Apple is making it easier to switch to Android: Here's what's happening

Own an iPhone but want to switch to an Android device? Good luck with that as the process isn’t straightforward and you may have to compromise on some data while doing that. However, Apple will soon allow users to easily switch from an iPhone to Android. In compliance with the Digital Market Act (DMA), the Californian giant is making it easier for you to transfer all your data from an iPhone to a new Android phone. The goal here will be to make the process seamless and less cumbersome. Additionally, Apple made some other announcements on Thursday in compliance with DMA such as the ability to change default apps and to delete Safari browser.

Let’s see what’s changing for Apple users in the coming months.

Switch easily from an iPhone to Android

Apple is making it easier for iPhone users to switch to Android, thanks to a proper data transferring solution. Apple has confirmed that it is developing a solution that helps mobile operating system providers to make more user-friendly solutions to transfer data from an ‘iPhone to non-Apple phone’, as noted by the DMA compliance report.

Apple plans to make this solution available by the fall of 2025. Furthermore, Apple is also working on a solution that lets users export browser data from one browser to another. This means that users will be able to export their Safari data – bookmarks, saved links, etc – to another third-party browser on the same device. This feature will arrive by late 2024 or early 2025.

Ability to uninstall Safari

Apple has confirmed that it will let users delete one of its default apps – Safari. Further, these users will be able to choose a third-party browser as the default browser. This change is coming to users in the EU by the end of 2024.

Choose a third-party navigation app

Apple by March 2025 will allow iPhone users to set third-party navigation apps as default. This will do away with the need to rely solely on Apple Maps. This means users can set Google Maps as their default Maps app. This ability will again be for the EU Apple users.

In other news, Apple’s latest iOS 17.4 update allows users in the EU to access alternative app stores. This move was again in compliance with the regulatory framework of DMA. What this update means is that EU iPhone users can download apps from third-party marketplaces. They can also set the alternative app store as default.