Serious OS switching question

[sundog925]

These are the kind of insights i was looking to get, thanks guys. Im sorry one commenter on this thread couldn't get to the same reasoning LOL.

Anyways, I guess I just wish Apple would go further, better screen, better camera, even changing the fonts or saving video/audio from safari. BASIC things we can't even do that I get jealous of the android community for. Even those super AMOLED screens are far better than 'retina' at this point. I just wanna see iPhone go premium again, it seems to have lost its luxe feel. You cannot deny the S7 and S7 edge are GORGEOUS in design and screen quality.

 

[kazmac]

I switched a couple of months ago, and while I am not crazy about the lag and feel of my Moto Z Play ($450) and finding work arounds for iOS, with the right phone I will be fine.

I was hesitant to rely on Google so much, until I remembered how entrenched I was in Apple's ecosystem. Still getting used to it.

Right now, my only wish is that more Android phones become available for CDMA (Verizon) as the Pixel and Samsung phones are not calling me.

OP, give it a try. Some very sound advice in this thread.

 

[syphern]

Sure, but out of curiosity, how do other personal opinions affect something that's fairly subjective? If various people like the color blue does that have some effect on someone else liking red?

Experiences my friend that's why we seek second opinions everyone has different experiences and opinions that can influence your judgement. It's human nature.

 

[C DM]

Experiences my friend that's why we seek second opinions everyone has different experiences and opinions that can influence your judgement. It's human nature.

But that whole thing about everyone having different experiences is what makes it all less applicable as whatever experiences we might hear about our own could/would very well be different making those other experiences that others have had fairly moot (as far them meaning anything in relation to our experience).

 

[pixel_junkie]

But that whole thing about everyone having different experiences is what makes it all less applicable as whatever experiences we might hear about our own could/would very well be different making those other experiences that others have had fairly moot (as far them meaning anything in relation to our experience).

Valid point, especially on this forum. Not so much because reading about different experience isn't useful but because genuine, unbiased opinions presented and received with an open mind are very hard to come by around here. Apple users are some of the most stubborn bunch in existence (Cha-ching! Apple loves that part).

I bet you even in this very thread there are people who have never even touched a current Android phone but feel the urge to participate vigorously.

 

[iSheep5S]

My recent down sides to android after 2 years, a Galaxy S5 then the S7. I swapped to the iPhone 7 but had/have a soft spot for android so... I have been trying to get a play around cheap android phone but two low end phones and two different experiences.

Inconsistent scrolling where on instgram it jumps past posts and I have to scroll back. Same with Facebook. Cheap android only. Not true of S7.

In the U.K. I love the daily mail app. On iOS the ads in apps are tolerable if there at all. On android the ad flashes at the bottom and almost makes me want to uninstall. Or at least look for a paid option. Cheap and S7.

Chrome. The holy browser on my 8 CORE SAMSUNG GALAXY S7 WITH 4GB RAM jumped about loading ads. Here is me starting to read the article and... hop... ad... scroll to the place I was... hop again to disorientation. Grrr!

I had been using my iPad most of the day ignoring my data off S7. Went to bed without bothering with it. Starting using it the next day at work. Upon getting a internet connection it goes mental giving me every weekend notification I never used it for. God forbid I have a couple of eBay listings ending... like it's possessed.

I am enjoying how clean iOS is. If you were coding I'm sure you would rather code for a handful of devices and get a better result than for 11,000 last time I heard. Flip side? Still love android. 😉
[doublepost=1487611817][/doublepost]

I've been buying iPhones for too long. After the 6, the 6s was a disappointment- there was barely any difference, except the big hole in my bank account. I wasn't going to buy the 7 either, but my family has got used to me passing on the old ones, and asked for help when the 6 got broken. The 7 is better, and iOS 10 makes 3D Touch slightly more than a gimmick, but the price!

Insulted by Apple's price gouging on the new MacBooks, and raising prices on the OLD ones (instead I bought a Surface Pro 4 for half the price of a 12" MacBook), plus a creeping boredom with iOS, and dissatisfaction with software glitches, I decided on a whim to try Android, when I saw one for £50 in Amazon's daily deals, coupled with a £10 off when you spend £50 on just that day. I spent £40 on a BLU with 5.5" screen, 1Gb ram, 8Gb storage, and Android 6.0. To my surprise, it isn't bad. The screen is good enough, Android 6 M is excellent (and I have no doubt 7 N and 8 O will be better still), but the camera, speaker, ram and storage are awful, so I recommend spending a little more. The OnePlus 3T gets excellent reviews.

All the apps I want are available, they all work well, but there is one killer app which just isn't on iOS, for no reason I can discern. Microsoft Office Remote for Android is brilliant, free, and is much easier to set up than any of the 3rd party paid options on iOS.

I'll keep my iPhone 7 for a while, but even if the 8 is perfect, I doubt I'll buy it. Brexit has caused prices to rise across the board, so it'll almost certainly be more than £1000. I can't justify spending that kind of money when I don't fully use every feature, and when the features I do use are available for a tenth of the price elsewhere. I like my Apple Watch, surprisingly that'll be the thing I miss most.

I've been slowly moving away from Apple services, instead using Office 365 with OneDrive, Amazon Prime for music and videos and photo storage, and Microsoft and Amazon apps work just as well on Android as they do on iOS.

Just realised your in Aberdeen. Hello neighbour.

How is the scrolling on the BLU? I wish I took a video of my above point on cheap android scrolling. Instagram seemed to want to brake for each post but failed and stopped short or flew by. Same with Facebook. Chrome after loaded and twitter didn't have the issue. Still looking for a cheap android. Returned both of the cheap ones I got local. Failed to buy the BLU because of the one star amazon reviews. Cheers!

 

[MindsEye]

My recent down sides to android after 2 years, a Galaxy S5 then the S7. I swapped to the iPhone 7 but had/have a soft spot for android so... I have been trying to get a play around cheap android phone but two low end phones and two different experiences.

Inconsistent scrolling where on instgram it jumps past posts and I have to scroll back. Same with Facebook. Cheap android only. Not true of S7.

In the U.K. I love the daily mail app. On iOS the ads in apps are tolerable if there at all. On android the ad flashes at the bottom and almost makes me want to uninstall. Or at least look for a paid option. Cheap and S7.

Chrome. The holy browser on my 8 CORE SAMSUNG GALAXY S7 WITH 4GB RAM jumped about loading ads. Here is me starting to read the article and... hop... ad... scroll to the place I was... hop again to disorientation. Grrr!

I had been using my iPad most of the day ignoring my data off S7. Went to bed without bothering with it. Starting using it the next day at work. Upon getting a internet connection it goes mental giving me every weekend notification I never used it for. God forbid I have a couple of eBay listings ending... like it's possessed.

I am enjoying how clean iOS is. If you were coding I'm sure you would rather code for a handful of devices and get a better result than for 11,000 last time I heard. Flip side? Still love android. 😉

Out of curiosity why not use the stock browser with something like Adguard installed? i've learnt my lesson with Chrome from pretty much every android device i've used. It can be okay at times and other times it feels like its been programmed to fight against you.

 

[iSheep5S]

Out of curiosity why not use the stock browser with something like Adguard installed? i've learnt my lesson with Chrome from pretty much every android device i've used. It can be okay at times and other times it feels like its been programmed to fight against you.

I tried but chrome seemed a bit quicker most of the time. I also tried firefox and opera mini. Safari wins for me.

 

[Tinmania]

I just did something really different, at least for me.

After having iPhones since the beginning I switched to a Note 2 in 2012, Note 4 in 2014, and then back to an iPhone with a 6S+ when it came out in 2015. Recently bought an Apple Watch.

Then a few days ago I went all in on Android, but this time sans Samsung 🙂. I bought an LG V20 along with the just released LG Sport smartwatch. I used two AT&T promotions that made it attractive: one cut the price of the V20 in half, if done on a Next plan (payments cut in half), and the other one got me the watch for $50 (if I bought a V20 or G5 LG phone).

I am still getting used to both. This is a nice phone to me so far. I love the OK Google recognition. It's almost too good: it recognises it even when the phone is in my pocket while driving (while I was using it with my watch--they both responded). I'm used to needing the screen facing up for Hey Siri to work. Also can unlock the phone with OK Google--tied to my voice of course. It's got some cool features that may not be for everyone, but I like them so far: a 1/4" "second screen" above the main screen, no home button, on/off/fingerprint button on rear, FM radio that works, dual rear cameras (one for wide angle), IR remote, etc. The screen is IPS, but really good. Side by side next to my iPhone 6S plus it is clearer with brighter whites and blacker blacks. The display is both taller and wider than my 6S+, not counting the second screen, yet the physical size of the phone itself is nearly exactly the same. The lack of home button, and less bezel is what allows this.

Seems fast enough to me, yes even in chrome, but I had no chrome complaints on the Note 4. The LG V20 and Watch Sport both support number sync so watch/phone use the same number for texts/calls even if my phone is off or left behind. Really like that.

Thought I would miss using Siri to control my Hue lighting but the watch, using Google Home, supported it directly with no need to even install the Hue app on the phone. I did of course install the Hue app on the phone and all the features on the iPhone were there. Pretty much the same on all my other apps, with some being slightly better on iOS or vice versa.

But damn setting up an Android phone like this takes some time. In fairness so did my iPhone 6S+ when I got it, but it was less intensive and more about arranging the home screen. My new phone does have bloatware, and I swore I wouldn't get another AT&T branded phone, but it doesn't seem as intrusive as it did on my Note 4, and it is not so hard to uninstall or hide. There are LG apps but not as many as all the Samsung apps that I remember. For half price I am okay with that, plus I like having guaranteed watch/phone compatibility as well as visual voicemail and whatnot. I am not expecting much as far as updates but there have been a few already.

I still have my 6S+ and AW which I won't let go of till my 14 day return period is up. Time will tell...



Mike

 

[Applejuiced]

But that whole thing about everyone having different experiences is what makes it all less applicable as whatever experiences we might hear about our own could/would very well be different making those other experiences that others have had fairly moot (as far them meaning anything in relation to our experience).

I was telling my father in law a few days ago not to bother with the Lasagna at the Olive Garden because I wasnt a big fan of it last time I tried it. I stayed with the chicken Fettucini Alfredo instead.
Well he went ahead and ordered the Lasagna anyway and he loved them 😀

 

[v0lume4]

I just did something really different, at least for me.

After having iPhones since the beginning I switched to a Note 2 in 2012, Note 4 in 2014, and then back to an iPhone with a 6S+ when it came out in 2015. Recently bought an Apple Watch.

Then a few days ago I went all in on Android, but this time sans Samsung 🙂. I bought an LG V20 along with the just released LG Sport smartwatch. I used two AT&T promotions that made it attractive: one cut the price of the V20 in half, if done on a Next plan (payments cut in half), and the other one got me the watch for $50 (if I bought a V20 or G5 LG phone).

I am still getting used to both. This is a nice phone to me so far. I love the OK Google recognition. It's almost too good: it recognises it even when the phone is in my pocket while driving (while I was using it with my watch--they both responded). I'm used to needing the screen facing up for Hey Siri to work. Also can unlock the phone with OK Google--tied to my voice of course. It's got some cool features that may not be for everyone, but I like them so far: a 1/4" "second screen" above the main screen, no home button, on/off/fingerprint button on rear, FM radio that works, dual rear cameras (one for wide angle), IR remote, etc. The screen is IPS, but really good. Side by side next to my iPhone 6S plus it is clearer with brighter whites and blacker blacks. The display is both taller and wider than my 6S+, not counting the second screen, yet the physical size of the phone itself is nearly exactly the same. The lack of home button, and less bezel is what allows this.

Seems fast enough to me, yes even in chrome, but I had no chrome complaints on the Note 4. The LG V20 and Watch Sport both support number sync so watch/phone use the same number for texts/calls even if my phone is off or left behind. Really like that.

Thought I would miss using Siri to control my Hue lighting but the watch, using Google Home, supported it directly with no need to even install the Hue app on the phone. I did of course install the Hue app on the phone and all the features on the iPhone were there. Pretty much the same on all my other apps, with some being slightly better on iOS or vice versa.

But damn setting up an Android phone like this takes some time. In fairness so did my iPhone 6S+ when I got it, but it was less intensive and more about arranging the home screen. My new phone does have bloatware, and I swore I wouldn't get another AT&T branded phone, but it doesn't seem as intrusive as it did on my Note 4, and it is not so hard to uninstall or hide. There are LG apps but not as many as all the Samsung apps that I remember. For half price I am okay with that, plus I like having guaranteed watch/phone compatibility as well as visual voicemail and whatnot. I am not expecting much as far as updates but there have been a few already.

I still have my 6S+ and AW which I won't let go of till my 14 day return period is up. Time will tell...



Mike

Regarding the annoying bloatware apps, have you tried going into Settings > Apps and then either uninstalling or, at the very least, disabling the apps that you don't want?

I myself have a Nexus so my experience disabling bloatware is limited. Would like to hear your experiences.

 

[44267547]

Experiences my friend that's why we seek second opinions everyone has different experiences and opinions that can influence your judgement. It's human nature.

Well said. That's the point of discussion is to converse among the differences or likes involving various view points.

 

[niploteksi]

But that whole thing about everyone having different experiences is what makes it all less applicable as whatever experiences we might hear about our own could/would very well be different making those other experiences that others have had fairly moot (as far them meaning anything in relation to our experience).

Usually when I buy electronics, that I have no experience with, I take in a number of reviews and form a decision based on that. I often also read the specifications and the manufacturers own description of the product. Very seldom do I buy things without trying to inform myself about the product I'm interested in. My inner daemon need empirical stimuli!

Also, most people probably (like me) simply enjoy discussing electronic devices 🙂

 

[C DM]

Usually when I buy electronics, that I have no experience with, I take in a number of reviews and form a decision based on that. I often also read the specifications and the manufacturers own description of the product. Very seldom do I buy things without trying to inform myself about the product I'm interested in. My inner daemon need empirical stimuli!

Also, most people probably (like me) simply enjoy discussing electronic devices 🙂

Sure, but perhaps with the exception of the very last part, that's fairly different from something like "does anyone else feel like changing?"

 

[hallux]

I had been using my iPad most of the day ignoring my data off S7. Went to bed without bothering with it. Starting using it the next day at work. Upon getting a internet connection it goes mental giving me every weekend notification I never used it for. God forbid I have a couple of eBay listings ending... like it's possessed.

I don't have enough experience with iOS to know, iOS doesn't do this? Realistically, if the device doesn't know if you've acted on whatever the notification is how is it to know you don't want to see it?

One thing I admit I'd like to see from Android is consistent notification sync. Email notifications clear on both devices (phone and tablet) if I read an email on one. However, if I watch a Youtube video I was notified of on one device the alert to watch the video doesn't clear on the other. Additionally, if I watch the video from within the Youtube app after watching another, the notification doesn't clear and I need to swipe it away myself. The consistent notification sync would be useful for clearing up the issue you're mentioning as those notifications that were acted on using another Android device would then not prompt on the device after turning it on.

 

[Tinmania]

Regarding the annoying bloatware apps, have you tried going into Settings > Apps and then either uninstalling or, at the very least, disabling the apps that you don't want?

I myself have a Nexus so my experience disabling bloatware is limited. Would like to hear your experiences.

Thanks. The LG skin makes it rather easy to do that. You don't even need to go into settings. By default the home screen is set to work similar to an iPhone: all apps are on the home screen with no separate app drawer. Like the iPhone you hold an app icon to move it around or delete, but if you delete (uninstall) an app that can't be deleted it tells you it is now disabled and to reenable you have to go into settings. So pretty easy to get rid of the bloat. Usually I use Nova Launcher on my Android phones, but I might keep this default launcher for a while. You still have the android flexibility for widgets, to change the grid size, and to move icons wherever you like, but all apps are on the launcher. I kind of like that since I remember going to the app drawer on Android thinking that I didn't have an app icon on the launcher, or to find it easier in alpha order. But Google is so good now that if I ever "lose" an app, just a few characters typed into the search box will show it in results.

I just realized my new LG 20 has a microsd slot that can take a card up to 2TB. Wow. Removable battery to boot, with a clever back plate attachment mechanism.



Mike

 

[sunking101]

That's a good joke 😀

Arguably Android is getting more stable whilst iOS gets less stable...

PS, I like both o/s.

 

[niploteksi]

Another nice thing if you are a Apple Music user... you can use Apple Music on Android as well...

 

[iSheep5S]

I don't have enough experience with iOS to know, iOS doesn't do this? Realistically, if the device doesn't know if you've acted on whatever the notification is how is it to know you don't want to see it?

One thing I admit I'd like to see from Android is consistent notification sync. Email notifications clear on both devices (phone and tablet) if I read an email on one. However, if I watch a Youtube video I was notified of on one device the alert to watch the video doesn't clear on the other. Additionally, if I watch the video from within the Youtube app after watching another, the notification doesn't clear and I need to swipe it away myself. The consistent notification sync would be useful for clearing up the issue you're mentioning as those notifications that were acted on using another Android device would then not prompt on the device after turning it on.

No iOS doesn't do this. It'll maybe push through one or two. I use a nexus 7 at work for night shift Netflix viewing. It goes bananas too even back when I acted on all notifications on my S7.

 

[Applejuiced]

Arguably Android is getting more stable whilst iOS gets less stable...

PS, I like both o/s.

I don't know about that.
And not exactly what device or software version you're talking about.
Out of hundreds of different of devices, android versions and added skins and bloat ware it's still lacking behind Apple and their iOS.

 

[widgeteer]

Now that android has reached stability that mirrors iOS, anyone thinking about dropping iOS?

So many phones have caught my attention in the last couple years, HTC One, Galaxy S7 Edge, Pixel etc, and being that I've been with iPhone since iPhone 4 on Verizon, anyone else feel like me and want a different experience?
Not trying to sound snobbish, just wish iOS would CHANGE, not just 'refine'.

I've given this warning previously to folks like you:

If you're switching purely out of boredom, Android won't change that. Switch because there's something specific to the OS that you need or want to do.

I use both iOS and Android almost daily. I currently have an iPhone 7 Plus and a Google Pixel XL. I have the two best, most stable iterations of both OS's. You're right about Android being as stable and fluid as iOS.

That's the point: they both mostly do the exact same thing.

You'll buy an Android phone, love it initially, wonder where it's been your whole life yada yada. This is just new toy crush. You'll start missing the way iOS does things, certain apps, etc.

Also, if you've been with iOS for a few years, I would at least wait until the new iPhone this fall before jumping into Android. You'll have the full Android OEM field to choose from if the new supposedly re-designed iPhone still looks boring to you.

 

[pixel_junkie]

I don't know about that.
And not exactly what device or software version you're talking about.
Out of hundreds of different of devices, android versions and added skins and bloat ware it's still lacking behind Apple and their iOS.

 

[Applejuiced]

I know, I'm sorry😀
Not really what you like to hear but we can agree that Android is improving but the fragmentation and the tons of different hardware manufacturers and different OS versions and various addons installed after don't make stability that great.

 

[sundog925]

I've given this warning previously to folks like you:

If you're switching purely out of boredom, Android won't change that. Switch because there's something specific to the OS that you need or want to do.

I use both iOS and Android almost daily. I currently have an iPhone 7 Plus and a Google Pixel XL. I have the two best, most stable iterations of both OS's. You're right about Android being as stable and fluid as iOS.

That's the point: they both mostly do the exact same thing.

You'll buy an Android phone, love it initially, wonder where it's been your whole life yada yada. This is just new toy crush. You'll start missing the way iOS does things, certain apps, etc.

Also, if you've been with iOS for a few years, I would at least wait until the new iPhone this fall before jumping into Android. You'll have the full Android OEM field to choose from if the new supposedly re-designed iPhone still looks boring to you.

Its not the design thats boring, its the OS.
I mean, Android does widgets right. even moving the tiles around, fonts, ringtones, saving videos/sound files from safari.
The OS itself is banal, not the design. Even siri needs an overhaul.

 

[pixel_junkie]

I know, I'm sorry😀
Not really what you like to hear but we can agree that Android is improving but the fragmentation and the tons of different hardware manufacturers and different OS versions and various addons installed after don't make stability that great.

Yes, that's true for sure but only for the non Nexus/Pixel phones.