Apple plans to make switching from iPhone to Android easier, shares timeline

Apple is working on a solution that will make it easier to switch from an iPhone to an Android smartphone. The company published a new document detailing the list of changes it has already made, such as adding support for alternative app markets and allowing third-party browsers to launch its browser to comply with the European Union’s Digital Marketing Act (EU) (DMA). ), which recently entered into force. He also shared his plans to add more interoperability features, including uninstalling the Safari browser, transferring data between different browsers, and more.

In 12 p document, Apple highlighted the progress it has made in DMA compliance. The tech giant also shared features it is currently working on. The most notable is the migration solution that will help users easily switch from iPhone to Android phone. The document says, “Apple is developing a solution that helps mobile operating system vendors develop more user-friendly solutions for transferring data from an iPhone to a non-Apple phone.” This feature will be available in the second half in 2025

Another thing iPhone users will soon be able to do is completely uninstall the Safari browser. The tech giant has now allowed users to remove pre-installed apps from the home screen. Apple also plans to give users the option to completely delete Safari from iOS if they wish to do so. Apple aims to make this option available by the end of 2024.

In particular, Apple’s own Webkit browser powers the Safari browser. All third-party browsers in the App Store must also use it as a base for building their app, which is why all third-party browsers look and function similarly to Safari. This is one of the reasons why allowing users to uninstall Safari has been difficult for the iPhone maker compared to other similar apps, and explains the longer time it took the company to implement it.

Additionally, Apple is also working on a browser switching solution, which can be an extremely handy tool for those who want to try out new browsers but find it difficult to get rid of all saved bookmarks, passwords, and site data. The company said, “Apple is also building a browser-switching solution to export and import relevant data from the browser to another browser on the same device.” This feature will be available by late 2024 or early 2025.

All these features are definitely coming for users living in the Block, but it is not certain if other regions where DMA is not applicable will also get them.