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It turns out we may not have really seen Apple’s first Android app after all

While Apple’s new Move to iOS app appeared to be the company’s first ever Android app, Phandroid did some digging around in the code to discover that it in fact appears to be just a rebadged third-party app called Copy My Data.

If we take a look under the hood of Apple’s Move to iOS app, we see the […] android:name is still set to android:name=”com.mediamushroom.copymydata”That’s just the tip of the iceberg. The two applications share a vast majority of code and functionality. In fact, all of the com.mediamushroom.copymydata strings were left inside Apple’s rebranded version. Essentially, the only differences between the two apps are Apple’s artwork being added, the inclusion of Apple’s licensing agreements, and Media Mushroom’s UI elements being removed. That’s really it.

Apple thus appears to have simply licensed an existing app, rather than creating its first Android app – meaning that the Apple Music app expected to makes its way across to Android sometime this fall may be the first Apple-coded app on the rival smartphone platform … 

 

Apple first quietly announced the Move to iOS app in June before it hit the Google Play Store alongside the rollout of iOS 9. It didn’t take long for Android users to pile on the negative reviews, with 2700 1-star reviews within just a few hours of launch, most of them rants about Apple rather than reviews of the app itself. That number is up to more than 15,000 at the time of writing.

Haha What do you think I am? Mad? Why on earth would I move from Android to Fisher Price? Sorry, I mean iOS. Sheer madness I tell you!

Some Android users do seem happy for the help in making the switch, however: there are also more than 3,000 5-star reviews. Apple previously pointed Android switchers to Copy My Data for transferring data, with iOS 9 integrating the steps into the setup process.

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Comments

  1. iSRS - 9 years ago

    Has the app been downloaded 18,000 times? If not, then Google has a serious problem, allowing users to rate an app it never used, or doesn’t own. As a result, the ratings therefore are useless.

    iOS won’t let you write a review unless you own the app.

    Maybe I’ll go write a review for it.

    • chrisl84 - 9 years ago

      People download Apps just to troll in the reviews all the time, happens in the App store too.

    • Joe Dowdell - 9 years ago

      Google doesn’t require you to actually download the app to rate it. So the reviews can easily not reflect what actual users think about it.

      • You must have to download a app to review on the Google Play Store. Why are you spreading false accusation. If you don’t believe me try it yourself. This prove how people are so unware of the different platform.

    • PhilBoogie - 9 years ago

      Looks like one doesn’t need to download an app in order to leave a review. Amazing Android! It’s open!

      That’s Google alright. For a stupid company they sure do dumb things¡

      • PhilBoogie - 9 years ago

        edit: pipped by Joe Dowdell

      • PhilBoogie - 9 years ago

        This WordPress misery really out to leave this site. We’re Apple users FFS, and appreciate attention to details. WordPress doesn’t, so please 9to5, give us better forum software. vBulletin comes to mind. (just don’t use Huddler!)

      • You need to download the app to review . At least one of your device need to have the app, even if you have multiple device you can only comment once

      • abdulwahab16 - 9 years ago

        It has been downloaded over 100.000 times, and you can’t rate unless you download the app.

    • I rated the app from my MacBook. So…

  2. i love 9to5Mac is my negative apple page, everytime i want to hear whats wrong with apple i come here :) ty

  3. Tim Baker (@IAmTimBaker) - 9 years ago

    Who ares what the reviews are for the app – if you’re an Android user looking to make the switch, you’re going to use it as a utility and not worry what the reviews say. The exact same thing would happen if there was a “Switch to Android” app on iOS, however I don’t see Apple ever allowing something like that. :)

  4. vkd108 - 9 years ago

    The cheaters and the cheated

  5. tonywmd23 - 9 years ago

    I can’t wait to see what happens if Google releases a ‘switch to android’ app on the App Store. Saying in the front, I’ll download it just so I can put a 1-star review on it

  6. anekin007 - 9 years ago

    CarPlay runs on android.

Author

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


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