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

AppleInsider

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.

dugbug

I call BS on this one.

cornchip

Well that certainly is interesting if true…

boredumb

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.

techprod1gy

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.

plovell

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.

linkman

techprod1gy said:

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 recently had a co-worker get his iPhone stolen and he went cheap on the replacement with an Android phone. 4 days later he bought a replacement iPhone.

douglas bailey

If European carriers want this they should ask Apple's competitors to make it. Normally you don't trust a company to do a good job of making it easier for people to go to the competition. Unless they are all acknowledging that only Apple can do a good job of this? It certainly doesn't look like a vote of confidence for Android. I agree that it would make Apple look quite cocky.

asdasd

AT&T have this in the US. 

gatorguy

plovell said:

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.

IMHO this is not simply because carriers would like the option to be available but instead to get out ahead of an EU antitrust investigation concerning contracts between EU carriers and Apple.

robin huber

Why would Apple do this? Boo-hoo for European carriers. What, they're gonna stop selling iPhones if they don't get their way? 

mac_dog

apple will do it they'll be slapped with another bullshit lawsuit.

lkrupp

robin huber said:

Why would Apple do this? Boo-hoo for European carriers. What, they're gonna stop selling iPhones if they don't get their way? 

Articles I have read about this elsewhere bring up the thought of European Union concerns about competition. They have already mandated the USB charging port standard so it is logical to assume they want users to be able to move from one platform to another with as little hassle as possible. It wouldn’t surprise me to see those idiots mandate the 3.5mm headphone jack. They’d even try forcing all apps to be cross-platform if they had their way. All in the name of consumer protection of course. 

tele1234

robin huber said:

Why would Apple do this? Boo-hoo for European carriers. What, they're gonna stop selling iPhones if they don't get their way? 

European consumer protection laws would cause just that, yes. Neither Apple nor the phone suppliers want this, and Apple isn't going to go in a hissy fit and whine on the internet about it. They want to make money, they'll comply with law.

coolfactor

maciekskontakt said:

How about fixing that SMS delivery issue first? You know telecommunication network is identified by phone number - not "random objects" in iCloud (cause of misdelivery to wrong devices or non-existent devices).

Why peed in your corn flakes this morning? Isn't this a dead issue or does it still exist? Isn't it easy to unregister a phone number from iCloud now? I would blame this problem more on the archaic telecommunications industry than on iCloud. The iCloud network should be able to interrogate which device a phone number is associated with, but clearly that's not possible.

alrui

Isnt this bass ackwards? Why help people leave you OS?

coolfactor

douglas bailey said:

If European carriers want this they should ask Apple's competitors to make it. Normally you don't trust a company to do a good job of making it easier for people to go to the competition. Unless they are all acknowledging that only Apple can do a good job of this? It certainly doesn't look like a vote of confidence for Android. I agree that it would make Apple look quite cocky.

I think this is a great move by Apple. It shows their confidence. They know that they are going to continue to get more and more customers, because they have a better product. And if they show that there is an easy way to switch away from an iPhone, then that lowers the barrier even further for buying an iPhone. Good all around.

singularity

dugbug said:

I call BS on this one.

I agree

singularity

tele1234 said:

robin huber said:

Why would Apple do this? Boo-hoo for European carriers. What, they're gonna stop selling iPhones if they don't get their way? 

European consumer protection laws would cause just that, yes. Neither Apple nor the phone suppliers want this, and Apple isn't going to go in a hissy fit and whine on the internet about it. They want to make money, they'll comply with law.

Well eventually after passing off a judge and being threatened with contempt of court. But untill it's released I think I'd rather believe in something more likely like sog banning himself.

sdw2001

Unless Apple sees this as an advantage, they should tell the Europeans to eat it.  

boltsfan17

maciekskontakt said:

Honestly, nobody knows how to make self-driving cars. Only arrogant ignorant can tell you could develope that technology. It will not work in extreme situations as it cannot predict mulltidimensional problem. Technique of driving (and I am performance instructor) requires predictive decisions like on chess board that includes instincts and local cultural behaviors. That cannot be computed at all. the only way to make self-driving car is to replace all human driven cars with them and simplify rules of traffic. If this was possible then tell me why we do not have commercial aircrafts to apply this technology fully and stop having pilots onboard? Also self-driving is completely differnt dimennsion than electric and I see some jerks confusing this. In fact you could make self-driving combustioon engine cars the same as elecrtric - nothing has to do with other.

I have no idea what I just read. Huh?