Like Google did before on iOS, Microsoft has also coded up a little Android application to facilitate and assist Android users make the jump to the Windows Phone platform.
Going by the name of Switch to Windows Phone, the app is now available for download on Google Play. Before we get to the nitty-gritty of how the app works, here is an official overview:
“Are you thinking about switching to Windows Phone and want a convenient way to migrate your app experiences over? Look no further, Windows Phone has an app for that!
Use Switch to Windows Phone to see how many of your Android apps are available on Windows Phone. Just run Switch to Windows Phone on your Android, and this app will check to see if your installed apps are available in the Windows Phone Store.”
Once installed, the app inventories the Android applications installed by a particular user, and saves them in a retrievable list. Then using the app search engine developed by Quixey , it tries to find replacement applications that are available on the Windows Phone platform.
In case an official equivalent is unavailable (for example Instagram, which is yet to make an appearance on the Windows Phone platform), the Switch to Windows Phone app recommends a third-party alternate.
Switch to Windows Phone requires Android 2.3.3, and comes with a very small install size.
Though the app has witnessed a healthy amount of downloads, users however, have found the feature set lacking. A cloud-powered solution would have been of immense help here, offering seamless integration between all mobile platforms.
The idea has merit enough, however — this is, after all, not an app to convince users to move to the Windows Phone platform, but to help users that have already decided find and discover the applications that they can install on the Windows Phone devices.
Fingers crossed, Microsoft irons out the bugs and adds new features in the very near future.
