Switching from iOS to Android? Apple is being forced to make that easier
If you want to leave your iPhone behind for an Android phone, Apple will soon help you pack your bags to make the move easier.
According to a new company document issued in response to the EU's Digital Markets Act, the company is working on a "user-friendly" solution to transfer data from an iPhone to a non-iPhone smartphone.
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What's the solution? We don't know yet, and Apple likely doesn't even have all the answers itself. "Apple aims to make this solution available by fall 2025," the document read. The company is also working on a solution for exporting and importing browser data into another browser on the same device. The browser data solution, Apple says, will be available later this year or early 2025.
Browsing social media comments on this change, the consensus is that moving from iOS to Android can be challenging right now, especially with password transfer and iCloud data. For the most part, people report, Google facilitates the move from Android to Apple a lot more easily, including a special "Move to iOS" app available in the Play Store.
Google does have a "Switch to Android" app for iOS, but it only moves the most important of things like contacts, photos and videos, messages, and calendars. Less critical but still valuable things are missing.
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Android is never specifically named in the document, but it's clear that's the focus when Apple mentions "different operating system."
If you haven't been following things in Europe, new EU laws recently went into effect that potentially have big implications for Apple. These new laws are aimed at all tech giants, and are designed to open doors for competition.
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While it's not clear exactly what Apple will be doing, it sounds like it will be providing tools so other developers can make data-transfer apps. The announcement document mentions that whatever solution the company develops would assist other mobile operating system providers make solutions for data transfer across different operating systems.