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Boltface

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 6, 2018
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Not sure this is the right place but I'm an Android user(Nexus 6P) looking to move to a XR and have some questions which I couldn't get answered in the Apple Store. I also Googled and some answers were inconsistent so here are my questions.

1. Browser
Evidently I can not select Chrome as my default browser without jail breaking. Correct?
If I am browsing in Chrome and select a link, will continue to open in Chrome?
If I click on a link in a text message it'll go to Safari. Correct?
If I'm looking at a link in an email in Google Mail and I click on it. Safari or Chrome?

2. No widgets on the home page correct? The Apple person didn't know what a widget was.

3. Can I get to 'OK Google'? I thought I read that I could ask Siri to open Google Assistant or click on a widget.

4. I can put a folder on the dock. Correct?

5. There is no Apple Apps drawer like in Android. Every installed App is on the home screen or overflows to the next screen. Since I like a home screen with no Apps I just move the Apps to another screen, correct?

6. When I use the 'Move to iOS' App does it leave the Android phone untouched, ie does it erase or change anything? I would like be able to continue to use the Android phone.

Thank you for any help you can provide!
 
1. Correct, can’t set a default browser. If in chrome you click on a link, it will stay in chrome. Yes, if somebody sends you a link in a text message and you tap on it, it will open in Safari. In the Gmail app, you can set it to use Chrome in the settings of the app.

2. No widgets on the home page, however if you swipe from the left on your first page, it will take you to a widget menu where you can view all of them. Or if you pull down the notifications and swipe from the left it will also take you to the widgets screen.

3. Not sure, I don’t use Ok Google, sorry! But maybe through the Google app.

4. Yes, you can put a folder on your dock.

5. Correct, no app drawer. I use an empty first page and have my apps placed on different screens, so no problem there. You can also add a folder to put apps into and that could act as a pseudo-app drawer. It’s not great but it works.

6. Not sure, never used this. Sorry!

Hope this helps.
 
I had to do a screen shot of the answers. It was too many questions I had to use my other device for a second screen so the answers are in the pic below. 9 out of 10 people I know who leave Android don’t regret it. Good luck

09a1bf95e90cf118567daba8414f099a.jpg
 
As a forced convert (work iPhone) I'd advise you learn to use iTunes software to back up your phone to your PC. Yes, you can auto synch to iCloud but after a certain amount of GB Apple wants what they always want out of you, more $. Backing up locally is simple, fast,and makes it easy to recover from a crash or to provision a new iPhone.
 
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As a forced convert (work iPhone) I'd advise you learn to use iTunes software to back up your phone to your PC. Yes, you can auto synch to iCloud but after a certain amount of GB Apple wants what they always want out of you, more $. Backing up locally is simple, fast,and makes it easy to recover from a crash or to provision a new iPhone.

I must disagree with you on this.

Yes, only 5 gigs are free. However, the next tier is only a buck a month. 50 gigs will be plenty for backups. And that is a VERY cheap price for a seamless backup that happens EVERY night without effort.
 
Thanks very much for the helpful input. Guess I'll make the decision in the next week, likely a red XR.

I was in the Apple store today. A huge store, people sitting on boxes, in line, in class, whipping out credit cards. A truly 1st world gluttony thing.
 
As a forced convert (work iPhone) I'd advise you learn to use iTunes software to back up your phone to your PC. Yes, you can auto synch to iCloud but after a certain amount of GB Apple wants what they always want out of you, more $. Backing up locally is simple, fast,and makes it easy to recover from a crash or to provision a new iPhone.
I find that a lot of people never go into their backup settings for apps and remove app data they don't want backed up. That stuff ads up, especially if you don't need it.

Music is another big one. Lots of people seem to store their entire library on their phone. They don't take advantage of Google Play Music or iTunes Match or other services where their music can be stored in the cloud.

You can use IMAP for your email. No need to have it stored in your backup because IMAP uses servers elsewhere.

People do a lot of complaining about Apple charging for more data storage but never bother to check what they backup.

I have yet to exceed the 5GB Apple gives you.
 
1. Correct, can’t set a default browser. If in chrome you click on a link, it will stay in chrome. Yes, if somebody sends you a link in a text message and you tap on it, it will open in Safari. In the Gmail app, you can set it to use Chrome in the settings of the app.

That's a pretty important point I thought I'd emphasize: since you're (the OP) coming from Android, it's likely that you're already using the GMail app, and that app in iOS has settings to specify which browser opens links (from Gmail) and which mapp App is used to open map content (mine shows Apple Maps, G Maps and Waze).

Also, with Chrome on iOS, Email links open into GMail (so it works "both ways" so to speak).

Honestly, it's rare that this workflow is an issue for me, most of the links I get in Messages are things like deep links into other Apps (like Amazon for example), and the occasional, what I'd call "throwaway" link, it's not a big deal to open into Safari. If I think it's something more critical, I'd do a 3D-1/2-press >> share >> shortcuts >> open in Chrome (very rarely needed) __or__ if I wind up at the link in Safari and think, yeah, I want to bookmark this in Chrome, same thing Share >> Shortcuts >> Chrome.

I use Chrome for several reasons, but one important being I move between platforms and it provides a nice, seamless sync across devices/OS. :)
 
I find that a lot of people never go into their backup settings for apps and remove app data they don't want backed up. That stuff ads up, especially if you don't need it.

Music is another big one. Lots of people seem to store their entire library on their phone. They don't take advantage of Google Play Music or iTunes Match or other services where their music can be stored in the cloud.

You can use IMAP for your email. No need to have it stored in your backup because IMAP uses servers elsewhere.

People do a lot of complaining about Apple charging for more data storage but never bother to check what they backup.

I have yet to exceed the 5GB Apple gives you.
I agree with this, but I just wanted to add that I do backup my iPhone to my computer as a precaution. I only have had to use it once when I wanted to roll back to iOS 11 from a beta version of 12.

Normally, I just turn on iCloud sync for everything on my iPhone, and leave the iCloud backup turned off.
 
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Reporting back in after a day with the XR Red.

- Had a bumpy road using Android to iOS. Must have tried 30 times but the android would not hook up to the XR.
Finally after various airline mode, por, .... it magically worked and everything that was supposed to move over
moved over.
- Cleared off the home screen with no problem, no apps on the home screen which was one of my objectives.
- Two folders of apps on the dock.
- The next screen has four folders with apps that I don't use as much.
- The third screen has a few apps that I will play with to see if they are useful.
- All the other apps are on the next pages. I'll rarely go there unless I see an article on an app that looks interesting.
- Push the side button and say Google and there's Google Assistant ready to go.
- In Android I'd frequently swipe and read the headlines that Google picks for me knowing my preferences. So that's
one of the things in my News & Weather folder.
- Gmail working fine.
- I was thinking at the gym today I'd never even noticed the 'notch'. Much ado about nothing for me.
- Love the Red.
- Face ID works like a charm. I never even thought about it being there until the phone was facing another direction
when I opened it.
- Granted I'm not a gamer or video watcher but it's now in the evening and I'm at 89% battery.
- Oh and the Apple store didn't have a Red XR with 64G so I was 'forced' to get 128G.
- So I'm pretty much at home with Google apps in my XR.

When I was waiting to buy the XR the Apple rep was working with another customer. Her phone purchased a couple of days ago would randomly indicated that a sim was not installed. She brought it in the day before and an employee fiddled with it and got it to work but it failed again when she got home. So she brought it back. "we can run the diagnostics and see if we can help you it's be about 45 minutes". She said she had to go to work could see make an appointment. "Sure it's be next week." She started to cry and said she would like to return the phone. The uncaring Apple employee went off to return the phone. I told her she did the right thing, don't accept a flaky phone just return it and buy another one. She left the store dabbing away the tears, her first phone. My opinion - a really crappy customer experience caused by an uncaring Apple employee.
 
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My opinion - a really crappy customer experience caused by an uncaring Apple employee.
It's gotten bad in the last several years.

There was a time back in 2011-2012 when I could take in a then 8-9 year old PowerBook, ask a few questions and get help from nice people. You just walked in.

Now, you need an appointment and there's no guarantee your 'genius' will know anything or care.
 
Not sure this is the right place but I'm an Android user(Nexus 6P) looking to move to a XR and have some questions which I couldn't get answered in the Apple Store. I also Googled and some answers were inconsistent so here are my questions.

1. Browser
Evidently I can not select Chrome as my default browser without jail breaking. Correct?
If I am browsing in Chrome and select a link, will continue to open in Chrome?
If I click on a link in a text message it'll go to Safari. Correct?
If I'm looking at a link in an email in Google Mail and I click on it. Safari or Chrome?

2. No widgets on the home page correct? The Apple person didn't know what a widget was.

3. Can I get to 'OK Google'? I thought I read that I could ask Siri to open Google Assistant or click on a widget.

4. I can put a folder on the dock. Correct?

5. There is no Apple Apps drawer like in Android. Every installed App is on the home screen or overflows to the next screen. Since I like a home screen with no Apps I just move the Apps to another screen, correct?

6. When I use the 'Move to iOS' App does it leave the Android phone untouched, ie does it erase or change anything? I would like be able to continue to use the Android phone.

Thank you for any help you can provide!

1) Correct. Apple doesn't trust their users to be able to decide for themselves what default app you should use. The mother ship knows best. So if you are in chrome, links open in chrome, if you click a link anywhere else, it opens in Safari.

2) It doesn't surprise me that an Apple store employee doesn't know what a widget is... the widget has only been a core feature of the world's most popular OS for 9 years now... They will get there, some day.

3) You can use OK Google if you have the Google Assistant installed, but I believe you need to launch it by using Siri first, which is a by-product of answer #1.

4) You can add a folder to the dock. Win!

5) No apps drawer, all your installed apps get thrown up onto homescreens in a huge chaotic mess, requiring all of us with OCD to have to try and organize and hide them...

6) Never used the move to iOS app.
 
6) Never used the move to iOS app.

I've used it recently, having switched from Android to iOS. Yes, the app leaves your Android untouched, does nothing to the content of the phone. (tested 1 week ago with Samsung Galaxy S6).
 
5) No apps drawer, all your installed apps get thrown up onto homescreens in a huge chaotic mess, requiring all of us with OCD to have to try and organize and hide them...

Word on the street is this will be changed in iOS 13. Likely any change will be an improvement and I've seen some pretty decent mockups floating around the webz. Hell, if they changed it to build from the bottom up instead of top down it would make a huge difference. Can't imagine that would be all that hard for them.
 
5. Something to note about this that is very frustrating compared to Android.

Not only is there no app drawer, but when arranging apps on a page, they populate from the top left corner - furthest from your thumb.

So to have your most used apps within easy reach at the bottom of the screen, you need to fill the rest of the screen with lesser-used apps.
 
Word on the street is this will be changed in iOS 13. Likely any change will be an improvement and I've seen some pretty decent mockups floating around the webz. Hell, if they changed it to build from the bottom up instead of top down it would make a huge difference. Can't imagine that would be all that hard for them.

I'd love to be able to place apps where I wanted them on the screen or starting to the bottom would help.
 
Not sure this is the right place but I'm an Android user(Nexus 6P) looking to move to a XR and have some questions which I couldn't get answered in the Apple Store. I also Googled and some answers were inconsistent so here are my questions.

1. Browser
Evidently I can not select Chrome as my default browser without jail breaking. Correct?
If I am browsing in Chrome and select a link, will continue to open in Chrome?
If I click on a link in a text message it'll go to Safari. Correct?
If I'm looking at a link in an email in Google Mail and I click on it. Safari or Chrome?

2. No widgets on the home page correct? The Apple person didn't know what a widget was.

3. Can I get to 'OK Google'? I thought I read that I could ask Siri to open Google Assistant or click on a widget.

4. I can put a folder on the dock. Correct?

5. There is no Apple Apps drawer like in Android. Every installed App is on the home screen or overflows to the next screen. Since I like a home screen with no Apps I just move the Apps to another screen, correct?

6. When I use the 'Move to iOS' App does it leave the Android phone untouched, ie does it erase or change anything? I would like be able to continue to use the Android phone.

Thank you for any help you can provide!
Get another android. Apple has went down hill terribly.
 
I find that a lot of people never go into their backup settings for apps and remove app data they don't want backed up. That stuff ads up, especially if you don't need it.

Totally agreed. For several years I backed up a 128GB phone and a 128GB iPad to 5GB. You just need to be smart about what you back up. Like Facebook. There's no point. Just re-download the app and everything is there again.

Now I pay extra, but that's so I can sync all my photos.
 
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I'd love to be able to place apps where I wanted them on the screen or starting to the bottom would help.
You'll probably end up using the search function for some apps. I used several widgets with my S7+. Widgets have the additional benefit of helping you remember things....like you've put your twitter app next to calendar widget. The shape and size of the widget helps you remember the locations of nearby apps because it provides a frame of reference. A memory aid. It's a simple concept that iphones should employ because the sea of icons system is inefficient. And all apps do not fit in a nice neat folder category.
 
You'll probably end up using the search function for some apps. I used several widgets with my S7+. Widgets have the additional benefit of helping you remember things....like you've put your twitter app next to calendar widget. The shape and size of the widget helps you remember the locations of nearby apps because it provides a frame of reference. A memory aid. It's a simple concept that iphones should employ because the sea of icons system is inefficient. And all apps do not fit in a nice neat folder category.

That's one thing I definitely don't understand, Apple's view of Widgets. Maybe there's a YouTube or something to help me understand how to use them.
 
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