If you’re interested in witching to Apple smartphones and want to trade your old device in at an Apple Store, until now, you’ve been out of luck. That might be about to change, since word is out on the street that Apple might deign to accept Android phones as instant trade-ins at their retail stores.

By “the street,” we mean the blog 9to5Mac. Apple Stores accepted trade-ins of other devices before 2013, but only for recycling and only for a modest discount, not a trade-in amount that might tempt someone with an aging but still-working smartphone to trade in their device. They began a trade-in program in 2013, and now the word on the street is that the company plans to start accepting Android devices as trade-ins so they can convert more current Android phone users to Apple devices.

Of course, you can avoid this whole issue entirely by purchasing your phone from a wireless carrier, or by selling your old device to a trade-in service. You could even sell it to someone else for cash. While you could theoretically get more money by re-homing your device in another way, but being able to hand over an old device makes the purchase of a new device and switching phone types on a whim more convenient. Will that prompt more people to buy iPhones? If Apple implements this plan, we will find out.

Apple’s trade-in policy may soon include gift cards for rival devices [9to5Mac]

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