Switching from iOS to Android is much easier if you’re already familiar with the Android experience, but it’s hard to go with an Android device before you buy – especially these days. Fortunately, Samsung New Zealand recently created iTest, a tiny web application for the iPhone that includes everything curious iOS users might want in an Android test drive.
iTest simulates the Galaxy phone experience right on the iPhone. You can play with the home screen, browse the Galaxy Store, and even check out a few apps. You can even interact with simulated phone calls and text messages to see how it works on Galaxy phones.
Of course, the iTest experience is not the same as using a real Galaxy phone. iTest can’t recreate a Galaxy phone’s camera, the settings app is truncated, and you’ll lose some gesture controls. However, there are enough options available to get a picture of how the menu of a Samsung Galaxy looks and works. iTest also includes numerous tutorials to help you find your way around a Galaxy phone and Android settings, even for features that aren’t available in the web app.
How to use iTest on iPhone
- Open ITest home page.
- Scan the QR code with the iPhone camera app.
- Touch the link when it appears, then follow the on-screen instructions.
- Once iTest is installed, tap the icon on the app screen to open it.
- A virtual home screen of your Galaxy phone will appear, with applications and settings to play with.
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iTest is a good introduction to Samsung phones, but it’s worth noting that it’s not representative of the Android-enabled experience all Android phones.
Every Android OEM offers a slightly different flavor to Android – using a Samsung phone is different from using a Pixel phone, both differ from OnePlus phones, for example. Available applications, features, and settings may vary depending on the company that makes your Android phone and what version of Android it supports.
That being said, there are enough similarities between brands for iTest to give you at least an idea of what Android devices in general can do.
Out of curiosity, we tried to install the iTest app on a Pixel phone to see if it allows us to test the Galaxy at home on a device that is not Samsung, but all it does is open a link to the Samsung online store. Instead, you can recreate (for the most part) the Pixel experience on non-Pixel phones. And for Android users who want to jump on iOS, Apple’s official guide is a good place to start.