I switched from Android to iPhone after 12 years. Here's what I learned

It was quite a shock. ANYRON COPEMAN reports

- ANYRON COPEMAN

When I say I review phones for a living, what I really mean is that I review Android phones for a living.

That shouldn't come as a massive surprise: have you seen how many new Android handsets come out every year?

That's not to say iPhones aren't important here at Tech Advisor - quite the opposite. But with a maximum of five new handsets a year, my chances of reviewing one as a junior member of the team were slim. That all changed when I became Mobile Editor last year. Suddenly, it became a priority for me to see what was going on in the mysterious world of Apple smartphones. So that's what I did.

But after putting my SIM card into the iPhone 16 Pro - the first iPhone I'd used as my main handset since the iPhone 5 in 2012 - I was unprepared for just how different it'd be. During my two weeks with the device, I learned a lot about Apple and its approach to phone hardware and software. If you're an Android loyalist and considering the switch, you'll also want to be aware of these eight things.

WHATSAPP WOES

Of all the apps and data I wanted to move between Android and iOS, WhatsApp caused the most headaches.

I'm already used to the hassle of backing up my chats on one phone, then re-registering and restoring them on another. But while Android uses Google Drive for backups, the iPhone relies on iCloud.

Until 2022, there was no easy way to move your chat history. That has since changed, but it still relies on you using the Move to iOS app and transferring it as soon as you set up your new iPhone. If you forget, you'll have to reset the device and start again.

Luckily, there's an alternative that was perfect for my temporary switch. I simply added the iPhone 16 Pro as a 'Linked device' (you can add up to four), which allowed me to keep my Android phone as the main device.