Update 12/1: Apple has outright denied claims that it would build a iOS to Android migration tool, saying that there is “no truth” to the rumor.
Apple is developing a tool that will allow customers transfer data from their iPhone to Google’s Android, according to The Telegraph.
Citing a “senior industry source,” The Telegraph reports that Apple has “privately agreed to develop a simple tool to help consumers shift data such as contacts, music and photos if they move to Android.”
The report also claims this could be because Apple is under pressure from European telecoms operators to develop a tool for its users to swap platforms more easily.
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It’s easy to see where operators might be coming from when Apple is willing to help Android users switch to iOS without any hassle but won’t let its own users do the same.
Tim Cook confirmed last year that the number of users swapping from Android to iOS was at an all-time high but it seems unlikely he wants to be reporting the opposite this year.
If Apple really is facing pressure from telecoms organizations or an investigation from the European Commission, it would be cause for this tool to be made. However, the European Commission conducted an investigation into Apple’s conduct with mobile operators in 2013 and it was dropped so presumably if the issue was as longstanding as the report suggests, it would have come up back then.
It will be interesting to see if this rumor comes to fruition.
We have reached out to Apple for comment and will update this post if it responds.
➤ Apple’s Android switching plan [The Telegraph]
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