If you know an iPhone user who's attempted to switch to Android, you probably noticed how hard it was for him to transfer his contacts, messages and images outside of iOS.
This might be about to change, however, as Apple is purportedly working on an app to help its users make a smooth transition to Android devices.
Companies from the telecom industry, especially data carriers and operators, describe Apple's iOS as a road without return. A few years ago, the European Commission started looking into whether or not iPhone users are locked into the ecosystem, forcing them to upgrade to Apple phones only.
The Commision's investigation came to a halt, due to an Omerta-worthy silence level among mobile carriers that would not disclose any malicious commercial terms imposed by Apple.
Evidence suggests that there are no explicit rules about keeping Apple's clients captive, yet the harsh and time-consuming way of transferring data from an iPhone to an HTC or Samsung device is intimidating.
This makes telecom users think twice before changing ecosystems when they upgrade their smartphones, thus giving Apple an upper hand. The company gets leverage in negotiations with mobile networks, as they feel obligated to keep iOS devices on stock for clients who want to upgrade their handsets.
Handset owners who want to move from Android to iOS face a similar conundrum, but Apple paved that road with its Move to iOS app, launched in September last year. A vast number of users saw the app as an unfair move from Apple, and the 1-star reviews started pouring in.
According to a new report, Apple is allegedly working on an iOS to Android app.
"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," Christopher Williams from The Telegraph reports.
He further notes that big telecom players from the European Union claim that one essential reason for the small number of people who transition from iOS to Android is the painstaking way to transfer data.
The Cupertino-based company may win a lot from developing the app, so read on to get a better idea of the concept.
By promoting an easy way switch from iOS to Android, Apple would gain a PR bonus. It would virtually support the idea that the company has its customers' best interests in mind.
What's more, the company would send an important self-confidence message. After sales from last autumn showed that a surging number of Android users are transitioning to iOS, Apple should be relaxed enough to allow its users go into the opposite direction.
The third motive for Apple to open a path towards Android is to avoid future investigations from the EU Commission. Not only is such an inquiry time-consuming and resource-draining, but it usually requires companies to be transparent about their practices, and that is not really Apple's modus operandi.
For the United States, Apple still reigns supreme in terms of smartphone sales, according to figures from last year. The numbers show that Android users make up 52.1 percent share of the market.
Delivering an "exit app" would demount EU's concerns about Apple's disloyal competition practices. This means that the Cupertino-based company has a chance to do a proactive move, with gains that highly outweigh its drawbacks.
First of all, it would make iOS's position stronger. It would help promote iOS as an operating system that it is flexible enough to allow entry and exit at the user's pace, without subjecting them to the "Stockholm syndrome." Apple reports very high customer satisfaction numbers, which means that most users are unlikely to jump ship anyway.
With the new app, Apple could easily brush off the accusations of being a locked-in system - one that promotes opaque practices and discourteous business strategies.
We look forward to seeing the iOS to Android app going live as quick as possible, and we will keep you posted when (or if) it happens. In case the rumor was just someone's wishful thinking, maybe Apple can man up, take a hint and transform it into a reality.
