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Phones What can an iPhone do that a android phone can't? [EDIT: and vice-versa]
- Thread starter utl768
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gotluck
macrumors 603
They don't make a note without touchwiz 😛
I just can't get over the size of the note either
macrem
macrumors 65816
There are iOS gestures I use often & miss on Android like:
* one finger left or right swipe from anywhere along edge of page to go back/forward in browser
* tapping at top of screen to return to top of page
* four finger left or right swipe to switch between open apps
* double tapping text zooms logically in on block of text you're zooming
Image this very common scenario: a page with links to several articles/posts with links to media, like YouTube videos. I click on an article, tap to zoom in on a column of text, click a YouTube link, four finger swipe to go back from YouTube to Safari, swipe to go back to the main page, tap the top of the screen to return to the top of the page. It all flows very smoothly and logically.
Also I like that Safari does not ask me which app I'd like to use to open a link to another web page. Chrome on Android keeps annoying me with such a screen. If I'm using Chrome to view a web page, I don't want to open another webpage in a different browser.
* one finger left or right swipe from anywhere along edge of page to go back/forward in browser
* tapping at top of screen to return to top of page
* four finger left or right swipe to switch between open apps
* double tapping text zooms logically in on block of text you're zooming
Image this very common scenario: a page with links to several articles/posts with links to media, like YouTube videos. I click on an article, tap to zoom in on a column of text, click a YouTube link, four finger swipe to go back from YouTube to Safari, swipe to go back to the main page, tap the top of the screen to return to the top of the page. It all flows very smoothly and logically.
Also I like that Safari does not ask me which app I'd like to use to open a link to another web page. Chrome on Android keeps annoying me with such a screen. If I'm using Chrome to view a web page, I don't want to open another webpage in a different browser.
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AustinIllini
macrumors G5
True, but I love the new KitKat doubletap and slide to zoom, though.
I find this only happens to me every once in a while and when I select the correct program, the phone doesn't ask me again.
macrem
macrumors 65816
Nice! But then the only way to select text seems to be to tap and hold/wait until the word under your finger is highlighted, then adjust to select more words. In a fraction of this time I've already double tapped and dragged to highlight text with iOS.
Edit: btw while highlighting text in Android, my finger is blocking the point where I want to stop highlighting so I'm guessing. In iOS there's a virtual magnifying glass showing where highlighting will end.
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Four finger gesture is iPad only correct?
Btw you can click to always use an app in Android so it doesn't ask you again for that particular file type. Safari ask you too, "open with". I don't see too much difference really.
macrem
macrumors 65816
Indeed it's an iPad only gesture. On iPhone, for this part I'd double click the home button to bring up the app switcher (similar to Android). 'open with' seems to only happen to me with Chrome from time to time, including links to pages that can only be opened in a browser.
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AustinIllini
macrumors G5
Get yourself a nexus device. Smooth as butter. Agreed in principle, though. iOS is always smooth. Most manufacturer skins are not.
It's the way iOS prioritizes user input over everything else. It's more form over function then anything. Actual things that really matter are done poorly it's just less noticeable.
Here is an example. This is an iPad Air (Apples latest and greatest tablet running it's latest and greatest OS) four tabs open with a radio app in the background.
http://youtu.be/WODr3OfZqp8
Notice that every tab clicked on is refreshing? You'll lose any input you've entered, zoom level, where you were on the page etc. That was taken by a member here in a thread of many members who were complaining about poor performance on the iPad Air and rMini.
Now here is my Motorola Xoom (very first Android tablet). Same circumstance, I have Pandora in the background and many many more tabs open.
http://youtu.be/utBPbRVpRD8
Nothing reloads, no information lost. Pretty good experience by comparison.
But at least the iPad is smoother?
helloimryan9
macrumors newbie
I wasn't saying that it can run the latest OS update, I'm saying the OS is newer. My phone runs Android 4.0.3, and the iPhone 3GS runs iOS 6.1.3, which is a full year newer. And maybe you're right about the emojis, it's just anytime I have received emojis, they're from an Apple product. What Android phone do you have that can receive emojis?
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I have what I consider small hands. Holding the S4 normally, my thumb barely crosses half the height of the screen. But I've never had a problem using the S4 one handed. In fact, one handed is how I use it 95% of the time. And I also have an anti slip case on it.
When I initially got it, reaching for the buttons was awkward. But I started using an app called Button Saviour which puts soft buttons on the screen. Now I don't have to reach for the buttons, and the S4 is comfortable to use one handed.
Mine reaches a little beyond halfway horizontally so mine must be smaller than yours.
It is really size which puts me off my current phone. I have no issues with android. Of course I want it to further improve, but so far I am quite happy. I just crave the hardware that the iPhone comes as. Sleek, compact, high end, and beautiful.
I do hope sony gets in the profit zone again as they have proved they can make something like the xperia z1 compact. Its a shame Samsung is raping other android OEMS and all their flagships are giants with touchjizz.
Lloydbm41
Suspended
Any Android phone (at least the ones running Jelly Bean and newer) can send and receive emoji's. I'm not sure about older phones running ICS and older? But emoji's is built in to Android now. I can add them to gmail, G+, this forum, etc... Using the stock keyboard, you see the enter/return key at the bottom? Hold it down and the emoji icon will pop up and be selectable to add emoji's to whatever you are typing.
And I have an iPOd 4th gen (same as the 3GS) running 6.1.3. It is a serious lag fest. It can run a lot of things smoothly, but some apps can take several seconds to register and load, some apps (Nike Running app for one) will just force close for no reason, some apps freeze and I have to hit the home button, web pages take a long time to load. (And before you ask, I don't put hardly any apps, vids or music on my iPod. It has 10GB free. And it has been reset to attempt to fix the lag by both myself and via appt at the Apple store. It is in perfect shape, just can't handle the newer OS version. Wish I could revert it to iOS4 or upgrade to iOS7 (but alas, Apple will not let us upgrade to the latest and greatest.)
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I have all 3 types of phones. iOS scrolling is smooth, but slow requiring multiple swipes to get down to the end of a page, but will speed up to assist.
WP is also smooth scrolling, but just swipes the same percentage of screen every single time. No speeding up at all. It just scrolls more of the page with the first swipes compared to iOS.
Android can very easily swipe to the bottom of a page in 1-2 swipes. It is extremely quick. Slow scrolling requires you to tap, hold and then scroll however.
Out of all 3, I prefer Android's method, but this is just personal preference. They all work and all are smooth. And it has nothing to do with how many cores you have or don't have. It's software code.
Lloydbm41
Suspended
Attachments
Swype
Proper multitasking
Switch to a better keyboard
Switch to a better default browser
Live wallpaper
Switch to a better text app
Photosphere
Google wallet
NFC
Download music directly to the phone for free
Download and save YouTube videos
Custom launchers
Widgets
removable storage & batteries
Supports wireless charging
Gives me a choice of what I want not what they want to give me
Simply drag and drop files to and from a computer
Doesn't require iTunes to add music
You can customize your lock screen
IR blaster
Can run 2 apps at once
Proper multitasking
Switch to a better keyboard
Switch to a better default browser
Live wallpaper
Switch to a better text app
Photosphere
Google wallet
NFC
Download music directly to the phone for free
Download and save YouTube videos
Custom launchers
Widgets
removable storage & batteries
Supports wireless charging
Gives me a choice of what I want not what they want to give me
Simply drag and drop files to and from a computer
Doesn't require iTunes to add music
You can customize your lock screen
IR blaster
Can run 2 apps at once
Shanghaichica
macrumors G5
The newer Android devices aren't laggy anymore and are pretty stable. However to achieve this I agree they need a quad core and probably 2GB of ram.
The-Real-Deal82
macrumors P6
Reading many of the reasons put forward here why Android is better, I have to say I obviously don't use my iPhone in the same way as many. I'm yet to find something I've needed to do but can't on the iPhone. I'm not geeky enough obviously 😛
Shanghaichica
macrumors G5
The iPhone did everything I wanted it to do before I tried Android. In some ways Android has spoiled my enjoyment of the iPhone.
Ok here's something that Android can do and ios can't. it's not something you'd want every day but it's fun.
Was away with my kids and they wanted to watch a movie which was on a usb stick. So stuck the usb stick into the S3, run Avia payer and then cast it to the chromecast on the tv. It worked great and the kids were mega impressed!
Was away with my kids and they wanted to watch a movie which was on a usb stick. So stuck the usb stick into the S3, run Avia payer and then cast it to the chromecast on the tv. It worked great and the kids were mega impressed!
The-Real-Deal82
macrumors P6
That's a shame. I went the opposite way so perhaps the iPhone holds more appeal because I spend so long on Android? I don't know, but at least I am using something I am happy with 🙂