Apple is about to help iPhone users make the jump to Android, source says

APPLE is believed to be quietly developing a tool to allow iPhone users to transfer contact, music and photo data to Android OS.

 

Apple is reportedly under pressure to build an app to let users painlessly jump to Android

 

Apple is thought to be developing a tool to allow customers to move data from their iPhone to Google's rival mobile platform, Android.

The rumour comes after Apple released an app on the Google Play Store to help Android users transfer data to iOS.

But the Move to iOS app received a slew of vicious one-star reviews.

"Apple's first android app? What a bloody disgrace!," scorned one Google Play Store review, "I call on my fellow android comrades to ensure this app gets drowned into oblivion with a 1 star rating never to be seen again on our cherished platform. 

"I've given it one star only because they won't allow a similar app on the App-Store, to move to Android (or any other platform for that matter). 

"The idea is ok, but the opposite cannot be done, and that's not a fair competition and not thinking about the customers' right to choose their own device."

 

Move to iOS appeared on the Google Play Store last year

 

Now a senior industry source told The Telegraph that Apple is under increasing pressure to develop a tool to help users switch platforms in the opposite direction, amid fears of the Cupertino firm's dominance.

Major European telecoms operators fear only a fraction of Apple customers will ever leave the iOS ecosystem, partly because of the hassle of transferring data to rival platforms.

The iPhone's popularity amongst the most affluent customers means mobile carriers are dependent on supplies from Apple for their profits.

The lack of switching significantly weakens carriers' ability to negotiate with Apple, The Telegraph has reported.

 

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs believed the US firm should lock users into its ecosystem

 

If the tool is made available by Apple, it would mark a significant shift for the US technology giant.

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs once wrote that Apple should aim to “further lock customers into our ecosystem” in an email which was made public as part of the court case against rival Samsung.

Accessories like the Apple Watch, which only works with an iPhone 5 or newer, can help to keep users in the Apple ecosystem. 

The news comes after rumours Apple will ditch the industry-standard 3.5mm headphone port on the upcoming iPhone 7 in favour of its own Lightning Connector.

  

Philips introduced a pair of high fidelity Lightning-equipped headphones last year

 

Apple is expected to redesign its own bundled EarPod headphones to work using the port.

Sources within the supply chain claim the US firm has been able to shave "more than a millimetre" from its latest iPhone design, thanks to the move away from the 3.5mm jack.

The iconic 3.5 mm port is ubiquitous, in part because it's an open standard – and partly because it is cheap to produce.

By comparison, Apple charges manufacturers a licence-fee to use its proprietary Lightning connector in their wired headphones.