Microsoft App Seeks to Lure Android Users to 'Switch to Windows Phone'

Microsoft is on the hunt with a new app called "Switch to Windows Phone," released on Tuesday in the Google Play store.

Like the name suggests, it's designed to entice Android users to make the switch over to Windows Phone (WP). Once set up, the app scans an Android phone for all installed apps, saving the results to the user's Microsoft ID.

From there, a companion app can be downloaded on to Windows Phone itself. The app shows users where to purchase the equivalent apps in Microsoft's own store. Users can then download the applications by simply tapping them.

Without the companion add for WP, "Switch to Windows Phone" doesn't exactly show Android users what the matched apps are. However, Microsoft's new app could be useful for users who have already made the leap.

The Catch

The catch, however, is that many of the reported "matched apps" are not actually the same apps at all. Instead, Microsoft offers substitutes. In most cases, these substitutes perform loosely the same functions, but the matches might not be close enough for all users.

While Microsoft's latest idea is indeed clever, the old bait and switch may seem a bit disingenuous to some.

For Android users interested in Windows Phone OS, the app is currently available for download in the Google Play store.