Apple denies plans to build iOS-to-Android migration tool

Posted:
in iPhone
Apple is not, in fact, working on a migration tool to help iPhone owners switch to Android, a spokesperson said on Monday, in a rare instance of the company commenting on rumors.




"There is no truth to this rumor," Trudy Muller explained to BuzzFeed News. "We are entirely focused on switching users from Android to iPhone, and that is going great."

The proposed tool would have carried over content like contacts, music, and photos.

The idea of Apple helping people migrate away from its products might seem paradoxical, but The Telegraph reported that this was being done at the behest of European phone carriers concerned that Apple's platform lock-in was preventing people from considering other devices. While many of Google's services can be easily accessed from an iPhone -- Apple already has an Android-to-iOS tool -- it can be harder to port settings and content in the opposite direction.

Another example of platform lock-in has been iMessage. By default iMessage links a user's phone number with their Apple ID, preferring the latter instead of sending via SMS. This can create a problem if a person switches to Android though, since messages from other iPhone owners will still go to the Apple ID instead of the number.

Apple was hit with ultimately doomed legal action over the problem. Eventually it decided to warn people to turn off iMessage before switching, and offer a web tool for delinking iMessage accounts.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 33
    calicali Posts: 3,494member
    GOOD. Sounded like a terrible idea.

    Was funny watching the Applelogists explain how it could be a good idea for Apple. hahaha
    ericthehalfbeestevie
  • Reply 2 of 33
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,712member
    Well I am shocked.  /s


    I assume the writer got this backwards?
  • Reply 3 of 33
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,712member

    sog35 said:
    WTF.

    So Apple can respond to some silly ass rumor about an Android App, yet they can't respond to supply chain rumors that caused the stock to lose over $200 billion in value?

    I just don't understand Tim Cook sometimes.
    So you have said about 8,653 times ;)
    magman1979netmagechiasingularitysockrolidboriscletosuddenly newtonflaneurlord amhranbestkeptsecret
  • Reply 4 of 33
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    sog35 said:
    WTF.

    So Apple can respond to some silly ass rumor about an Android App, yet they can't respond to supply chain rumors that caused the stock to lose over $200 billion in value?

    I just don't understand Tim Cook sometimes.
    No, you don’t understand SEC rules governing what a corporation can and cannot say and when they can or can’t say it in the time leading up to a financial report. Analysts and bloggers can say whatever they want to about a company whenever they want to. CEOs cannot make any untruthful or misleading statements as they would be criminally liable. An analyst can say the sky is orange and Apple is bankrupt if they want to with no risk other than their reputation. 
    edited January 2016 netmagechiasockrolidsuddenly newtonbestkeptsecretiosenthusiastthebmtjackansi
  • Reply 5 of 33
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,090member
    sog35 said:
    WTF.

    So Apple can respond to some silly ass rumor about an Android App, yet they can't respond to supply chain rumors that caused the stock to lose over $200 billion in value?

    I just don't understand Tim Cook sometimes.
    Oh Yeah?? What I don't understand is some whiner breaking his promise of self-banning himself for losing a bet, and pretend it never happened.

    Enough with the rhetoric Sog.  You've beaten that dead horse long enough. 

    Is not keeping your word something you do on a regular basis?
    edited January 2016 magman1979netmagechialord amhranbestkeptsecretthebmtmac fan
  • Reply 6 of 33
    jfc1138jfc1138 Posts: 3,090member
    sog35 said:
    WTF.

    So Apple can respond to some silly ass rumor about an Android App, yet they can't respond to supply chain rumors that caused the stock to lose over $200 billion in value?

    I just don't understand Tim Cook sometimes.
    Just doesn't have much sympathy for the "Buy High and bail low" crowd?

    Maybe.
    singularitysockrolid
  • Reply 7 of 33
    thomprthompr Posts: 1,521member
    sog35 said:
    WTF.

    So Apple can respond to some silly ass rumor about an Android App, yet they can't respond to supply chain rumors that caused the stock to lose over $200 billion in value?

    I just don't understand Tim Cook sometimes.
    Apple is trying to manage their business and how it is perceived by customers.  Ms. Muller's statement goes to customer expectations.  Apple is not trying to manage the stock market, which is what you want them to do and is about as effective as herding cats.

    You never will understand Tim Cook unless you understand this:  (1) he doesn't believe that persistently repeating himself (for example, regarding supply chain tea-leaf reading or China's economy bringing Apple down) will have enough staying power to live past the next FUD storm anyway, and (2) he fervently believes that in the long run, the best talking is done by the numbers.  Everything else is just short term share price swings, large though they may be, and real investors can handle that. 
    edited January 2016 chiaflaneurbestkeptsecretgregoriusmiosenthusiast
  • Reply 8 of 33
    thomprthompr Posts: 1,521member
    sflocal said:
    sog35 said:
    WTF.

    So Apple can respond to some silly ass rumor about an Android App, yet they can't respond to supply chain rumors that caused the stock to lose over $200 billion in value?

    I just don't understand Tim Cook sometimes.
    Oh Yeah?? What I don't understand is some whiner breaking his promise of self-banning himself for losing a bet, and pretend it never happened.

    Enough with the rhetoric Sog.  You've beaten that dead horse long enough. 

    Is not keeping your word something you do on a regular basis?
    Sog has never shown any intellectual integrity on this board.  We shouldn't expect that to change.

    It seems that Sog's position now is basically that Tim Cook lost his bet for him, so the bet should be forgotten along with the penalty.  Sog was right and Tim Cook and the rest of us are wrong.
    singularityradarthekatbestkeptsecretmac fan
  • Reply 9 of 33
    sockrolidsockrolid Posts: 2,789member
    Apple is not, in fact, working on a migration tool to help iPhone owners switch to Android, a spokesperson said on Monday
    Surprise!
  • Reply 10 of 33
    wood1208wood1208 Posts: 2,904member
    Earlier rumor is now DEAD so no value to dissect it.
  • Reply 11 of 33
    maestro64maestro64 Posts: 5,043member

    I think the same SMS issue exist going from Android to Iphone, I pretty sure your text message do not transfer over. Also saved game states or status or apps files which are stored locally do not come across. All that come over is contact and pictures. I am not even sure Music would come over since there is no way for Apple to know if it is legally licensed to the user or which online store it was bought from or if you ripped it from your own CD. Apple could be accused of helping people pirating.

    It is not all that easy for Android users to switch between phones either, and gets harder with different software version and across manufacturers. If this was going to be forced onto Apple it would have to be forced on to everyone.

    This was my largest complaint about Android, even time I got a new phone for work it was a two week process of getting the new phone to look as act like the old one. Contact and Calendar items switch over quickly since they were synced with Outlook and gmail at the time, but everything else was a pain. With Apple new phone, hooked to the computer and 20 minutes later the new phone was exactly like the old phone, no trying to figure out what if anything was missing. Apple has been this way since day one. I understand the latest Android makes this a little better but is still requires you backup to the google servers to get some of the data moved over.

    At least with Apple you can save most everything to your computer and put it on a new phone even Android phone there are mac apps to back up and sync Android phones on the mac, it is not pretty, but I have used them.

  • Reply 12 of 33
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,090member
    thompr said:
    sflocal said:
    Oh Yeah?? What I don't understand is some whiner breaking his promise of self-banning himself for losing a bet, and pretend it never happened.

    Enough with the rhetoric Sog.  You've beaten that dead horse long enough. 

    Is not keeping your word something you do on a regular basis?
    Sog has never shown any intellectual integrity on this board.  We shouldn't expect that to change.

    It seems that Sog's position now is basically that Tim Cook lost his bet for him, so the bet should be forgotten along with the penalty.  Sog was right and Tim Cook and the rest of us are wrong.

    Sog was tolerable, and actually had interesting opinions  before he realized his $150/share bet was tanking.  I actually didn't mind.  He offered good debate on a variety of subject.

    Nowadays... Sog is becoming an irritant in the same company as prior jerks like Benjamin Frost and Brlawyer were before they were given the boot.  They didn't know when to give up, and Sog is going right down the same direction.

    He's just a bitter guy and can't accept he bet wrong.
    singularitymac fan
  • Reply 13 of 33
    This is awful news. How the heck will I be able to switch to one of the 30 different versions of Android? 
  • Reply 14 of 33
    steviestevie Posts: 956member
    The only reason people buy Android phones is because they cannot afford an iPhone.  And haters too.
    williamlondon
  • Reply 15 of 33
    He should go back to posting using his sog puppet account. That'll totally convince people to listen to his anti-Tim Cook ranting.
  • Reply 16 of 33
    Why doesn't Google or Samsung just build the app & upload it to the App Store? How would that be any different from what Apple has done?
  • Reply 17 of 33
    dipdog3 said:
    Why doesn't Google or Samsung just build the app & upload it to the App Store? How would that be any different from what Apple has done?
    Some where conflating this rumor with supposed EU action against Apple. That struck me as fishy because Apple would fight any anticompetitive measures that were punitive in nature, especially where Apple hadn't admitted wrongdoing, and acquiescencing could be interpreted as admitting guilt. It is certainly not remedial in nature.
    edited January 2016
  • Reply 18 of 33
    asdasdasdasd Posts: 5,686member
    dipdog3 said:
    Why doesn't Google or Samsung just build the app & upload it to the App Store? How would that be any different from what Apple has done?
    Some where conflating this rumor with supposed EU action against Apple. That struck me as fishy because Apple would fight any anticompetitive measures that were punitive in nature, especially where Apple hadn't admitted wrongdoing, and acquiescencing could be interpreted as admitting guilt. It is certainly not remedial in nature.
    You didn't sound too disbelieving in the other thread
  • Reply 19 of 33
    asdasdasdasd Posts: 5,686member
    dipdog3 said:
    Why doesn't Google or Samsung just build the app & upload it to the App Store? How would that be any different from what Apple has done?
    Some carriers have these kind of apps already. 
  • Reply 20 of 33
    sog35 said:

    WTF. So Apple can respond to some silly ass rumor about an Android App, yet they can't respond to supply chain rumors that caused the stock to lose over $200 billion in value? I just don't understand Tim Cook sometimes.

    It's simple, Apple doesn't care about the stock market because it is full of lazy ass fools wanting a free ride. Boo hoo for you.

    What I don't understand is why YOU as a shareholder hasn't sued the analysts for spreading lies. Apple doesn't have to do YOUR dirty work you lazy freeloader.
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