Mobile OSs Anyone went from iOS to Android?

[lowonthe456]

Don't hate. Its an honest question.

I'm heavily invested in the Apple ecosystem, but that Galaxy S3 looks amazing!
Since phones are changeable after10-24 months I've been pondering trying an Android phone this time around. See how it works and if I like it.

My question is: how does one make that leap? How do you put music on the Android phones? Sync mail? stuff like that?

Any constructive help appreciated. 🙂

 

[pmau]

I own both

I have an iPhone 4 and a SGS3. I really like the hardware, but I still cannot adapt to the Android way of doing things.

Before that I owned an HTC Legend, which at least had the option to mount the filesystem over USB, but they removed that on the Samsung.

Because I really don't have the time to work out all these differences, I'm still using my iPhone 4. The Samsung is just lying around, because I wanted to start programming for Android. I already develop for iOS.

So, if you really enjoy the hardware, go for it.

But in my opinion, everyday tasks are much harder to get used to.
I do not want to get into the argument that Android is crap and iOS is great, but I cannot get used to it.

Oh and by the way: This "Kies" stuff really really really sucks if you install it on a Mac.

PS: We have hundreds of these threads already. This will be my last comment in this one.

EDIT: Regarding the syncing. Everything that syncs with Google works great.
For the rest, it's lots of work.

 

[lowonthe456]

Not sure what "Kies" is but I do appreciate your input.

Thanks

 

[Thomas P.]

Don't hate. Its an honest question.

I'm heavily invested in the Apple ecosystem, but that Galaxy S3 looks amazing!
Since phones are changeable after10-24 months I've been pondering trying an Android phone this time around. See how it works and if I like it.

My question is: how does one make that leap? How do you put music on the Android phones? Sync mail? stuff like that?

Any constructive help appreciated. 🙂

In my personal opinion, if someone shift from iOS to Android, you ll be able to find such people mostly as Android forums rather than staying here at Mac forums. just a thought!

 

[Glockron]

I made the switch just a year ago. I really started to dislike iOS 😛

 

[jaggunothing]

I did about 2 weeks back, had got a Galaxy Note and thought why not?! Atleast till the 6 is out, but then... the story ended in just one week. Luckily had given the iPhone 4 to wifee, had to beg and plead to get back the device. Now she uses the Note 😀

With regards to intuitiveness, Android (was running ICS) is nowhere close to that of an iOS. I am used to all sorts of devices having started with ol Win CE but after getting used to mobile OS, it was lil frustrating on Android. The way in which the exchange email worked itself was a big downer for me.

The device itself is not that great, apart from the display, which i felt was awesome due to the screen area, pretty much drinks battery though. Unless you install some apps or physically kill the connectivity options (why do i need a smart phone if the phone cant manage this much??). iP4 with all the drainers ON last almost 40% more on a typical day.

Finally made the switch back and now eagerly waiting for a larger screen iPhone and iOS 6.

So till Jelly Bean is out, i would say hold on. S3 will loose charm once you get over few of the eye candy features.. Just my 2 paise worth.

 

[ixodes]

Because I'm a hard core smartphone lover I've used two lines, each with a different phone, for years.

I've enjoyed every iPhone since day one, and several Android models since the first Android phone. They are two very different platforms which is why I enjoy them.

What's critical to take away from my post is this: anyone who judges Android in the first few days, or weeks is not being fair to themselves.

It is no different than someone coming from years of using a PC, then buying a Mac & condemning it because it's different.

It seems so obvious, yet it happens over and over when it comes to Android. It's not going to be like an iPhone, and yet they fail to take responsibility to learn it before judging.

Currently I'm using an iPhone 4S and a Samsung Galaxy S III. Ive had all three in the Galaxy series. They are great phones and lots of fun. The primary features that appeal to me are the 4.8" display since it's so spacious and nice to work with. I do a lot of email & web work on my phone, therefore the larger display is truly appreciated. Secondly, Android has now matured to the point that's it's very fast, stable & fun. The gap has closed between the two platforms in terms of performance, and at present Android has the advantage.

Yet that said I'm not going to bash the iPhone, that's not my style. I appreciate each for their respective strengths. I only wish Apple would embrace modern display sizes and increase theirs to at least 4.3" and not squeeze down the width like the current rumor suggests.

 

[jaggunothing]

Hey i didnt mean to bash android, its a great platform. Gives you a good deal of flexibility which the iOS denies in certain scenarios. Ease of download of doc's etc to device, just one of the basic stuff which am referring to. If one is bothered only about the screen area, definitely the Samsungs have an edge, even i wanted more screen area, iPhone wont hold a candle. Where i was disappointed was the overall user friendliness, power and memory management. Had few crashes also with the apps from the market which is a very rare phenomenon for stuff from iTunes. Thanks to apple playing the big daddy.

Official exchange email with active sync was definitely better in iOS. In Note getting into subfolders was a tedious task and if the mailbox is large would lead to crash. Push was erratic esp for sub folders with rules running. iOS works 100%. I suspect even the battery drain is lesser in iOS with activesync,

ps: This is not my first tryst with android, had couple of them before also. Took a break in between that's all. So its not the 1 week duration, still use the Tab 2 7" also.

Just my opinion shared, doesnt make Android a bad OS. But if you ask me to choose overall a better experience, my vote is very clear. I would wait for a large screen iPhone and hope they do bring it.

 

[Vege-Taco]

I've switched from Android to IOS, back to Android, and currently back to IOS. Both platforms have their advantages and disadvantages. IOS is stable. I can only recall my current iphone 4s freezing up on one occasion, and I've been using it since the release date. My android phones seemed to freeze up several times per week. I attribute most of this to Android's poor oversight of the market or game spot or whatever they're calling it today. Apple, on the other hand, has a draconian grip on their app store, which does create it's own set of issues, but tends to eliminate nearly all bad (harmful) software.

The one feature I TRULY miss from Android is Google Navigation. That app is the bomb, and makes Apple's and every 3rd party's nav apps feel like junk. I have high hopes for Apples new IOS6 mapping app. [FINGERS CROSSED]

 

[lowonthe456]

Thnaks for all the replies,

How do you load music from iTunes on an Android device? I'm guessing no mail, contacts or calendar pushing also.....

I use iCloud and iTunes Match....

 

[PsstGreek]

Thnaks for all the replies,

How do you load music from iTunes on an Android device? I'm guessing no mail, contacts or calendar pushing also.....

I use iCloud and iTunes Match....

I added my music by connecting it the my mac and drag/drop my iTunes library into the phone's music folder. Same thing with the pictures.

Or you can use DoubleTwist which also acts like iTunes.

I've had a One X since last friday and I'm loving it. ICS is really put together compared to previous firmwares. I like that fact, the the notifications actually work this time around.

 

[Jessica Lares]

Yes, and I regret it everyday. Great camera, amazing EQ customization for music, LTE is AMAZING, but the lack of really interesting apps really gets to me. It's a price I had to pay to not have a phone that shatters on me though.

And as for open customization... It's like putting lipstick on a pig.

I really hope the iPhone 5 has a new design that is not a glass backplate. If not, I just finally replaced mine on my iPhone 4 that I broke a few months ago. Since we're all getting bumpers for the second time (this will be my third), I might just start using it again. I am NOT buying another iPhone until that gets sorted though.

 

[andrew8404]

I switched to Android Nexus about six months ago after being with the iPhone since day one. Each device has pluses and minuses but overall there both great devices. IOS is definitely more polished and easier to use with more apps. While I love the big screen of my Nexus and the apps you would have to jailbreak for on the iPhone. If the iPhone ever gets a screen bigger then 4.5 inches then I will be more then happy to switch back otherwise I will stick with android just for the screen size.

 

[nfl46]

I switched. iPhone 5 may be my last iPhone I purchase, and I've had all the iPhones. I'm still up in the air if I want the iPhone 5 or the 2012 Google Nexus - neither have been announced yet, but they should be out this year. I always had the iPhone - Macbook - iPad combo, but I just may be done with the iPhone and iPad. Never getting rid of my Macbook, though.

 

[Dunbar]

After 4 years on iphones I switched to the S3 about two weeks ago. The differences between the OS's are greatly exaggerated. Basic smoothness on the S3 is so close to iOS be a draw. While iOS has a slight edge in simplicity and intuitiveness it doesn't allow you do some really handy things that Android does. I have not yet found a daily task I perform on my smartphone that is meaningfully more difficult on the S3. What I have found is that the 4.8" screen on the S3 combined with LTE to be an absolute game changer for me. Whereas my IP4 with its 3.5" screen was an ipod touch with a 3G connection, the S3 is a laptop computer that fits in my pocket with an "always on" broadband connection (LTE.) I own a Macbook Air and an LTE iPad 3 as well and have not found the "ecosystem" argument to be a compelling reason to stick with the iPhone either. With that being said, I expect the next iPhone with the rumored 4" screen and LTE to be good enough for most iPhone users to stick with Apple (but not for me.)

As far as getting your itunes content onto Samsung phones they developed this app to make it easy to switch over from iOS.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.galaxysync.android.app

 

[batting1000]

A few months ago I went from my 4S to the Sprint Galaxy S2. I wasn't pleased with the stability and app quality and the overall update and customer support which is why I went back to the iPhone.

 

[iosuser]

My second week into Android. It really is a breath of fresh air. I love the back button. Say you open a URL in an email, the page opens in the browser in a new tab. When you press back that new tab is closed and you're back in the email. In iOS, you gotta close the tab and go back into the email, all manually. Oh I can't go back to that. After 3yrs of iOS, I sold my 4S after a week into the Gnex, I don't miss it at all.

Now the tough part is deciding which to go with, the Gnex or the S3. I bought an S3 on contract couple days ago. I wanted the extra bells and whistles of the S3 (camera, SD slot, etc). The Gnex is so fast and fluid, but the S3 has the better screen and the extras. There are a couple things drving me nuts on the S3 that I switched back to the Gnex today. Maybe I'll keep both since the 4S more than paid for both these phones 😀

 

[batting1000]

My second week into Android. It really is a breath of fresh air. I love the back button. Say you open a URL in an email, the page opens in the browser in a new tab. When you press back that new tab is closed and you're back in the email. In iOS, you gotta close the tab and go back into the email, all manually. Oh I can't go back to that. After 3yrs of iOS, I sold my 4S after a week into the Gnex, I don't miss it at all.

Oh please...

 

[iosuser]

Oh please...

Care to elaborate? I meant to say I can't go back to the tedious ways of doing some things in ios. I was too programmed doing things Apple's way for too long, and I knew that, but Android was way too sluggish before 4.0 and 4.1 came along. No more, Gnex on 4.1 is as fluid as iOS and feels faster.

 

[batting1000]

Care to elaborate? I meant to say I can't go back to the tedious ways of doing some things in ios. I was too programmed doing things Apple's way for too long, and I knew that, but Android was way too sluggish before 4.0 and 4.1 came along. No more, Gnex on 4.1 is as fluid as iOS and feels faster.

Tedious? While you're in tab in Safari, go to your multitasking switching and hit mail...

 

[iosuser]

Tedious? While you're in tab in Safari, go to your multitasking switching and hit mail...

Yeah, didn't realize how tedious that is - click the tab button, close the tab, double-click home button, then press mail to go back to that original email. Gets old real fast when I'm answering a bunch of emails containing URLs. All that is done by a single press of the back button in Android.

 

[batting1000]

Yeah, didn't realize how tedious that is - click the tab button, close the tab, double-click home button, then press mail to go back to that original email. Gets old real fast when I'm answering a bunch of emails containing URLs. All that is done by a single press of the back button in Android.

Except you don't have to close anything or hit any tab button. You don't seem to understand that.

 

[iosuser]

Except you don't have to close anything or hit any tab button. You don't seem to understand that.

Once I'm done with a tab I close it. I don't like leaving tabs opened. If I don't close each one after opening them thru an email I'll easily have 10 tabs opened. You don't seem to want to acknowledge that pressing back is much easier than having to close the tab and task-switch back to the email manually.

 

[batting1000]

Once I'm done with a tab I close it. I don't like leaving tabs opened. If I don't close each one after opening them thru an email I'll easily have 10 tabs opened. You don't seem to want to acknowledge that pressing back is much easier than having to close the tab and task-switch back to the email manually.

It's not that I don't want to acknowledge it, it's just that opening the multitasking switcher is just as simple.

 

[Sensamic]

Don't hate. Its an honest question.

I'm heavily invested in the Apple ecosystem, but that Galaxy S3 looks amazing!
Since phones are changeable after10-24 months I've been pondering trying an Android phone this time around. See how it works and if I like it.

My question is: how does one make that leap? How do you put music on the Android phones? Sync mail? stuff like that?

Any constructive help appreciated. 🙂

I had the same doubts as you with respect to music syncing. How does it work? There are many ways.

What I did was copy the iTunes music folder on to my SD care and that was it. All the album covert art and artist info was there.

Pretty easy if you ask me, and way faster than iTunes.

And if I do a restore to the phone all my music, videos, pictures and files are already on the SD when the phone restarts, so no need to sync all of it again with iTunes.

Again: beat that Apple.