App Store & Purchased Apps
Apps you bought — and why you can't take them with you
The purchase problem
Paid apps are licenses, not purchases. If you leave Apple and stop using iOS entirely, you lose access to every app you've ever paid for — there is no Android equivalent to transfer to and no refund mechanism for apps you've had for years. Before leaving iOS, export any data stored in your paid apps and note which ones have cross-platform alternatives.
What it is
The App Store is Apple's only official way to install apps on iPhone and iPad. Unlike Google's Play Store, Apple prohibits sideloading on iOS entirely (with limited EU exceptions starting 2024). Every app you've downloaded from the App Store is licensed to your Apple ID, not owned by you, and only usable on Apple hardware.
What you lose
- All paid app purchases (non-transferable, Apple-platform only)
- In-app purchases tied to iOS apps
- Subscriptions managed through Apple's payment system (you'll need to cancel separately)
- Apple Arcade access
Honest assessment
Most apps have Android equivalents. The App Store is not a significant lock-in for most users because the apps they actually use daily (email, messaging, maps, browser, productivity) all have Android versions. The exception is specialty paid apps, especially creative tools (Procreate, LumaFusion, Darkroom) that are iOS-only and have no equivalent on Android. Audit your paid apps before deciding to leave.
Audit your purchases first
['Open App Store → your profile → Purchased → not on this iPhone', 'Note any paid apps you actually use regularly', 'Check if Android equivalents exist for each', 'For iOS-only apps with no Android equivalent, this may be a genuine reason to stay in the Apple ecosystem — at least for now']
Cross-platform alternatives exist for most apps
The following categories of apps have strong cross-platform alternatives: email (Proton Mail, Fastmail), messaging (Signal, WhatsApp, Telegram), notes (Standard Notes, Obsidian, Notion), password manager (Bitwarden), browser (Firefox, Brave, Chrome), productivity (Microsoft Office, Google Docs), music (Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube Music), podcasts (Pocket Casts, Overcast has no Android version), navigation (OsmAnd, HERE WeGo, Google Maps)
⚠️ Cancel subscriptions before leaving
Subscriptions you pay for through Apple's in-app purchase system (Netflix, Spotify, Duolingo, etc.) must be canceled through Apple, not through the app itself. If you leave iPhone without canceling, you'll continue being charged. Cancel at Settings → [your name] → Subscriptions before switching.
Migration steps
- Open Settings → [your name] → Subscriptions and cancel any you want to end
- Audit paid apps (App Store → profile → Purchased) and note iOS-only tools you'd lose
- Export data from any iOS-only apps before leaving (photos, documents, exports)
- For Android, set up a Google account or GrapheneOS to access the Play Store
- Re-download free apps from the Play Store on Android — paid apps will need to be repurchased
- Cancel Apple Arcade if subscribed (Settings → [your name] → Subscriptions)