Switching from iOS to Android can feel overwhelming, especially if you’ve spent years in Apple’s walled garden. But with the right set of apps, the move doesn’t just get easier—it starts to feel like the better choice.
5
LocalSend
Among all the features in Apple’s ecosystem, AirDrop was easily my favorite, and I’d imagine it also tops the list for many others. So, of course, I really missed it after switching to Android.
I did try sharing files via Quick Share, but it was a mess. It barely worked for me, and half the time it refused to even establish a connection. I eventually found myself reaching for a USB-C cable just to move a 100MB file.
Thankfully, that’s when I discovered LocalSend—an open-source AirDrop alternative that instantly became one of my most-used apps. It works across Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, and even Linux, so I don’t feel locked into any one ecosystem anymore.
You don’t need to be on the same brand of device or signed in to any account; just connect to the same Wi-Fi network, and you’re good to go. You can send photos, files, text, clipboard data, and even entire folders. It’s fully local too, meaning nothing gets uploaded to the cloud, and there are no ads or trackers.
What’s amazing is that it’s also faster than AirDrop in many cases, especially with bigger files. It just works, and that alone puts it miles ahead of Quick Share (which somehow still struggles with basic stability).
Download: LocalSend (Free)
4
OpenBubbles
Even with iPhones finally getting RCS support, the blue bubble vs. green bubble divide is still very real. I still run into people who only use iMessage, and although I use a Mac as my main computer, I never fully got away from needing iMessage on my phone.
OpenBubbles fixes that. It lets me use iMessage directly on my Samsung phone by turning one of my Apple devices into a relay. You just set it up once using a Mac or an old iPhone you already own, and after that, everything runs through the OpenBubbles app on your Android phone.
It doesn’t rely on any third-party cloud server; it’s all hosted on your own device. That made it a lot easier to trust from a privacy standpoint.
Even FaceTime works, and it’s implemented much better than using FaceTime on an Android device via a web browser. If you don’t have an Apple device to use as the relay, you can use OpenBubble’s hardware as the server, though this is currently in limited beta with a waitlist.
For now, if you already own a Mac or have an old iPhone lying around, this is one of the easiest and most reliable ways to bring iMessage to Android. While the initial setup can be a bit tedious, it’s definitely worth it.
Download: OpenBubbles (Free)
3
iCloud
Switching ecosystems isn’t something you can realistically do overnight—especially when it involves spending thousands of dollars at once. Even after moving to Android, there are still a few Apple services I continue to rely on.
I use my AirPods regularly with my Android phone, and I still need access to services like Apple Notes and Find My, which I haven’t gotten around to fully migrating yet.
That’s where the iCloud web app has come in handy, as it gives me access to pretty much everything I still have tied to my Apple ID. You can access your iCloud Drive, all the photos previously synced from your Apple devices, and much more—all directly through the web.
To make this even easier, I’ve added the iCloud website as a shortcut to my Android home screen. It opens in its own window and feels a lot like using a native app.
It’s not perfect, and obviously lacks the polish of Apple’s first-party apps, but it works well enough for now. Eventually, I do plan to export everything and fully disconnect from the Apple ecosystem, but until then, this is a pretty solid middle ground.
Visit: iCloud (Free, subscription available)
2
Automate
One of the tools I missed most after leaving iOS was the Shortcuts app. It wasn’t super-advanced, but it was convenient for automating small tasks without much effort. Android doesn’t really come with anything similar out of the box, and Google Assistant Routines are too basic to be useful most of the time.
That’s where Automate comes in. Not only is it the closest I’ve found to Shortcuts, but it’s a much more powerful alternative. Like Shortcuts, it uses a flow-based interface where you connect blocks to build out what you want the phone to do. But Automate goes way beyond what Apple offers.
One of the best aspects is the community around it. There’s a massive library of user-created flows you can download and try out. You’ll probably end up finding workflows you never thought you needed.
If you want even more control and don’t mind a slightly steeper learning curve, Tasker is worth checking out too. While it’s not free, it’s the gold standard for Android automation.
Download: Automate (Free, in-app purchase available)
1
Bitwarden
Switching ecosystems meant I needed a new password manager—it’s one of those tools I rely on heavily, and going without one wasn’t an option. Since the Apple Passwords app was out of the picture on Android, I started looking into alternatives. After comparing a few, Bitwarden stood out as the one that checked all the right boxes, so I decided to go with it.
I wasn’t entirely sure if Apple would make it easy to export my saved passwords, but thankfully, the process turned out to be pretty straightforward. You can export all your passwords as a CSV file, and Bitwarden supports importing that directly, filling everything in automatically without much hassle.
The Apple Passwords app only supports exporting passwords on iOS 26 and later.
Even though my needs were fairly basic, I liked knowing that Bitwarden also offers paid tiers for extras like encrypted file storage, advanced 2FA options, and other security-focused features. It’s nice to have the option to upgrade if I ever need more.
Download: Bitwarden (Free, subscription available)
While my switch from iOS to Android hasn’t been flawless, I’m genuinely enjoying my Samsung phone a lot more than I expected. It’s refreshing to finally break free from the limitations I constantly ran into on my iPhone.
There are still a few bits I miss, but overall, the added flexibility has made the switch worth it.