What you need to know
- Apple is testing an AppMigrationKit framework that will streamline iOS to Android transfers.
- This new framework makes it possible to transfer app data between iOS and Android.
- The enhanced migration systems for iOS and Android will make it easier to switch between platforms.
Apple and Google are both working to make the switch between iOS and Android easier. Currently, it’s possible to transfer some things across the two platforms, but certain items like app data get left behind. Apple is working to change that with a new AppMigrationKit framework specifically designed to transfer app data between iOS and Android devices.
AppMigrationKit is currently in beta, and it’s being tested alongside the beta releases of iOS 26.1 and iPadOS 26.1. In rare fashion, the documentation for AppMigrationKit specifically states this framework is not intended for use within the Apple ecosystem:
AppMigrationKit only supports migration to and from non-Apple platforms, such as Android. The system doesn’t use the framework for migration between iOS or iPadOS devices. The framework also has no functionality in iOS apps running in visionOS or in macOS on Apple silicon. The framework ignores calls from Mac apps built with Mac Catalyst.
Apple Developer
The documentation specifically calls out Android, signaling that iOS devices will soon be able to transfer app data to and from the Google platform. Apple says developers can use the AppMigrationKit to “export your app’s on-device data to another device running a non-Apple platform, or to import from another platform, or both.”
In other words, the migration process will be supercharged when setting up a new Android phone with an iPhone. It’s already possible to transfer apps between iOS and Android while setting up a new device, but individual app data stored on-device is lost. When apps start supporting AppMigrationKit, and the features become publicly available, that will change.
Additionally, apps will be able to download data stored in the cloud automatically when the device-to-device migration finishes.
AppMigrationKit could become publicly available as soon as the release of iOS 26.1. It’s a sign that both Apple and Google are working quickly to improve the migration process between their respective mobile platforms.
Apple is working on a “Transfer to Android” feature for iOS 26, and Android is similarly prepping a “Transfer to iPhone” tool. Part of Google’s efforts to streamline Android to iPhone transfers were revealed in May 2025 via Android 16 QPR1 beta teardowns.
Google and Apple both developing better migration tools simultaneously is excellent news for Android users. It’ll remove potential barriers to switching from iOS to Android, and vice versa.
