The iPhone and other iOS devices are native to the iMac operating system, but iCloud technology makes it easy to sync an Android mobile device with your Mac. To set up syncing, you first need to have an active Google account and access to the Google Play store for downloading a couple of needed Android apps. The rest of these steps detail how to sync your contacts, calendar reminders, music and other media with Android.
<strong>Syncing Contacts and Calendars</strong>
To ensure syncing is enabled, navigate to Settings –> Accounts –> Google on your Android and tap your Google email address. You should see a checkbox named “Sync Contacts,” which needs to be checked first. Next you need to navigate to “Synchronize to Google” option in your iMac calendar and check this checkbox before clicking “Accept.”
<strong>Using iTunes for Android</strong>
Since iTunes isn’t a native program for Android, you’ll need a workaround to sync your music files, podcasts and videos to your Android device from your iMac. The easiest method is to download and install an app called DoubleTwist, which can scan your iTunes media and allow you to select which files you want to send to your Android. You can opt to sync with a USB cable as long as you have a USB-enabled Android, or else you can sync wirelessly with an additional Android app called AirSync. Both of these apps don’t have automatic importing features, but they do let you manually select what you want to sync to your Android device.
<strong>Sharing and Transferring Files</strong>
Dropbox is by far the simplest and most popular option for syncing documents and similar files from your iMac to your Android device. Signing up for a basic Dropbox account is free, and you can opt for a paid plan if you need additional storage space. Once you’ve signed up, download the free Android app and enter your login information. Any files you drag into your Dropbox account from your iMac will automatically sync to your Android device.
The most streamlined way to keep your media synced between Android and iMac is to use Google’s native email, file storage and similar programs. By navigating to your account under your Android settings and tapping your email address, you’ll be able to see all of your updated messages and calendar events on your Android device without the need for any extra steps.