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Apple working on iOS-to-Android migration tool - report

Apple is reportedly in the process of developing on a new software application that would make it easier for iOS users to make the move to Android, transferring personal data more quickly from Apple's operating system to Google's.

Data made available for migration with the application could include contacts, music, and photos, according to The Telegraph. There is no word on when such a tool would be made available, if at all.

Apple is said to have taken on the project at the behest of European wireless carriers. Those companies worry that the difficulty of moving from iOS to Android may prevent users from considering alternative devices, strengthening Apple's negotiating position.

Apple has long boasted that many more users switch from Android to iOS than in the other direction. In the fourth quarter of 2015, nearly one-third of consumers who bought a new iPhone to replace an older smartphone came from Android.

To help that process along, Apple last summer released a "Move to iOS" application on the Google Play Store. The application can transfer contacts, message history, photos and video, Web bookmarks, mail accounts, calendars, DRM-free media, and wallpapers automatically from an Android device to a new iOS device.