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After some time in Apple’s carefully curated iOS ecosystem, you’ve decided to make the jump to Android. Quite an exciting decision you’ve made there! Don’t worry, it’s not one you’ll regret. Both platforms are mature these days, but there are a few things you’ll be missing after moving from iOS to Android. Of course, there are also some new features in Android that should help you cope with that.
[Got the wrong article? Here's our guide on switching from Android to iOS!]
Settling into Android
If you’ve been using iOS for any length of time, you probably have content (photos, videos, music, etc.) in Apple’s iCloud service. There isn’t a single banner service on Android that takes iCloud’s place. Instead, Google’s cloud is woven into all of the apps that come preinstalled on your phone. All your Google contacts appear in the phone automatically, as does your Gmail, Google Calendar, and Chrome bookmarks.
Beyond that, Google makes Drive service available for document editing and file storage. It’s a capable alternative to Apple’s office apps, and it’s free. The Google+ app can also be used to store all your photos and videos online, just like iCloud. That content can be accessed from your phone or PC on the Google+ site. If you were using Apple iMessage on your old phone, Hangouts is similar on Android. The SMS integration is still new, so it’s not quite as streamlined as iMessage.
To get comfortable, you’ll want to make the most of Android’s home screen. Despite the recent redesign, the iOS home screen is very much the same as it’s always been — an array of icons. Android lets you place icons on your screens, of course, but there are also widgets. A widget can be used to see news feeds, control settings or music, post to social networks, and much more. You can also create folders the same way you do on iOS.
Google’s search services are also much more integrated, including Google Now. On iOS you could only access this predictive search feature by opening the Google app, but on Android important cards will show up in your notifications. Google Now with voice commands also plugs into navigation, music, and more. This will replace Siri for most tasks, and it does a great job.
Entertainment and apps
So, where do you get stuff for your Android device? From Google Play. You can think of this as the alternative to Apple’s iTunes, but it’s all on the web. That means you don’t need to install a program or sync your device. Just head to the Google Play site and sign in. From there you can explore apps, books, movies/TV, music, and magazines. There is also a full Play Store app on the phone for managing content.
If you find an app you want to download, you can have it magically pushed down to your Android device in seconds — and this works from anywhere. All you need is an internet connection to send apps to your phone. There is also no hard limit on how much you can download over mobile data. If you want to download more than 100MB, you can tell the Play Store app on your phone to go ahead and use 4G/3G.
You can still load your non-DRM iTunes songs on to your Android device, but you ought to upload everything to Google Play Music. This is Google’s music player/store on the web. It can handle up to 20,000 uploaded tracks and an unlimited number of ones from Google. You won’t be able to get The Beatles from Google Play, but the selection is still pretty good. There is also a $9.99 All Access subscription for unlimited listening to all content in Google Play. All this content lives harmoniously in the Play Music app on your phone.
Where you’re more likely to feel the pain is in the realm of video. Google Play has an okay assortment of TV and movies, but it’s not as good as iTunes. Although, you can stream rented or purchased videos directly to your device without downloading them, which Apple still won’t allow. There are also the familiar streaming apps like Netflix and Hulu Plus on Android.
Freedom to tinker
The most jarring change when switching to Android (and one of the best reasons) is the freedom to make changes to the system. Without any sort of rooting or jailbreaking, you can swap out parts of the system you don’t like. That home screen mentioned up above — if you don’t like it, download another from Google Play. Stock keyboard getting you down? Pick up a third-party alternative. Android lets you change the system-wide defaults however you like.
Apple also obscures the file system in iOS, which does make things a little easier to use. Android has a full file system that you can access if you want. Apps manage their own storage, but having a file manager app is a good idea in case you want to put your files in various folders.
The apps you install can actually perform complex operations in the background. You can have news feeds refresh, files uploaded, or even automate your settings based on your location and the time. All this power comes with a burden, though. Android is more vulnerable to troublesome apps that drain battery in the background. You have to keep a closer eye on things in that respect.
If you are looking for apps, you’ll want to bookmark our regularly-updating list of 6 awesome new Android apps.
Just take it slow and explore your new phone at your own pace. Look for the apps and games you remember from iOS — you’ll be surprised how many of them are on Android now. Above all: don’t panic.
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