AppleInsider Staff
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.
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34 Comments
I call BS on this one.
Well that certainly is interesting if true…
As the article gently hints, the only reason for doing this would be more easily to monitor how many more people switch to iOS than from it...
Which could give Apple more, not less, leverage with those carriers.
I would tend to agree that the data would be helpful. It would also show a bit of overconfidence which maybe is ok. Having a tool to convert is not going to make people switch. Anyone who has used both platforms will understand quickly why Apple has such high customer satisfaction ratings.
I can totally see Apple doing this. Sure, some people will switch but most of those probably would anyhow, just with more difficulty. This will enhance Apple's reputation for customer support, not diminish it.