Other Leaving iPhone after 20 years

[TumbleDryer]

*I've put this in iPhone forum as not sure where best to place it. Feel free to move it.

After 20 years of iPhone today I finally stepped out of the garden. I’m not happy with Apples current direction, particularly the quality of software and degradation of usability.

I’ve been using Apple devices exclusively for over 30 years and at times championed them over the competition because they were the best in hardware, software and usability. It’s what made Apple Apple but it is no longer the case for me. I’m tired of having to work harder to achieve the same results. Daft UI decisions that makes usability more difficult just so Apple can save money and put out a unified OS across all devices instead of tailored devices that suit the hardware for a best in class experience, couple that with a massive increase in bugs being put out over the years and it’s time I try out something new.

So I’ve bought a Nothing™ Phone 4a that just got launched today. It runs a stripped back version of Android with its own minimal OS that focuses on minimal distraction (the complete opposite of iOS26 and LiquidGlass). I personally think the phone and the OS look great. A bonus of preordering I've just unexpectedly been given a free set of Nothing Headphones worth £79 so that's pretty cool too. I’m looking forward to receiving everything next week even though I have literally no experience with Android devices.

I don’t take enough photos to be bothered about camera tech, I don’t need massive battery or high screen refresh. I just want a phone that allows me to communicate so I’ve gone for the 4a as its the very latest phone from them and its incredibly priced for the specs, even though that’s not why I went for it. I went for the 4a because Nothings focus aligns with mine - getting stuff done with minimal distraction. So I’m jumping to the dark side after 20 years of iPhone.

Im sure there will be many people rolling their eyes asking why does this warrant a thread but for me personally its a very big shift and while I’m looking forward to getting away from iOS26 I am also a little nervous about Android and it foibles.

Any tips on how to protect myself would be appreciated and even your own experiences of switching or thoughts about switching. Why did you switch and how have you found it? Are you an Android user or better yet a Nothing OS user, what do you or don't you like about it?

 

[Andeddu]

I don’t see much of a difference between iOS 18 and iOS 26. What was your last iPhone?

I use an Android for work and I still can’t stomach the UI.

I don’t get the Liquid Glass hate. The only valid criticism I can find is that it affects performance on older phones, such as the iPhone 11/12. I have a 17 Pro so it’s as quick as lighting. Even my old 13 ran iOS 26 well.

 

[TumbleDryer]

My current phone is a 13Mini. It still pretty quick with iOS26 (although it sometimes does nothing when I try to open the camera app?!).

For me over the years the usability has slipped and iOS26 along with the steaming pile that is Tahoe has finally tipped me over the edge. Don't get me wrong the hardware is still top notch (just grossly over priced) but the user experience mainly boils down to software and Apple is just going backwards with it.

Nothing OS is very stripped back with no needless graphical effects getting in the way. The clarity of the UI compared to iOS26 is night and day and I appreciate the modernist aesthetic. That being said I've never used Android in any form before and I could possibly hate it and be back in no time but I'm open to trying something new after all these years witnessing the fall in quality at Apple.

What do yo uvate about Android UI?

*I've left 'uvate' in because it's a clear nod to the keyboard bug that Apple still hasn't even acknowledged let alone fixed after all these years (one of the reasons I'm leaving). It should say 'what do you hate about Android?' but it decided to completely remove two characters, swap out another and ignore the space. 🙄

 

[Macdctr]

Nothing OS . . . That being said I've never used Android in any form before and I could possibly hate it and be back in no time but I'm open to trying something new after all these years witnessing the fall in quality at Apple.

I too have been a long time iPhone user from the start (iPhone 2G) until just after the iPhone 6S. Around that time someone discovered Apple purposely causing older iPhones to throttle down performance . . . well that rubbed me the wrong way and I got a Motorola Razr HD MAX and used this for about a year. After being used to iOS, my Android experience was not good so I went back to iPhones and have been using them since. But that was my “Android” experience . . . good luck with your Android journey👍🏽

 

[TumbleDryer]

Why wasn't it so good?

 

[turbineseaplane]

Great report and I totally get it.

Honestly, if anyone made something iPhone Mini sized (android or iOS or anything) I'd be a candidate.

I'm so frustrated to have literally nowhere to go for a small, easy to hand hold and use in one hand, disappears in pockets, smartphone anymore.

 

[TumbleDryer]

Great report and I totally get it.

Honestly, if anyone made something iPhone Mini sized (android or iOS or anything) I'd be a candidate.

I'm so frustrated to have literally nowhere to go for a small, easy to hand hold and use in one hand, disappears in pockets, smartphone anymore.

I'm totally with you on that. Unfortunately no one makes a small phone anymore and the 4a is quite large compared to the mini but if it gets me away from LiquidGlass I'm ok with that.

 

[dumastudetto]

The reason you'll be back is nobody does the seamless integration like Apple. I'm sure you have a library full of paid movies, music, apps, etc. that should all act as serious disincentives to ever consider abandoning Apple. Your friends and family are all using Apple Messages. Your notes are beautifully crafted in Apple Notes. Your photo library is in iCloud and you have shared collections with all your family. Your Watch doesn't work on Android. Your iPad will be disconnected from your phone. Your AirPods perform best when paired with Apple devices. Your Apple Music sounds best when its played using an Apple device.

There is Nothing 4a second good about leaving all this behind.

 

[turbineseaplane]

The reason you'll be back is nobody does the seamless integration like Apple. I'm sure you have a library full of paid movies, music, apps, etc. that should all act as serious disincentives to ever consider abandoning Apple.

Not an issue for me

Your friends and family are all using Apple Messages.

Mixed bag on this that's never fully solved on any platform

Your notes are beautifully crafted in Apple Notes.

"Beautifully crafted"? They are notes. I sync my Apple Notes in Fastmail anyhow.

Your photo library is in iCloud and you have shared collections with all your family.

Don't use shared collections and find Apple Photos to be "fine".

Your Watch doesn't work on Android.

I use a Garmin. Apple Watches suck due to needing constant charging.

Your iPad will be disconnected from your phone.

Sounds like heaven.

Your AirPods perform best when paired with Apple devices.

I agree with you here. That said, they do work just fine with other devices usually.

Your Apple Music sounds best when its played using an Apple device.

Would never pay for Apple Music. Garbage application on all platforms ruins it, beyond being really expensive.

There is Nothing 4a second good about leaving all this behind.

 

[eyoungren]

After 20 years of iPhone today I finally stepped out of the garden. I’m not happy with Apples current direction, particularly the quality of software and degradation of usability.

I'm going to post my thoughts here. Keep in mind that I have no hostility to your decision. We all make our own choices, so my comments are just my own thoughts.

So, here we go. For me, I may be in the garden, but I also have the ability to exit the garden at will. All my services are third party and I have set my iPhone up in such a way that I could lose any information on it and due to backups, not lose anything. Because my services are 99% Google and the rest others, I could even put everything back on an Android phone.

Only messages would be my one issue, and here's the thing - I don't care about that. Nothing important is ever done using messages. And any photos/images that I desire to keep are backed up to Dropbox.

As to Apple's direction, I'm here for iOS. 9 months on Android made me realize that's why I like iPhone. If iOS ran on an Android, I'd be out of here.

I’ve been using Apple devices exclusively for over 30 years and at times championed them over the competition because they were the best in hardware, software and usability. It’s what made Apple Apple but it is no longer the case for me. I’m tired of having to work harder to achieve the same results. Daft UI decisions that makes usability more difficult just so Apple can save money and put out a unified OS across all devices instead of tailored devices that suit the hardware for a best in class experience, couple that with a massive increase in bugs being put out over the years and it’s time I try out something new.

I got into iPhone in late 2011 with the same thinking. With the release of the iPhone 5 though, my first iPhone, Apple left me behind. I was forced to create my own workarounds to use the phone the way I had expected to use it. That included jailbreaking.

I'm not jailbreaking anymore, but that's in large part due to how that scene devolved and Apple finally introducing some stuff I jailbroke for. Like Dark Mode.

I'm cool with iOS 26 because iOS 26 in large part replicates how I themed my jailbroken iPhones when I was jailbreaking.

I do nothing with my iPhones that I didn't do in 2012. Calls, texts, emails, light web browsing and some light app use. I have other devices for other things. Perhaps, since my digital life is NOT on my iPhone, I have not encountered a lot of bugs.

One bug, in iOS9 though, merited me an entirely new iPhone for the price of a screen replacement when I cracked the screen. So, there's that.

So I’ve bought a Nothing™ Phone 4a that just got launched today. It runs a stripped back version of Android with its own minimal OS that focuses on minimal distraction (the complete opposite of iOS26 and LiquidGlass). I personally think the phone and the OS look great. A bonus of preordering I've just unexpectedly been given a free set of Nothing Headphones worth £79 so that's pretty cool too. I’m looking forward to receiving everything next week even though I have literally no experience with Android devices.

Glad you're happy with your phone. I have a Google Pixel 3a XL that I used for 9 months. Love the phone. However, I'm entirely capable of ignoring distractions. I've never needed a 'distraction-free' device and for me iOS 26 is not 'distracting' nor does it cause my 11 Pro Max to be distracting.

Different takes for different people.

I don’t take enough photos to be bothered about camera tech, I don’t need massive battery or high screen refresh. I just want a phone that allows me to communicate so I’ve gone for the 4a as its the very latest phone from them and its incredibly priced for the specs, even though that’s not why I went for it. I went for the 4a because Nothings focus aligns with mine - getting stuff done with minimal distraction. So I’m jumping to the dark side after 20 years of iPhone.

OK. iOS still works for me. Although, I agree about photos. I'm not a camera person and 99% of the pics I take are stuff no one is interested in seeing. If you want to see lots of pics of my Mac with 10 screens though, you will find them here on MacRumors. 😀

Im sure there will be many people rolling their eyes asking why does this warrant a thread but for me personally its a very big shift and while I’m looking forward to getting away from iOS26 I am also a little nervous about Android and it foibles.

No offense, and again no hostility to your choice. But I will state the obvious. This is not an airport.

Any tips on how to protect myself would be appreciated and even your own experiences of switching or thoughts about switching. Why did you switch and how have you found it? Are you an Android user or better yet a Nothing OS user, what do you or don't you like about it?

I switched to my Google Pixel for 3 months, May 2020 to February 2021. I love my Pixel, but I love iOS more. I use mainly Google's services, so switching back and forth for me is ridiculously easy.

I would never trap myself in anyone's ecosystem.

 

[Heat_Fan89]

Any tips on how to protect myself would be appreciated.

I've never had any security issues with Android, that gets overplayed i.e., FUD. Don't do dumb stuff like visit questionable sites, avoid using public WiFi when available. I do the same when I had an iPhone.

 

[TumbleDryer]

The reason you'll be back is nobody does the seamless integration like Apple. I'm sure you have a library full of paid movies, music, apps, etc. that should all act as serious disincentives to ever consider abandoning Apple. Your friends and family are all using Apple Messages. Your notes are beautifully crafted in Apple Notes. Your photo library is in iCloud and you have shared collections with all your family. Your Watch doesn't work on Android. Your iPad will be disconnected from your phone. Your AirPods perform best when paired with Apple devices. Your Apple Music sounds best when its played using an Apple device.

There is Nothing 4a second good about leaving all this behind.

I do have a library full of movies. Some of them bought from iTunes way back when but then they started to disappear from my library (yes I'm well aware it's the license you pay for) so I freed them from FairPlay long ago. No problem there. All of my music's also DRM free and I only listen to music in the car via CarPlay but it also has AndroidAuto so no problem there.

As for my apps they are all available on GooglePlay. No one in the UK uses iMessages it's all WhatsApp.

Pretty certain there's a notes app within Android.

My photos are in iCloud but like I said I don't take enough nor care that much for it to be an issue. Any I do want from my phone which will be next to zero I'll just transfer myself.

I don't have an AppleWatch and my iPad is nothing more than a TV on my desk so I can watch footy while I work without taking up screen space. I don't have AirPods but as I said I've actually been given Nothings headphones for FREE for preordering the 4a so that's a win!

It's been a long time coming, this isn't just a knee jerk reaction! I reverted to Sequoia this week and have been actively looking at possible OS alternatives for the future.

 

[TumbleDryer]

No offense, and again no hostility to your choice. But I will state the obvious. This is not an airport.

Are you sure this is not an airport because that went right over my head! What do you mean?

 

[Heat_Fan89]

Pretty certain there's a notes app within Android.

One of my favorite Google core apps, Keep Notes!

 

[eyoungren]

The reason you'll be back is nobody does the seamless integration like Apple. I'm sure you have a library full of paid movies, music, apps, etc. that should all act as serious disincentives to ever consider abandoning Apple. Your friends and family are all using Apple Messages. Your notes are beautifully crafted in Apple Notes. Your photo library is in iCloud and you have shared collections with all your family. Your Watch doesn't work on Android. Your iPad will be disconnected from your phone. Your AirPods perform best when paired with Apple devices. Your Apple Music sounds best when its played using an Apple device.

There is Nothing 4a second good about leaving all this behind.

I can come and go. There is nothing on my iPhone that is not somewhere on my NAS or in Dropbox or Google's services. I don't need 'seamless integration' with Apple when I already have it with third party services.

Friends and family use a combination of Android/iPhone. RCS means rich messaging with Android.

My library of movies is ripped. They all sit on my NAS and can be accessed by any device.

Crafting notes? I might organize them, but have zero interest in that. Google Notes is great.

Entire photo library is on my NAS. New photos copy directly over to Dropbox which makes them directly available to ALL my devices using Dropbox. Guess what? My Macs using Dropbox back those photos up. Periodically, I dump the Camera Uploads folder to my NAS as well - which is also backed up.

I don't share photo libraries. My wife is not interested in seeing an extensive collection of tech pictures and screencaps.

I pay for a 2TB iCloud sub for convenience - not because I need it.

No Watch. Not paying Apple extra for a notification device when all they had to do was put in an LED notification light on the iPhone. All that medical stuff the Watch does was not there originally.

Why do I care if my iPad is disconnected from my iPhone. It's not necessary to have it connected for what I use it for.

Don't own Airpods. I have oily ear canals with Psoriasis. I don't like sticking things in my ears. I use Shokz bone conduction headsets and they work natively with Android and iPhone. No mess when I take them off my head, versus the mess I get when I pull stuff out of my ears.

No Apple Music. My entire music collection is on my NAS and in Dropbox. I can play it on my iPhone at home or out. There are music apps that will stream from Dropbox. I am not an audiophile.

What else you got?

 

[Heat_Fan89]

So, here we go. For me, I may be in the garden, but I also have the ability to exit the garden at will.

I realize I have a drinking problem but I can quit anytime I want, honest. 🥳

 

[eyoungren]

Are you sure this is not an airport because that went right over my head! What do you mean?

LOL. Arrivals and departures are announced at airports. You are departing Apple and announcing/commenting on why - hence the comment. 😉

 

[eyoungren]

I realize I have a drinking problem but I can quit anytime I want, honest. 🥳

Think what you want, but Google's services make it easy. They work on both Android and iPhone. And Dropbox works on both too.

 

[TumbleDryer]

LOL. Arrivals and departures are announced at airports. You are departing Apple and announcing/commenting on why - hence the comment. 😉

But I didn't start with *bing bong* what's wrong with you?! 🤣

 

[txmike418]

*I've put this in iPhone forum as not sure where best to place it. Feel free to move it.

After 20 years of iPhone today I finally stepped out of the garden. I’m not happy with Apples current direction, particularly the quality of software and degradation of usability.

I’ve been using Apple devices exclusively for over 30 years and at times championed them over the competition because they were the best in hardware, software and usability. It’s what made Apple Apple but it is no longer the case for me. I’m tired of having to work harder to achieve the same results. Daft UI decisions that makes usability more difficult just so Apple can save money and put out a unified OS across all devices instead of tailored devices that suit the hardware for a best in class experience, couple that with a massive increase in bugs being put out over the years and it’s time I try out something new.

So I’ve bought a Nothing™ Phone 4a that just got launched today. It runs a stripped back version of Android with its own minimal OS that focuses on minimal distraction (the complete opposite of iOS26 and LiquidGlass). I personally think the phone and the OS look great. A bonus of preordering I've just unexpectedly been given a free set of Nothing Headphones worth £79 so that's pretty cool too. I’m looking forward to receiving everything next week even though I have literally no experience with Android devices.

I don’t take enough photos to be bothered about camera tech, I don’t need massive battery or high screen refresh. I just want a phone that allows me to communicate so I’ve gone for the 4a as its the very latest phone from them and its incredibly priced for the specs, even though that’s not why I went for it. I went for the 4a because Nothings focus aligns with mine - getting stuff done with minimal distraction. So I’m jumping to the dark side after 20 years of iPhone.

Im sure there will be many people rolling their eyes asking why does this warrant a thread but for me personally its a very big shift and while I’m looking forward to getting away from iOS26 I am also a little nervous about Android and it foibles.

Any tips on how to protect myself would be appreciated and even your own experiences of switching or thoughts about switching. Why did you switch and how have you found it? Are you an Android user or better yet a Nothing OS user, what do you or don't you like about it?

I too have a long time user, what I learned early on was to check the reaction to each iOS version before updating. This has saved me a lot of grief, iPhones are still on 17.7.2 because it is stable and I didn’t have to worry about the battery issues of iOS 18, my iPads are on iPadOS 18.7.3 and stable finally… it seems that recent versions don’t seem to stabilize until the x.7 update release IMO. Will skip iOS 26 and see if 27 takes 9 months to stabilize..

 

[TumbleDryer]

I too have a long time user, what I learned early on was to check the reaction to each iOS version before updating. This has saved me a lot of grief, iPhones are still on 17.7.2 because it is stable and I didn’t have to worry about the battery issues of iOS 18, my iPads are on iPadOS 18.7.3 and stable finally… it seems that recent versions don’t seem to stabilize until the x.7 update release IMO. Will skip iOS 26 and see if 27 takes 9 months to stabilize..

I hear you but things have been slipping for a while so I upgrade in the hope things improved only to find its the opposite. Like you say though maybe best to let someone else be the guinea pig so Im going to do that while I try out another system.

 

[iHorseHead]

I don’t see much of a difference between iOS 18 and iOS 26. What was your last iPhone?

I use an Android for work and I still can’t stomach the UI.

I don’t get the Liquid Glass hate. The only valid criticism I can find is that it affects performance on older phones, such as the iPhone 11/12. I have a 17 Pro so it’s as quick as lighting. Even my old 13 ran iOS 26 well.

That's a great thing about Android. You can change the UI the way you want. There are many launchers for it.

 

[Macdctr]

Why wasn't it so good?

Apps kept getting bogged down to a point of locking up. Found Google apps running in the background taking up CPU resources causing apps like messaging apps to bog down, at least this was happening on my razr. I used a “kill app” to force shutdown the Google apps causing my issue and sometime later discovered they self ran again. At that point performance began getting worse so I went back to iPhones never to go back to Android but this is my experience and not an indication others using Android have a bad experience.

I prefer the iOS interface although buggier today than it used to be during the Jobs era. Nothing is perfect whether Android or iOS, but iOS works best for me👍🏽

 

[ClaraStahlbaum]

Do what you wish, but I don't like the layout of the Nothing website, it's confusing as heck. Plus Nothing has had a lot of issues.


I can't even find the regular 4a phone on the Website, only the "Pro". Unless I am missing something here, what kind of company doesn't show one of their products on their own website?

 

[TumbleDryer]

Do what you wish, but I don't like the layout of the Nothing website, it's confusing as heck. Plus Nothing has had a lot of issues.


I can't even find the regular 4a phone on the Website, only the "Pro". Unless I am missing something here, what kind of company doesn't show one of their products on their own website?


View attachment 2610412

The 4a is literally the second slide on the website?!

I do agree the website is too 'cool' for its own good. They'd probably sell more if it offered more information instead of loads of tidbits dotted around the place.

Thanks for the heads up about the Chats app. I'm only going to be using email and rarely WhatsApp. Any apps I won't be using and can delete I will.