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iPhone vs. Android: why you prefer what you use…

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Warped9

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Oct 27, 2018
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Brockville, Ontario.
Not a device to device performance comparison, but an interesting take on why people might like what they like.

I found both of these interesting as they came to similar conclusions.

 
In extension of liking iOS, I had to go down the rabbit hole (down the drain actually) to reset/recover someone’s Microsoft account they couldn’t remember the password for. What a nightmare!
 
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Apple_Robert said:
I prefer the Apple ecosystem for its privacy, safety, integration, and excellent customer service.
Click to expand...
I prefer the Apple ecosystem for iOS. I care about privacy and safety, but integration with older Macs, PCs and older devices is why I use Dropbox and Google services instead of Apple services. It could just be the Apple store I visit, but they're too busy trying to sell me or someone else something to care about my problem. My last visit pretty much soured me on using Apple at all for repairs/replacements.
 
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eyoungren said:
I prefer the Apple ecosystem for iOS. I care about privacy and safety, but integration with older Macs, PCs and older devices is why I use Dropbox and Google services instead of Apple services. It could just be the Apple store I visit, but they're too busy trying to sell me or someone else something to care about my problem. My last visit pretty much soured me on using Apple at all for repairs/replacements.
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What you described may be the new trend. I can't really comment on that aspect as I have only had 1 need of repair on a MBP and that was back in 2012.
 
Apple_Robert said:
What you described may be the new trend. I can't really comment on that aspect as I have only had 1 need of repair on a MBP and that was back in 2012.
Click to expand...
I had good experiences with the Apple store up until about 2012 (the same year you mention). When Apple hired Ahrendts to run the stores, things changed. Sales metrics became a part of the job…and that's why they now really don't want to deal with you if they cannot sell you something.
 
I agree with the shared similar conclusion of both videos: while not as flashy and “feature” oriented as the competition Apple just works.
 
Warped9 said:
I agree with the shared similar conclusion of both videos: while not as flashy and “feature” oriented as the competition Apple just works.
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Simply, yes. I think of my devices as tools. Besides iCloud (e.g., app data and preference syncing) and iMessage, there’s the ever expanding continuity:

Continuity features and requirements for Apple devices - Apple Support

Continuity features make it seamless to move between your Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and Apple Vision Pro devices that meet the system requirements.
support.apple.com support.apple.com

My top, most used features are:

• Universal Clipboard
• Apple Pay
• iPhone Cellular Calls
• AirDrop
• AirPlay
• Handoff

With that said, occasionally, I indeed enjoy changing things up and otherwise tinkering. While I change my iDevice wallpapers/backgrounds probably every two to three years, my Mac’s wallpaper is set to automatically shuffle every day (or on restart). Furthermore, I also have a ‘PC’ with plenty of ARGB, but even that has become meh. As creative as it can allow a user to be, I’m not showing it off and marveling at it has become boring. For others, tinkering, a compulsion to do something because you can or to prove you can, is far more frequent/constant — and that’s okay.

Oh… One more thing...

Even though Android has gained (fullscreen) gestures, accessibility features on Android are clunky at best. Apple’s had their on and off polishing (in my experience, primarily Smart Invert), but their implementation is leaps ahead of Android.
 
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My girlfriend is diehard android so I get to play around with her phone quite a bit. I don't care much for the software but the hardware (S22 Ultra) is impressive. If the upcoming Samsung S24 Ultra could run iOS, I would definitely give it a try. But that won't ever happen so I'm happy with my 15PM
 
I buy iPhones and Nvidia GPU's lol..

Because they work, and they work well.

Does that make me a fan boy? Maybe.
 
Warped9 said:
The samsung phones are very nice, but navigating Android is a nightmare.
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Years ago I tried Android and compared to the polish of iOS (even back then) it was lacking to me. I tried again for nine months from May 2020 to February 2021. I found it better, but still inconsistent.

I have and do still use my Google Pixel 3a XL though. It's stuck on Android 12 now.

What you're describing is down to the fact that Android has more than one path to a goal. That makes it confusing to decide on which path you want to take to get where you're trying to go. Then, because Google never really had control of the OS in the early days you get feature creep and old stuff hanging around that should have been removed.

The inconsistency I speak of above comes from the fact that Google will change something in the OS. Gestures or locations of certain things. They don't stay consistent very long. Apple is guilty of that too, but at least they hold on to things longer.

Throw in the fact that anyone can modify Android and make their own version of the OS and things get chaotic.

And that is primarily the reason Jobs never let iOS out of Apple's full control.
 
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I had a Galaxy S9 back when they first came out. I was determined to make the switch to try something different. It was such a nice phone with great software, beautiful hardware. I loved it. BUT… they have no standard messenger app like iMessage, and nothing comparable to iCloud Keychain. Password management was a mess. I just really could not live without the ecosystem. I ended up selling it and getting another iPhone.
 
I like using my iPhone/iPad because of some work related apps and iMessage, other than that I find myself using more my degoogled android devices most of the apps are open source, no spying, no tracking, no ads etc.

I tested my iPad with stock apps and some common apps like Youtube they constantly phone home even when the iPad is not being used I have no idea what they’re uploading or transmitting to the outside world. However with my degoogled android tablet only apps like weather, email and time make connections when I’m not using it which saves me tons of battery life on top of the privacy and security aspect.

IMO with iDevices Apple is in control of my security and privacy whereas with my degoogled android devices I am in charge of that.
 
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Apple Retail stores, customer service, and AppleCare+

Before I came back to iPhone in 2020 I had a google pixel. Great phone but there was a problem with it charging sometimes and when I contacted Google they could only have me send in my phone and that meant going probably 2-3 weeks without a phone. At that point I really wished Google had stores you could go into. Whenever I've had a problem with my iPhone, iPad, or Mac I could just go visit the store and get a replacement or fix.

I don't generally like praising insurance products and I usually tend to avoid buying insurance but AppleCare+ just gives that peace of mind. I know you can insure other products but I guess Apple makes it easier by not having to deal with 3rd party insurers. Again I can just go to a store and get a replacement/fix.

If I had to go back to Android for my next phone I wouldn't mind at all because I like Android and there are a lot of good phones hardware wise. I have actually been considering buying a Pixel again as a second phone for work. I really like the look of the Pixel 8 Pro but I might hold off for the 8A.

Between 2013 and 2020 I was on Android. Ditched iPhone with the 4S and didn't come back until the 12 Pro Max. I'd go back without much hesitation. I guess I just got bored of it and wanted something different. I'm 3+ years into being back on iPhone. I'll be keeping my 15 Pro Max until at least 2025 but probably until 2026-27. so maybe I'll get bored of iPhone.

AlixSPQR said:
I prefer iOS because there is no Android the size of the 13 mini.
Click to expand...
What will you do when it's time to get a new phone because there will be no more small iPhones now Apple has killed the Mini and the SE is going to 6.1"? lol
 
Warped9 said:
In extension of liking iOS, I had to go down the rabbit hole (down the drain actually) to reset/recover someone’s Microsoft account they couldn’t remember the password for. What a nightmare!
Click to expand...
They are the worst. I made my son a Microsoft account for Minecraft and eventually we forgot the password. I tried to recover it, but for some asinine reason MS permanently locked his account and just told us to create a new one. Poor kid got so upset he quit playing Minecraft :/

All the other options absolutely sucking support-wise is the main thing that keeps me on iOS. Apple has it's flaws but they're the only company that isn't an eldritch horror to deal with when you have a problem.
 
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krspkbl said:
What will you do when it's time to get a new phone because there will be no more small iPhones now Apple has killed the Mini and the SE is going to 6.1"?
Click to expand...
A good question, and the answer is I don’t know, since that future’s line-up of mobile phones is unknown.
 
Ac1d 8urn said:
They are the worst. I made my son a Microsoft account for Minecraft and eventually we forgot the password. I tried to recover it, but for some asinine reason MS permanently locked his account and just told us to create a new one. Poor kid got so upset he quit playing Minecraft :/

All the other options absolutely sucking support-wise is the main thing that keeps me on iOS. Apple has it's flaws but they're the only company that isn't an eldritch horror to deal with when you have a problem.
Click to expand...

In an ideal world people would write things down in an orderly manner. But most people are not like that. They trust their own memory, but unless you have to use a password with some measure of frequency you’re just not likely to remember it. The other hell is those with everything written in a little book, but you can’t decipher it or tell which password is old and which is new.

And Microsoft also wants you to answer security questions as well as do those little pictorial exercises to prove you’re not a robot. It’s one damned thing after another.
 
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BugeyeSTI said:
My girlfriend is diehard android so I get to play around with her phone quite a bit. I don't care much for the software but the hardware (S22 Ultra) is impressive. If the upcoming Samsung S24 Ultra could run iOS, I would definitely give it a try. But that won't ever happen so I'm happy with my 15PM
Click to expand...
Love the Sxx Ultras. If messaging ever gets better between IOS and Android I’ll go to the current Ultra.
 
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AlixSPQR said:
I've read that iMessage will support RCS later this year. Don't know if it will come true, though.
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I've seen that also, but more than likely it will come with IOS 18 which means mid to late Sept unless 18 Beta has it at some point release which means we might be able to at least try it in July or so.
 
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I use an Android tablet. Two features I now miss on i(Pad)OS are the much faster/accelerating scrolling and left/right arrow keys on the keyboard. And predictive text is way better on Android (well, Google-driven). Also, browser tabs reload much less frequently than they do on mobile Safari.

(There are also quite a number of features I miss in the other direction.)
 
Before iPhone I always had Sony mobile phones, absolutely loved them, sony cmd z7 was the best phone I’ve ever had closely followed by old Xperia x1 phones with flip out keyboard Windows software. God I miss those. Nowadays they’re just all slabs of glass imho. If Sony had kept their own operating system instead of android id still be Sony handsets. Have tried android galaxy tab 10 yearsish ago & its UI was just a garbled mess.
Last month I tried to help an elderly relativ with her android tablet & neither of us could figure out what the hell it was doing. Number pad to log in to as half off screen when rotating to portrait & couldn’t get it back in screen.
Android = 💩
iOS = although it just works there are lots of needless pain points

Life would be easier without todays forced disposable tech.
 
I used Android for about a decade and switched to iOS as my daily in 2019, so far thoroughly enjoying it, I like Apples more detail oriented approach between HW and SW, the fact that they own both HW and SW also helps a lot and makes for a better user experience.

That being said, I do still dabble in Android a bit but prefer iOS and iPad OS as my daily usage platforms.
 
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