Apple says it will make it easy for people to switch to Android because of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) in the EU, which became law today. The company that makes the iPhone said it will support alternative app stores, give EU app developers new business terms, and add mobile browser choice screens, among other things. It will also make it simpler for people to transfer data from an iPhone to a non-Apple device.
The company says that this answer will be ready by fall 2025, but it is not available yet. The news came in a paper outlining Apple’s plan to follow the new EU law. The law wants to make the app market more competitive by forcing Apple to loosen its control over the App Store and iOS. Even though developers don’t like it, Apple has cleverly avoided the possible financial effects of DMA on its business by charging new fees to developers who want to switch to the DMA rules.
Besides the App Store, the DMA also talks about moving information between devices. A report says that Apple is updating its Info & Privacy website so that users can send their App Store information to approved third parties. Today, users can ask to move their iCloud Photos to Google Photos or download data from Apple apps like Notes, Calendar, Contacts, Maps, Wallet Activity, Mail, Safari Bookmarks and Reading List, and more. Apple also says that users will be able to set up daily or weekly downloads of their App Store data for up to 30 days. The data has been constantly updated to be the most up-to-date.
Apple didn’t say much about the new project when it came to moving to Android. All it said was that its answer would help other “mobile operating system providers” find better ways to move data from an iPhone to a phone that isn’t made by Apple. Even though Apple doesn’t use the word “Android” in the paper, it’s clear that Google’s mobile OS will benefit the most from it.
Apple also said that another way to move computer data to a new browser on the same device will be ready either later this year or early 2025.
Android users can now move crucial data to a new Android device using Google’s “Switch to Android” iOS app. This includes contacts, schedules, photos, videos, texts, and more. But some less important information is still missing, and users have to turn off iMessage in order for new texts to show up on their Android. It’s not clear if Apple’s new answer will help with these problems because the company hasn’t said what it wants to fix.
