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1 month agoSupposedly the compatibility is via a Wi-Fi spec that Apple was forced to switch AirDrop to which likely means that support for the spec needs to be implemented on the actual chipset.
This is a bit out of my realm of knowledge, but that would be my assumption. Kind of like BLE when that first became a thing.

I’ve been using Google Fi for the last few Pixel phones I’ve been on. Each time I’ve switched, during setup I just get asked if I’d like to activate the phone (with a warning that my old one will be deactivated) and I click yes. It’s then active before I can even complete the phone’s OOBE setup.
Android also does apparently have a “copy to another device” function mentioned here, but they hint to what you said regarding carrier limitations applying. Though Apple’s quick eSIM transfer has a similar note as well.
Definitely seems like a “When it all lines up, it can be convenient, but when it doesn’t you’re fucked” situation.