EU says easier iPhone-Android switching is proof the DMA is working

Chance Miller | Dec 9 2025 - 2:04 pm PT

Yesterday, Apple and Google announced that they have teamed up to make it easier to switch between Android and iPhone devices. The companies say they have developed new features that make it easier and faster to move data between each platform as part of this joint collaboration.

In a new statement to 9to5Mac, a European Commission spokesperson says this is an “example of how the Digital Markets Act (DMA) brings benefits to users and developers.”

While the European Commission is taking credit for this Apple-Google collaboration, the features will be available worldwide, not just in the European Union.

Here’s more from European Commission:

This OS portability solution will allow users to easily transfer data from iPhone to Android and vice versa when they set 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 major upgrades compared to the currently limited data transfer solutions.

This solution follows Apple’s and Google’s rollout of the eSIM transfer solution last October. That solution has greatly simplified the transfer of eSIMs between iPhones and Android phones, which was previously a long and complex operation. It has been rolled out both in the EU and outside, and it is already supported by some European carriers, with more to come soon.

Both solutions are the direct result of the DMA, which requires designated services (including iOS and Android) to ensure effective data portability. Apple overviewed their work on this project in Apple’s DMA compliance reports from March 2024 and March 2025. These solutions were possible thanks to extensive engineering work and collaboration between Apple and Google, as well as intensive discussions with the Commission for the past two years.

The new switching features are rolling out as part of a new Android Canary build for Pixel devices this week. The features will also be available in an upcoming iOS 26 developer beta, though no further details have been shared as of now.

The European Commission also highlights that the features will benefit third-party app developers too, as they will “be able to easily retain users when they switch from an iPhone to an Android device and vice versa.”

We haven’t yet had the chance to try the new Android and iPhone data transfer tools. We’ll have to wait for the forthcoming iOS 26 beta with the features to do that.

My favorite iPhone accessories:

Follow Chance: Threads, Bluesky, Instagram, and Mastodon.