iPhone Came back to iPhone from Android - Experience questions

[ct1211]

Hi all. I had the original iphone 3 and the two models after (Before the 4 came out) I then switched to Android. over the last few years I have had several phones, my last work issued phone was a Note 3, I have changed jobs recently and bought a 2013 Moto X of craigslist to hold me over. Several weeks later I got the Moto, the iPhone started shipping and I was able to snag a 6 Plus off CL for $650 - With the idea that, if I didn't like it, I wouldn't lose money. The big sell for me was the idea of handoff to my 13" rMBP. That works great!

So, my issues, questions are:

With Google, you can pick out apps you want on your phone from your computer, buy them and they will automatically load on the phone. Does Apple offer this yet or do I have to make all purchases from the phone directly?

Next - I know everyone loves that big home button and touch ID but man has it blown the phone size out of proportion. Worse, Apple insists on having a 1/2 inch of bezel at the top and bottom because of that one button - why not add a menu and especially a back button in that lower portion? Every time I view a web page and want to go back I have to make a two handed move to reach to the top of the phone to click back. Is there a shortcut or trick I am missing to go back a page?

HotSpot on/off toggle
Is there a way to have an active widget like Android to turn my hotspot on and off without digging into the menu? I notice you can pay $5.00 for an app called launcher that will supposedly give me this option. Is there any way to do this for free? I'm not excited about paying for this sort of app right now because i am kind of leaning on going back to Android for my phone which sucks because I will never part with my Retina Macbook.

Any suggestions or advice or (not kidding) compelling reasons to stay with this phone would be appreciated. FYI should I switch back I am leaning towards either the 2014 Moto X or possibly the new Nexus 6 (It is the same physical size as my iPhone 6 Plus but you get a 1/2" more screen) The Moto X is about a 5" screen but physically a good deal smaller than either the 6 or 6 Plus. Thanks

 

[I7guy]

This thread belongs in the alternatives forum, in which it will probably wind up. Having said that you don't appear to like the iPhone 6+. Sell the thing and get a phone if your choice.

 

[ct1211]

This thread belongs in the alternatives forum, in which it will probably wind up. Having said that you don't appear to like the iPhone 6+. Sell the thing and get a phone if your choice.

I came to the IOS section to look for answers pertaining to IOS functionality. i could not find them readily so I am inquiring. I do like my phone, I will seek out the answers for which you answered zero, but thanks for the response.

 

[boast]

For iOS i believe you can download and wifi sync using itunes remotely.

You can swipe from the edge of the screen to go back and forth in web pages (safari, not chrome)

Sell it and get the nexus 6. It is easier than learning something new.

 

[Toltepeceno]

I came to the IOS section to look for answers pertaining to IOS functionality. i could not find them readily so I am inquiring. I do like my phone, I will seek out the answers for which you answered zero, but thanks for the response.

On this forum you have to learn to ignore the jerks, the best way is put them on ignore. It doesn't take much to figure out your questions are about ios, not android.

 

[I7guy]

I came to the IOS section to look for answers pertaining to IOS functionality. i could not find them readily so I am inquiring. I do like my phone, I will seek out the answers for which you answered zero, but thanks for the response.

Download iTunes, I never made any purchases from iTunes but you can do it.

The 6+ is a different beast than my 5s, Due to size, I never got into readability when I played around with the 6s.

As far as safari goes, are you willing to live with it? Is it a deal breaker for you? There are not may shortcuts in safari except for swipe and touch the top of the screen. You should play around with the phone for a week, you'll get the hang and either love it or it will annoy you.

 

[macrem]

You can swipe from the edge of the screen to go back and forth in web pages (safari, not chrome)

This as well as taping at the top edge of the screen to scroll all the way back to the top of webpages make navigation very nice on iOS.

 

[Damolee]

For Hotspot, probably out of luck.

Pretty sure in Safari you can swipe between pages.

And you can push apps to the phone....

"iOS comes with a similar feature, but you need to make sure it's switched on first. To check, open the Settings app, scroll down, then tap iTunes & App Store. From here, look for the Automatic Downloads section, then toggle the Apps slider to the on position (the toggle switch will turn green). If you want to have updates downloaded to your phone automatically, switch the Updates toggle to the on position as well.

Next, open iTunes on your Mac or PC, then go to the iTunes Store, and sign in using the Apple ID associated with your phone. Go to the App Store, then find an app you want to download. Press the Download buttom—it will be labelled with the app's price—and after a few moments it will be downloaded to both your computer and your phone."

 

[ct1211]

For Hotspot, probably out of luck.

Pretty sure in Safari you can swipe between pages.

And you can push apps to the phone....

"iOS comes with a similar feature, but you need to make sure it's switched on first. To check, open the Settings app, scroll down, then tap iTunes & App Store. From here, look for the Automatic Downloads section, then toggle the Apps slider to the on position (the toggle switch will turn green). If you want to have updates downloaded to your phone automatically, switch the Updates toggle to the on position as well.

Next, open iTunes on your Mac or PC, then go to the iTunes Store, and sign in using the Apple ID associated with your phone. Go to the App Store, then find an app you want to download. Press the Download bottom—it will be labelled with the app's price—and after a few moments it will be downloaded to both your computer and your phone."

Thanks everyone for your help. I didn't need to "learn" IOS - Not much has changed since I had my iPhone 3 which really does amaze me, what Apple did do though is suck me in with the "handoff" so I will stick with it for now... As for the flamers who get so upset offended or whatever when someone mentions something one product has that their precious doesn't - I don't do brand loyalty, I do what best fits my needs.

 

[Alameda]

Apple's added a ton of refinements to iOS that you'll notice over time. I've used Android phones a few times but I never preferred on to an iPhone.

I know there's a shortcut that lets you swipe up from the bottom of the screen to adjust a bunch of stuff, like wifi on/off, but I don't know if there's one specific to the hotspot feature.

Anyway... iPhone 6... wow!

 

[DiabBarca]

With Google, you can pick out apps you want on your phone from your computer, buy them and they will automatically load on the phone. Does Apple offer this yet or do I have to make all purchases from the phone directly?

Go to Settings then scroll down to iTunes & App Store.
Make sure to switch on the Apps toggle.
I believe it'll solve your 1st mentioned issue.

 

[NovemberWhiskey]

You swipe from the left edge of the screen to go back. It's much quicker and more intuitive compared to pressing a soft/hard button everytime.

 

[radioking]

As long as you are only needing the hotspot for another Apple product they now have "instant hotspot". You can activate the hotspot from your computer without taking the phone out of your pocket.

https://www.macrumors.com/2014/10/23/how-to-instant-hotspot/

 

[haruhiko]

Hi all. I had the original iphone 3 and the two models after (Before the 4 came out) I then switched to Android. over the last few years I have had several phones, my last work issued phone was a Note 3, I have changed jobs recently and bought a 2013 Moto X of craigslist to hold me over. Several weeks later I got the Moto, the iPhone started shipping and I was able to snag a 6 Plus off CL for $650 - With the idea that, if I didn't like it, I wouldn't lose money. The big sell for me was the idea of handoff to my 13" rMBP. That works great!

So, my issues, questions are:

With Google, you can pick out apps you want on your phone from your computer, buy them and they will automatically load on the phone. Does Apple offer this yet or do I have to make all purchases from the phone directly?

Next - I know everyone loves that big home button and touch ID but man has it blown the phone size out of proportion. Worse, Apple insists on having a 1/2 inch of bezel at the top and bottom because of that one button - why not add a menu and especially a back button in that lower portion? Every time I view a web page and want to go back I have to make a two handed move to reach to the top of the phone to click back. Is there a shortcut or trick I am missing to go back a page?

HotSpot on/off toggle
Is there a way to have an active widget like Android to turn my hotspot on and off without digging into the menu? I notice you can pay $5.00 for an app called launcher that will supposedly give me this option. Is there any way to do this for free? I'm not excited about paying for this sort of app right now because i am kind of leaning on going back to Android for my phone which sucks because I will never part with my Retina Macbook.

Any suggestions or advice or (not kidding) compelling reasons to stay with this phone would be appreciated. FYI should I switch back I am leaning towards either the 2014 Moto X or possibly the new Nexus 6 (It is the same physical size as my iPhone 6 Plus but you get a 1/2" more screen) The Moto X is about a 5" screen but physically a good deal smaller than either the 6 or 6 Plus. Thanks

You can swipe from the edge, left to right, to go back in iOS 7/8.

 

[BenTrovato]

You can just type the bottom left of the screen where the back button is and the bottom menu bar will appear.. That's the easiest method for me.

Both systems are good. At the end of the day, the iPhone is more pleasant is how I sum it up.

 

[Damolee]

I would spend ages checking background processes using Android. Regardless of what phone I had or battery life. lol

 

[ct1211]

As long as you are only needing the hotspot for another Apple product they now have "instant hotspot". You can activate the hotspot from your computer without taking the phone out of your pocket.

https://www.macrumors.com/2014/10/23/how-to-instant-hotspot/

Radioking - Please take two stars out of petty cash!! Thank you for your advice on setting up personal hotspot to wake automatically when paired through bluetooth. It took a while to get it functioning but even if Hotspot is off and your phone is sleeping, just opening your computer and clicking on iPhone6 automatically wakes it up.

Anyone wanting this you need a newer mac with 4.0 and capability enabled.

 

[Hustler1337]

Hi all. I had the original iphone 3 and the two models after (Before the 4 came out) I then switched to Android. over the last few years I have had several phones, my last work issued phone was a Note 3, I have changed jobs recently and bought a 2013 Moto X of craigslist to hold me over. Several weeks later I got the Moto, the iPhone started shipping and I was able to snag a 6 Plus off CL for $650 - With the idea that, if I didn't like it, I wouldn't lose money. The big sell for me was the idea of handoff to my 13" rMBP. That works great!

So, my issues, questions are:

With Google, you can pick out apps you want on your phone from your computer, buy them and they will automatically load on the phone. Does Apple offer this yet or do I have to make all purchases from the phone directly?

Next - I know everyone loves that big home button and touch ID but man has it blown the phone size out of proportion. Worse, Apple insists on having a 1/2 inch of bezel at the top and bottom because of that one button - why not add a menu and especially a back button in that lower portion? Every time I view a web page and want to go back I have to make a two handed move to reach to the top of the phone to click back. Is there a shortcut or trick I am missing to go back a page?

HotSpot on/off toggle
Is there a way to have an active widget like Android to turn my hotspot on and off without digging into the menu? I notice you can pay $5.00 for an app called launcher that will supposedly give me this option. Is there any way to do this for free? I'm not excited about paying for this sort of app right now because i am kind of leaning on going back to Android for my phone which sucks because I will never part with my Retina Macbook.

Any suggestions or advice or (not kidding) compelling reasons to stay with this phone would be appreciated. FYI should I switch back I am leaning towards either the 2014 Moto X or possibly the new Nexus 6 (It is the same physical size as my iPhone 6 Plus but you get a 1/2" more screen) The Moto X is about a 5" screen but physically a good deal smaller than either the 6 or 6 Plus. Thanks

Q1: With Apple, they offer a similar feature as Android - new purchases that you make on either iTunes on the computer or on another iOS device (e.g. iPad) will automatically download that app on all your iDevices with automatic downloads enabled so you don't have to manually download your purchases on every device, it will be installed and ready to use on your other enabled devices.

Q2: the bezel on the iPhones suck, but that's a result of Apple's insistence on the home button. Now with TouchID becoming more of a feature, I don't see Apple getting rid of the home button any time soon and so the bezel on the bottom will remain. Also, reducing the bezels down would make the iPhone look more like an Android device, especially the Galaxy Note series and I don't think that's what Apple would want. :| There's no shortcuts to going back on iOS except through the hierarchical menu structure that's always been on iOS. Apple's solution for reaching the 'back' button is to use their Reachability feature which doesn't really help much.

Q3: There are no quick-access widgets or buttons to get access to the Personal Hotspot feature on iOS. The only quick-access features they include are those that can be seen by swiping your finger from the bottom of the screen upwards to reveal the Control Centre.

As for whether there are any compelling reasons to stick with the iPhone, I think that's down to you personally. Have a play round with the iPhone for a few days. If you don't think the iPhone is for you, stick with Android. Both OSs offer great functionality and it's ultimately down to personal preference. It seems you prefer Android and are ready feeling constrained by the lack of customisability and greater freedom you get with Android, so I'd personally say go with Andoid. Get what's best for your needs.

Should you go with Android, I'd personally go with the Nexus 6 hands down, definitely would have been my first choice on Android. Stock Android, amazing QHD screen, 4K video and a massive battery

 

[augustborn99]

Radioking - Please take two stars out of petty cash!! Thank you for your advice on setting up personal hotspot to wake automatically when paired through bluetooth. It took a while to get it functioning but even if Hotspot is off and your phone is sleeping, just opening your computer and clicking on iPhone6 automatically wakes it up.

Anyone wanting this you need a newer mac with 4.0 and capability enabled.

you can also jailbreak to add that hotspot toggle to the control center

 

[haruhiko]

Q1: With Apple, they offer a similar feature as Android - new purchases that you make on either iTunes on the computer or on another iOS device (e.g. iPad) will automatically download that app on all your iDevices with automatic downloads enabled so you don't have to manually download your purchases on every device, it will be installed and ready to use on your other enabled devices.

Q2: the bezel on the iPhones suck, but that's a result of Apple's insistence on the home button. Now with TouchID becoming more of a feature, I don't see Apple getting rid of the home button any time soon and so the bezel on the bottom will remain. Also, reducing the bezels down would make the iPhone look more like an Android device, especially the Galaxy Note series and I don't think that's what Apple would want. :| There's no shortcuts to going back on iOS except through the hierarchical menu structure that's always been on iOS. Apple's solution for reaching the 'back' button is to use their Reachability feature which doesn't really help much.

Q3: There are no quick-access widgets or buttons to get access to the Personal Hotspot feature on iOS. The only quick-access features they include are those that can be seen by swiping your finger from the bottom of the screen upwards to reveal the Control Centre.

As for whether there are any compelling reasons to stick with the iPhone, I think that's down to you personally. Have a play round with the iPhone for a few days. If you don't think the iPhone is for you, stick with Android. Both OSs offer great functionality and it's ultimately down to personal preference. It seems you prefer Android and are ready feeling constrained by the lack of customisability and greater freedom you get with Android, so I'd personally say go with Andoid. Get what's best for your needs.

Should you go with Android, I'd personally go with the Nexus 6 hands down, definitely would have been my first choice on Android. Stock Android, amazing QHD screen, 4K video and a massive battery

Wrong for Q2. Just swipe from the left edge to the right.

----------

iOS 8 (and Yosemite) supports finding Personal hotspot automatically using Bluetooth LE. When a device e.g. your iPhone is nearby and it supports Personal Hotspot, you will find the device's name in the Wifi settings menu (even when the Personal Hotspot is "off" in settings).

 

[jr866gooner]

For Hotspot, probably out of luck.



Pretty sure in Safari you can swipe between pages.



And you can push apps to the phone....



"iOS comes with a similar feature, but you need to make sure it's switched on first. To check, open the Settings app, scroll down, then tap iTunes & App Store. From here, look for the Automatic Downloads section, then toggle the Apps slider to the on position (the toggle switch will turn green). If you want to have updates downloaded to your phone automatically, switch the Updates toggle to the on position as well.



Next, open iTunes on your Mac or PC, then go to the iTunes Store, and sign in using the Apple ID associated with your phone. Go to the App Store, then find an app you want to download. Press the Download buttom—it will be labelled with the app's price—and after a few moments it will be downloaded to both your computer and your phone."

But can this be done on any of that you have logged into the App Store? So for example, my personal pc is the primary for music syncing etc.. Could I log into my work pc and start browsing the store adding apps to my device?

 

[Damolee]

But can this be done on any of that you have logged into the App Store? So for example, my personal pc is the primary for music syncing etc.. Could I log into my work pc and start browsing the store adding apps to my device?

That's a good point. Will need to have a play with that.

 

[cynics]

Wrong for Q2. Just swipe from the left edge to the right.

With the note that it doesn't work in all apps like the back button backed into the OS of Android.

However thats not the reason I don't use it. The reason I don't use it is because tough cases make its very difficult to use because they prevent you from getting your finger all the way to the edge very easily.

And because of that devs still use up screen space with on screen back buttons.

 

[cindyhy]

But can this be done on any of that you have logged into the App Store? So for example, my personal pc is the primary for music syncing etc.. Could I log into my work pc and start browsing the store adding apps to my device?

Yes, you can do that on any computer as long as you use the same Apple ID and enable Automatic Downloads on your iPhone. But you can only authorize a maximum of 5 computers with the same Apple ID.

 

[Armen]

Hi all. I had the original iphone 3 and the two models after (Before the 4 came out) I then switched to Android. over the last few years I have had several phones, my last work issued phone was a Note 3, I have changed jobs recently and bought a 2013 Moto X of craigslist to hold me over. Several weeks later I got the Moto, the iPhone started shipping and I was able to snag a 6 Plus off CL for $650 - With the idea that, if I didn't like it, I wouldn't lose money. The big sell for me was the idea of handoff to my 13" rMBP. That works great!

So, my issues, questions are:

With Google, you can pick out apps you want on your phone from your computer, buy them and they will automatically load on the phone. Does Apple offer this yet or do I have to make all purchases from the phone directly?

Next - I know everyone loves that big home button and touch ID but man has it blown the phone size out of proportion. Worse, Apple insists on having a 1/2 inch of bezel at the top and bottom because of that one button - why not add a menu and especially a back button in that lower portion? Every time I view a web page and want to go back I have to make a two handed move to reach to the top of the phone to click back. Is there a shortcut or trick I am missing to go back a page?

HotSpot on/off toggle
Is there a way to have an active widget like Android to turn my hotspot on and off without digging into the menu? I notice you can pay $5.00 for an app called launcher that will supposedly give me this option. Is there any way to do this for free? I'm not excited about paying for this sort of app right now because i am kind of leaning on going back to Android for my phone which sucks because I will never part with my Retina Macbook.

Any suggestions or advice or (not kidding) compelling reasons to stay with this phone would be appreciated. FYI should I switch back I am leaning towards either the 2014 Moto X or possibly the new Nexus 6 (It is the same physical size as my iPhone 6 Plus but you get a 1/2" more screen) The Moto X is about a 5" screen but physically a good deal smaller than either the 6 or 6 Plus. Thanks ]

- There is no easy way to install an app on iDevice from a computer directly.

- Swipe the edge of the screen in Safari to go back to the previous page. You don't have to reach the top left corner of the screen to do this. This swipe back feature works in a lot of other apps.

- Instant Hotspot feature is supposed to eliminate the need to toggle hotspot on/off but it is currently not working for everyone.

- The fact that you're asking total strangers on the Internet to justify your $650.00 purchase tells me you shouldn't have purchased it.