Switching from one platform to another is never easy, but in some cases it can be harder than it needs to be. But in response to the EU DMA, Apple confirmed that it is working on a “user-friendly” way to transfer data from an iPhone to an Android device.
As part of Apple’s “Unconfidential Summary” of the DMA Compliance Report, the company talks about the changes that will be made to iOS to comply with the EU’s Digital Markets Act. One of those efforts, Apple explains in the document, is to improve portability of user data between iOS and “different operating systems.”
Apple says it is currently “developing a solution” to more easily transfer user data from an iPhone to a “non-Apple phone,” that is, an Android phone.
Apple plans to make additional changes to its user data portability offering. Third parties offer migration solutions that help users transfer data between devices with different operating systems. To build on these options, Apple is developing a solution that helps mobile operating system providers develop custom solutions for transferring data from an iPhone to a non-Apple phone. Apple intends to make this solution available by the fall of 2025
The solution, which he noticed first The Verge, is reportedly slated to launch around the fall of 2025, but it’s unclear exactly how it will work. From Apple’s description, it sounds like Apple is simply providing tools for others, possibly including Google, to build their own data transfer apps.
As it stands today, Apple currently has a “Move to iPhone” app on Android that helps users transfer their data from an Android device to an iPhone. Meanwhile, Google recently revamped the way users can transfer their data from an iPhone to an Android phone using “Switch to Android.” That app, however, is quite limited by iOS and can’t transfer data like text messages, wallpapers, and chat history unless you’re using a cable, and even then it can’t transfer data including eSIM, files, passwords, or bookmarks from Safari browsing. If our understanding of Apple’s plans is correct, it sounds like Apple would give Google better access ways to transfer data using “Switch to Android,” but there’s no confirmation of that yet.
However, given Apple’s aggressive actions around DMA, it seems safe to assume that this proposed tool could very likely only be available in the EU.
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