Moving from iOS to Android is much easier if you’re already familiar with the Android experience, but working hands-on with an Android device before you buy it is difficult, especially these days. Fortunately, Samsung New Zealand recently created iTest, a small web app for iPhone that includes everything curious iOS users could want in an Android test drive.
iTest simulates the Galaxy phone experience directly on your iPhone. You can play with the home screen, browse the Galaxy Store, and even check out a few apps. You can even interact with fake phone calls and text messages to see how they work on Galaxy phones.
The iTest experience is, of course, not identical to using a real Galaxy phone. iTest can’t recreate a Galaxy phone’s camera, the settings app has been cut off, and you’re missing a few gesture controls. However, there are plenty of options to get an idea of how a Samsung Galaxy’s menu looks and works. iTest also includes plenty of tutorials to help you navigate a Galaxy phone and Android’s settings, even for features not available in the web app.
How to use iTest on iPhone
- Open the iTest web page
- Scan the QR with your iPhone’s camera app.
- Tap the link when it appears and follow the onscreen instructions.
- Once iTest is installed, tap on your app screen icon to open it.
- A virtual Galaxy phone home screen will appear with apps and settings to play with.
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iTest is a good introduction to Samsung’s phones, but it’s worth pointing out that it’s not representative of the Android experience on all Android phones.
Each Android OEM offers a slightly different flavor of Android: using a Samsung phone is different from using a Pixel phone, both of which are different from, say, OnePlus phones. Available apps, features and settings may vary depending on the company that makes your Android phone and which version of Android it supports.
That said, there are plenty of similarities between brands that iTest can at least give you an idea of what Android devices can do in general.
Out of curiosity, we tried installing the iTest app on a Pixel phone to see if we could test the Galaxy Home with it screen on a non-Samsung device, but all it does is open a link to Samsung’s online store. Conversely, you can recreate (most) Pixel phone experience on non-Pixel phonesAnd for Android users who want to switch to iOS, Apple’s Official Guide is a good place to start.