Apple appears to have confirmed that it will simplify the iPhone-to-Android switchover and open up other parts of its walled garden to comply with new EU legislation.

As Apple states on pages 10-11 of its non-confidential DMA compliance report summary (via The Verge), it "plans to make further changes to its user data portability offering."

"Apple is developing a solution to help mobile OS providers develop a more user-friendly solution for transferring data from the iPhone to non-Apple phones. Apple aims to have this solution available by fall 2025."

This section of the summary also mentions the existence of other cross-OS data transfer systems, which may suggest apps like Switch to Android, released by Google to ease the transition from iPhone to Android. However, this app would not transfer everything, so important items like text messages and paid apps would be left behind, and there is clearly room for growth. And even if it takes more than a year to emerge, one hopes that is exactly what Apple is talking about in the quote above.

The full document explains the various ways Apple plans to meet the requirements of the EU's new Digital Markets Act (DMA). These include an alternative app store, the ability to use login methods other than signing in with Apple, easier data transfer from Safari to other browsers, and even the option to uninstall Safari entirely.

Apple's summary does not indicate whether these are global changes or only apply to EU iPhone users. Given that Apple's iOS 17.4 beta makes the alternative app store an EU-only option, it seems likely that most, if not all, of these policies will be Europe-specific.

We will be watching for further updates on these changes to the iPhone experience as the Digital Markets Act becomes more established. In the meantime, it would be good to read more about the next major software update for the iPhone and the expected iOS 18, which could include further DMA-inspired changes and the rumored big AI upgrade.