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.
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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
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.
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 🤞
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.”
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 foldables👍
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.
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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 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.
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.
Sideloading:
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I’d be restricted to the apps on the app store that have to restrict themselves to the app store policies.
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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.
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I couldn’t use modified apps like revanced.
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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.
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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.
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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:
- Apple decides for its users. They removed headphone jacks and then the sim card thing in US for no reason. Since they only have flagships, that’s all the users are restricted to.
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:
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No back button
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No revanced.
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Ecosystem locked.
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Only expensive phones.
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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 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.
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.
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.
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.
I used to love the Iphone back when app devs followed strict design standards. And offered a good product for a few bucks up-front. So now I use launchers with icon-replacements, and I try to pay for FOSS apps that I use.
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.
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.
Excellent hardware
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.
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:
- you can sideload apps without resorting to exploits
- you can transfer files directly onto your phone without using itunes or some weird hack
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.
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.
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.
