Apple makes switching from iPhone to Android easier (in the EU)

Apple will make switching from an iPhone to an Android smartphone easier to use in the European Union from next year.

According to the American technology group, the step comes within the framework of introducing the requirements of the European Digital Markets Regulation. The so-called Digital Markets Act (DMA) protects European consumers and entrepreneurs and ensures greater competition and convenience in digital services.

Currently, there is already a Google app to switch from an iPhone to an Android device, but some data is not transferred. By the end of this year or early next year, Apple wants to make it possible to transfer all relevant data from one web browser to another on the same device.

Tighter rules have been implemented for major online platforms in the European Union since Thursday. The European Commission has so far identified 22 services from six companies as so-called gatekeepers, or platforms that are difficult for users to ignore. The list includes major American technology groups Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Alphabet, the parent company of Google, and Meta Platforms, which owns Facebook. Video app TikTok from ByteDance, which originally comes from China, has also been added to the list. The requirements include that these gatekeepers may not give preference to their own services over offers from competitors.