Migrating from iOS back to Android (and my thoughts so far)
Back in 2019, I wrote about my experience buying my first iPhone (the iPhone 6S Plus, on a steep new-carrier-customer discount), after years of using a series of often-mediocre Android phones. The main reasons driving my switch to iOS? Wanting better phone construction quality and longer operating system/security support.
Switching from Android to iOS had its good points, though it brought some downsides. Namely, the cost of upgrading to newer iPhones. In early 2021, I moved to an iPhone SE (2020 model). Recently, I started looking to upgrade to a newer phone. One criteria was my desire for a larger phone screen, as the SE’s 4.7-inch screen was feeling a bit cramped/small to read. Unfortunately, since I use a prepaid phone carrier, the non-SE iPhone choices either involved paying $500-$600 for a several-year-old model or paying $800-$1000 for a current iPhone model. Since I don't want to spend that kind of money on a brand new phone (or want to go back on a post-paid carrier contract just to pay for a phone over time), I ended up deciding to go back to the world of Android.
The new phone: the Samsung Galaxy A54 5G
After much research, I decided to buy the Samsung Galaxy A54 5G, their (as of this writing) top-end mid-tier phone. It was on sale at $100 off its usual price, which led me to choose it over the otherwise-similar-priced Google Pixel 7A. I did like the Pixel (excellent camera, quality materials, and near-stock Android are its main strengths), though it ran warm when trying it at the store.
As for why a Samsung, while I had mixed results using their tablets years ago, they do dominate the Android phone scene for a reason. Their accessories are easy to find, they have a strong reputation, and the phones are usually decent quality.
Also important for me: Samsung guarantees they’ll provide Android system updates and security for at least the next several years: four years of OS updates and five years of security updates. This is a big shift from my 2010s-era Android experience, when manufacturers tended to treat their phones as disposable. (A Motorola phone I once bought ended all system updates/support months after buying it.) Knowing my phone will get a support period more comparable to my old iPhone is a good thing.
Migrating from iOS to Android
Google does make an app (“Switch to Android”) to assist in migrating data from an old iPhone to a new Android phone. Samsung phones also have their own similar app, “Smart Switch.” Regardless of your Android model, the easiest way to move from iPhone to Android:
Make sure your iPhone has some Google or third-party apps installed, such as Google Photos, Google Drive, etc. to back up said data ahead of time. Switching away from anything Apple-exclusive can also help.
Plug the iPhone and Android phone together, when prompted in the Android phone’s setup process, with a Lightning-to-USB-C cable (for pre-iPhone 15 models) or a USB-C-to-USB-C cable (for the iPhone 15 on up). When prompted, it’ll ask what data you’d like to move (contacts, videos, etc.). It’ll also try to download any Android versions of the iPhone’s apps (Facebook, Spotify, etc.).
Backing up my data to Google Photos/Drive helped, though I already still used Drive on my Mac/iPhone as a secondary cloud service. The built-in migration worked OK; it even got most of the apps and default wallpaper arranged as they were on my iPhone. However, a few apps were missed, such as OneBusAway (a very useful app as a bus rider). I also wasn’t satisfied with how it moved my standalone music files off my iPhone, so I plugged in my Android phone to my computer, deleted those files, and moved my MP3s over myself.
The main iOS-to-Android migration downsides so far are related to Apple’s proprietary approach to some things. For starters, I needed to find new Google or third-party apps for a few Apple-only things, such as Apple Reminders. (I’m currently going with TickTick.) There’s also Apple’s Lightning cables, which I have plenty of, but are useless on an Android phone. I ended up buying at least one new USB-C cable, plus a USB-C headphone adapter (the Galaxy A54, like many phones these days, lacks a headphone jack).
Another iOS-to-Android migration downside is related to my phone carrier, Metro (a prepaid T-Mobile subsidiary). I had to call them to get the new phone recognized; switching the SIM card alone didn’t work, plus Metro’s app (with a phone migration feature) kept crashing.
My return-to-Android experience so far
The phone itself
The Galaxy A54 comes with a 6.4-inch screen, making it the largest phone I’ve owned to date. Nowadays, six-inch screens on phones are the norm, versus needing any special term for larger screens; remember the word “phablets?”
Reading text is definitely easier than on the iPhone SE, and it’s nice to have a bigger screen for reading webcomics or watching videos. I note the larger size does make the phone a bit heftier to hold. I also use a screen protector and case, so the phone’s glass back/plastic frame will hopefully withstand any bumps.
One big plus: the phone has an impressive battery life. While my current job doesn’t leave a ton of time for smartphone usage during the day, I still had plenty of power left by the time I got home from work.
Android 13
The phone comes with Android 13, the current version of Android.. at least until next month, when Android 14 comes out.
Android works about as well as I recalled, though I noticed a few aspects have clearly taken cues from how iOS does things. The same goes for Samsung’s custom Android skin, OneUI. It’s OK, but I still prefer a more stock Android approach.
Samsung tries to push some of its services (its cloud storage, phone finding service, apps, etc.), which I mostly said “no” to installing. However, I do use a few of Samsung’s apps, finding them better than Google’s default versions (while still letting me sync with Google’s stuff): Email, Calendar, and Music Player. The last one works pretty well as a stand-alone music player, even playing FLAC and OGG files (if one has those), though not Apple Lossless files. Granted, in turn, Apple Music doesn’t support FLAC, despite FLAC having more widespread usage than Apple Lossless.
The on-screen fingerprint reader works OK, though it’s slightly more finicky than the one on my iPhone SE. It still beats having to punch in a PIN number repeatedly, however, or using facial recognition (which I don’t want on a device).
I installed Google’s Gboard keyboard instead of the default Samsung keyboard. Though typing on Android has one aspect I like way better than on iOS: I can move the cursor to anywhere within a word to edit it, instead of iOS making it difficult to do so.
One nitpick: I had to install a visual voicemail app on my own; I suspect it might be either a selection I made in setting the phone up or (more likely) something about my aforementioned phone carrier. I ended up installing the carrier’s app, which for some reason I couldn’t find on my phone’s Google Play store. I ended up installing it via browsing Google Play on my computer’s browser.
As for iMessage and the “blue bubble vs. green bubble” debate, I don’t care about that. I rarely receive non-automated text messages from anyone. The rare texts I do receive (mostly from family) are almost all “green bubbles,” since most of my family are Android phone users. I do miss being able to send and receive texts from my Mac, though I’ve read there’s a few third-party apps that can replicate that iPhone/Mac feature on Android devices.
Camera
The camera on the Galaxy A54 is OK for a mid-tier phone. Selfies and outdoor photos I took look fine. The colors do look a bit saturated, as some reviews note, and the camera’s definitely not as good as the one on a Pixel or higher-end iPhone/Samsung Galaxy. Still, the photos the A54 produces should be fine for the average person.
Security
As expected, the phone installed system updates as part of the setup procedure.
Android seems to have put some work into trying to shed its Windows-esque security reputation. Google Play lists what permissions apps use; two-factor authentication is encouraged for some aspects/apps; Samsung offers a “secure folder” feature for whatever files one wants saved securely; and Samsung and Google provide years of security updates for their phones. (I gather other manufacturers are more “hit and miss” like in the 2010s.)
Conclusion
While it’s no iPhone 15, I’m enjoying my new Samsung Galaxy A54 so far. While it’s still a mid-tier phone (as shown by the camera and plastic frame), Samsung seems to have paid some attention to quality, between the features, build quality, battery life, screen, and price. Also, it cost about half of what the iPhone 14 or 15 runs.
Google also seems to have put similar effort into polishing aspects of Android’s features and user interface, even if the latter is buried under Samsung’s custom user interface.
It’s a fine mid-tier phone that fits what I use a smartphone for: a portable internet device when away from home; taking occasional photos; and, well, as a phone. I don’t really play mobile games, make contactless payments (which the A54 does support), or need many other top-end features. When I’m at home, it’s also sitting on a shelf mostly unused, since I have an iPad and an actual computer (with bigger screens). Granted, many people don’t seem to treat their smartphones as a secondary device these days.
We’ll see how the phone holds up in a few years from now, but so far, I'm hoping my Android experience will be better now than it was in 2019.
"Powered By Android" by JD Hancock is licensed under CC BY 2.0. (Flickr / cropped from original)