Report: Apple developing app for easy data migration to Android (Update: Apple says no)
Apple already has an Android data migration app for phone switchers moving to iPhones. Now it appears the company may be working on one that helps iPhone owners easily switch to Android.
According to The Telegraph, Apple has quietly agreed to do just that due to increased pressure from EU telecom providers. The telcos are reportedly concerned that consumers face too many barriers if they want to switch from iOS to Android, providing Apple with too much industry clout in the region.
"The operators fear that the lack of switching weakens their hand in commercial negotiations with Apple, which holds the mobile industry's strongest card in the iPhone. Its popularity among more affluent consumers means operators are dependent on supplies for most of their profits."
If Apple were to provide a data migration app for new Android buyers, it would signal yet another change in the company's strategy, mainly because Apple typically isn't a company that makes it easier for customers to leave its ecosystem.
There's no iTunes Store for Android users, for example, so any apps and media purchased through Apple doesn't come with you if you move from iOS to Android. Apple's effort to bring Apple Music to Android might not have happened if the service didn't already have its roots in Beats Music which was available on Android at time of launch.
As a result, any such iOS-to-Android app would likely support user data such as contacts, saved messages, documents, photos, possibly music, and other basic but important customer data.
I also wouldn't assume that a data migration app from Apple would be made available in the U.S. where Apple has a high percentage of overall mobile users. Indeed, Apple says it sees a growing number of Android to iOS switchers, indicating that people here aren't necessarily having issues moving their data from one platform to another.
As a result, I think the only way such an app would likely be launched in Apple's home country was if regulators became involved and it was proven that the switching barrier between iOS and Android hindered sales by a measurable amount. Good luck with that.
Update: An Apple spokesperson tells BuzzFeed, "There is no truth to this rumor."