Apple’s Android switching plan

Apple is under pressure from mobile operators to make it easier for customers to switch between the iPhone and smartphones that use Google’s Android software, amid mounting fears over its dominance.

According to a senior industry source, Apple has privately agreed to develop a simple tool to help consumers shift data such as contacts, music and photos if they move to Android. Major European telecoms operators are concerned that only a tiny fraction of customers ever move off the iPhone, in part because of the technical hassle of transferring data.

The operators fear that the lack of switching weakens their hand in commercial negotiations with Apple, which holds the mobile industry’s strongest card in the iPhone. Its popularity among more affluent consumers means operators are dependent on supplies for most of their profits.

If the tool under development is made available, it would represent a significant shift for the American giant. Apple’s late founder Steve Jobs wrote that Apple should aim to “further lock customers into our ecosystem” in an email disclosed as part of a court case against bitter rival Samsung.

European concern at the iPhone’s dominance is long-standing. In 2013 the European Commission sent out questionnaires seeking information on potentially onerous commercial terms imposed by Apple, but it is understood to have dropped the investigation as no operator spoke out.

Apple did not respond to requests for comment.