Apple has hatched a cunning plan to get Android users to switch to iOS with a new Android app that can assist with the process.

The app, unexcitingly called “Move” allows people switching to iOS devices to wirelessly switch from their Android device.

The app, according to a blurb on the iOS9 preview page, allows users to securely transfer their contacts, message history, camera photos and videos, web bookmarks, mail accounts, calendars, wallpaper, and DRM-free songs and books.

The app also assists users in rebuilding their app libraries, suggesting free apps that can be downloaded from Apple’s App Store, such as social networking apps like Twitter and Facebook.

The strength of the app transfer process though stops completely dead however when it comes to paid apps; Move will add a users’ paid apps to their iTunes Wish List, but if they want to download them, Ka-ching, users’ will have to buy them despite already owning them, much to the delight of both Apple and the paid app makers, but by this stage to the gross annoyance of the user who has decided to switch platforms.

Switch

The move to make the experience of switching from the free and open Android platform to Apple’s walled garden of iOS devices makes sense for Apple; with around 78% of all smartphones worldwide running Android, if it wants to increase its diminished market share, it primarily has to snag it from these people.

The thing that would bug most Android users from switching though with iOS devices is the user experience. Putting aside the closed shop of the app store, the physical design of the iPhone and iPad hasn’t really changed much since it first launched. Yes, they may have gotten lighter, shinier and in some cases bigger, but it still only sports one button, and once you’re used to using 3 navigation options on an Android device, it is hard to adopt to Apple’s simplistic vision of how its devices should look at operate.

Perhaps Apple would be better off with a training device for getting use to using one button?

It’s not clear if and when the Move app will be available on Google Play, but the iOS supporting app will be released with iOS9 in the fall.

Image credit: schill/Flickr/CC by 2.0