Windows Mobile users switch to Android. It might hurt a little, but if youre a Windows 1. Mobile user thinking of jumping ship to Android, were here to help. One of Androids most redeeming features is how open it is. Youre forced to have some Google involvement. But the truth is, you can make the switch and still be all about Microsoft if you want to. After all, why should you give up the services you love just because you change phone platforms The sad truth is Windows 1. Mobile just isnt competing right now, and its future is unclear. Of course, wed much prefer the opposite situation, but cold hard facts are impossible to ignore. If youre looking elsewhere and Android is where youre headed the new Pixel 2 looks very interesting, we have some tips to make the transition as painless as possible. Sign up for a Google account first. The only absolute Google necessity you need on an Android phone is a Google Account. Without one, you cant sign in to the phone or download apps. So if you dont already have a Google Account, get one. Its easier to do on your PC than on a phone, so its a good idea to do it in advance. Youre not required to have a credit card on file to download apps or content from the Google Play Store, so you can literally just sign up for an account and use it to log into your phone. You dont even have to use the Gmail app or any other forward facing Google services. If you want to buy apps without using a credit card, youll need to pick up Google Play vouchers from a retailer and redeem the codes. Sign up for a Google Account. Microsoft it all up. If youre going to be keeping all your Microsoft services and accounts intact why wouldnt you, youll be happy to know Android is your friend. Whether you just want to use Outlook, Office or Skype, or go nuts and install Microsofts own Android launcher and lockscreen, theres a ton of Microsoft apps in the Play Store. And theyre mostly pretty darn good. You wont have to cancel Groove. You can still get the Xbox app. And your Outlook mail and calendars are safe. Better yet, Microsoft has a single app to help you find and download all of its other apps. Download Microsoft Apps from the Google Play Store. Move your contacts to Google. While you may want to limit your Google involvement, if youre moving to an Android phone its a good idea to sync your contacts to your Google Account. Cancer is the worst. And, maybe thanks to Movember and pink consumer goods, were all extremely aware. Too aware. Because weve gotten it drilled into our heads. Issuu is a digital publishing platform that makes it simple to publish magazines, catalogs, newspapers, books, and more online. Easily share your publications and get. 2 Timothy 21 You therefore my son be s trong in by means of the grace that is in Christ Jesus. NASB Lockman Greek Su oun, teknon mou, endunamou en te chariti. That way, its all easier to manage, and if you ever need to go back to Windows or over to an i. Phone, itll be simple to work with them. The easiest way to do this is to go into Outlook on the web and export your entire contacts database as a CSV file. Heres how Log in to Outlook. Navigate to People. Click the manage dropdown. Select export contacts. Click export. All your Outlook contacts will be saved in a single file that you can import to your Google Account. This is another good reason to setup your Google Account before you get your new phone, because youll be able to just sign in and your contacts will be there. Importing them into your Google Account is pretty straightforward. Go to contacts. google. Sign in with your Google Account. Click more. Click import and choose the CSV file you saved above. Any new contacts you add to your Android phone can be synced with all of your existing contacts in one place on your Google Account. So even if youre not using Gmail, its worth doing. Use Cortana. Cortana cant do quite as much on Android as on Windows, but its still pretty useful for more than just replacing the Google Assistant. On Android, you can use Cortana to sync notifications to your PC, which is handy to have on any platform. But because youre signed in with your Microsoft Account anyway, everything you already set up from Windows will be there, too. We also happen to think that Cortana has a better personality than Google Assistant and a better nameDownload Cortana from the Google Play Store. Install the Windows Central Android appAll the folks at Windows Central still love you even if youre going over to using an Android phone. Windows Central is committed to providing all the Microsoft content you want, and weve got an app in the Google Play Store so you can keep tabs from your new phone. The experience is a little different, but the great content is the same. Youll also want to keep checking out our sibling site Android Central and its Android app. Then youll always have the best of both worlds. Download the Windows Central app for Android from the Google Play Store. Your tips. These are some basic tips to help get started on an easy, Microsoft filled life on Android. If you recently made the switch, help out your fellow readers by sharing your own tips and tricks in the comments below.