Microsoft’s latest attempt to get more users on their platform is an interesting one. The company has released an app called Switch to Windows Phone on the Google Play Store — and it’s of course designed to make switching, a little easier.

What the app does is it scans your Android phone for apps then uploads that list to your Microsoft ID. Then you can use a companion app on Windows Phone to see all the equivalent (or similar) apps on Microsoft’s store. Judging from first impressions around the web, the app does its job fairly well — it scans your apps quickly and provides equivalents or similar apps for the majority of apps.

While it sounds a pretty smart way for Microsoft to get people comfortable with switch, it’s not without its problems. First of all, some users might be okay with using a different app that has similar functionality to their Android counterpart, many won’t settle for anything less than the very same app.

Second, maybe it would be better if Microsoft could show off a set of equivalent apps without the user having to buy a Windows Phone first and loading up the companion app. If somebody’s already purchased a brand new Lumia Nokia 920, this app will still be useful — but they’re missing a big opportunity by not catering to those who are thinking of buying a new Windows Phone.

Finally, while having the same apps (or similar ones) goes a long way into making switching easier, it’s not the only thing that’s needed. The idea has so much more potential than the glorified “App List Matcher” that it seems to be.

But hey, if you’re an Android user that got yourself a new Windows Phone, this can be pretty useful. You can download it at the link below:

Switch to Windows Phone on Play Store

[via Ubergizmo]