Android: convince me!

[Hkfan45]

I’ve been an iPhone users for 7 years. Before that, I was an android user (Samsung s3) but android was so laggy and unpolished back then, iOS was like a ray of sunshine. Now, I’ve grown bored and frustrated with iOS. It can’t do the little things I want it to do (ie automate tasks like when and where to turn on my vpn) or it takes 10 steps to accomplish one simple task.

So, school me on android (especially android 13). What are the things that you couldn’t live without if you had to switch back to iOS. Are there things that you wish android had that iOS has?

 

[ian87w]

First thing first, there's no devices with Android 13 yet. Many new devices are still being released with Android 11 even.

My general points on why I use Android as my primary driver:
- Dual physical SIM slot. iPhones in my country have 1 physical SIM slot and eSIM, despite only 1 carrier supporting eSIM. iPhones are basically single SIM device in my country.
- Twin apps (not stock Android feature, but standard on most OEMs skins like Samsung OneUI and all the Chinese phones). This means I can have 2 regular whatsapp accounts (or other messaging services like Line, FB Messenger, Wechat, etc) on one dual SIM phone.
- Call recording (again, not stock Android feature, but standard on most OEMs, including Samsung. Might not be available in your country though). It's very useful to automatically record calls for archival purposes.
- Multiple region account in the Play store. With iOS, I can only have one single iTunes account in an iPhone. With Android, I can have many Google accounts in one phone, and each account can vary in regions with their own respective selections of apps in the app store. The Play Store just automatically adjust. Really nice and convenient to get apps not available in my country.
- Better support as Android is the majority. Most people would have Android, and the major OEMs like Samsung, Xiaomi, and the BBK group have official presence in my country for service and support. Meanwhile, Apple still doesn't have official presence, only relying on official distributors who are more interested in selling than supporting.

At the same time, I put all my banking apps in my iPhone 7+. Just my paranoid self.

 

[cubeover]

iMessage and Facetime primarily. The rest are expendables or have equivalent apps.
Also any accessories with Lightning port.

 

[cubeover]

And why i am not back to iOS?
There is no LDAC nor aptX support.
No flicker-free screens aside from *-11 series.
Really bad color processing pipelines which “lie” unfavourably in the range of dozens of deltas.
Lightning port, I don’t want to reequip and conflict with rest of my devices.

 

[MajorFubar]

Maybe because my experience of Android has only been with other people's cheap phones, but frankly I can't wait to come running back home to safety. Awful, non-intuitive experience, IMO. But seeing that about 90% of all the people I know use some Android device or another, and that within the whole of the UK Android has been the leading mobile OS for the last six years, I'm in the minority.

 

[ian87w]

And why i am not back to iOS?
There is no LDAC nor aptX support.
No flicker-free screens aside from *-11 series.
Really bad color processing pipelines which “lie” unfavourably in the range of dozens of deltas.
Lightning port, I don’t want to reequip and conflict with rest of my devices.

LDAC is Sony's, and aptX is Qualcomm's. So I'm guessing Apple just doesn't want to deal with paying licenses to them...

 

[Ludatyk]

Both Android and OneUI has improved substantially since Samsung S3. But my reasoning for not switching to iOS is quite simple… multitasking (pop-up window & app pairs) and sound assistant. Those two features keep on Android.

 

[samcraig]

No one will or should convince you. Your use case is unique to you.

 

[LiE_]

Both iOS and Android at their base level perform very similarly. It mostly comes down to preference or specific use cases that make someone go a certain way.

I've switched many times between iOS and Android and I like/dislike certain things about each OS. Android for example I like how notifications are handled, the volume controls and the ability to have a cleaner UI. iOS I like the consistent UI and aesthetic and many of the default apps.

The OS is also only part of the equation. Hardware options on Android are vast where as on iOS you have an iPhone to choose (some like this, some don't).

 

[ian87w]

The OS is also only part of the equation. Hardware options on Android are vast where as on iOS you have an iPhone to choose (some like this, some don't).

Agree. The hardware choice on Android is one of its biggest strength, especially for those love tech/tinkering. Want a cheap smartphone just to play around? Plenty of great Android phones for $100-$200. Want a cheap OLED phone? Want a phone with huge battery? Want a flagship with stylus? They’re all available.The choice is yours.

 

[Smellmet]

I’ve been an iPhone users for 7 years. Before that, I was an android user (Samsung s3) but android was so laggy and unpolished back then

The days of android being laggy died with the Galaxy S6/7 onwards. It works very smoothly these days, I have a mid range Samsung A71 that's 2.5 years old and it still works as it did when it was brand new.

 

[ian87w]

The days of android being laggy died with the Galaxy S6/7 onwards. It works very smoothly these days, I have a mid range Samsung A71 that's 2.5 years old and it still works as it did when it was brand new.

The days of laggy Android died with performance cores and UFS. However, there are still mid range to lower phones that use only efficiency cores and/or eMMC, so the image of Android lags still persist due to those devices using insufficient hardware.

 

[Heat_Fan89]

iMessage and Facetime primarily. The rest are expendables or have equivalent apps.
Also any accessories with Lightning port.

Okay, please school me as I have never owned an iPhone. I would like too but I am locked in with Google Call Screener and Google Assistant.

Regarding iMessages and Facetime. What do they both do better than Google Duo and Google Messages?

 

[aggie99]

Okay, please school me as I have never owned an iPhone. I would like too but I am locked in with Google Call Screener and Google Assistant.

Regarding iMessages and Facetime. What do they both do better than Google Duo and Google Messages?

Its really nothing more than convenience. Not everyone has RCS messaging capabilities, whereas iMessage is built into every iPhone and Facetime is built into the phone app. Video call capabilities and rich messaging services are possible on Android, but not near as seamless as on the iPhone for most users. This is the one thing the iPhone really has going for it for me. I hate using it and iOS. I like literally everything else better about my Pixel 6 Pro and S22 Ultra.

 

[Heat_Fan89]

Its really nothing more than convenience. Not everyone has RCS messaging capabilities, whereas iMessage is built into every iPhone and Facetime is built into the phone app. Video call capabilities and rich messaging services are possible on Android, but not near as seamless as on the iPhone for most users. This is the one thing the iPhone really has going for it for me. I hate using it and iOS. I like literally everything else better about my Pixel 6 Pro and S22 Ultra.

So this has nothing to do with the fact that when an iPhone user sees a blue bubble, they know they are talking to another iPhone user (yippee) and if it's green, they are talking to its Android evil twin sister? I ask a legit question on behalf of learning about how Apple loves creates a loyalty tribe culture.

 

[SteveJUAE]

Its really nothing more than convenience. Not everyone has RCS messaging capabilities, whereas iMessage is built into every iPhone and Facetime is built into the phone app. Video call capabilities and rich messaging services are possible on Android, but not near as seamless as on the iPhone for most users. This is the one thing the iPhone really has going for it for me. I hate using it and iOS. I like literally everything else better about my Pixel 6 Pro and S22 Ultra.

Its only a convenience if all your current and future contacts have an Iphone and/or you live in the US

For many who cant say yes to at least 2 points it soon degrades to useless default bloatware that's inconvenient and you cant disable, especially given that most worldwide telecos do not make bundled unlimited sms compulsory, again US being an exception.

 

[TiggrToo]

Call recording (again, not stock Android feature, but standard on most OEMs, including Samsung. Might not be available in your country though). It's very useful to automatically record calls for archival purposes.

FYI: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/202...bans-call-recording-apps-from-the-play-store/

 

[orionquest]

Bored with an iphone, is it an entertainment device you need some level of engagement just to operate it.
I'll never understand this mentality, sounds like an addiction. Like someone complaining they didn't get high enough on cocaine so they tried crack instead.

 

[jav6454]

I’ve been an iPhone users for 7 years. Before that, I was an android user (Samsung s3) but android was so laggy and unpolished back then, iOS was like a ray of sunshine. Now, I’ve grown bored and frustrated with iOS. It can’t do the little things I want it to do (ie automate tasks like when and where to turn on my vpn) or it takes 10 steps to accomplish one simple task.

So, school me on android (especially android 13). What are the things that you couldn’t live without if you had to switch back to iOS. Are there things that you wish android had that iOS has?

If you need convincing, then it's not the OS for you.

 

[ian87w]

FYI: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/202...bans-call-recording-apps-from-the-play-store/

Samsung OneUI and Xiaomi MiUI have the call recording feature built-in on the stock OEM phone app. The ban is for 3rd party apps on the Play Store only.

Besides, you can always sideload. Huawei removed its call recording feature in eMUI 10 or something, but the APK can be sideloaded.

 

[TechRunner]

I am locked in with Google Call Screener and Google Assistant.

These and Maps are the primary reasons I use Android.

 

[TiggrToo]

Samsung OneUI and Xiaomi MiUI have the call recording feature built-in on the stock OEM phone app. The ban is for 3rd party apps on the Play Store only.

Besides, you can always sideload. Huawei removed its call recording feature in eMUI 10 or something, but the APK can be sideloaded.

Never claimed otherwise. I simply made an FYI post is all.

 

[Heat_Fan89]

These and Maps are the primary reasons I use Android.

I also find that Chrome and GMail do a much better job vs Safari and Mail. With GMail you actually get the notification and can view the contents without going to GMail. Chrome seems to have more compatibility and works better with websites vs Safari.

 

[edubfromktown]

I started with iPhone 3 and threw in the towel after 8Plus. Don't give a damn about their ecosystem (use Mac's at home and fine without integration to my phone).

Haven't regretted moving to Android (when Pixel 4a was released).

Only thing I do not like is cut down image sizes for others when sharing photos in MMS messages. Otherwise a far better experience in every possible way.

 

[kaardowiq]

I don’t think it’s anymore iOS vs Android unless the whole ecosystem doesn’t matter. Both OS became more and more equal by all the years. In the past, you got told not to pay 999 bucks on a phone (which clearly meant an iPhone). Nowadays, Android flagships may double the prices, take a look at the new foldable devices. To be honest, except of battery lifetime smartphones are more and more equal. I think this becomes more important when it comes to the whole ecosystem. when you’re already on a Mac, watch, iPad etc. an iPhone is clearly a better choose. If you work on Windows, Linux,… Android with Google tools may be the better approach. While photo sync, managing etc. is absolutely perfect in the whole Apple ecosystem, this is absolutely pain when you wan to manage your photolibrary on Windows. Here, the Google ecosystem may score, while it can be used on any device and isn’t limited to specific one. There‘re many examples like this and to be honest, I’m forced to keep in the Apple ecosystem. Unlocking the Mac with watch, custom mail domain in iCloud+, perfectly synced and accessiable photos on every Apple device, AirPods auto connecting, the workflow how music stops on the Mac and the regular phone call from the iPhone can be answered on the Mac, so many small improvements and features that I use daily and would never miss again.

the next step is privacy, while this doesn’t only belongs to Apple vs Google (I know how many people hate Google, unfortunately!), there’re additional vendors on Android that may also track you and provide additional advertises for you. especially when it comes to devices from Xiaomi etc. you can may run in several issues to get rid of ads (baken into native apps and OS), no one knows what data or really sends home etc.

I think if someone really doesn’t care about syncing with other devices and needs just a cheap and good (in form of hardware performance) device, Android is clearly the way to go. If your need more and want to have good service syncing, flagships are the way to go with iCloud oder Google(Gsuite/Workspace) and at this point it only matters which ecosystem you prefer. You probably won’t switch this, when you already have paid a lot of apps that your frequently use or your whole workflow is based in one ecosystem. my Test failed immediately in the first steps with calendar entries, sharing with family and acknowleding them each other while everyone currently has firstname@lastname.com mail address to send and receive invitations. This would only be possible with GSuite/Workspace with 10bucks/person/month again which gets really expensive for a family.

sorry for the long text, just my two cents to consider more for everything around the smartphone than the smartphone itself. Flagships are more equal than ever before…