Apple and Google aren’t exactly known for their collaboration, but they’ve been playing nicer in the past couple of years, including with Apple bringing RCS to its Messages app. Now, the iOS 26.3 beta offers an option to simplify the switch from iPhone to Android.
Apple released the first beta of iOS 26.3 on Wednesday, a few days after the company released iOS 26.2, which included more ways to customize your iPhone’s Liquid Glass design.
iOS 26.3 could now make it easy to transfer your iPhone data to an Android device. Developers and public beta testers can access this feature today.
Since this is a beta, I recommend downloading it on a device other than your primary one. This isn’t the final version of iOS 26.3, so the update may be buggy and have a short battery life, and it’s best to keep these issues on a secondary device.
Also, remember that more features may be added to your iPhone when version 26.3 is formally released. There’s no word on when Apple’s update will be available to the general public, but it’s likely to be in early 2026.
In the meantime, here’s what features developers and beta testers can try now before Apple officially releases iOS 26.3.
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Transfer from iPhone to Android
The biggest change in iOS 26.3 beta is an easy way to transfer your data from an iPhone to an Android device.
If you’ve considered switching from iPhone to Android, you may have been deterred by the transfer process. Android offers a five-step process to make this switch easy, but some of the steps include preparing your device by turning off FaceTime and Messages and connecting both devices using a cable.
With the iOS 26.3 beta, a new option allows you to connect your iPhone and Android devices.
Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone. Near the bottom of this page is an option called Transfer to Android. Tap this and follow the on-screen instructions to transfer photos, messages, apps and more to your Android device.
Transferring your iPhone data to an Android could be easier in iOS 26.3.
Notification forwarding to other devices
The first iOS 26.3 beta also introduces the ability to forward notifications to other devices, like non-Apple Watch smartwatches. If you prefer the Galaxy Watch 8 over newer Apple Watches, you can use it in conjunction with your iPhone.
You can access this by going to Settings > Notifications > Notification Forwarding.
You might be able to use other smartwatches, like the Galaxy Watch 8, with your iPhone soon.
“Notifications can be forwarded to one accessory at a time,” Apple writes in the menu’s description. “Notifications will not appear on Apple Watch while Notification Forwarding is turned on.”
Those are a few of the new features developers and public beta testers can try now with the first public beta of iOS 26.3. There will likely be more betas before the OS is released to the public, so Apple has plenty of time to refine these features and add others. Again, Apple hasn’t confirmed when it will release iOS 26.3 to the general public.
For more iOS news, here’s everything you should know about iOS 26.2, the new features that were included in iOS 26.1 and my review of iOS 26. You can also check out our iOS 26 cheat sheet.
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