After receiving my review unit of the Galaxy Z Flip 8, I did something I don’t usually do when switching from iPhone to Android: I used the updated Samsung Smart Switch app to transfer my personal data from my iPhone to an Android phone. This improved process made it much easier to change my habits and conversations, which is often a pain point when I change.
I always switch from iPhone to Android when updating devices, a process that is often difficult and often breaks my conversations I usually choose to just set the Android phone to stock or flash a previous Android backup.
But as part of Samsung’s July Unpacked event, where the company unveiled the $1,200 Z Flip 8 alongside the $1,900 Z Fold 8 and $2,100 Z Fold 8 Ultra, the company said its Smart Switch program now works natively with iOS 26’s new Transfer to Android feature. And compared to the old method – where you also needed to install Smart Switch on the iPhone and hope that your data is gone – this new process is well organized and transferred more than I expected.
Apple’s iPhone is now directly involved
It’s surprising that the iPhone can now help directly when switching to an Android phone, but Apple’s direct help seems to be the key to bringing more of my data more easily than before.
As with most Android phone setup procedures, after booting up the device, I chose the transfer from iPhone option. Historically, the next step would be to hardwire the phones with a cable. Instead, Samsung directs you to open the Settings menu on the iPhone, select Transfer to Android, and scan the QR code to connect the phones wirelessly.
On the iPhone, I chose to transfer only my text message history and app data, as information such as my photos, videos and contacts are already synced through Google services and will automatically appear on the Android phone. iOS then prompted me to continue the process on the Android phone, and the Galaxy Z Flip 8 started showing the transfer progress as it received my data from the iPhone.
The process did not go smoothly: after 15 minutes, I received a message saying that the transfer failed and I should try again. Without warning, it actually worked – my data was over, and the phone was already downloading the Google Play equivalent of my iPhone apps. Even better, the home screen already had its apps arranged in the same way I had my iPhone home screens, and replaced apps like Apple Health and the Apple Watch app with Samsung’s equivalent. I needed to add weather and calendar widgets, but not having to rearrange my home screens is a time saver whenever I switch phones.
I wasn’t done with the transfer yet. I wanted to go a little further and try to convert an iPhone’s physical SIM card to an eSIM that can be transferred to the Flip 8. While last year’s Pixel 10 phones support eSIM transfer from iPhone to Android, many other Android phones don’t do that right away. I started this in the mobile settings menu on the Flip 8, which generated a QR code that I scanned on my iPhone to sync the devices wirelessly again.
I followed the prompts, but the first attempt failed, showing a note that I may need to contact my phone carrier. That was a temporary problem, however, as I just made another attempt to follow the same instructions – and it worked! The phone number previously on the mobile SIM card was changed and assigned to the Flip 8 as an eSIM.
The negotiations still need a little work
The biggest complaint about switching from an iPhone to an Android phone is how it affects leaving iMessage – especially group chats. Last year, my colleague, CNET video producer Carly Marsh, tried to switch from an iPhone 12 Mini to a Motorola Razr, and, shockingly, many of her group’s conversations split into a billion side conversations.
This new process has largely fixed that transition from iMessage chats to RCS chats, but I’ve noticed a few issues. On the other hand, most of my chat history makes a move, including group chats with their fun nicknames (my friends recently did a group chat named after the reality TV show Love Island). The media within those conversations has been constant: one of the first baby photos my friend sent me appears to be on an iPhone.
Samsung’s setup process insists that you need to unregister your phone number from both iMessage and FaceTime to avoid losing text messages, but I still miss some of the original messages after the device switch. When a friend or group started texting after switching phones, I didn’t receive it, although I did get a follow-up.
Despite these initial hiccups, RCS seems to be working well as an iMessage replacement, especially as features like encryption and enhanced media message support between iPhone and Android continue to improve. And since I can now text from the Flip 8’s small display while it’s closed, it’s nice to be able to focus on those texts on that cover screen without turning on the big screen.
Transfer process at best, but could be better
I’d say switching from an iPhone to a Galaxy Z Flip 8 took me about 3 hours from start to finish, most of which was spent waiting for my other apps to download and log in to complete the setup. This may sound like a lot of work, but compared to the horror stories where text message chains also blew up along the way, this was a breeze.
We should be seeing this improved process on most phones except the new Samsung Galaxy devices. Android Community Engagement Manager Mishaal Rahman posted a list on Reddit of the ways Android 17’s updated Android Switch should improve from iOS on Pixel phones and other devices, with eSIM transfer being one of the newest features I tested.
I hope that, in time, some of these remaining bugs will be fixed as this new process develops. For example, getting a blank message if the connection process is interrupted but most of your data has made the transfer would be more useful than a note that the whole process failed and started over. And there has to be a way to get out of iMessage to Android without missing any texts — that would be a priority for me.
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