Image: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Apple is building a way out of the iOS “walled garden.” It promised on Thursday to make it easier to switch the data from an iPhone to an Android or other handset.
That said, the migration tool is part of Apple complying with the European Union’s Digital Market Act so the solution might not be available outside of the EU.
Apple building tool for iPhone-to-Android switchers
There’s criticism of both Apple and Google for building so-called walled gardens – operating systems crafted in such way that it’s difficult for users to shift between them.
The iPhone-maker is being pressured by the EU’s Digital Market Act to open up iOS to more competition. Apple’s Non-Confidential Summary of DMA Compliance Report (PDF), released Thursday, spells out the company’s response.
Among the topics covered is a promise to make the switch from iPhone to Android or another operating system easier.
The report says:
“Apple plans to make further 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 those options, Apple is developing a solution that helps mobile operating system providers develop more user-friendly solutions to transfer data from an iPhone to a non-Apple phone. Apple aims to make this solution available by fall 2025.”
More people might use this tool than the critics who talk about Apple or Android walled gardens might suspect. A recent poll found that 13% of U.S. iPhone buyers had an Android as their previous device.
But again, it’s possible U.S. handset buyers won’t have access to Apple’s future data migration tool. It’s being created to comply with the DMA so it might only be available in the EU.
Most of the other information covered in Apple’s DMA Compliance Report is already well known, including that Apple will allow rival iPhone app stores within the European Union.