Samsung S25/ S25 Ultra

[tbayrgs]

correct......I have had every iPhone since day one. This will be the first year I will not get the new iPhone. Starting to move away from all of the Apple services as well.

Believe it or not, I’m not too far behind you with that sentiment. I’m currently using an iPhone 15 PM and will not be getting any iPhone 17 model either.

I can’t ditch Apple entirely as my family/friends/work ‘ecosystem’ lives almost entirely inside Apple, or at least uses iPhones and I still personally prefer iPad Pros, Macs, and the Apple Watch Ultra over any non-Apple counterparts but Apple’s behavior towards developers and its consumers over the past couple years has really pissed me off. I’ve been using my Pixel 9 Pro Fold for as much of my smartphone/small tablet needs as I can for the past few weeks and I’m really enjoying it (with a few exceptions of course).

 

[mjschabow]

Believe it or not, I’m not too far behind you with that sentiment. I’m currently using an iPhone 15 PM and will not be getting any iPhone 17 model either.

I can’t ditch Apple entirely as my family/friends/work ‘ecosystem’ lives almost entirely inside Apple, or at least uses iPhones and I still personally prefer iPad Pros, Macs, and the Apple Watch Ultra over any non-Apple counterparts but Apple’s behavior towards developers and its consumers over the past couple years has really pissed me off. I’ve been using my Pixel 9 Pro Fold for as much of my smartphone/small tablet needs as I can for the past few weeks and I’m really enjoying it (with a few exceptions of course).

That's where I was at too! Just finally had enough with the company as a whole

 

[tbayrgs]

That's where I was at too! Just finally had enough with the company as a whole

At the end of the day, none of these company’s are saints and all have their own variety of ******** behavior. If I choose to boycott any similar company because of poor behavior, I’d find it really hard to buy any products or services.

I’m just learning to mirror my take on the company’s whose products I purchase. Being a ‘loyal fan’ of a company that genuinely doesn’t give a **** about us as a consumer, especially if it stands in the way of their profit is just pointless.

I’ll use them all to get the best experience for me personally.

 

[edubfromktown]

At the end of the day, none of these company’s are saints and all have their own variety of ******** behavior. If I choose to boycott any similar company because of poor behavior, I’d find it really hard to buy any products or services.

I’m just learning to mirror my take on the company’s whose products I purchase. Being a ‘loyal fan’ of a company that genuinely doesn’t give a **** about us as a consumer, especially if it stands in the way of their profit is just pointless.

I’ll use them all to get the best experience for me personally.

I'm into one (device at a time) and done to keep it really simple (and wallet friendly!).

Take it a step further with my (O365) work apps being installed in a separate container on my personal mobile. I can disable work stuff completely when I am taking time off.

 

[max2]

Believe it or not, I’m not too far behind you with that sentiment. I’m currently using an iPhone 15 PM and will not be getting any iPhone 17 model either.

I can’t ditch Apple entirely as my family/friends/work ‘ecosystem’ lives almost entirely inside Apple, or at least uses iPhones and I still personally prefer iPad Pros, Macs, and the Apple Watch Ultra over any non-Apple counterparts but Apple’s behavior towards developers and its consumers over the past couple years has really pissed me off. I’ve been using my Pixel 9 Pro Fold for as much of my smartphone/small tablet needs as I can for the past few weeks and I’m really enjoying it (with a few exceptions of course).

Is it easy to use a Apple Watch without a iPhone ?

 

[cuzo]

Believe it or not, I’m not too far behind you with that sentiment. I’m currently using an iPhone 15 PM and will not be getting any iPhone 17 model either.

I can’t ditch Apple entirely as my family/friends/work ‘ecosystem’ lives almost entirely inside Apple, or at least uses iPhones and I still personally prefer iPad Pros, Macs, and the Apple Watch Ultra over any non-Apple counterparts but Apple’s behavior towards developers and its consumers over the past couple years has really pissed me off. I’ve been using my Pixel 9 Pro Fold for as much of my smartphone/small tablet needs as I can for the past few weeks and I’m really enjoying it (with a few exceptions of course).

Same here, I just bought a macbook air and I like it alot, I like how it's fanless and runs very cool. The thing is I dislike the Iphone, IOS still has a issue with public networks and displaying the splash screens at a place like McDonalds. On Android its instant but IOS takes maybe 45 seconds and I'm guessing some security check IOS does in the background.

I dislike the phone but love the ultra watch and the airpods the phone is just pretty terrbible all around.

Samsung is hit or miss, I'm reading reddit and seeing so many S22 Ultra users have green lines, dead motherboards and etc and I'm thinking with that happen to the S24 Ultra 2 years from now?

I prefer android but the hassle of selling used tech and dealing with people out here in a tough economy is rough, I despise local selling and would rather trade in. I guess I'm lazy to make that jump as of right now.

 

[tbayrgs]

Is it easy to use a Apple Watch without a iPhone ?

TL;DR - No, it's not ideal. But I'm not using my Apple Watch without an iPhone--let me explain.

I have both an iPhone and Android phone with my iPhone having my main phone number and can be considered my 'daily driver'. I've have or am in the process of moving to primarily 3rd party apps and services that aren't locked to a single platform:

• Reminders/Tasks with Microsoft To Do
• Notes on Microsoft OneNote
• Contacts, calendars and email (use Spark as my email client) connected to my Google account
• Podcasts on Pocket Casts
• Music on Apple Music and YouTube Music
• Password management with 1Password
• 2FA with Authy
• Grocery lists using AnyList
• AI with Gemini or ChatGPT
• Books with Kindle

I have to keep the iPhone as my primary because my social ecosystem lives almost entirely with Apple (all family, friends and coworkers). So most of my messaging is done over Apple Messages. And that where the Apple Watch comes in clutch. I can still reply to messages and take calls. I will often actually have my phone calls on my main number automatically forwarded to my Android number so it's really just the Messages that I use the Apple Watch for replies. I can also triage all other notifications and dive deeper on my Pixel 9 Pro Fold because just about everything else is across both platforms.

I'll stick with this dual setup for the foreseeable future until either a suitable replacement for the Apple Watch is available (I've tried a bunch--the WearOS ecosystem just doesn't match up yet) or Apple's first folding iPhone comes out (rumored next year).

 

[Ludatyk]

I have to keep the iPhone as my primary because my social ecosystem lives almost entirely with Apple (all family, friends and coworkers). So most of my messaging is done over Apple Messages. And that where the Apple Watch comes in clutch. I can still reply to messages and take calls. I will often actually have my phone calls on my main number automatically forwarded to my Android number so it's really just the Messages that I use the Apple Watch for replies. I can also triage all other notifications and dive deeper on my Pixel 9 Pro Fold because just about everything else is across both platforms.

Not interested in using BlueBubbles (or OpenBubbles)?

 

[tbayrgs]

Not interested in using BlueBubbles (or OpenBubbles)?

Not at the moment. I still use Apple stuff for everything and with the Apple Watch, I'm still connected and able to send and respond to messages. I admitted having explored the fine details of how they work but it's a level of complexity I don't need yet. I often have both phones with me and if not, like I said, have my Apple Watch, iPad Pro or Mac with me.

 

[yui4]

Same here, I just bought a macbook air and I like it alot, I like how it's fanless and runs very cool. The thing is I dislike the Iphone, IOS still has a issue with public networks and displaying the splash screens at a place like McDonalds. On Android its instant but IOS takes maybe 45 seconds and I'm guessing some security check IOS does in the background.

I dislike the phone but love the ultra watch and the airpods the phone is just pretty terrbible all around.

Samsung is hit or miss, I'm reading reddit and seeing so many S22 Ultra users have green lines, dead motherboards and etc and I'm thinking with that happen to the S24 Ultra 2 years from now?

I prefer android but the hassle of selling used tech and dealing with people out here in a tough economy is rough, I despise local selling and would rather trade in. I guess I'm lazy to make that jump as of right now.

1 of the good things with Samsung is that they make trading in worth while most of the time, especially if changing yearly, the trade in deals are often much better and definitely easier than selling privately

 

[JohnRckr]

Can someone here tell me how does AdGuard work on Android? Particularly when used with Brave browser?
I read through multiple pages but some say AdGuard on Android is terrible while some say that thanks to Android’s customizations it works much better than on iPhone..

 

[HouseLannister]

Can someone here tell me how does AdGuard work on Android? Particularly when used with Brave browser?
I read through multiple pages but some say AdGuard on Android is terrible while some say that thanks to Android’s customizations it works much better than on iPhone..

Ad-blocking is built into Brave. No AdGuard needed. You only want their app if you want to use the Samsung Internet browser.

You can set a custom DNS on Android (dns.adguard-dns.com) and block at a device level—on every connection in every app, which is something iPhone can’t do. This is great since Android’s Chrome (and Google News, YouTube, etc.) do not support ad-blocking.

 

[JohnRckr]

Ad-blocking is built into Brave. No AdGuard needed. You only want their app if you want to use the Samsung Internet browser.

You can set a custom DNS on Android (dns.adguard-dns.com) and block at a device level—on every connection in every app, which is something iPhone can’t do. This is great since Android’s Chrome (and Google News, YouTube, etc.) do not support ad-blocking.

So the best combo would be Brave + custom DNS?

 

[HouseLannister]

So the best combo would be Brave + custom DNS?

Brave is usually enough unless you want zero ads everywhere. The DNS blocking will get rid of all ads system-wide. But Brave has some privacy/fingerprinting stuff too, so, sure, still a very good browser choice even if you are already blocking ads elsewhere. Also, DNS blocking does nothing to clean up the empty space where the ad used to be, which other ad blockers offer varying degrees of success at doing. And keep in mind if you are doing DNS-blocking, it is an extra couple steps to disable than a software-based blocker if you run into sites that say "Looks like you are using an ad blocker" and refuse to render. But no app running, so no battery drain or memory footprint. Definitely a tradeoff worth considering.

 

[mjschabow]

Any thoughts on when Beta 5 may come out? I want some of that Adaptive Lock Screen goodness!

 

[mjschabow]

Being new to this Beta stuff, just wondering, is there a consistent release schedule, kind of like how Apple does betas, or is it just completely random as in it could come any day?

 

[HouseLannister]

Being new to this Beta stuff, just wondering, is there a consistent release schedule, kind of like how Apple does betas, or is it just completely random as in it could come any day?

They started in May and have been going about once a month. We expected it to be final by the time the Z Fold 7 came out, but no clue at this point.

 

[jamezr]

Being new to this Beta stuff, just wondering, is there a consistent release schedule, kind of like how Apple does betas, or is it just completely random as in it could come any day?

Heard a few rumors say Sept for the final One UI 8.

Samsung confirms when the Galaxy S25 will get its One UI 8 upgrade, but Galaxy Watch fans will have to stay patient

Here's the latest

www.techradar.com

 

[yui4]

I’ve been having an iOS wobble lately. Someone pull me back from the ledge!

 

[mjschabow]

I’ve been having an iOS wobble lately. Someone pull me back from the ledge!

Don't do it! Make a list of everything this phone can do that an iPhone can't. I had to do that like months ago and it worked!

It's funny though, there's a small part of me that absolutely loves my company issued iPhone 16. It's simple, super light, and I don't have to think. I just use. It doesn't have 120hz, zoom camera or any of the things that are important to me, yet there's something nice about having a cheaper iPhone without bells and whistles. It's an entry into a life where I'm not a tech addict.

 

[tbayrgs]

I’ve been having an iOS wobble lately. Someone pull me back from the ledge!

Use whatever you like. While I've used Android mostly as my secondary device for the past 12+ years and am heavily invested in the Apple ecosystem, I've dabbled with Android as my primary device quote a few rimes, both to see what's new/different but also to genuinely see if I'd like it better. In fact, doing that right now with my Pixel 9 Pro Fold.

No better way to appreciate what you have than to try out something different. And often those experiments yield some eye opening results. Downside is it can get a little pricey.

 

[mjschabow]

I appreciate that Samsung fixed the annoying "Clear Notifications clears Sports Scores Now Bar" on OneUi 8!

 

[jamezr]

I’ve been having an iOS wobble lately. Someone pull me back from the ledge!

This time of year is the hardest time to resist everything that is iPhone. be strong..we are here for you! The iPhone AA meeeting is on Tuesdays....

 

[mjschabow]

This time of year is the hardest time to resist everything that is iPhone. be strong..we are here for you! The iPhone AA meeeting is on Tuesdays....
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Haha yep when I made the switch, I definitely anticipated September being the toughest month and if I can get through it, I may have finally cracked the code lol. Will definitely need some extra support. 😂

 

[jamezr]

Haha yep when I made the switch, I definitely anticipated September being the toughest month and if I can get through it, I may have finally cracked the code lol. Will definitely need some extra support. 😂

You got this! I have confidence in you!