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Phones Moved to Pixel after 16 years on iPhone

Yup so for a group of people, me included, the main reason to avoid Android and Google is privacy concerns. The downside of iPhones to me is lack of hardware variety, although last year they did finally change designs a little more than usual.

If I could have the Nothing Phone 3 hardware running iOS, that would be pretty sweet!
 
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Sami13496 said:
Well obviously because after using an Android for a while most of the switchers realise they prefer Apple’s simpler, more consistent user experience, longer and more reliable software updates, and tight integration with other Apple devices like MacBooks, iPads, and AirPods. iPhones are also known for strong performance over many years, better app optimisation, and features like iMessage and FaceTime that make communication easier if their friends and family use Apple products. On top of that, Apple’s focus on privacy, smoother customer support, and the overall “it just works” feeling can make iOS feel less fragmented and more dependable compared to the wide variety of Android experiences.
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I tried to switch back to iPhone because my gf has an iPhone and she's away for work alot and facetime can be useful. But my god is iOS frustrating compared to android. Using your phone and get a notification you aren't interested in? Swipe it away on android. iOS? Nope you need to swipe down and then try and swipe it away or hope the X randomly appears. Also it phone is locked and you try and swipe 50 50 you open the camera. Also the iOS keyboard is terrible. Not having numbers at the top of the keyboard is a pain. And long pressing for punctuation (once set up) is super useful. I wouldn't place too much trust in apple's privacy claims tbh.
 
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macsince2008 said:
After 16 years on every (or alternate year) iPhone, I recently took the decision of moving everything to Google Cloud and Google Pixel.
The first reason was the painfully slow iCloud sync with files and photos, the second being the behaviour of the staff at Apple Store, Saket (careless, rude, and undeniably ego-filled). Complained via email to Joz, he replied, but nothing further really happened.

The Pixel has a great camera, nice video boost features, and mostly smooth software. The device is quite slow as compared to iPhone, processing power slow, but the AI is crazy nice, and far ahead of others.

Now I know a lot of my fellow MacRumors readers won't be able to digest someone moving to another mobile operating system, and their comments always make me laugh. Blindly accepting and praising any brand, no matter how irrational the fan-following is, slows down innovation and lets the others move forward.

PS: I am still using the M5 MacBook Pro, as there is nothing better.
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I’m thinking about leaving the Apple ecosystem as well. Would be super helpful if you could share how it goes for you :)
 
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crococarbs said:
Yup so for a group of people, me included, the main reason to avoid Android and Google is privacy concerns. The downside of iPhones to me is lack of hardware variety, although last year they did finally change designs a little more than usual.

If I could have the Nothing Phone 3 hardware running iOS, that would be pretty sweet!
Click to expand...
Whilst I avoid Meta for the exact same reasons, there is an arguement that browsing data is the cost of an open and free-at-use internet. At least Google give me some useful apps in return for their ad profiling (which I never see thanks to an Ad-blocker) whereas what do Meta even add to the world?
 
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crococarbs said:
Yup so for a group of people, me included, the main reason to avoid Android and Google is privacy concerns. The downside of iPhones to me is lack of hardware variety, although last year they did finally change designs a little more than usual.

If I could have the Nothing Phone 3 hardware running iOS, that would be pretty sweet!
Click to expand...
Here you go ;)

grapheneos.org

GrapheneOS: the private and secure mobile OS

GrapheneOS is a security and privacy focused mobile OS with Android app compatibility.
grapheneos.org grapheneos.org
 
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robvalentine said:
I tried to switch back to iPhone because my gf has an iPhone and she's away for work alot and facetime can be useful. But my god is iOS frustrating compared to android. Using your phone and get a notification you aren't interested in? Swipe it away on android. iOS? Nope you need to swipe down and then try and swipe it away or hope the X randomly appears. Also it phone is locked and you try and swipe 50 50 you open the camera. Also the iOS keyboard is terrible. Not having numbers at the top of the keyboard is a pain. And long pressing for punctuation (once set up) is super useful. I wouldn't place too much trust in apple's privacy claims tbh.
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You do know you can turn off the swipe to open camera and you can change keyboards right?
 
eastpointvet said:
You do know you can turn off the swipe to open camera and you can change keyboards right?
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Yes, but ironically I liked to swipe for the camera. Apple has purposefully gimped third party keyboards, and gboard doesn't have the number option like in android, you have to press and hold. Swiftkey is poor imo.
 
macsince2008 said:
After 16 years on every (or alternate year) iPhone, I recently took the decision of moving everything to Google Cloud and Google Pixel.
The first reason was the painfully slow iCloud sync with files and photos, the second being the behaviour of the staff at Apple Store, Saket (careless, rude, and undeniably ego-filled). Complained via email to Joz, he replied, but nothing further really happened.

The Pixel has a great camera, nice video boost features, and mostly smooth software. The device is quite slow as compared to iPhone, processing power slow, but the AI is crazy nice, and far ahead of others.

Now I know a lot of my fellow MacRumors readers won't be able to digest someone moving to another mobile operating system, and their comments always make me laugh. Blindly accepting and praising any brand, no matter how irrational the fan-following is, slows down innovation and lets the others move forward.

PS: I am still using the M5 MacBook Pro, as there is nothing better.
Click to expand...
I got the cheapo Pixel 6a and I've been very happy. It's a simple phone without any bells and whistles, which is how I like my tech mostly. For fun I might get a Samsung phone with Dex in the future though. But I might also continue with a Pixel which supports video out. I read that Android has support for desktop layout these days when hooked to an external display.
 
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Sami13496 said:
Well obviously because after using an Android for a while most of the switchers realise they prefer Apple’s simpler, more consistent user experience
Click to expand...
Start a new Apple calendar event: plus button is at the top of the screen. Start a new reminder: plus button is at the bottom of the screen. Yep, Apple is super consistent.

Sami13496 said:
longer and more reliable software updates
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5 year promise from Apple vs. 7 from Google and Samsung.

Sami13496 said:
and the overall “it just works” feeling
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That feeling disappeared around 5 years ago. iOS is buggy, lags, eats through battery, and generally performs worse than any Android phone I have tried the last couple years. Plus the OS itself makes things feel slow by adding extra taps to get to frequently used menus and providing some of the slowest animations just to show off how "pretty" the phone is. Add the lack of customization and control over the OS where it forces you to do things Apple's way and it is the most user-hostile experience I have had in modern computing.
 
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macsince2008 said:
After 16 years on every (or alternate year) iPhone, I recently took the decision of moving everything to Google Cloud and Google Pixel.
The first reason was the painfully slow iCloud sync with files and photos, the second being the behaviour of the staff at Apple Store, Saket (careless, rude, and undeniably ego-filled). Complained via email to Joz, he replied, but nothing further really happened.

The Pixel has a great camera, nice video boost features, and mostly smooth software. The device is quite slow as compared to iPhone, processing power slow, but the AI is crazy nice, and far ahead of others.

Now I know a lot of my fellow MacRumors readers won't be able to digest someone moving to another mobile operating system, and their comments always make me laugh. Blindly accepting and praising any brand, no matter how irrational the fan-following is, slows down innovation and lets the others move forward.

PS: I am still using the M5 MacBook Pro, as there is nothing better.
Click to expand...
Been there twice, always returned to iOS because of certain missing apps I didn't want to rebuy. Android is a perfectly good OS, on par with iOS (that means better in some, worse in other respects). Enjoy!
 
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HouseLannister said:
Start a new Apple calendar event: plus button is at the top of the screen. Start a new reminder: plus button is at the bottom of the screen. Yep, Apple is super consistent.


5 year promise from Apple vs. 7 from Google and Samsung.


That feeling disappeared around 5 years ago. iOS is buggy, lags, eats through battery, and generally performs worse than any Android phone I have tried the last couple years. Plus the OS itself makes things feel slow by adding extra taps to get to frequently used menus and providing some of the slowest animations just to show off how "pretty" the phone is. Add the lack of customization and control over the OS where it forces you to do things Apple's way and it is the most user-hostile experience I have had in modern computing.
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The calendar app in iOS is one of the most unintuitive apps I've experienced. I use the Google calendar app on iPhone. The best calendar app is on Android, aCalendar, easy navigation and very intuitive. It's the only app I've ever paid for. When I switched from Android in 2021, I tried to find a calendar app as good, but they all suck on iOS.

I've experienced some unexpected features and even bugs on iOS. The camera button on the lock screen often goes to a black screen for me and I have to lock the phone and try again. Also when I cross an international border, it turns off my roaming SIM. Very annoying when I want to use both SIMs all the time.

I also like Android for free premium YouTube because it's not worth paying for.
 
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AppliedMicro said:
...and costs hundreds less than an iPhone.

Having bought a Pixel 9 about a year ago, I just switched too. Liquid glass, the lack of a new iPhone mini and (finally) proper eSIM support for my provider in GrapheneOS were the final nudges to make me switch.

Oh, and I could install a launcher of my choice, that's so, so much better than Apple's clunky grid of app icons.


I remain unconcerned for now. The screenshots linked above don't even nearly look as trashy as what ("Liquid Glass") Apple felt they could get away with showing off at their keynote last year.
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hundreds? you need to review the prices of Pixel 10 Pro XL it is about the same price as iPhone 17 Pro Max. Going from the ATT site the 256GB iPhone 17 Pro Max is $1199 and the Pixel 10 Pro XL 256GB is $1249. I know you can find the Pixel 10 Pro XL at approx $1099 from a few places
 
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Have not really cared to be on android for years and couldn’t care less about android I really like being in apple devices can expect more updates and I like how Apple related products work together as for iOS 26 it is okay doesn’t bother me like I thought it would and the iPhone 16e is not a bad phone in my opinion just really held back by the price which I agree is kind of unfair but this is Apple we’re talking about and Apple does not like to be seen as low end product seller lol
 
About the only thing I prefer on the android over the iPhone is translation. Yes Apple has made improvements but an app that I use extensively is WhatsApp. The inline translation and live translate on calls helps quite a bit when i need to speak to others in spanish (not fully fluent yet). If Meta can get WhatsApp to work in iOS as it does in Android that would be great
 
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crococarbs said:
Yup so for a group of people, me included, the main reason to avoid Android and Google is privacy concerns. The downside of iPhones to me is lack of hardware variety, although last year they did finally change designs a little more than usual.

If I could have the Nothing Phone 3 hardware running iOS, that would be pretty sweet!
Click to expand...
I’m the opposite, the iPhone hardware I feel ok with, it’s iOS I get frustrated with
 
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macconservative said:
you need to review the prices of Pixel 10 Pro XL it is about the same price as iPhone 17 Pro Max
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I just reviewed the prices and it’s not.

Even the Pixel 10 Pro XL (not that I’d buy such a high-end model) can be had for “several hundreds less” than the iPhone 17 Pro Max. In major European markets with comparable currencies (UK, the Eurozone represented by Germany, Switzerland).

To be fair, I don’t know about North American pricing, but for Europe, I stand by my claim that iPhones cost hubdreds more (if you’re looking for good deals from reputable sellers).
 
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macconservative said:
That plan is sold out :)
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Yeah, you missed out. You also missed out on the bargain that Mint Mobile had during Black Friday for $699 with a year of service included. And Amazon/Best Buy frequently have the Pixel phones at $200-350 under MSRP. The truth is Pixel phones have an advertised price, but get discounted all over the place and are frequently, 2/3 to 1/2 the price of a similar iPhone. You just got to know how to shop.
 
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HouseLannister said:
Yeah, you missed out. You also missed out on the bargain that Mint Mobile had during Black Friday for $699 with a year of service included. And Amazon/Best Buy frequently have the Pixel phones at $200-350 under MSRP. The truth is Pixel phones have an advertised price, but get discounted all over the place and are frequently, 2/3 to 1/2 the price of a similar iPhone. You just got to know how to shop
Click to expand...
Yes I have seen the best buy and google sales. So to each their own
 
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