How does everyone feel about iPhones?
Surprise.
Bet you didn't see this one coming.
This week's post has been pretty late. I'm a bit troubled by yesterday's thread on Apple. So, a foreword: It's OK to prefer something over another, it's not OK to say people who like different phones than you are somehow more childish or less intelligent than you. Again, we are going for casual, yet intensely helpful here, so please don't call people names over petty reasons, we have rules here.
Previously on Lemmy:
Past Discussions:
In this post, it's not about saying how bad iPhones are, but I'd just like to hear the perspective on iPhones from Android users. I, for one, had an old iPhone 4 for a long time (call it nostalgia, or laziness, or just being cheap), and it was my general frustration with the device that ultimately led to my preference for Androids, (It was quite a while back though).
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It was absolutely painful to transfer files from the phone to my computer (Ugh, iTunes).
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I got it pre-jailbroken and didn't realize you can't just update the system casually, so it was really fun trying to find ways to downgrade the system until I realized that I can't and have to pray for the next jailbreak to get half my things working again.
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The 40-pin cable wears out so fast, and always in the same spot on the strain relief. I swear I've gone through 3 of these cables in one year just from normal use.
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All the browsers are somehow flavors of Safari. To do anything, I will have the choice of ad-filled websites, or ad-filled apps.
It always just seemed like I'm fighting against the system. Never did I have that "it just works" moment, until I've got my first Android, and realize I have the freedom to do whatever I want with it, and I can install what I want, and if there's a problem, I can look things up and fix it myself.
(Having a back button is also a game changer.)
Of course, there is a lot that Android manufacturers can learn from Apple as well, one of the most obvious one is the time for software support: I think my old iPhone has gone through like 3 version updates over the years, whereas currently I'm lucky to get 2 out of any Android manufacturer.
But it seems that Android manufacturers are more content on copying things that works for iOS, but doesn't work for Android, like removing the headphone jack. Or big notches. (It makes no sense to do that because of Android's notification system uses the full length of the bar.) It's gotten to the point that I don't think people who makes Android phones actually uses Android but are content to copy superficial features from Apple without understanding why Apple do them.
Like a bunch of lemmings. (Heh)
Again, these are my personal preferences, I have nothing against people who prefers iPhones, nor do I think they are lesser for it, but it's just not for me.
I'd use a one as a work phone/for iMessages though.
ITT: people who haven’t used anything later than an iPhone 6 /s
Seriously though, I am curious if anyone has spent more than a month with a 13 Pro or later; it sounds like most of the gripes are about shittier/older iPhones/iOS versions.
Lots of good points here (like the universal back button/gesture 🤤) and it’ll be interesting to see how things change after the 15 gets USB-C and maybe some sideloading at some point over the next couple of years 🤞
Can't wait for USB-C on iPhone so everyone can share cables.
I feel like I'm the only one on Lemmy who isn't confused by USB specs though.
I mean, I think it’s pretty easy to get confused by all of the different protocols there are that can’t all run on the same looking cable/connector.
Just by picking up an errant wire, it’s pretty hard to tell if it has power delivery, can do Thunderbolt 3 or 4, a low wattage, but high throughput USB 3.2 cable (which in itself could do 5, 10, or 20Gbps), or just basic USB 2.0 especially if both ends are USB-C.
Oh, it's actually not that hard. Now Lemmy explain:
The 3.x are spec revision numbers, it's the fhe Gen number that indicates the data speed, so USB 3.0/3.1/3.2 Gen 1 are all 5Gbps.
All USB-C cable can do 100W PD regardless of data transfer, EPR labeled ones can do 240W but it's very recent and not very popular.
You can just look at the number of pins inside the plug to see if the cable only supports USB 2.0, as the 3.0 data pins will be missing and there will only be 14 or 16 pins total instead of the full 24.
I wouldn't get too excited.
I'm planning on getting the iPhone 15, now that they're switching to USB C. My last iPhone was an iPhone 4.
To be honest, some of the cultish gimmicks have swayed me. The "in group" mentality of having the right color of text messages. The ability to send videos that aren't garbage quality. The ease of having shared photo albums with people in my family who also have iPhones. I know these are mostly underhanded tactics from Apple to make their product a status symbol, but I've grown tired of being on the outside. Still, I'm keeping my Android as a second line for various reasons.
There are a few hardware components that made me consider spending the money on an iPhone. The biggest one is the Lidar sensor. I don't know of any other phone that gives you the ability to combine Lidar and camera technology to create full color 3D models of your surroundings. I can't wait to 3D print my cat.
It’s those social life things like mostly the garbage quality of MMS that makes it so hard to switch away from iPhone. I know it’s a tactic but damn does it suck because half of my friends are on android and I use Signal with most of them, but sometimes SMS/MMS just happens and it’s SO BAD.
I feel this as well. I'm in a mixed device household, and sharing images and videos between each other is a real pain. Nobody wants to mess around with going to an iCloud or Google Photos link and grabbing images or video. In the USA, few people want to use third party messaging apps. My family certainly doesn't. My kid's friends certainly don't, and so everyone sticks to iMessage.
Because iMessage really is the best in this region given what is actually used by non-outliers. I use both Android and iOS, Windows and Mac. There's no comparison. iMessage has more features than Google's solution. Google's "RCS" is better than SMS/MMS but isn't equivalent to iMessage. And cross-device support for it is a joke. Samsung has their own little bridge if you buy entirely into their ecosystem--apps included (sorry, Google Messenger). But there isn't the same identical experience that happens like with Apple: iMessage on iPhone is the same as on iPad is the same as on Mac. No web QR codes to scan, no weird per-device limitations, it really just works. Handoff works like magic. I know, cliche, but Google doesn't have anything that competes with the feature set. iMessage is so much more than group chats and text messages and pictures like Android users tend to characterize.
Google has no room to call out Apple for its b.s. with iMessage, either; Google has its own proprietary messaging apps. They've tried several times to replicate iMessage and lock people in. Their latest is RCS, which is really a misnomer because Google took the actual RCS standard and made it proprietary. That's why there aren't third party apps outside of a tiny number of outliers with special business arrangements with Google (such as Samsung). That's why Google's entire campaign to "shame" Apple (really, remind iPhone users of the pain of interacting with Android users) doesn't go anywhere. Google is just as proprietary as iMessage. Google requires all traffic route through Google's proprietary Jibe middleware and cloud infrastructure.
At this point I doubt Google would actually share their proprietary RCS with Apple given that they don't share it with anyone else except Samsung, and only then because Samsung was moving to fork Android (or abandon it entirely) after Google got into the hardware business. We know Google has a private API for their RCS implementation and that they actively choose not to share it, because they've accidentally leaked it before and XDA devs picked up on it. There are a million SMS/MMS apps available, not so much for "RCS."
It is ironic that many Android fans complain that iPhone users are ignorant about what features Android phones have ("haha, we've had that feature for years!") yet seem to have just as little of a clue what modern iPhones can do.
I recently got a 13 pro for work, and had to admit I was surprised at how good their software has become.
I was iPhone only from whenever the pixel 1 launched until the 12 pro max. I had a nexus 6p when the pixel 1 happened and was pumped for the next nexus and then got pissed at what Google replaced the nexus lineup with. So I jumped ship and was very happy with apple for a while. iOS has matured a lot and now lets you do a lot of things android does; widgets, always on display, USB c soon, file explorer. That's not to mention the ecosystem; airpods are incredible to use, apple watch is so much better than android wear, everything syncing and It Just Working ®. The thing that ultimately got me to switch was the z fold 3. I believe foldables are 100% the future and using one for the past 2 years now has been incredible. I actually bought a 14 pro max just to try going back but it just wasn't the same at all. Apple is still really good and I understand why people cling to it so much. When I was younger green bubble hate was a legit thing if you weren't a nerd so that social pressure helps. Ultimately the flexibility that android offers is what's worth it for me but if apple makes a foldable I'd definitely be tempted to come back.
I wrote this very drunk so I apologize if this stream of consciousness text makes no sense. I just get very enthused when I can somehow segue a conversation back to foldablesđź‘Ť
Used an iPhone 13 Pro Max for six months, ended up going back to Android in January this year. There were just many small things adding up that made me switch back. I think notifications were the biggest issue, and the fact that it's so difficult to tweak things to my liking.
Loved the build quality, battery life, smooth OS and apps, and the lightning charger was not a problem for me. Still have my Apple Watch and Airpods Pro.
They’ve tried so hard and got so… nowhere with notifications. It’s truly a clusterfuck. I don’t blame ya on that one.
You’re using your Apple Watch without an iPhone? How?
I have an iPhone SE that I connect it to now and then so it's updated. Works for now, so I'm happy.
Yup have a 13pro just now, it for me is an ergonomic slab of less than ideal comfort, like who thought that sides sharp enough to grate cheese was a good idea?
It was ok on the iPhone 4 as it was small and light, but the newer iPhones are just too damn heavy in my opinion.
I keep going back and forth between iOS and Android, for me the iPhone 11 was a design sweet spot.
Being stuck with an none sizeable keyboard is also a constant niggle in iOS.
Personally, after being on Android since the first Motorola droid and switching to iPhone a few years ago with the 12, I wouldn’t move back to Android at all.
I had Motorola for a while, then the LG g series for a bit, then galaxies until the s8, and then a pixel 4xl.
Google pissed me off with their warranty and support. My pixel had the internal battery cable fuck off and they wouldn’t repair it even though they acknowledged it was design fault. Because I was one week out of warranty.
I hated Samsungs bloatware, Lg was gone, Motorola was pretty nonexistent, and I didn’t want a Chinese owned brands like one+, oppo, or Huawei.
So Apple was pretty much it. I got a regular iPhone 12, and everything I wanted to do was easier than Android. Apple had a built in app for it without me having to fuck around with side loading or installing third party apps.
Android is undoubted better for customization and if you love having extremely fine grained control over your phone. Plus the benefit of being able to side load completely different loads of Android. You have MUCH more control over your environment than an iPhone.
Personally, I don’t give a shit about that. I do that shit at work 60 hours a week. For my personal devices I just want the shit to work. I also want Google in my life as little as possible.
Had the same issue with the battery cable on my 4xl as well! I didn't known it was a design fault. I swapped the battery out on my own but the screen eventually died. Worst pixel experience for me.
Yeah I opened a ticket a month before my warranty was up. My battery meter kept going to just a ? and not doing anything. After a while of fucking around with settings, and going back and forth between beta and release versions of android (which google said it was my own problem for being on their beta in the first place), I just got tired of it.
I was able to factory reset it and get it to stay on a battery percentage for long enough at the store to trade it in and I was do0ne. After I traded it, Google finally emailed me back saying it was a known battery issue but since I was out of warranty it would cost me a $250 charge to fix. A slap in the face.
Just curious, why don't you want Google in your life but you'd want Android in your life? Both are mega corporations that are taking our data.
I'm personally not a privacy focused individual, but your sentiment is just odd to me because it seems inconsistent.
I assume you mean Apple there instead of Android? I got rid of Android because I wanted less Google in my life.
Sure Apple collects some data, but comparing them to Google is like comparing a broom to an industrial vacuum. Apple doesn’t collect nearly the same amount of data and makes privacy features much more integrated with the phone. With the advanced data protection, virtually everything is end to end encrypted where they don’t even have the keys, including iCloud.
It’s not perfect at all, but of the two OSs, I’ll take iOS every day.
Overpriced. It maybe used to be worth it, but these days all phones look and work the same anyway.
I used to be an iPhone person, bought a new one every two years from the iPhone 4 in 2010 until my iPhone SE broke in 2018. That was when iPhones jumped to being like $1000, so I thought fuck it and bought a $150 Android.
I was ready for a really rough transition but it turns out these days all apps are cross platform React Native with data stored in the cloud. Once you're logged in literally everything is exactly the same.
Sideloading:
I'd be restricted to the apps on the app store that have to restrict themselves to the app store policies.
I wouldn't have an alternative way to download an app if it gets banned from the app store for any reason. I remember hearing about Fortnite getting banned from both app store and play store but android users can still play it.
I couldn't use modified apps like revanced.
I think you'd be restricted to region locks in app store which you can circumvent on play store by running a vpn, force stopping play store and then clearing data on it.
Being restricted to app store only means some extraordinary apps wouldn't be developed like the cool apps on android that aren't on play store.
Sometimes developers make different versions of the same apps. One is a bit restricted and is for play store. It's restricted because it has to follow play store policies. The other version ends up having more features. I don't see this happening on iOS. I heard about EU asking them to make a way to sideload, but I also heard that that might be restricted to EU only which means it wouldn't pick up as much as it could.
Aesthetics:
Nothing much to say except I don't like the iOS ui. I even fine it ugly. I much prefer the material you thing android is doing.
Lack of your own choice:
Android flagships sadly seem to follow their example soon enough
All the browsers on iOS are just reskinned safari.
General bias:
I don't like apple handles their things and many of their users. That affects my decision so I think I should put it here as a reason. I don't think I have to mention what apple does but for their users, I live in Asia and a lot of people see iphones as a status thing which I find annoying. Feels like a matter of shoving cash in your face to flex. There's also the bubble thing I hear in US which I find ridiculous.
Other points:
No back button
No revanced.
Ecosystem locked.
Only expensive phones.
IPhones are irrepairable, good looking, feature packed, reliable, android mocking, mostly great phones with intentional design flaws, from whose platform you can't easily switch away, created by an unethical company trying to squeeze every penny out of you
I would desperately miss customization, and I'm hoping to increasingly move to open source options, so iOS wouldn't really be a good fit for my needs
I'm considering moving to Apple just for a "mini" phone, and i know it would be supported for a good few years yet. Android has no comparable phone.
But I prefer pretty much everything else about Android. Not just prefer, actually I really dislike iOS, the way it's organised, the way it handles "Back" gesture, etc.
Literally they put it in the worst possible place for 95% of the population. The top left hand corner is the hardest part of the screen to touch if you are a right-handed. Such a bizarre decision.
You can just swipe off from the left hand side of the screen
I want to swipe in from the right edge of the screen though, where my thumb already is...
Plus it doesn't even work consistently, some apps use different "back" swipe direction, depending on where in the app you came from to the screen you're on. I hate it.
It's got better recently, but it used to be that you can only do that sometimes, and it wasn't clear when the gesture would work and when it wouldn't. Fortunately, it seems that most apps have added support for that recently, so it's closer to the Android back gestures.
Not sure how recently you mean "recently", but i last tried (for 6 months) iOS last year, and it was still exactly as you described.
I have an iphone 13pro as second phone because of work. A lot of times i cant use the back gesture and then i need to hit a small button in the app. Its super annoying..even after a year it is not consistent
I ended up using my Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact for 4 years, waiting for Sony (or any other manufacturer) to release another phone of the exact same size. No, the Xperia 10 is not compact at all. I ended up with an Asus Zenfone 8. I still miss the dedicated shutter button the thw Sony.
The Asus Zenphone line seems to get great reviews in terms of small Android phones
Yes, but it's not small imo, it's the same size as the iPhone 14 (regular/Pro, not Mini) or S23, etc.
I think that Apple makes a quality product, but I can't stand the company and their mindset towards consumers. I don't like that they tell me what my user experience will be and demand that I enjoy it. Their products remind me of America Online (AOL), where they put the internet into a can and fenced off the user experience. It's great for the most basic of users, but frustrating if you want to have control and do things your way.
I'm forced to use iphones for work, so I'm not unfamiliar with ios, but I prefer my S23 much more.
I haven't liked iPhones in over a decade. The locked down OS, iTunes, no MicroSD, etc just make them a non-starter for me. Android is far from perfect but I cannot stand to use an iPhone. My wife loves hers and so do some of my in-laws but I won't be getting one.
Really expensive over here, so people only buy them for status basically. Having an iPhone signifies that you're well off enough to not worry about price.
I had a friend who said exactly this. She was just buying it to show off basically. She didn't even believe me when I said the back was glass for some reason lol. And when she got it, she had to get used to counter-intuitive behaviour like the power button cutting a WhatsApp call. She did this multiple times on a call with me, it was pretty funny!
Another friend kinda regrets buying it now because he feels locked in to the Apple ecosystem.
Personally, I don't think I'll ever switch because F-Droid is a huge part of my phone experience. When my Pixel runs out of support, I'll probably just root it.
It's a great phone. Solid hardware, good software. Just not for me.
Had an iphone11 and it was fine. I switched to a pixel 6a for multiple reasons though, mainly Google Fi. The iPhone would use data when it didn't need to and I couldn't control the data limits easily because the cellular settings would switch whenever the phone would get an update. I was hesitant but I'm glad I switched. Face id is the only thing I really miss.
Is that what your username is referring to? 🙂
Ha, not exactly but that's a good catch!
It has been so long so I couldn't remember the details. But when I got an Iphone 4 back in the day (1st ever iPhone, after many Androids). It got me so frustrated doing anything on it.
One of my biggest frustration was: There's no "bulk selection" AT ALL! Want to delete pictures? One by one. Delete phone history? One by one. Delete Contacts? ONE! BY! ONE!.
I thought to myself "How could ANYONE use this thing?"
Get rid of it after 4 months and never looked back.
besides the price being outrageous, dealbreakers for me are forbidden sideloading and no usb-c cable support. when the eu law requiring both kicks in i think iphones could be fine.
I worked at AT&T when iphones first were a thing. Everything was proprietary (still is) with them, and employees weren't allowed to own phones for the first few years on employee accounts for some unknown reason. When I became a case manager for the executive response team, I finally got to have an iPhone. And... It was boring. I couldn't customize it (granted this was the iPhone 3G in 2008) and it just really didn't excite me. Then I got an Android phone on a whim, and fell in love. All the options!! The things you can do or choose not to do! Amazing! And still to this day whenever I play with an iPhone... It bores me to death.
Why I use Android:
Sideloading
Rooting
Custom ROMs
Excellent hardware, mediocre software, too expensive. To elaborate on the software, long software update is good. And the iPhone is certainly smooth. However it requires too many workarounds for/straight up can't do what I would consider basic features on Android. And it certainly isn't bug free. For the average user though, I don't think they care about any of that, they only care about the brand, which is why the iPhone still sells so well.
More like excellent industrial design, good chip design and good software support*. The hardware itself is nothing special; having a badly engineered aspect has been the "standard feature" for many Apple devices (butterfly keyboard, soldered SSD-s, phone chassis prone to bending are some examples that come to mind).
For comparison, I had a Huawei P7 phone (back when Huawei was still in good graces everywhere) that was thinner, and had better screen than the contemporary iPhone while also having a strong, beautifully machined aluminium chassis. It proved a very durable and dependable tool, and cost ⅓ of the price of an iPhone. The weak point was update support—it was shipped with Android 4.4.2, updated to 4.4.4, and that was that. Android 5 was supposedly released, but never arrived via OTA and when I updated manually after spending some time searching for the new firmware, it proved to be buggy and half-baked.
*Caveat: when I tried to download KDE Connect for an older iPhone, I couldn't because the OS is no longer supported and Apple store doesn't offer older versions of the apps. On Android I can still dig up an old version from Github or some other source and install what I need—I was still able to install Kodi on my old 4.4.4 phone to use as a DLNA music streamer. On an old Apple device, you're shit outta luck.
iOS is too restrictive for me. Not being able to access the file system, no sideloading, no background apps, limited app access to the hardware, etc. Apple has the best mobile SoCs, but then you can't even run an app like Syncthing to keep some folders in sync (it can't even access those folders) or use some app to re-encode a video in the background.
I like the UI consistency between apps and OS (Android is a bit more "messy") but overall it's a bit like ChromeOS. Good for basic stuff and sometimes the best for specific tasks, but try to do anything more advanced and you'll quickly find a wall.
On my phone I have apps like Syncthing running in the background. Sometimes I run an app that gives me detailed info about battery usage, track/map the signal of mobile networks, contribute to Mozilla Location Service, can see to which bands my phone is connected to (and if rooted, even control which are used). If an app needs to use bluetooth to send a file or NFC, it can. On the other hand, Android still struggles to do fast file transfer well (at least it never works as well as Airdrop for me)... there are trade-offs.
Again, it's a bit like ChromeOS/Chromebook vs Linux/Windows/macOS. Perfect for my parents, but not enough for me.
The hardware is fine. Things like the display (Samsung), modem (Qualcomm), cameras (Sony) can be found on Android devices (or at least similar hardware). Their SoC is the best there is, but then is restricted by software... a bit like buying a Ferrari to drive it in a city. Imagine a "gaming phone" with the latest A16?
Regarding software updates, Google and Samsung (at least on the more expensive devices) now have 5 years of software updates. Not as good, but not a problem for those buying a new phone today. Some brands are still bad though.
I made a post about this on c/technology a while back about my iPhone to Android journey and it had pretty good engagement. It might provide you guys more insight.
https://lemm.ee/post/2428648
We on LW is defederated from Beehaw, so I guess many of us here have not seen it...
Android is great for customization, price and choice. Android sucks because some vendors stop os updates only after a couple of years. Granted you can manually install a costum rom from a stranger.
Apple good hardware, should performance. Regular updates. Boring?
Ha ha 🤣 I don't know. You mostly get what you pay for.
Im using a motorola that's ~3 years old and not top of the line. It has a headphone jack, and a stylus.
My opinion on the iPhone is that it is the industry leading phone. But it's taking the industry in directions I just have no interest in.
So nowadays, I'm looking forward to more counter-culture designs. I'm definitely looking for a phone with a physicaly keyboard or a way to attach a small bluetooth keyboard physically to the phone. But I digress.
It's only "industry leading" in the US. Everywhere else it gets trampled on. It's a status symbol and nothing more.
A bit pedantic, but it is also industry leading in revenue/profit. Even in Europe and parts of Asia. A first glance it is a pretty "duh" statement. But companies, like Samsung, see Apple's price action and then move in unison toward it. Sure, you can get plenty of phones for relatively cheap these days. Often times with huge drawbacks or a lot of additional spying built in (or "features" like advertisements in notifications). Or you pay for it in other ways, such as not receiving more than a year's worth of updates.
As a developer, the experience is so much better on Android for me. And I oppose the walled garden on a ideological level.
But I have to admit some of the features are compelling. Some of them aren't even really Apple's doing, such as Genshin Impact supporting wireless controllers on IOS14+, but not Android at all. Others are built in, such as the lidar scanning.
They haven't yet tempted me over, though, because phones are incredibly expensive and even if I weren't opposed to the walled garden, I'm pretty invested in the Android ecosystem now.
At some point I plan to borrow someone's iPhone and try Genshin on it, and if that works well... Well, I might just switch anyhow. Or maybe I get sick of that game before that. ;)
I think that iPhones are unacceptably locked down. But I also think that stock Android is unacceptably privacy-invasive (as in, illegally so, here in the EU).
So, I actually recommend iPhones to non-techies, while running an Android Custom ROM myself. Not particularly happy with that solution either, though. Might see, if I can help push along the Linux phone ecosystem...
I agree and wish we had more options aside from basically just Google or Apple.
What's your current phone and which custom rom are you using? I'm in the market for a new phone but I'm not sure which will have good custom rom support.
I'm using this thing with GApps-less LineageOS: https://www.shift.eco/en/shift6mq/
(GApps = Google Apps)
It is expensive. But if I remember correctly, they're the only manufacturer I could find, who actually officially advertised basic Custom ROM compatibility.
So, they obviously can't promise compatibility with all Custom ROMs and forever, but unlocking the bootloader is literally just a toggle in the Developer Settings and your warranty doesn't expire, if you do dabble with Custom ROMs.
(They do also actually help out the Custom ROM community, and therefore the community does support that phone quite well.)
As for LineageOS, I've never looked around terribly much for other Custom ROMs. I find stock ROMs too limited in features and I especially appreciate being able to wipe all that pre-installed crap by just installing a fresh OS. LineageOS is perfectly alright for that and it's widely supported.
Alternative phones that I'd also expect to work fine:
But yeah, this list is basically sorted from easy to not-so-easy, as the concrete steps can vary wildly.
I should also add that "easy" is on your second rodeo. The first rodeo is always a bit tricky, even for techies.
I like them, but I like Android more, I was an iPhone user since the 4 model up to 6s, my girlfriend still is, she currently has an iPhone 13 and I am amazed of how well iOS feels and behaves, we also share an iPad it’s so good to use and with Apple you get a shit ton of versions support as well.
The iOS apps also have its charm, I think many of them are better crafted on iOS than Android…
I like Android for everything that has been discussed here already, but who knows if I go back someday to iOS, still need to improve, for now I think it is that good that jailbreak does not feels like a necessity like back in the days…
My first contact with iOS was with an ipod touch 4. I was very excited to finally try it as I had never used one nor any smartphone before and I used to follow a lot of tech folks who constantly praised iOS and mocked android left and right.
My first reaction was disappointment. I couldn't believe that was the OS that I had read so many positive reviews of. It felt like it did nothing. Even just browsing the web on it felt so much worse than even the hacked Nintendo DS I had put a browser on. Apple claimed it could multitask, but their idea of multitask was to hibernate an app so you could launch another, then hibernate the second to go back to the first. Apps couldn't process anything unless they were in the foreground. I soon gave up on trying to use multiple apps at the same time.
I later got my first smartphone and I decided to try android, even though I had read so many bad things about it. The experience was the complete opposite. I expected nothing and received an OS filled with every sort of thing I could imagine. It was slow and sometimes it would crash or have other problems, but at least it could do stuff. I loved it.
As the years went by I eventually had to work with multiple apple devices, including iPhones and iPads. Everytime I did, I continued to have the same impression I had back then: "other than it's main basic purpose, I can't think of anything to use this device for".
I had a few android tablets over the years that I always used to write notes (with a pen), browse Twitter side by side with some streaming service, access my computer remotely to load some file I might have forgotten, use as a remote control for playing music on other devices and a lot of shit like that. The iPad I was being paid to create an app for could do none of those things.
Now it's been over a decade since I last tried any Apple product , so I don't really know what the current experience is, but I've dealt with apple in other ways and it only feels like they are always doubling down in being that way.
BTW I also used to have a windows phone device and at the time it felt like the combination of all the good things about android and iOS without their bad things. I'm still sad it didn't survive long.
Back in the day when mobile data was multiple euros per megabyte, I had an ipod 4G as my first 'smartphone'. The UI was unbelievably smooth for the time but I found the OS very limited, so I jailbroke it and tinkered a lot with it. After the release of the iphone 6, apple shipped an update to my ipod that made it super slow. Most games that would run perfectly before became unplayable over night.
That day I made a decision to not buy or recommend any apple devices. Android was great back then, so I never looked back.
A couple of months ago, my dad got an iphone for work and after playing around with it for 20 minutes, I wondered how anyone uses this. The UI is very slow and glitchy compared to my oneplus 8 (which is a 3 year old phone at this point) even when I switch my phone to 60hz to make it fair.
I very much agree with that statement and find myself in the exact same position with windows, so I've switched to linux. It's genuinely incredible how much better it is after gaining a few dozen hours of experience with it.
I use Arch btw.🥰
Same, the wiki and forum are just too good to use anything else.
I prefer Android, but use iPhone 12 Mini instead. The thing is, more than two years ago I was looking for a new phone to replace my aging Oneplus 6, I wanted something more compact. One that really caught my attention was Pixel 4A (Zenfone 8 wasn't released yet, neither was Pixel 5A and I wasn't really looking for Galaxy A or S series full of bloat either).
Out of nowhere a friend of mine offered me barely used iPhone 12 Mini for 400€ so I got that one instead and it serves me well. I still don't like the iOS (apart from the fact that it just works), but other than that the phone itself is still very relevant, camera is good enough, it's got plenty of power for what I need from it, only the battery will need to be replaced in a couple of months. I don't really plan on getting something else yet, this pocket rocket ticks most of the boxes for me, even tough I can't really tinker with OS itself and I'm fairly limited in regard to what apps do I get to use.
If apple allowed you to open up the software and increased ease of hardware repair they'd be my choice. The products are high quality but you have no choice in anything. I enjoy being able to install custom roms on my android. That being said Samsung is getting just as bad as apple. Can't even put a custom roms on my zfold cause unlocking the bootloader disables the cameras. Google is also pushing more and more to make android less open and more like apple and Samsung is really trying to do the same thing. I'd like to see another OS enter the market. Linux for Android is looking promising but I'm afraid there will never be a market ready model. Pine phones are close and libre is nearly there but phosh is disgusting and not a viable replacement.
My work phone is an iPhone. It's fine. 🤷🏼‍♀️ The camera is great, even compared to my pixel. The thing that drives me nutty is all of the ads. I love having ReVanced and xManager on my personal phone.
I actually use an iPhone as my main phone. I prefer it over android for normal daily tasks 9/10 times. It’s those 1/10 things/abnormal tasks that makes me also carry a secondary android phone. But that’s more just me being weird.
After shitting on apple for years I was eventually “forced” to use an iPhone for a short period of time and never looked back.
Anything particular you like about the iPhone over the Android?
UI/UX mostly. Especially in gesture land I much prefer how iOS handles it over androids gestures. Guaranteed updates for a long time are also nice, only really Google offers that.
The biggest thing though is iOS' lack of customizability. I eventually just realized I don't give a shit and I want my phone to work instead of fiddling with ROMs/root all the damn time.
I have never used an iPhone and unlikely will, but this was my exact feeling what I unfortunately had to use a Mac for work for a few months.
I thought they were neat when they were the first smart phone I handled. But when I got to try out some 'droids at the store when buying my first device, I liked the interface better and knowing they were more open and customizable, not to mention way fucking cheaper, it was no contest. The only Apple product I ever really thought had no equal was the first couple generations of iPod.
I'm so used to Android that when I try to use a friend's iPhone it just doesn't seem intuitive to me. But to be fair the same happens with heavily modified versions of Android, like MIUI.
I think iPhones are mostly ok, but I can't stand the fact that something so expensive feels so laggy because of the 60Hz refresh rates.
They have pretty damn good face recognition though, but at the price of a gigantic pill/notch on the screen.
I see iPhones as remarkable feats of technology shrouded by greedy business practices and a cultish fan base that alienates everyone that doesn't conform to the Apple way. If Apple had an execute shakeup and started becoming pro-consumer instead of pro-shareholder then the Apple ecosystem could be an amazing tool that everyone can use, not just iPhone fanatics. I'd love to bring a Macbook around with me because of the portability and reliability, but the cost and lack of support for anything non-apple makes me consider other options, like Framework, Samsung or Lenovo, which I'm fine with. They all build fantastic machines, but they're limited by the instability of the operating systems I can choose from.
I admit I didn't read many replies due to time. But to add to them, the more I deal with my mother who is becoming more technologically challenged in her years, I constantly get to hear about how confusing her Android is sometimes, I sort of wish she'd switch to Apple for it's simplicity! I used to have an iMac and was gladly part of the eco-system for a while and enjoyed how intuitive it was. With that said, when the time came for me to join the Smartphone world in '10 or so - I went Android and haven't looked back.
We've looked at them in the past and while they make solid quality phones and easy to use phones, from what I understand, the battery life is somewhat to be desired? (as of a few years ago). The formula they use to make everything stay within their Eco-system seems to be working for them. After all, if you have an iPhone, then it seamlessly works with your Mac, or other Apple Devices. There's more control over it.
For the best flexibility with our family, we use Android and will for the time being. Not to say though that the newer Linux based phones (PinePhone,Librephone etc) aren't catching my attention because they are and I'm a die hard Linux user! :)
I use both devices and to me I prefer the iPhone for its simplicity in UX of things such as audio handoff between devices with airpods, the ease of using their “Find My” network. And being able to use iMessage/FaceTime seamlessly with other apple users without them needing another account to use Wi-Fi calling/messaging. The camera/photos/iCloud integration is much better too.
Android is much better for various little apps. They are more permissive on the App Store and even if they weren’t you can easily side load. Things like emulators are way more convenient as well as various other self hostable projects that can extend the life of the device even when it’s no longer adequate for communications.
Personally I prefer the ubiquitousness and of the apple ecosystem and I prefer the smaller form factor for phones and so the iPhone 13 mini is my preferred device. If there isn’t another small form factor phone from apple when it’s time for me to upgrade then I’ll probably try to look into whatever the latest fairphone at the time is (if it’s still supported in the US)
If the manufacturers would stay out of Google’s way and let there be a unified android experience without manufacturer bloat then it’d probably be the best as pixels are fantastic phones with good support, they are just a bit too big for my liking
I've been an android user since I've been using smartphones. Out of curiosity I tried an iPhone 13 pro recently for about 3 days. I couldn't believe how ugly and unpolished a lot of the 3rd party and Google apps are on IOS. After hearing for years about how refined iOS UI is, I was shocked. I guess aesthetics aren't that important to iPhone users? It was enough to make me gratefully return to my S22.
I would miss the ability to multitask by split screening apps or doing floating app with my S23U. I would miss my spen which I use to take quick notes, and then can slot back into the phone which even the iPad Pros can't do. I would miss having a non Safari browser like Firefox and its addons. I would miss the easy access to foss apps like NewPipe, and apps not allowed on the Apple store like tachiyomi, emulators, and torrent clients. I would miss that syncthing type apps don't properly work for syncing across different platforms. I would miss the launcher, since I'm not a fan of Apple launcher and app library aesthetics. I would miss the Android folder system's easy access to everything in there compared to the iPhone. I would miss one hand operation+ method of navigating over Apple gestures.
I would like the long term updates of the iPhone though. Using the iPad though made me never want to get an iPhone.
I would consider getting an iPhone if they went back to making cheap plastic phones again like the 5C.
Otherwise they're just too fragile and expensive. That's the real problem I have with iPhones, you either pay a lot of money for a fragile phone or you don't have an iPhone. They don't provide another option anymore.
With Android you can run the gambit from a plastic phone that is $50, it'll be slow but it will run apps, right up to $5,000 phones with folding screens. Admittedly most of them are made by Samsung.
Over the course of 14 years, I had five different iPhones: 3GS in 2009, iPhone 4S in 2011, iPhone 6 in 2014, an iPhone XS in 2018 and now a work-only phone owned by my company which I don't know the model of - I barely use it. I also had a brief Android-spell from mid-2010 until the release of the 4S with an HTC Legend which was a truly awful experience, and turned me off from Android for a long time until I bought a Fairphone 4 for personal use end of last year and installed CalyxOS on it. No regrets making the switch.
But yeah, I liked iPhones for a while. My prejudice against Android was unfortunate, but HTC Legend was a truly awful phone that lost support for updates quickly after I got it, and was also not prioritized by the modding community. I was going to get an HTC Desire, but they were sold out at the time, and I was about to go into the military, so waiting was not an option. If I got the Desire, I think the experience would've been better, but instead I sat with the impression that you could not count on long-term support for Android-devices, and that the hardware was rubbish.
I adopted iPhones at the same time as I departed from my teenage more tech-oriented years in favor of more social stuff at high school and university, so avoiding spending time on customization through the whole "you get what exactly we want you to get"-vibe of Apple worked fine for me then. It is the same shit that eventually drove me mad and made me ditch both iOS and macOS last year in favor of Android and Linux.
The hardware itself is quite good. They lasted increasingly longer for my use, but battery performance was shit towards the end and I was not going to spend a fortune changing the battery. My new phone has an easily changeable battery. Other than repairability, new features of smartphones have not excited me for many years.
The Apple ecosystem never really worked for me. I had iCloud only because the price point was much better than Dropbox for my use when I made the change. Other than that I really didn't use much of their stuff, which made the transition a lot easier than it could've been. Exporting iCloud-stuff from a non-Apple device was a chore though... But since I also did not use much of the ecosystem, that was also a big "why bother"-point. But my main grievance is the lack of openness and control over your own device. I also have an old iPad now that sits with no use cases, because I can't get a recent enough iOS-version installed, and I can't install another operating system as far as I know. It's so wasteful.
So have been on both sides and prefer the iPhone. The logic being that I have no advanced needs that require the adaptability of android. If I wanted to root a phone for more control then iPhone would not be the way to go.
In the past the big turn off for android was carriers adding spyware (ie Facebook, etc) by default that required rooting to get rid of.
This is a big part of it for me. I use my phone for web browsing and that’s about it. Any advanced needs are managed on my pc.
If I wanted to do more an android would probably be necessary, but I just don’t do enough with my phone.
I love not having features!
At first it was cost. Android phones and tablets were (and mostly still are) less expensive. Now that I have used both, I very much prefer Android devices.
For most people I'm sure the difference is negligible or maybe they even find Apple devices easier to use. For me iOS has always been a struggle between what I want to do and what the software requires before it will do it. Although Android devices are not as open as they once were, they are far more customizable than the iPhone.
Still running and iPhone XS, battery still lasts all day, still as fast as when I got it. Definitely some annoying things with it but much longer lives than any Android I owned in the past
I had no small amount of issues with the one iPhone I ever owned, and have had no interest in trying a new one since switching to android. I'm further discouraged from even giving one a shot because of how difficult Apple made it to switch to android the first time, so if I didn't like the phone I'd have to jump through hoops to switch back. That being said, I will never care what kind of phone someone else uses. If you've had great experiences with iPhones, I'm happy you found something you like.
Looks like many people here have had the same experience as me.
I've had both iPhones and Androids at several points in my life (just recently switched from and iPhone 11 to an S23 Ultra).
For the most part, I find Android devices to be plain better. More features, more freedom... you know, the usual. The only thing I find to be better on the iPhones is that, as a frontend developer and someone who loves seeing nice UX on apps, I feel like 3rd party native apps are usually much better and much more frequent on Apple devices than on Android ones. When I participate in macOS development communities, it also feels like devs enjoy much more developing for macOS/iOS/iPadOS than the alternatives.
But as said, as a device, I much rather prefer Android phones.
I would never own one. I don't like closed systems that try to lock my data away. Also, the inflexible UI sucks.
I didn't really care much about other people's preferences until this past weekend at my Aunt's celebration of life gathering. My cousin insisted on sending photos taken there via iMessages (translation: group mms) instead of posting somewhere or using email. Blurry is an understatement. Those photos are useless.
I've luckily been able to convince all my family members to use Google Photos
Makes picture sharing way better
Ask them to set an iCloud album and share the link. Those work on Android too.
Thanks, I'll try that!
You can tell I have a lot of friends with iPhones.
Me too, but worse all of my whitewater and mountain bike buddies only coordinate through Facebook, so I'm stuck using that too.
I got 3GS when it was new, after 1 month it was more at the service then in my pocket. I guess I was unlucky, but they replaced for a new device which died after connecting it to a cheap power bank. They said I spilled the water on it, but I didnt. Looking at USB cable it was at the end of the life after short time. Im sure I was unlucky and I believe many things changed in meantime, but Ill never buy iphone again. Never had bad experience with smartphones, before or after iphone, even with low end cheap models
This is an old thread, but I thought I'd give my thoughts.
I absolutely love the Android Open Source Project. The amount of things you can do with Android are spectacular. Pixels especially are wonderful devices.
However, it's come to my attention that I think iPhones make better "Phones" than any other device.
Apple is in a unique position of having fast and sleek operating systems and software, and wonderful integration.
Homestly if you're not running privacy focused stuff, like your own homeserver, or a custom OS, or anything. Apple is the best for your privacy.
The reason I believe this is due to their implementation of their Apple TV Box. Google's TV stuff is designed first and foremost to give you advertisements, even on the home screen, and Apple does no such thing. Needless to say, I switched TV Boxes. Upon researching what Apple does with your data, I'm becoming convinced that the Apple ecosystem has become a better option for consumerist services, like social media, news, streaming, and banking.
It's not enough to make me get rid of my Android Pixel, but I've been heavily considering getting an iPhone, iPad, Watch, Mac Mini.
Powerful math tools, diagnostic tools, chatroom apps, forum apps, Signal, games, emulation, privacy tools, all mostly open source software, they'd all go on an Android Pixel running a custom OS still.
If Google started taking privacy and E2EE as seriously as Apple, I wouldn't even be thinking of switching over to iPhone, but now I'm thinking whether to stay with Android or switch. (also no ads would be great on Google TV/Chromecast)
I've been back and forth between Android and iOS several times, I'm happy with either these days.
I use services that work on both platforms like GMail/Cal/Contacts, Dropbox free (10GB)/oneDrive + Cryptomator, Bitwarden, 2FAS, Signal/WhatsApp, etc. There's no lock-in on either platform as far as I'm concerned and I can switch over in half an hour and keep going.
I charge my phones with an ancient 7W Qi pad, batteries usually last 3-4 years before any degradation is mildly noticeable, at which time getting a store to replace it is trivial or I sell the old phone and buy a new one - Apple/Samsung/Google, whatever takes my fancy.
My first smart phone was a used iPhone 3, loved it at first but after a bit i switched to an Android. I have been an Android user since then... Until this February when i dumped my dying moto Z4 for an iPhone 14 Pro. I was so sick of being behind on os updates and security patches.
I did custom ROMs for years so i would have all of that stuff, but sometimes an update would break everything so i had to hope my backup worked, or that i remembered to make a back up at all. All of my uSD cards were full of backups and different ROM downloads, i decided when i got the Z4 i was staying stock, i never even rooted or unlocked the bootloader. I kept having to wipe the phone and reinstall everything or it would run like shit.
I've only ever had two iPhones, my 5S, and the 13 I got from work.
All of the issues surrounding the phone are still present, and with no loss of quality in any way on Android I don't see why I'd ever choose to spend the money on something that I'm mostly paying for the name on.
I have some nostalgia for when they introduced the appstore. Aaaand that's where the nice things I have to say end.
I borrowed an old iphone 4 (or was it iphone 5? Can't tell the difference) about 7 years ago when i had to send my Sony Xperia Z3 Compact in for repair). Couldn't get it to work thw way i wanted it to. There was no way to properly configure the notifications. I think i could not have the vibration on for messages but not calls or something silly.
I also don't like being forced to install itunes just to copy music from my computer to phone. No idea if that is still the case nowadays.
There are people who like that convenience and that's ok.
I own an iPad and wanted to copy a gig worth of shit onto it, I think I ended having to resort to Google drive but I still have no clue how to get files onto that damn thing. I'm not sure why apple needs to lock down file transfers on iOS so hard.
Best guess is they wanted a very well defined and controlled file structure, where there's a place for each type of file, and the only way to do that is to lock it down and have their tool do all the work. Good for some people, but heck, I bloody well want to store my MP3s together with my photos, even if it means I can't find it later. :D
I agree that this is needlessly nuanced, but it is possible. If you have a Mac you can transfer files between Mac and an iPad wirelessly or with a cable. iPads can also connect to external storage devices or Windows PCs if they are sharing the files. But it isn't like Android where you can basically just plug it into a Windows or Linux machine and have direct instant access to its entire directory.
I have arch and I can also copy files. I use Documents as file manager on ipad.
Apple is winning the communications game and I'm afraid I'll wind up switching once they go usb c. I'm sick and tired of the iMessage walled garden when messaging nearly everyone I know, and also tried of the hit or miss debacle of rcs. I will miss the customization freedom (currently using Niagara launcher and it's super unique ux), but Android phones have deleted all of the other benefits that separated them from iPhones, like expandable storage, ir blasters, headphone jacks, etc. I hate to jump on the bandwagon, but I'm sick of waiting for this all to be worked out. Before anyone says to use signal or Whatsapp, etc, it just isn't a standard here in the US. Folks will never switch off iMessage.
Yeah I understand your pain too, in the US almost everybody has iPhones. Thankfully you can get iMessage on Android by having an old iPhone and connecting it to an open source app on Android.
As for the lost features, it is extremely unfortunate too. I can't fathom why execs would even attempt copy them because no one does apple better than apple (undying loyalty and brand). All they are doing is alienating those who want an alternative to apple by making a shitty knock off iPhone.
Sony is a god send though keeping the android spirit alive. New phones have a headphone jack, expandable storage, fingerprint sensor, light indicator, dedicated focus and shutter button, assistant button, 4k 120hz display and probably more. They are expensive but you can get the last gen top model for like 700$ (or last last gen for 500$ which is almost identical). A good deal since it's only 1 years old and MSRP was like 1200$
Seriously Sony does not get anywhere near the attention they deserves despite everyone bitching about their lost headphone jack and microsd storage.
Just a small correction- the latest Xperia 1 V lost the notification light led. Everything else is good though. Replying on my Xperia 1 ii
I wish I had the money for an xperia phone. really really want one. that or an ROG phone.
I think having Sup. will change that, since you can tell them "Hey, check out this cool Instagram/Twitter/reddit/Facebook thing! It also comes with this cool messager!" and they'll switch.
Hopefully.
I don't know what you're referring to
Oh, the maker of Pixelfed (Instagram equivalent) announced that he's making a secure messanger called "Sup." with the Signal protocol that should work for ALL Fediverse accounts (Mastodon, Lemmy/Kbin, Pixelfed, Friendica, etc.).
I'm literally the only person I know who uses any of these platforms. A new messaging service out of those won't ever be on their radar.
Damn, really? Anywhere to follow the progress? Not a techie, and I do not understand GitHub. Lol. Mastodon account or lemmy community to follow?
https://lemmy.ml/post/3697221
Dan Sup's Mastodon should have some progress, but he works on multiple projects at once.
He said the beta should be out at the end of month though.
Whoops, just saw this. Thanks!
I haven't seen much new info on this even though its supposed to be coming out soon.
Just scoured the mastodon, and haven't really seen anything. It sounds like a huge undertaking, so I'm guessing it's probably delayed? The dev seems like a good guy, though!
There are things i like about ios and things I like about android. And to be fair, both companies have somewhat converged slightly over the years (and learnt from jailbreakers/rooters).
The main thing I still like about ios is that swipe up for control center works better, especially when screen sizes are now all >5".
Things I still like about android:
Ultimately I usually end up on android because the sideload/file transfer thing becomes a deal breaker, but I like that ios provides Google and other phone manufacturers with a reason to continue innovating.
@MargotRobbie I used iPhones for 7 years when they first came out. Almost always kept it jailbroken where possible. Eventually switched to Android and I found I could do the things out of the box, that previously required jailbreak with iPhone. Around that time, Android UX had caught up to iPhone as well. Custom app stores (F-Droid), custom launchers and more.
Eventually got sick of Android too. Now I use #lineageos (only a subtle difference) and now I feel like I actually own my smartphone.
They are many nice things about them.
I really wish I could use them but there are simply a lot of things about Android that I find more important.
ironically, not being bound into an ecosystem
much more freedom of device choice\
can install whatever apps you want
i refuse to use a device without a headphone jack
far more customizable
I had an iPhone 12 Pro Max before my pixel fold. I love carplay compared to Android auto, the UI personally looks prettier except for the home screen layout, I like how seamless the experience can be between Apple devices, and it's nice to be on the platform that gets more attention from app devs.
But all was not perfect The past 6 months that I'd had it, it would overheat anytime you had to charge it which led to issues with carplay and such. The charger itself was a pain to have be different from my USBC devices like the MacBook, iPad, keyboard, mouse, work laptop, monitor, anyone else's phones, headphones, and literally everything else. Lastly, the lack of call screener like I'd had on my pixel 4 before it and now on my pixel fold. It's so nice having a virtual secretary
Apple products are for the technologically feeble.
I don't care.
I used Android exclusively for about 3-4 years, I was even developing ROMs, then switched to iPhone for work. I wouldn’t go back to Android. Most of the problems with iPhone don’t exist anymore.. the walls have mostly come down due to cloud based services and apps being able to use wifi to drag/drop files
IMO, iPhone is easy to use, great quality apps, great battery life, secure and best value for money. They have great resale for those people who upgrade every year, and long support for people who buy a phone every 5 years.
They just work
The Android system just seems so disjointed and the App Store is full of junk apps.