'Coming back to iPhone from Android' 6s+ review

[M5RahuL]

The camera, screen, speed, multi-tasking, fast charge, larger screen size with overall smaller footprint, the humbling Wolfson DAC, notifications, widgets, and file system are some of the leading features on my Note 5, over the iPhone 6S Plus.

Touchwiz is no longer the PITA it once was, although I always use NOVA

I still can't seem to part with iOS though

 

[roeiz]

The camera, screen, speed, multi-tasking, fast charge, larger screen size with overall smaller footprint, the humbling Wolfson DAC, notifications, widgets, and file system are some of the leading features on my Note 5, over the iPhone 6S Plus.

Touchwiz is no longer the PITA it once was, although I always use NOVA

I still can't seem to part with iOS though

nah, still no match for IOS, no matter how hard they'll try.

 

[OTACORB]

I'm the opposite with the Bluetooth music. My iPhone just stops playing music at the beginning of a song. It happens when using Apple Music, Spotify and Google music. I thought it was because I was jailbroken but it is the same on my 6s and also on both our cars. On any of my other phones it never happens.

You talking about when you first start bluetooth? I've never experienced it to just stoping play beyond the initial start up, unless I was streaming and there was not enough signal. In most cases I download my playlist via Apple music so, I don't even have that issue.

I do know that in my company car when I first engage bluetooth it may start playing a song and then stop, but I just hit play button again on my cars radio display and from that moment on it never skips a beat. In my personal car this doesn't happen at all. I've had that happen with most Androids too and it did the same in my company car, but not my personal car. I figured this was just it initially syncing that caused it and was specific to that head unit. (That I can live with) My issue with Android (Note 3 and 4 specifically) is that is constantly skips and/or stutters... not to mention quits playing in the middle of songs (though the quit playing is rare unfortunately the skipping and stuttering isn't rare). I've even had to reboot my phone to get it playing again because it would just drop the connection. On the Google support forums this same issue is now being reported on the Note 5 and Galaxy S6 and S6 Plus. So rather the issue is with something Samsung is doing or is an issue within the Android OS I don't know. I just know I am not dealing with it anymore after 3 years of it.

 

[M5RahuL]

nah, still no match for IOS, no matter how hard they'll try.

Of course it isn't a match. Android is better in many aspects over iOS, except timely updates and battery life imho.

The lag that I see alot of folks complain about, is either on the old or lower price point devices. The new Note, and Nexus devices ( can only comment on what I've owned ) are about as laggy as iOS.

 

[OTACORB]

Of course it isn't a match. Android is better in many aspects over iOS, except timely updates and battery life imho.

The lag that I see alot of folks complain about, is either on the old or lower price point devices. The new Note, and Nexus devices ( can only comment on what I've owned ) are about as laggy as iOS.

Oh there are updates, resale value, bluetooth stability, allowing manufactures to add all kind of crapware, not to mention the carriers too. Then there is ram management which Samsung can't seem to get right for anything. Also the lag does happen on higher end Android phones (note 3 and 4 for me) the only way I could keep them from lagging was to clear app and partition cache on a regular basis. The issues I've brought up are prevalent on the Note 5 and Galaxy S6 and S6 Plus... you don't need to take my word for it. Just go to Google support web site and the proof is there.

 

[sshams95]

iPhone 6s+ is my first iPhone since the 3GS! I've tried all types of Android phones over the years. The big reason why was the ability to root. I used to install new custom ROMS on a monthly basis...so the Android lag issue was never a problem. But the newest phones are locked down now (I'm on Verizon) and bootloaders locked down. So true rooting isn't almost impossible in a Verizon environment. So, I made the decision to go back to iOS and not deal with lag issues anymore. Maybe I'll jailbreak if/when they come out for the 6s series. But I'm pretty happy so far. Are the widgets & pull down menus as good as Android? I don't think so, but I get the info I need. Commute times using the ETA app, weather info, calendar info...what else do I need? I live in the West coast so most of the sporting events I watch are on DVR so I avoid the scores until I watch it...so need for a scoreboard widget.

I do miss the back button and smart dialing the most. Other than that, my return to iOS has been a very good experience so far.

 

[Will22]

You talking about when you first start bluetooth? I've never experienced it to just stoping play beyond the initial start up, unless I was streaming and there was not enough signal. In most cases I download my playlist via Apple music so, I don't even have that issue.

I do know that in my company car when I first engage bluetooth it may start playing a song and then stop, but I just hit play button again on my cars radio display and from that moment on it never skips a beat. In my personal car this doesn't happen at all. I've had that happen with most Androids too and it did the same in my company car, but not my personal car. I figured this was just it initially syncing that caused it and was specific to that head unit. (That I can live with) My issue with Android (Note 3 and 4 specifically) is that is constantly skips and/or stutters... not to mention quits playing in the middle of songs (though the quit playing is rare unfortunately the skipping and stuttering isn't rare). I've even had to reboot my phone to get it playing again because it would just drop the connection. On the Google support forums this same issue is now being reported on the Note 5 and Galaxy S6 and S6 Plus. So rather the issue is with something Samsung is doing or is an issue within the Android OS I don't know. I just know I am not dealing with it anymore after 3 years of it.

No I mean when I'm driving and the music is playing and then at times when it goes to the next track it will stop before it starts. Happens even when the music is all downloaded and not streaming.

What cars are you using? I'm using a VW and an Audi.

 

[roeiz]

Of course it isn't a match. Android is better in many aspects over iOS, except timely updates and battery life imho.

The lag that I see alot of folks complain about, is either on the old or lower price point devices. The new Note, and Nexus devices ( can only comment on what I've owned ) are about as laggy as iOS.

and also it just looks far better and overly more smartly designed.

 

[OTACORB]

No I mean when I'm driving and the music is playing and then at times when it goes to the next track it will stop before it starts. Happens even when the music is all downloaded and not streaming.

What cars are you using? I'm using a VW and an Audi.

Yeah, I've never experienced that on either of my cars using my iPhone 6s Plus and Apple Music.

My company car which is leased is a 2015 Buick Lacrosse and my personal is a 2014 Lexus ES

 

[9646829]

and also it just looks far better and overly more smartly designed.

In your opinion.

 

[stockscalper]

The biggest and only significant issue on android is "lag".

No lag on my HTC One and never a crashed app. Samsung uses their own proprietary chip and combined with Touchwiz that may be the problem. Again, with battery life my HTC goes farther than either my iPhone or Samsung. The thing with Android phones is you can't just lump them all in one category and make generalizations. Phone makers put their own skins over Android and they all have different battery capacities. With Apple, you know what you're getting. IOS is IOS and can't be skinned. The IOS vs Android debate reminds me of the old Windows vs Mac debates. You could do more with Windows if you didn't mind tinkering, but if you wanted a computer that just worked out of the box with integrated software then the Mac was for you. Kind of the same with Android and IOS. With Android you can run launchers, customize many things which can also save battery life and that isn't for everybody. IOS can be jailbroken and customized to an extent, but most folks like it just the way it is out of the box.

But forget the OS for a moment. Apple is making phones that are normal sized whereas Android manufacturers are caught up in "I can make mine bigger than yours". Android phones just keep getting bigger and bigger and are now approaching shoebox size. I can't tell you how many people I know are dumping Android for this very reason and buying the new iPhone. I may go back to the iPhone too for this very reason when it's time to upgrade my HTC (M7), which is about the same size as the iPhone 6S.

 

[M5RahuL]

Oh there are updates, resale value, bluetooth stability, allowing manufactures to add all kind of crapware, not to mention the carriers too. Then there is ram management which Samsung can't seem to get right for anything. Also the lag does happen on higher end Android phones (note 3 and 4 for me) the only way I could keep them from lagging was to clear app and partition cache on a regular basis. The issues I've brought up are prevalent on the Note 5 and Galaxy S6 and S6 Plus... you don't need to take my word for it. Just go to Google support web site and the proof is there.

I was strictly stating Android's functionality advantages over iOS (i.e. not resale, no carrier bloat or skinning). As for bloat, at least you can disable it [ w/o root ] with an app (package disabler pro) unlike under iOS where you can't w/o JB.

Also, BT stability is as good as on iOS, if not better. People have had issues with BT with iOS and there are threads on MR regarding this issue, so it's moot.

Lag on the Note 3, yes I agree with that..which is why I stated 'older' devices. The Note 3 would be considered 'old' at this point. The Note 4 [ I had/have two] has negligible lag occasionally, and almost none with NOVA. That's been my experience. But yes, that's a classic case of manufacturer crippling the OS with it's poor skin, not Android per se.

The Note 5 has no lag or stutter [ and I have 2 of'em ] and the aggressive RAM issue kicks in after about 8 apps open iirc, and the refresh is so quick it's hardly bothersome. I've never had to wipe Partition Cache unless it's for flashing a custom ROM, so not sure why you had to do that..

It's the little things that I hope iOS will borrow from Android someday like being able to place my folders anywhere on the screen, being able to rename your paired BT devices etc..

Finally, a truly fair comparison would be between the Nexus and iPhone devices.

 

[M5RahuL]

and also it just looks far better and overly more smartly designed.

That is a matter of personal opinion, more than anything else.

 

[thekb]

If we are listing things we don't like about ios ... how is it possible that Apple could get this one so wrong??

When you are listening to music, podcast or audiobook and get some kind of phone notification, it decreases the volume rather than muting. This is just so utterly and completely wrong. At least when you use navigation, there is a setting to pause spoken audio for directions, but I can't find any setting that fixes the problem for other notifications. So I miss part of the book or podcast and have to rewind what I missed. Who could possibly think decreasing volume is better then a momentary pause??

 

[unclejamaal]

If we are listing things we don't like about ios ... how is it possible that Apple could get this one so wrong??

When you are listening to music, podcast or audiobook and get some kind of phone notification, it decreases the volume rather than muting. This is just so utterly and completely wrong. At least when you use navigation, there is a setting to pause spoken audio for directions, but I can't find any setting that fixes the problem for other notifications. So I miss part of the book or podcast and have to rewind what I missed. Who could possibly think decreasing volume is better then a momentary pause??

You should also get the option to stop notifications from disturbing you when on a phone call and listening to music. These are two situations I can think of when you don't want to be disturbed.

 

[unclejamaal]

quick update on this thread:
I grudingly decided to stick with the iphone, since I am not too fond of going back to a Samsung. I like the new nexus 6P, but will wait for reviews and user opinions before deciding whether or not to swap the iphone for that.

I've jailbroken it but still waiting for a few tweaks I like to become available for ios9.

Plenty of annoyances which I've gotten used to the android way of working.

For example, the big thing annoying me right now is lack of background downloading or refresh on BBC IPlayer app. I download a lot of shows to listen to when on the move on that app. Android you just start the download then forget about it. For iPhone the screen has to be awake and the IPlayer app has to be in the foreground for the download to continue.

Also, random vibrations on the phone notifying me of something but nothing in the notifications bar! I'm sure I'll be able to configure this to suit my taste and need but at the moment this is really annoying me, especially as and when it just buzzes when on a phone call and totally distracting.

 

[geoff5093]

and also it just looks far better and overly more smartly designed.

If by "better" you mean overly simplified and limiting. Apple forces you to have icons fill your main homescreen first, even if you don't want to. You can't simply arrange by name, you can't use widgets to see data used, calendar events, weather, etc. at a quick glance, you can't chance the look or size of the icons, etc.

It is easy to understand, but it is definitely not smartly designed for today's world of larger phones. Apple's solution to larger screens are just to add a row of icons and make them bigger.

 

[roeiz]

If by "better" you mean overly simplified and limiting. Apple forces you to have icons fill your main homescreen first, even if you don't want to. You can't simply arrange by name, you can't use widgets to see data used, calendar events, weather, etc. at a quick glance, you can't chance the look or size of the icons, etc.

It is easy to understand, but it is definitely not smartly designed for today's world of larger phones. Apple's solution to larger screens are just to add a row of icons and make them bigger.

no, by "better" i mean it just look better, more polished, more pleasant to look at.
for me these kind of aesthetics are sooooo important in a phone.
i just can look at a Samsung TW or any other skin for more than 5 seconds
without feeling "meh". to each his own.

and WITH the limitations you've mentioned, i still prefer it.
(and i was deep in Android for 2 years now).

 

[Mr.C]

If by "better" you mean overly simplified and limiting. Apple forces you to have icons fill your main homescreen first, even if you don't want to. You can't simply arrange by name, you can't use widgets to see data used, calendar events, weather, etc. at a quick glance, you can't chance the look or size of the icons, etc.

It is easy to understand, but it is definitely not smartly designed for today's world of larger phones. Apple's solution to larger screens are just to add a row of icons and make them bigger.

You don't have to have icons on your main home screen at all. I don't except for the row at the very bottom of the screen. The rest of my icons start on page two.

 

[geoff5093]

You don't have to have icons on your main home screen at all. I don't except for the row at the very bottom of the screen. The rest of my icons start on page two.

You're right, I meant you can't choose to have icons start at the bottom of the screen. They need to start at the top left.

no, by "better" i mean it just look better, more polished, more pleasant to look at.
for me these kind of aesthetics are sooooo important in a phone.
i just can look at a Samsung TW or any other skin for more than 5 seconds
without feeling "meh". to each his own.

and WITH the limitations you've mentioned, i still prefer it.
(and i was deep in Android for 2 years now).

Not all TouchWiz homescreens look the same. I'm sorry, but I prefer to make mine the way I want, and not how Apple wants it. This was the worst part about switching to the 6s.

 

[roeiz]

Yea I get that.
I meant that I can't stand how all the icon look. Even on your screen.
Android just doesn't look or feel right imo.
And this is just the home screen lol..

 

[jesssiii]

iPhone 6s+ is my first iPhone since the 3GS! I've tried all types of Android phones over the years. The big reason why was the ability to root. I used to install new custom ROMS on a monthly basis...so the Android lag issue was never a problem. But the newest phones are locked down now (I'm on Verizon) and bootloaders locked down. So true rooting isn't almost impossible in a Verizon environment. So, I made the decision to go back to iOS and not deal with lag issues anymore. Maybe I'll jailbreak if/when they come out for the 6s series. But I'm pretty happy so far. Are the widgets & pull down menus as good as Android? I don't think so, but I get the info I need. Commute times using the ETA app, weather info, calendar info...what else do I need? I live in the West coast so most of the sporting events I watch are on DVR so I avoid the scores until I watch it...so need for a scoreboard widget.

I do miss the back button and smart dialing the most. Other than that, my return to iOS has been a very good experience so far.

I've never owned an iPhone. First phone was Android and have been ever since, rooting and rom'ing. But, as you say, it's all getting locked down, even Nexus. Never liked Samsung. I'm on an LG G4 now, but my favorite was the LG G2.

So, I just ordered a rose gold iPhone 6S Plus. I'm excited, but it's going too be a big change. NO BACK BUTTON? How do you, you know, go back? I don't get it.

You don't have to have icons on your main home screen at all. I don't except for the row at the very bottom of the screen. The rest of my icons start on page two.

Oh, thank god! This was, for me, a huge negative. I've always liked a clean, single, home screen with all the apps hidden where they belong. Just one clock widget, that's it.

So any advice for this Android fanatic? I'll have to research jailbreak. And, seriously, how DO you go back with no back button?

 

[jesssiii]

Oh, and one more thing. Someone mentioned the same tones for everyone. I can't just put my own ringtones and use them?!?!

 

[Rackness01]

^^you can do personalized ringtones just edit the contact.

To go back either use the back button on the upper left of the screen, swipe the screen to the right or double click the home button to jump between apps. Same functionality just a different way of implementing it. I was annoyed at first switching from android to iOS due to the lack of a back button until I familiarized myself with iOS. Now I find it very fluid to use.

 

[touchstoned]

I just want more than 2 live wallpapers. Its boring.