Apple says it plans to make it easier for customers to switch to Android as a result of the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), which went into force today. Alongside support for alternative app stores, new business terms for EU app developers, and mobile browser choice screens, among other things, the iPhone maker said it will also add to its data portability offerings, including making it more “user-friendly” to move data from an iPhone to another non-Apple device.
This solution is not yet available, but Apple is committing to having it ready by fall 2025, the company says. The announcement was made in a document detailing Apple’s compliance plan with the new EU law, which aims to increase competition in the app ecosystem by requiring Apple to loosen its grip on the App Store and iOS. Apple has cleverly skirted the potential financial impact of DMA on its business by adding new fees for developers who want to switch to the DMA rules, despite developer backlash.
Beyond the App Store, the DMA also addresses data portability. On this front, Apple’s Data & Privacy website is being updated to allow users to export their App Store data to authorized third parties, the document says. Users today can request to transfer their iCloud Photos to Google Photos or download various data collected by Apple’s apps, like Notes, Calendar, Contacts, Maps, Wallet Activity, Mail, Safari Bookmarks and reading list, and more. Apple says that users will also be able to schedule daily downloads of their App Store data for 30 days, or weekly downloads for 180 days, and the provided data has been updated continuously to be the most current.
On the topic of moving to Android, Apple did not share much about the new project beyond saying that its solution would help other “mobile operating system providers” build better solutions to transfer data from an iPhone to a non-Apple phone. Apple doesn’t actually use the term “Android” in the document, but clearly, Google’s mobile OS will be the biggest beneficiary of such a system.
In addition, another solution to export browser data into a new browser on the same device will be ready either later this year or early 2025, Apple noted.
Today, Android users can use Google’s “Switch to Android” iOS app to migrate important content, like contacts, calendars, photos, videos, messages, and more to a new Android device. But some less critical data is still missing and users have to disable iMessage to make sure their new messages come to their Android. It’s unclear if Apple’s new solution will address these areas, as Apple hasn’t yet said what, specifically, it aims to improve.
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