Master the use of key Apple apps and features on Android devices
Thanks to the power of theIMAPyou can retrieve your Apple iCloud emails via the Gmail app on Android: Navigate to the email tab, tap on your profile picture in the top right, then click Add another account and follow the instructions. Emails from different accounts are kept separate, with individual notification settings. You can switch between accounts by tapping your profile picture again.
Unfortunately, the process isn’t as straightforward for contacts and calendar data: If you move away from Apple devices, you can transfer that information to Google, but you can’t set up a two-way sync, unlike email.
Gmail on Android supports multiple accounts, including Apple’s. However, accessing iCloud contacts and calendars directly on Android via the web browser is not an option (see below for more on this), as the Contacts and Calendar components of the iCloud web portal are unavailable when using a mobile browser.
Gmail for Android can handle multiple accounts — including Apple’s. Credit: LifehackerThere are several apps on the Google Play Store that can help you transfer your Apple contacts and calendars to Android. However, these apps aren’t the most reliable, and you’ll have to trust your Apple IDs to a third party. First-party apps from Apple would be ideal, but they may take some time to be released.
Gmail for Android can handle multiple accounts—including Apple ones.Credit: Lifehacker
iCloud Files, Photos, and Videos
Since there is no official iCloud app for Android, accessing files in your iCloud Drive or Apple Photos apps on an Android device is not straightforward. The less-than-ideal option is to sign in to iCloud on the web in your favorite Android browser and access apps like iCloud Drive, Photos, Mail, Notes, Find My, and Reminders (but not Contacts or Calendar).
Using iCloud through a mobile browser isn’t as bad as you might think, but it’s not as good as having a native mobile app. Almost everything you can do with iCloud on a desktop web browser also works on Android, including viewing and downloading photos and videos. Editing features aren’t available, though.
When it comes to iCloud Drive, files can be viewed, shared, deleted, moved, duplicated, and renamed with just a few taps on the screen. You can even upload files to iCloud Drive and the Photos apps, but there’s no way to sync images and videos taken on your Android device directly to iCloud.
iCloud web apps are available from Android. Credit: Lifehacker Additional features like Hide My Email and HomeKit Secure Video are available, and the Find My app lets you see Apple devices on a map (potentially useful if you’ve lost access to your device, but still have access to an Android device).
Broadcasting and Entertainment
Some iCloud web apps are accessible from Android.Credit: Lifehacker
Getting Apple Music on Android devices is a snap: Install Apple Music for Android, one of the few mobile apps developed by Apple for the Google platform, and you’re good to go. Apple Music for Android may not be as polished as its iOS counterpart, but it gets the job done.
Unfortunately, there is still no Apple TV app for Android phones or tablets. If you want to stream Apple TV+ and all the content you’ve purchased from Apple’s entertainment library on an Android device, you’ll need to sign in to Apple TV on the web in your Android browser and use your Apple ID.
Casting through the Android browser is functional, but it’s not the smoothest experience. You can cast whatever content you want to watch directly in your browser, and switch to full-screen mode if necessary. Your viewing progress is synced across all devices, so you can start watching something on your Mac and then finish it on an Android smartphone if necessary.
Apple TV works fine in an Android browser.Credit: LifehackerWeb access is also the way to go for Apple Podcasts: Open the Apple Podcasts web portal and continue listening from where you left off, see new episodes, subscribe to new podcasts and more. A web player for Apple Music is also available and can be accessed from Android devices if you don’t want to install the app.
While some Apple apps and services can be accessed on Android devices via web browsers, using Apple Music on Android devices is made easier with the dedicated Apple Music for Android app. This allows users to enjoy their music library without having to rely solely on web access.
