I switched to Android and kept my Mac: the setup, in order

The Mac keeps working. What changes is that it stops cooperating with your phone, so the first week is a series of small drops: no texts, no copied text, no photo handoff. The setup below fixes them in the order they annoy you. Start with the free ones, which cover texts and files. Add a paid app only for what is left. The full feature-by-feature list is in switching from iPhone to Android and keeping your Mac. This page is the order of work.

Publisher note: The Relay publishes this guide and is one of the products discussed. Details about other products come from each maker's own pages, checked on 26 October 2026. Prices and features change, so confirm before you buy.

Day one: stop losing your texts

Apple's page on deregistering iMessage says that if you switched to a non-Apple phone and are not getting RCS or SMS/MMS messages, "you might need to deregister iMessage". If you still have the iPhone, put the SIM back in it, turn off iMessage and FaceTime in Settings, then move the SIM. If you do not, Apple has an online deregistration page.

The same page explains why the Mac may still ping: iMessages sent to your Apple Account still arrive on your other Apple devices, while texts sent to your phone number arrive only on the phone. So the Mac will show some old threads and miss new ones. That is expected.

Day one: texts on the Mac

Google Messages for web puts your conversations in a browser on the Mac and sends SMS from it. Pair it from Google Messages on the phone, under Device Pairing. Google lists the browsers it supports as Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Microsoft Edge. See Android messages on a Mac.

Week one: files

The free route depends on your phone. Google's Quick Share help lists phones that can send to a Mac through AirDrop, and says to use the QR code route on others. The Mac needs AirDrop set to "Everyone for 10 minutes". On other phones, NearDrop is a free Mac app for Quick Share, and its page says both devices must be on the same network. See AirDrop from Android to a Mac.

Week one: copying across

Apple's Universal Clipboard page requires the same Apple Account, so it is closed to the phone. KDE Connect shares text, with a tap on the phone to send. The Relay does text, images, and links both ways. More in Universal Clipboard for Android.

Week two: the things you did not know you used

Do a one-week log. Each time you reach for the phone beside the Mac, write why. The common answers are below.

What stays gone?

Some Apple features have no replacement. Apple's iPhone Mirroring page says it needs an iPhone, so the nearest thing is scrcpy, a free screen-mirroring tool (see iPhone Mirroring for Android). Handoff between apps is closed. Check what a Mac is like without an iPhone for the honest list.

Where does The Relay fit?

It fits after week two, once your log shows the same few reasons for picking up the phone: codes, calls, notifications, copied text. It does not bring back iMessage or AirDrop compatibility, it does not mirror the screen, it does not send texts from the Mac, and it has no USB mode. It needs Android 8.0 or later and macOS 13 Ventura or later. The Relay is one subscription through Google Play that covers your phone and your Mac, with a 7-day free trial at /download.

Questions people ask

Do I need to do anything to my Mac when I switch?

Deregistering iMessage is done on the iPhone or online, not on the Mac. After that, check that texts reach the phone.

Will my iMessage history disappear from the Mac?

We found nothing on the Apple pages we opened that says it will. Existing threads stay as they are, and new texts go to the phone.

Is it worth keeping the Mac?

Opinion: yes, if the Mac suits your work. The things lost are conveniences that free tools and apps can mostly cover.