cause iPhones toplay nice with Windowscan be a challenge , but so can have Android to play nice with Macs — and it ’s that 2d setup we ’re going to tackle here . Read on to find out how to get all your apps work together and your files seamlessly synced between a Google - power phone and an Apple - powered computer .
Obviously there are a whole host of different paths to take here , depending on which apps you ’re already invested in , how much of your digital life you want on each twist , and which other devices you ’re running on a everyday ground . We ’ll encompass some of the main contour options , then you may pick and choose .
If you prefer Apple’s apps and iCloud
possibly you lie with the apps in macOS , or maybe you just latterly shift from an iPhone to Android , but if you ’re a fan of Apple ’s apps then the forged news is you just ca n’t get them on the Android platform — with the one exception ofApple Music(if you ’re uncoerced to pay $ 9.99 a calendar month ) .
You ca n’t play iTunes picture on an Android phone , not unless you ’re going to leap out through a slew of hoops to crack the DRM on them . You ca n’t view your iCloud Photo Library , or get at your iMessage conversations , or make a FaceTime call . These apps are all lock in - down Apple apps , with no third - party workarounds .
At this point you ’re credibly mean it ’s easy just to shift wholesale from Apple ’s ecosystem to Google ’s ( see the section below ) , but you’re able to get at some of your Apple info on Android . It might even be enough for you to get by .
Photo: Sam Rutherford (Gizmodo)
Email , for example : An iCloud chronicle can be add together to Gmail on Android by tapping your username on the app menu , then choosing Add account and Other . participate your iCloud certification to access and add up your email address ( if you ’ve flummox two - step authentication set up on your Apple ID , you ’ll need to make an app - specific passwordhere ) .
you could export contacts and calendar information from iCloud to Google ’s apps on Android , but here the sync is only one way . Once you ’ve exported the data point , you ’ll have to get to Google ’s political program locomote forward — unless you ’re happy working through the outgrowth every fourth dimension you update something on macOS .
afford upiCloud on the World Wide Web , click through on middleman , then click the cog in the grim left - hired man corner and select Select All . come home the cog again , then Export vCard , and you may preserve your contact contingent to a data file that can then be imported through theGoogle Contactsportal ( click More then Import ) . Those liaison then sync to Android .
For calendar , again you could do this fromiCloud on the web . Click Calendar , then the Share Calendar clitoris to the right of your chosen calendar . Make the calendar public , and copy the link — that can then be paste intoGoogle Calendar(click the positive icon on the left - hand pane then From URL ) . Events created on macOS will then come along on Android , but not the other path around .
There are some third - political party options for syncing data like calendars and contacts ( though not for iMessages and photo ) . We ’re reluctant to recommend them consider Apple or Google could deepen any part of their apparatus at any time , and that ’s before you get into the issue of letting a little - known app have access to all your phone and cloud data .
We did essay outAnyTrans , which we could n’t get to work properly , andSyncGene , which really did successfully sync contact and calendar information between our iCloud and Google account statement . Automatic sync will be you $ 4.95 a calendar month , billed yearly ( manual syncing between two devices is free ) , but if you really need it then it ’s one alternative — just proceed at your own risk .
It largely bet on how much data you ’ve already start out in iCloud . The Apple apps on macOS ( and indeed Io ) are actually pretty good at handling Google cloud information — it ’s getting iCloud information into Android that ’s the problem . For the best macOS - with - mechanical man experience , you really want Google bear out everything .
If you prefer Google’s apps and services
On the flip side , if you require to stick with Google ’s apps and service — maybe you ’re a long - time Android user and you just got a Mac — everything is much more straight . Refreshingly so , in fact .
The native Mail , Contacts and Calendar apps for macOS can all knead with Google accounts rather than iCloud ones , and taking this route means everything syncs to Android well and reliably . To set this up , chatter the Apple menu then pick out System Preferences — snap Internet Accounts , then Google , and sign in with your credentials to start the sync .
From the same dialog you could piece whether to sync emails , touch , and calendars all at once , or just one or two of the three . There ’s also the option to sync Notes , but this is a hacky form of characteristic that syncs with a label in Gmail — there ’s no actual comparable app on Android .
If you prefer living on the vane , everything is even soft . InstallChrome for Macand all your countersign and bookmarks from Android sync over , and you’re able to then open up Gmail , Google Maps , Google Drive , yourpurchased movies and telecasting showsor whatever you like from your macOS auto . Everything is handled in the swarm and syncs in the desktop , so you know you ’ve got the same lot of data on both equipment .
Meanwhile , Google Photos will gladly slurp up pictures from your Mac and your Android sound and make all your picture and video useable in both places — it can even upload flick from your Apple Photo Library . To get started , you needGoogle Photoson your Android phone andGoogle Backup & Syncon your Mac .
For the desktop customer , verify your configurations are right . get through the picture on the menu streak , then the menu button ( three pane ) , then orientation : On the My Mac or My MacBook tablet , ensure Upload fresh add together photos and videos to Google Photos is tick off , and all the folders where these medium Indian file are situate are pick out above . If you want all your Google Photos on disk on your Mac as well as in the cloud , sync the Google Photos folder locally ( under the Google Drive tab ) .
This contract guardianship of all form of other types of files too , offer you pick out the correct folders in the Preferences dialog . you could open up PDFs , Word files , text files and so on from theGoogle Driveapp on Android , though it wo n’t have anything to handle files create in Pages or Numbers ( your good choice here is to export the files in a dissimilar format from the native macOS apps ) .
Unfortunately , iMessage remains a closed loge that wo n’t be appearing on any non - Apple devices until Apple decides to make an app for them , but you could now useAndroid Messageson Android and the web on macOS , as we’veoutlined here . WhatsAppis another app that will work on Android and the vane , so you’re able to transmit and receive content from your Mac computing gadget .
What you ca n’t yet do is make and get Android phone call from your Mac computer , as you very well can with aniPhone . Applications likeAirDroidcan mirror your Android screen , but you still take to pick up your speech sound . If you want to make television and audio call across Android and macOS , you postulate to practice an choice supported on both , likeSkypeorGoogle Hangouts .
As is usually the case when you want to practice Apple hardware and non - Apple ironware together , switching to a different ecosystem of apps — whether Google , Microsoft , or something else — is the best option for get everything control in harmony . Put all your ball in the iCloud basket , and you ’re rifle to run into problem .
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