Android

For the first time in years, Apple and Google are working side by side on a shared goal: reducing the friction that comes with jumping between their mobile ecosystems. The two companies confirmed that they are building a refreshed migration experience designed to smooth out the process of transferring personal data when moving from an iPhone to an Android device or the other way around.

Early components of this new system are beginning to surface in a recent Android Canary release for Pixel users, with Apple planning to integrate the corresponding iOS features into an upcoming iOS 26 developer beta. Both companies describe this as a gradual rollout, noting that additional data categories and improvements will be added throughout the testing cycle before wider availability.

Neither company has outlined the full set of capabilities this new switching pipeline will eventually include, and the timeline for public access remains unclear. Apple’s latest iOS 26.2 RC does not contain the new functionality, suggesting that the upgraded tools are still under active development.

Until the unified experience is ready, users are being directed to the current migration apps: Apple’s Move to iOS for those leaving Android, and Google’s Android Switch tool for anyone transitioning away from an iPhone. The collaboration signals a rare moment of alignment between the two rivals as both acknowledge a long-standing pain point for users caught between platforms.