Game Center and Google Play are probably the most popular smartphone rivals when it comes to mobile gaming. They both work on separate OS and are totally different than each other in terms of compatibility. Game Center is Apple’s gaming hub whereas Google Play Games is for Android and is provided by Google.
However, when one switches between Android and iOS devices, they are in a very common problem which is transferring game progress between Google Play and Game Center. Sometimes, people use multiple devices for gaming and want to synchronize their game progress between Game center and Google play, which we are going to discuss here.
Let us clarify something here : When we say “Google Play” in this article, we mean Google Play Games and not Google Play Store. Okay?
So, first let us understand what Game Center and Google Play Games actually are.
Google Play Games and Game Center: What are these?
Game Center is Apple’s gaming service which is in-built and comes with iPhone, iPad and other Apple devices. Similarly, Google Play Games is the gaming service for Android users and comes with Android OS devices.
They track your gaming progress, store your achievements, and provide you with a gaming user profile that can also be used to login into most of the games. For example, if you are playing Clash of Clans, you can login using your Google Play’s account and sync your gaming progress with other device you are logged into.
| Feature | Game Center (Apple) | Google Play Games (Android) |
| Platform | iOS (iPhone, iPad, Mac) | Android (phones, tablets) |
| Achievements | Yes | Yes (experience points/XP system) |
| Leaderboards | Yes | Yes |
| Multiplayer | Yes | Yes |
| Cloud Saves | Limited (depends on developer) | Yes (depends on developer) |
How to get Game Center App for Apple devices?
If you have an Apple device and you want to download the Game Center app for Apple, you have good news. You don’t need to get Game Center app as it is already built in. You just have to find its location which is very easy.
So, if you are wondering where Game center app in your iPhone is, here is the detail about it.
To get Game Center app, do following-
- Go to Apple device’s setting.
- Search for Game Center.
- Sign in with your Apple ID.
That’s it. Very simple.
How to get Google Play Games App for Android Devices?
Just like Apple’s Game center, Google Play Games Services App is also pre-installed in your Android device. But for some reason, if you cannot find the Google Play Games App, this is what you can do-
- Go to Google Play Store.
- Search for Google Play Games.
- Check if it is already installed or not.
- If not, install it.
- Login with your Google account.
That’s easy too. So now that we have found how we can get Game center app as well as Google Play games app, let us talk about transferring gaming data between these two.
How to transfer game data from Android to iPhone?
Before we answer the question regarding transferring game progress from Game center to Google Play or Google play to game center, let us talk if inter-OS gaming progress transfer is possible or not. Now, can you connect Google Play Games to iPhone? Or can you connect Game Center to your Android device? No, You can’t.
So, You are using Android phone and have played some games to a certain level, and now you want to switch to iPhone- How do you transfer game data from Android to iPhone?
There are ways, definitely.
To transfer Game data from Android to iPhone, you can use one of the following options-
- You can save game data to your social account: Many games allow you to login using your social accounts like Facebook, twitter or Gmail. Please note that logging using Gmail is very different from login using Google Play Games account. When you login using your social account, you can save your game progress or data to that account. That way, when you login to another phone disregard of the OS, you can get your game progress transferred from Android to iPhone or iPhone to Android.
- Contact the developer of the game: Before removing data from your Android phone or iPhone when you are changing devices, contact the developer and ask them if they can manually transfer your gaming progress. They can tell you if a certain file acts as the progress database. Or sometimes, they can store your gaming progress on their server and restore if when you install game on another device. So if you want to transfer game data from Android to iPhone and you cannot find a way, do contact the game developer to see if there is an option.
Some games that provide inter-platform game progress sharing between Android and iPhone are –
- Genshin Impact
- Minecraft (Bedrock Edition)
- Brawlhalla
- Runescape / Old School Runescape
- Albion Online
We are not recommending any third party app because of security issue. However, some people use third-party game progress transfer apps too.
Why is it tough to export progress from Google play Games to iOS Game Center?
Now, there are ways for sure, to transfer game data from Google Play Games to iOS Game center, but they are not guaranteed. The reason is that it totally depends upon the game’s developer. Apple and Android do not provide any transfer service that can help you export game progress from Google Play to Game center.
Therefore, first let us understand why it is so hard for one to transfer Google Play Games to iPhone.
It’s true, as we already told in our solution to transfer game progress between Android and iPhone- Some games do provide social login options. But even among those which have the option to login using Facebook, Google Account or Twitter, many do not let you do cross-platform transfer of game progress. Some even have totally different apps and accounts for iPhone and Android phones. Here is why:
- Incompatible Frameworks: Apple Game Center and Google Play Games operate on different systems. They have unique ways of tracking achievements, leaderboards, and user data, making seamless transfers complex.
- Developer Effort: Enabling cross-platform progress syncing requires extra work from developers. They would need to integrate their games with both Game Center and Google Play Games and handle the transfer logic.
Questions like “how to transfer Google Play game data to iOS” and “can you transfer Google Play Games to iPhone?” are very common! Sadly, there’s no single solution. Game developers and platform holders like Apple and Google hold the power to make this process easier.
Some FAQs about Game Center and Google Play Games
Is it possible to transfer Google Play games to Game Center in iPhone?
No, it’s not. You cannot transfer a game from Google Play Games to Game Center. These are two different operating systems and so even though it might be same game by same developer, the two apps that you are using on iPhone and Android are totally different.
The solution is to install the game separately from Google Play Store for Android and iTunes for Apple.
Are they any official apps that help in exporting game progress from Google Play Games to iOS Game Center?
No, not from Google or Apple.
There are third party apps that promise these, but we have security concerns for them. It involves letting them access to your storage so we recommend only using official apps for these services. Since there are no apps from Google or Apple that help in exporting game progress from Google Play to Game Center, we cannot recommend you one.
Is my Google Play Games account different from Game Center Id?
Yes, they are totally different. Game center ID is the unique username you create in Apple’s game center. For iOS devices like iPhone, your game center profile is how you are publicly seen in the community. Your achievements, your place in leaderboard, taking part in challenges – this is linked to your Game Center ID on iPhone. For Android, Google Play Games profile provides you all this feature. You can store your game progress and transfer game data from one Android phone to another using your Google Play Games account.
How to sign into Game Center?
To sign in into your Game Center account, you can use these steps-
- Go to Settings in your iPhone or iPad.
- Search for Game Center and then login.
- Make sure you login using same Apple ID as your iTunes or iCloud to sync everything.
- When you are signed into the Game center account, create your Game Center ID which is a unique username for your gaming profile.
Here is a video explaining the process:
Can I install Google Play Games App on iPhone?
No, you cannot.
Is there any Apple Game Center for Android?
No, there is no app of Apple Game Center for android.
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