this post was submitted on 23 Aug 2023
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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).

  • It was absolutely painful to transfer files from the phone to my computer (Ugh, iTunes).

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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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[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

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.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

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.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

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.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

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.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Looks like many people here have had the same experience as me.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

I've luckily been able to convince all my family members to use Google Photos

Makes picture sharing way better

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

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.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

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

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

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.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

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.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

@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.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

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.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

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.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (10 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

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

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

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.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

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

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

I have some nostalgia for when they introduced the appstore. Aaaand that's where the nice things I have to say end.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

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

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

They are many nice things about them.

  • great build quality
  • long software support
  • brick and mortar repair
  • cohesive ecosystem
  • products aren't abandoned
  • devices hold their value

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
[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

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.

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