Microsoft could support Android migrations
Patent filing points to service which would allow users to move legacy Android or iOS apps to Windows Phone
Published: 21 May, 2012
READ MORE: Microsoft | Applications | Patents/IPR | Android | Windows Phone
It is hard for mobile platform providers to ignore the sheer volume of Android applications, and Microsoft seems to be following RIM in opening its arms to Google developers. The firm has applied for a patent which would allow users to migrate Android or iOS applications to Windows Phone.
The patent application, originally filed in late 2010 and uncovered by UnwiredView.com, suggests Microsoft is working on a service to help its Windows Phone Marketplace compete more easily with Google Play and App Store. The technology would scan apps installed on a WP7 user's legacy iPhone or Android devices, to identify identical or similar software in the Windows Phone storefront. But if no match is found, the service would allow the user to transfer existing iOS or Android products to their new WP7 smartphone.
Neither Apple nor Google currently allows users to migrate their apps from one platform to another. According to ABI Research, mobile consumers will download almost 36bn apps this year, and iOS and Android will underpin 83% of those, while Windows Phone will account for only single-digit share. Microsoft's Marketplace currently offers about 80,000 apps, while App Store has over 600,000, followed by Google Play at around 400,000.
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