If it’s easy to switch from one phone operating system to another, then why can’t it be easy to find the same or similar apps? Microsoft is going the extra mile to make all of that possible.
Microsoft is set to release “Switch to Windows Phone” which helps users that have Android OS phones easily find the same or similar apps they currently have on their Android Phone, on their new Windows Phone. You might ask: “How might an app like this work?” Well it’s really not that complicated. In fact, its pretty simple.
All of the applications on your Android phone are sent to an inventory, which is sent to the cloud. When you get your Windows Phone (of course, you have to buy the phone in order to complete everything), you log into your SkyDrive account via the Switch to Windows Phone app. It then searches for the exact same apps you previously had on Android. If a similar app is not found, you will be given recommendations of related apps that will help fulfill your needs.
The search company Quixey runs what you could call “the app-search engine” for this new app. “The engine uses descriptions of apps, reviews of apps, trouble reports about apps and other metadata it gathers from the web to recommend substitute apps to users.” Say you had to upgrade your Twitter app. Out of all the 135,000 apps on the Windows Store, it will find the Windows Phone Twitter app equivalent. Say there was no Windows Phone Twitter app, it will find an alternative that is similar and is closer in similarity to the one you had on your Android Phone.
Update (April 30th): This app is now available for download. Hit the download link below to snag this app for free!
