The biggest feature in Apple's latest beta lets users jump to Android

Switching from an iPhone to an Android, or vice versa, can be a pain in the neck. The process isn’t always as straightforward as it should be, and transfers can take a long time. But Apple is introducing a new tool to make transitioning from one device to another easier and more efficient.

According to MacRumors, iOS 26.3 Beta 1 features a new transfer tool made for switching to an Android device. This tool allows you to initiate the transfer process by setting your iPhone next to an Android phone and letting the two devices connect. Once connected, you’ll be able to choose what to send over to your new Android phone, including your phone number, messages, photos, notes, apps, and more. However, it appears that health data, devices paired with Bluetooth, and protected items (e.g., locked notes) won’t be transferred.

Last week, we learned that Google and Apple were working together to simplify switching between iPhone and Android devices. That report mentioned that this initiative was expected to debut with a future iOS 26 developer beta. So unlike when Google added AirDrop support to Quick Share last month, we expected to see this new transfer tool eventually.

On Google’s side, this work has already appeared in the latest Android Canary build for Pixel devices. Although the report didn’t reveal how the new switching process would work at the time, we did spot a “Copy data” option that suggested a new switching method is in development. This process prompts the user to enter a session ID and passcode to allow the devices to connect.