Android 17 Offers Upgraded Android Switch Tool With Support for Transferring iMessages, Passkeys, Passwords and Alarms

Google recently launched Android 17 and is now available for eligible Google Pixel devices, starting from the Google Pixel 6, which was unveiled more than four years ago. The latest Android update brings various new features to offer an improved multitasking and gaming experience, along with enhanced security and privacy tools. A day after the Android 17 update began rolling out, a Google executive revealed that the latest OS version also brings a new version of the Android Switch tool, which is claimed to enable faster and “more comprehensive” migration to Android from other platforms, including Apple's iOS.

What's New in Android 17's Enhanced Android Switch Tool

In a post on X, Google's Product Lead for Android Onboarding and Settings, Paul Dunlop, announced that the new Android 17 update also introduces an enhanced Android Switch version, which lets users migrate from other platforms, including Apple's iOS, to devices running Android 17. Now, users do not have to download a standalone app, like Switch to Android, to migrate from iOS to Android. The company says that Android Switch is now built directly into both platforms.

The company has improved Android Switch in terms of wireless transfers, too. The tool now lets users migrate over Wi-Fi without losing data. Similarly, the feature now supports the transfer of additional data types, including passwords, passkeys, Wi-Fi credentials, and alarms. Android Switch is also capable of transferring third-party in-app data during migration. However, app developers need to enable this functionality from their end.

With the improved Android Switch tool, users can also transfer SMS, MMS, RCS, and iMessage conversations to Android during migration. Along with individual chat histories, it is also capable of transferring group chat messages. Apart from messages, Android Switch now enables migration to Android with wallpapers, home screen layouts, and app placements, along with “key” accessibility settings.

Moreover, iOS users can now transfer Apple Notes attachments and labels, calendar attachments, call history, and other files and folders when migrating to a device running Android 17. Android Switch will also automatically sign in the user's Google Account on the new Android devices. Lastly, the improved version of the tool enables eSIM transfers from iPhone to Android during migration.