The European Commission has announced that the new simplified smartphone switching process adopted by Apple and Google is an example of how the Digital Markets Act (DMA) benefits users and developers. Apple and Google are making it easier for users to switch between iPhone and Androidby adding an option to transfer data from another smartphone during the device setup process.
Apple and Google are implementing this functionality because the DMA requires services to offer effective data portability to avoid data lock-in to an operating system. The European Commission says the new interoperability is a “direct result of the DMA.”
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The EU "takes credit" for the new iPhone-Android switch
“This operating system portability solution will allow users to easily transfer data from iPhone to Android and vice versa when setting up a new device. It will support many types of data, including: contacts, calendar events, messages, photos, documents, Wi-Fi networks, passwords, and even data from third-party apps. It will also work wirelessly. These are significant upgrades compared to the limited data transfer solutions available today,” the Commission says in its announcement.
DMA is also why Apple and Google designed a simplified eSIM portability earlier this year. The European Commission says both new features were made possible through “extensive engineering work and collaboration” between the two companies, along with “intensive discussions with the Commission.”
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“Overall, eSIM portability and OS data portability solutions will greatly simplify the experience for users looking to switch from iPhone to Android or vice versa. This improved data portability across platforms offers more choice to users, which enhances competition and creates more incentives for innovation. Users should be able to choose a new phone based on innovative features, not where their data is locked .”
Apple and Google are currently testing the new smartphone switching solution. Google implemented it in a version of Android Canary, and Apple is expected to add it in a future update to iOS 26.Apple and Google will support the transfer of contacts, messages, photos, documents, Wi-Fi networks, passwords, information from third-party apps, and more.
Although Apple and Google are implementing the simplified change due to DMA requirements, it is a functionality that will be released globally and not just in Europe.
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The European Commission is touting the DMA’s successes because earlier this year, Apple highlighted a study that said the Digital Markets Act had failed to lower App Store for consumers. Apple said the DMA “failed to deliver on its promises” and has only delivered “less security, less privacy and a worse experience for consumers across Europe.”
