Lifelong iOS hater who moved to iOS 2 years ago here. They're different strokes for different folks.
If you're like I used to be, get an Android! Flash a custom ROM on it! All the freedom is amazing.
Now I have an iPhone. It may even lack some features Android has. It gets them slower. But the experience is ridiculously polished and consistent. This is a device I can't have fail on me.
I still use Linux on my gaming PC and one of my work laptops. I love it. I love fiddling with things. I just want my phone to be an appliance like my fridge now. I buy it and forget it for the next few years.
Sometimes I miss tinkering on my android phone, but I just get my fix handled with the homelab and keep my iPhone nice and stable. I wish it wouldn’t take lawmakers to get things like usb c and rcs, but hey still getting it done.
My second work phone is an iPhone, so I'm a lifelong iOS hater but I've had a few generations of them. Let me tell you these things crash all the time, it is only slightly better at covering for itself.
I'd say a good negative use case really fits in the "reliability" category. So often at work, coders expect everything to always succeed, and have no thought towards what happens if one cog ever falls out of place; but good systems can react well or even help you get to what you generally need.
I mean, if you spent the kind of scratch on an android phone you would on an iPhone and then not fuck around with it, you'd have a similar experience on Android.
Years ago I used to flash roms and generally tinker until I decided I needed my phone to be stable and stopped. My Note 20 is polished and stable, no complaints.
My wife has always had iPhones. I've used both and find iOS frustrating. These days, unless you're scraping the bottom of the barrel, it's mostly about comfort and preference.
I've done that once. Then I made the mistake of updating past the Android version it came with. Suddenly it was no better than most of the cheap androids I'd owned before that. It was the Oneplus 7 Pro and it just started lagging like hell 2 years in.
I'm now 2 years into my iPhone 13 mini, have also kept up with software updates and it hasn't slowed down at all.
Yeah, Apple has a good track record for software undates. I actually replaced a perfectly good phone just because it lacks updates.
Honestly, that's why I want a Linux phone, for essentially endless updates. My old 2009 Linux PC still got updates when I eventually upgraded the hardware, and I want the same to be true of my phone. Unfortunately, Linux phones don't meet my base requirements, but hopefully that'll change by the time I need another.
That's the thing. Apple has that track record already. This years iOS update will be available for phones released as far back as 2017. And that's not a recent development - 4+ years have been the norm with iOS devices for a long time, while many Android phones have suffered from much faster obsolescence.
Google have yet to prove that they can fulfill this promise.
Idk, they've done pretty well with their established update cycle so far. AFAIK, Apple doesn't announce a minimum support cycle, they just announce when devices lose support. Google announces minimum support cycle, and so far has stuck to it.
Maybe Apple is better in this regard, idk, but so far Google has kept their word with their Pixel devices, so I don't see any reason to doubt them going forward.
I used to unlock my desktop with my face a long time ago (20 years or so)... No clue when it came to mobile devices, I could totally see Apple bringing that to mobile first.
I wholeheartedly agree, I thought it was cool until I realized the security concerns. FDE and pass phrases only please. If only someone could convince more companies to allow proper TOTP instead of wanting you to use their proprietary authenticator.
I mean Android, and Samsung in particular, borrow from Apple all the time as well. Hell Samsung frequently bad mouths Apples for the anti-consumer choices one year then follows suit and does the same thing in a year or 2 themselves.
These kinds of takes are not the flex some seem to think they are in my opinion.
Which one is bog standard? Samsung has over 12 different models on production that range from 150$ to 1900$, including two models with folding screens. Apple has 3 4 almost identical phones, they're all overpriced hardware.
Better? The Apple hardware is always significantly worse than competition in the same price class. Most of the price of an iPhone goes to their excessive marketing and record profits, so they have to cut costs on hardware
You mean to say that the accidentally bendy phone is better than the actually foldable phone? Or that the accidentally bendy tablet is better than the tablet that is almost 20% larger, equally thin but somehow doesn't bend?
So what you're saying is, if you want advanced phone features sooner buy an Android, if you want to be subjected to dodgy business practices sooner buy an Apple
except it's basically made useless by the fact that wifi/bt toggles don't actually toggle off their respective radios, but just disconnect from the current network
Ok. And android still sucks compared to Apple. Always full of bloatware and can never get updated or long term support. Only the Google phones have a decent OS
Samsung has even cut most of the horseshit out. My S22 had like a few Samsung apps, they live in a folder and I never see them. But that is similar to all of the Apple apps you couldn't remove either (don't know if that's changed, haven't had an iPhone since the 4)
Not anymore. That was true for a few years but iOS has definitely overtaken Android. Plus when you include the entire Apple devices ecosystem, Arcade, TV+, Homepod, Continuity etc iOS FAR, FAR outstrips Android.
Android is a stand alone device but iPhone is one piece in a mosaic of devices and services.
This is why now, after the last 4 years on Android, I'm switching back to iPhone.
Plus the hardware and cameras on budget Android devices are shit and I'm tried of paying for shit.
The Snapdragon 695 came out 3+ years ago and yet Qualcomm just released this year the Snapdragon 6s gen 3, which is .... the 695 with a slightly higher clock speed... 🤦
For €300 - €550 they keep selling us the same junk with a different name and colour and I'm done with that bs.
As someone that flips between Samsung and iPhone they all are selling us the same shit every year. Smartphones in general have gotten stale. I can’t remember anything in the last 5 years that anyone has announced that made me think I have to upgrade my device. Maybe it’s just me but the tech seems boring now.
Phone tech is really boring. Almost everything looks the same, they are all x% faster than last year's model which still does everything perfectly fine. In terms of hardware, the phone has kinda reached the optimal place.
I'm not the target audience for bleeding edge phones though. I take photos, listen to music(using Bluetooth and wired headphones), browse the web and message people. I don't really play games or use it for work.
By far the most interesting thing to me is foldable phones. I really like the idea of a flip phone, but I don't think it would be too happy sitting in my sweaty pocket while I cycle.
Foldable phones are the dumbest shit. Only for people who like to spend too much money on an everyday object. It's introducing an unnecessary potential point of failure.
Same, but I don't really take pictures either, despite having arguably the best smartphone camera on the market (Pixel 8). I bought my phone because it has 7 years of updates, and I got a good deal on a used one.
So yeah, smartphones really aren't my thing. If it browses the web, makes texts and calls, and works with my bluetooth headphones, I'm happy. I don't need a big screen (I even "downgraded" a bit in screen size) and I'd prefer no selfie cam (almost never use it for video calls), but I work with what I've got to choose from.
What's more far ahead than an ecosystem that you can't leave without replacing all devices because they work poorly with anything other than Apple. If you don't like all their products or Apple makes changes that you disagree with then sucks to be you, I guess.
Exactly. I have a work Macbook Pro, which I honestly dislike, and my wife has an iPhone and iPad (iPad is for drawing because the Apple pencil is better than alternatives). My wife won't use an Apple computer because her games don't work (mostly Lost Ark, but also others), I won't use one because I much prefer Linux, and we don't want yet another streaming service.
So Apple gets a big "meh" from me. It's better than Windows for me, so I guess there's that, but I'm really not interested in an "ecosystem."
Aren't wacoms PC-accessories? She wants an independent tablet for drawing at the park and whatnot.
She has a wacom tablet for home though, but she's never gotten the hang of it. Maybe I'll push her to try again now that she's more familiar with digital art.
There's the MobileStudio Pro and Wacom is hardly the only brand. There's also the Huion Kamvas Studio. Both are cheaper than an iPad Pro and both come in multiple sizes. I'm not sure about Huion but Wacom has had rotating barrel sensors on the pen for almost a decade.
That is the catch. I agree that there is lock in, I've experienced that, but in return you get unparalleled interconnectivity.
Plus you get 5+ years OS updates on iPhone and iPad Vs 2-3 years on Android, budget Android. And for the money, the cameras will be better than any budget Android and the CPU will be better for gaming. Plus there is a world of accessories you just don't get with Android.
As cool as it is to have split screen or an SD card on my phone, when I need to take a picture with friends/family and they always come out terribly because all Android's under €750 have shit cameras, then none of that matters. An experience I recently had. We tried 3 android phones and in the end the friend with an iPhone got the best shot and that one was shared on the group.
Super embarrassing for Android that 3 different phones tried to get a decent semi low light photo and couldn't but a year's old iPhone got a great shot with 1 click.
Except the iPhone isn't junk - best in class CPU, best in class cameras, best in class accessories, magsafe, best in class security(FaceID), best in class messaging with iMessage, best in class emoji/animoji/memoji, best in class OS updates, busy in class animations and app design, best in class post sales service, best in class devices ecosystem....
iPhones haven’t had best in class cameras in years. One of the pain points of moving to iPhone was giving up the superior camera experience of Google pixels and Samsung phones.
Not at all. iPhones are very capable point and shoot camera phones, but even at a more budget price point iPhone cameras haven’t been best in class in at least 5 or 6 years.
The pixel 5-6 were like $600 phones with unmatched cameras and even better camera software. The modern non-pro pixels like the 7 and 8 also beat out all but the pro max models of recent iPhones.
Similar to that the Samsung fan edition phones were beating out iPhone cameras at a $600 price point brand new.
That isn’t to say there’s anything wrong with iPhone cameras, but they’re not nearly the best either. Even at lower price points. Like it’s becoming quite clear that you are just saying things at this point because you really like iPhones. But almost none of the things you claim are remotely true.
You are in the US so pixels are widely available and cheap. As is the FE series.
Where I live, outside the US, the Pixel is not sold nor will Google let you buy it. So pixel is a no go.
The Fan Edition Samsung costs virtually the same as the regular edition where I live, if you can find an FE. It costs €700+...
99% of our population can only afford €250-300 phones. €700 is out of reach unless you're single, hehe a great job and still live with mum and dad. Or you are the 1%.
So at that price ALL the android cameras are shit, shit, shit.
So, if I import from the UK a used iPhone 12 it will cost about €350. At that price NOTHING can touch it below €700.
Everything below €700 is Chinese cheapie and Samsung cheapie, also known as crap phones.
I don't get it. I live in Germany and own a pixel 7 pro. I had no trouble buying it. In fact, I just bought one for my wife. Decided I don't need the pixel 8 because the 7 pro works like a charm. Where do you live that you can't buy Pixels?
If you want good photos, buy a real camera with a good lens and learn to manipulate raw files. Smartphone pictures will only look good on a tiny screen. The amount of postprocessing that takes place without any of your input makes the photos look bland. That said, android phones do have the better hardware and by saving the raw files you at least get to develop the pictures yourself, the way you want it, sort of.
I have a great pocket camera but it's not practical to carry it wherever I go. Most photos are taken spontaneously and for that reason you want a great camera on your smartphone.
I don't know about CPUs, but that's kind of a non-issue as phones are very fast anyway, even the low-budget ones. I'll bet there are android phones with higher performance though.
face unlock has got to be the dumbest way to secure your phone. All one has to do is point the damn thing at your face and it's unlocked
MagSafe is a weird thing to list. Wireless charging kind of makes it redundant, right? Plus there are aftermarket usb-c adapters to have the exact same thing.
no one uses iMessage outside of the USA
emojis? Seriously?
I'll give you the updates one, it's easier to update hardware that's trapped in a walled garden
animations?
iOS has some very high quality apps, I'll give you that one too
All of the above doesn't really matter though. I have an iPhone for work and I just hate the user interface. It's just very inefficient and clunky. The worst thing is how it's so difficult to get some real ad blocking going. Also, the feeling of being trapped in their ecosystem has an almost claustrophobic effect on me.
Google sucks a big dick too however, just like the internet itself does. I'm really contemplating on going back to a feature phone soon.
Oh no most definitely. Since I’ve been using iOS (IOS 15) every update is just playing catchup on Android features. It’s actually why I finally switched from Android to iOS. iPhones have abandoned so much of their own design philosophy in favor of Androids, that iOS is practically just another flavor of Android like Samsungs or Huaweis. The friction to switch between phones has never been lower. I did however have to wait for iPhones to finally bring decent refresh rates to iOS before switching (above 60hz).
To be honest as an Android user, if Apple makes their phone less locked down and give more affordable choices for phones I may try an iPhone, as I am a bit fed up with Android, and there are no other real alternatives.
Locked to trust them. I have been a long time iPhone user. Is by far the best mobile OS. Is overpriced , yes and since at this point of my life give more fucks , next one would be whatever good crap I can get.
You realize that Android being too open is a major reason for why it sucks and iOS being more locked down is precisely how they avoided going the same way, right?
I'm happy with GrapheneOS on my Google Pixel. It's basically Android without the Google crap. It's not for everyone though.
That said, I'd really like a third option. iOS is too locked down, Android phones have short support cycles (getting better, and is a huge reason why I picked Pixel), and Linux phones have fundamental hardware and software issues. I'm sad Microsoft, Palm, and Blackberry all gave up, there were interesting things happening in the mobile space back then.
Same. I thought it would be a bigger change, but it turns out I only need 5-6 apps from the Play store, and 3 need Google Play services. I only need those periodically, so I leave them in a separate profile.
My main profile has a bunch of F-Droid apps and a few manually side-loaded that update themselves. It's pretty nice! I have also disabled most permissions on most apps, far more than stock Android lets me do (esp. sensors permission).
It's pretty much what I want from Android. There are a handful of things I wish it did (I like shaking the phone on my Moto to get the flashlight), but all in all it's what I expect from Android. I still want a Linux phone though.
I use Tasker to handle stuff like shaking for a light, enabling certain DND settings, etc.
I would love a phone that could dock and be a desktop replacement, I'm fine with using moonlight or something else to reach back to a server for games or bigger lifts than my phone can handle.
Cool, I'll have to play with Tasker. I just got it recently and I think I have all my data synced over, but I haven't gotten too far in customization.
BTW, do you know of anything like Niagara launcher? I liked that one quite a bit, but I didn't find anything FOSS to replace it. The default is okay, I just want something that only lists a handful of apps to reduce clutter.
I just use the default one and put a couple folders on the home screen (one for stores, one for games, one for media, one for utility), then a couple widgets on the next screen over.
Are persistent notifications still a requirement for background apps, such as Signal? One of the reasons I switched to CalyxOS. Not the Signal persistent notification specifically, but it, in combination with all the others I needed running in the BG, made it very difficult to not miss new notifications. I like CalyxOS just fine, but I agree with you on GrapheneOS. I was very excited that it was exactly as I've always wanted android to be (but wasn't), except for those persistent notifications.
I haven't had to do anything special for signal, Home Assistant has some issues with permissions and not always reporting back if its on in the background. Still trying to figure out why its fine on mine but not on my son's phone.
The fine tuned controls for things like network access, storage and contact scopes, etc. are just amazing.
You don't have a persistent (albeit silent) notification for Signal and still receive push notifications? If so, my next OS may just be GOS.
The fine tuned controls are different than stock android? I thought GOS doesn't alter the stock experience (more than is required to decrapify the OS)?
No, the only persistent notification I have to put up with is Tasker.
I honestly can say how far from stock it is because I have no clue when the last time I saw unadulterated Android (if ever lol), but it doesn't have a lot of crap added to it.
That's really great to hear. I'm currently on CalyxOS and, besides the Google crap added to stock, it's very close to the last time I used stock (granted, it's been a hot minute). Next phone will likely be GrapheneOS, as I believe my posture has shifted since I decided on CalyxOS, and the lack of persistent notifications for background tasks (such as Signal) was the main deterrent that allowed me to settle into a more relaxed posture.
I can't afford a new one so I'm looking at used IPhone's to get. Because Apple tends to support them for 5+ years, I still should get at least 2 years OS updates with a used one.
Like math notes. And handwriting fonts. And a customisable control centre. And phone mirroring. And locking apps natively. And pretty much all of Apple Intelligence (particularly Genmoji because I want a hyena emoji and Unicode doesn't have one).
Hold on. This control centre thing is really annoying me over here on Android. iOS separates notifications and control centre into two separate groups. I have to swipe down twice on Android to do what took a single swipe on iOS. On top of this, clearing all notifications closes the drawer after a delay, automatically. Why? I can close it faster myself, and sometimes, I want it to stay open, but NOPE!
And then the control centre itself. Volume control just.. doesn't exist (key word: CONTROL). Brightness (which I use often) is all the way at the top, rather than the middle. Then, the control centre is split into PAGES at HALF SIZE, and they're all just wide rectangular buttons. Then, no volume control. What the HELL is this!? I could long press to get an easy brightness slider for my torch, everything internet related was quickly accessible in a single square, and now you're telling me iOS is even FURTHER ahead?
Did I mention there's NO. VOLUME. CONTROL. I have to press a volume button, then a tiny on-screen button after that, and then I get sliders after I wait for the menu to pop up. Granted, that's sliders (plural), but fuck me. This one HURTS. I sometimes find the buttons a little bit too stiff, so I usually use on-screen controls during screen on, and buttons while off.
So much for owning my phone, since I can barely change any of this, and I can only see the way my control centre looks after I've edited it.
FUCK!
This absolute abhorrence. The Gods forsake this wretched control centre design. It is genuinely agonising using this afterthought of an interface. This cannot stand.
That doesn't sound like my phone. Have you tried launchers? Or it could be specific to your manufacturer. That's part of the problem with android - too many manufacturers wanting to customise their interface without a clear idea of what good UX is
I hate Apple and love Android but I can see the value in all the stuff you said. Doesn't make me want to change teams but just letting you know there is an Android fanboy that sees value in what you said.
Looks like it's been available on some android devices for at least a month. I don't know about free though, I think it depends on your carrier. I know T-Mobile has been talking about supporting it using Starlink satellites.
For me the importance is that it’s free - I wouldn’t even pay $5 a month for a service that I’d use in very unlikely situations probably once or twice a year.
They said it’s free for 2 years with any new purchase of iPhone since iPhone 14; and now they’ve extended it for 1 more year. No one has had to pay for any of it yet - and it’s unknown if/when/how it’ll be a paid service
