Other What little things do you like about the iPhone?

[Ctrlos]

Sick of the constant negativity from a loud corner of the community about just about everything Apple seem to do I thought it might be nice to have a sound off (and spread a little cheer) about what we actually like about the iPhone. Now I know somebody is about to post 'its not Android' underneath somewhere so I thought it might be nice to concentrate on the little details that Apple always sweat rather than bigger things.

One recent thing that never gets any praise is the spatial scenes. This has really influenced my photography, to the point that I try to think about the image layers in parallax when I'm out with my camera or even using the phone one. With the right images you can do all sorts of clever stuff with merging the clock into the background. It does it all on-device too in a surprisingly quick amount of time even on an iPhone 12.

The haptics for the iPhone are always so spot on as well. The little bit of feedback from the shortcut button is incredibly cathartic to just press and fiddle with.

 

[eyoungren]

I am with iPhone largely because of iOS. As a professional graphic designer I have long appreciated the design of icons and the interface. This was made clear to me for the nine months I was on Android and is largely what made me come back.

The perfect aesthetic for me would be a much larger iPhone in the form factor of the iPhone 5. The 5 is initially what drew me in to iOS/iPhone. Largely, what I mention above has allowed me to overlook the myriad of details about customizing my iPhone that still bother me today.

I don't use my iPhones for anything other than basic tasks like calls, email, texts, and some light web browsing or music streaming. The camera does not interest me because photos for me are largely about the stuff on store shelves that I send to my wife so she can tell me what to bring home. The rest are screencaps and stuff I post here. So there are going to be a number of details everyone else likes that have no relevance to me and how I use my phone.

So, that's really it for me. The design of iOS and the little details built into it. I am going to have to exclude most of iOS 7 though. Unicorn puke.

 

[SoYoung]

Essentially for the ecosystem integration with all my Apple product, fluidity of iOS, speakers.

 

[QuarterSwede]

• iPhone is an appliance. I work hard enough that I don't have time to faff about with a phone's theme, etc. I need a device that just works and works quickly.
• Ecosystem. Nothing else comes close.
• AirPlay 2. Being able to stream my music to multiple rooms in the house via AirPlay 2 without having to buy all Sonos gear is great. It's one area where Apple is cheaper than the competition.

 

[Macdctr]

For me it’s the ecosystem. I like that my Apple Watch can unlock my Mac or iPhone, accept calls on different devices. It just works.

 

[MacInTO]

Express transit because I can just tap the phone like a regular card. I use this in Asia in Tokyo, Hong Kong and China. It's faster than displaying a QR code as well. I used to also like the dual SIM functionality until they broke it in iOS 26. I reverted back to using Android for my main phone because of this.

 

[Luftkopf]

I love the colour and industrial design of my blue iPhone 14. My previous favourite was my iPhone 5, and I've found that, for me, the 14 is its spiritual successor. The comfortably square edges, the finish of the aluminium, the way the frame fits to the glass. Classy. I love it just as much as when I got it.

I'll have to second the spatial scenes. I love my lock screen which features a photo of my then 3 month old daughter, with the time just a little behind her head. Whenever I pick up my phone, her happy face is front and centre and it just makes me happy. It wouldn't be the same if it were just a flat photo.

 

[ElPaso]

Sick of the constant negativity from a loud corner of the community about just about everything Apple seem to do I thought it might be nice to have a sound off (and spread a little cheer) about what we actually like about the iPhone. Now I know somebody is about to post 'its not Android' underneath somewhere so I thought it might be nice to concentrate on the little details that Apple always sweat rather than bigger things.

One recent thing that never gets any praise is the spatial scenes. This has really influenced my photography, to the point that I try to think about the image layers in parallax when I'm out with my camera or even using the phone one. With the right images you can do all sorts of clever stuff with merging the clock into the background. It does it all on-device too in a surprisingly quick amount of time even on an iPhone 12.

The haptics for the iPhone are always so spot on as well. The little bit of feedback from the shortcut button is incredibly cathartic to just press and fiddle with.

1. The quality of the hardware. I have gone back and forth between iDevices and Android stuff - and imho iPhones are built much, much better.
2. I loooooooove Google apps and Google Drive, not to mention Google Photos -- and they run better both practically and visually on iPhones.
3. Superior service. When an Android phone breaks, well - you know -- But when there's a problem with my iPhone, an Apple Store is walking distance from my house.

 

[James6s]

I currently have an iPhone Air so pretty much basing it on this device.

The build quality is superb and hardware design is gorgeous.

The user experience and in hand feel are unmatched.

Every iPhone I’ve had is always super fast at anything you do, just gets stuff done. The A19 Pro in the Air is insanely fast and effortless.

Liquid Glass - absolutely love the visuals and attention to detail.

Camera control for quick access to the camera and visual intelligence.

Solid camera and photography, so easy to get a perfect shot. Love the customisable latest gen photographic styles.

Also the excellent Apple support and aftercare that comes with their products. I’ve only ever had one faulty new iPhone, booked an appointment at my closest Apple Store and was walking out with a new replacement device in less than half an hour.

 

[Luftkopf]

I currently have an iPhone Air so pretty much basing it on this device.

The build quality is superb and hardware design is gorgeous.

The user experience and in hand feel are unmatched.

Every iPhone I’ve had is always super fast at anything you do, just gets stuff done. The A19 Pro in the Air is insanely fast and effortless.

Liquid Glass - absolutely love the visuals and attention to detail.

Camera control for quick access to the camera and visual intelligence.

Solid camera and photography, so easy to get a perfect shot. Love the customisable latest gen photographic styles.

Also the excellent Apple support and aftercare that comes with their products. I’ve only ever had one faulty new iPhone, booked an appointment at my closest Apple Store and was walking out with a new replacement device in less than half an hour.

You reminded me. Liquid Glass. I love the reflection around the icons that moves as you move the phone. It looks so good!

 

[MarkX]

I absolutely love Face ID, also the tap to go to top of screen is something I appreciate and use a lot.

 

[Fr. Guido Sarducci]

It’s not an Android or any of the other garbage wanna be’s.

The entire ecosystem is mahvelous.

 

[boswald]

I have to agree with a couple other posters and say:

The ecosystem works well together,
AirPlay makes streaming music a breeze,
I can update all my devices from my phone,
The build quality is superb.

 

[jerryjohnson]

One thing Apple rarely gets enough credit for is consistency.
You can pick up a 5-year-old iPhone and it still feels “intentional” in every interaction — animations, haptics, sound design, even the way notifications slide in.
A lot of companies can copy features. Very few can copy polish.

 

[eyoungren]

One thing Apple rarely gets enough credit for is consistency.
You can pick up a 5-year-old iPhone and it still feels “intentional” in every interaction — animations, haptics, sound design, even the way notifications slide in.
A lot of companies can copy features. Very few can copy polish.

This is one of the problems I had with Android when I was using it for 9 months. Almost every major update, Google changed gestures. Apple has done this too, but largely as a result of hardware changes. You swipe up from the bottom of the screen now because there is no more home button, etc.

It seemed to me that Google was/is largely experimenting with each release of Android. Trying to figure out what gesture they really want to use for 'X' feature/action.

So, yeah. It is that consistency with Apple. I may not like some of their choices or how they have implemented certain things. I'd rather do a few things my own way (Activator used to allow that on jailbroken iPhones/iPads), but Apple is consistent across versions of iOS.

 

[ClaraStahlbaum]

This is one of the problems I had with Android when I was using it for 9 months. Almost every major update, Google changed gestures. Apple has done this too, but largely as a result of hardware changes. You swipe up from the bottom of the screen now because there is no more home button, etc.

It seemed to me that Google was/is largely experimenting with each release of Android. Trying to figure out what gesture they really want to use for 'X' feature/action.

So, yeah. It is that consistency with Apple. I may not like some of their choices or how they have implemented certain things. I'd rather do a few things my own way (Activator used to allow that on jailbroken iPhones/iPads), but Apple is consistent across versions of iOS.

One thing that may keep me with Apple is the Iphone Mirroing capability - that is something that is genius. I like being able to use my phone from my computer. It still feels surreal to me. I am not sure if this is possible with Android and Macs.

 

[eyoungren]

One thing that may keep me with Apple is the Iphone Mirroing capability - that is something that is genius. I like being able to use my phone from my computer. It still feels surreal to me. I am not sure if this is possible with Android and Macs.

There is an app called droidVNC-NG VNC Server that I recently found and installed on my Pixel. Basically, it's screen sharing for my Android device. If I open Screen Sharing on my Mac, I can connect to my Android and control it from my Mac. The app is free and does not require you to create any accounts. It automatically activates on boot, but you can turn that setting off if you don't always want your Android to be screen sharing.

I'm using my Pixel for ambient music video streams on YouTube and I'm able to control the phone without having to pick it up. Since YT also runs on my Amazon Firestick, I can effectively 'mirror' what's on my Pixel to the YT app on my TV as well. Essentially, in that case, I'm using my Mac to control the screen of the Pixel, which is sending the same content to my TV. And thus, I am 'controlling' what's on my TV with my Mac.



My Firestick can also put my TV in screen mirroring mode as well. I've sent my Pixel and my iPhones to it (and thus to my TV). Presumably then, if I'm controlling the screen on my Pixel through screen sharing I could then be seeing all that on my Pixel displayed on my TV.

PS. I'm using my Pixel for YouTube, because aside from my primary iPhone, the YT app seems to not work on my older iPhones. Although my Pixel is on Android 12, the YT app is current.

PPS. You can actually cast the screen directly from Android though, vs the method I'm using. But I don't believe you can cast it to a Mac without an app. I have AirServer though on my Mac, so that might work.

 

[Mrbobb]

The "just right" round corners.

 

[Tsepz]

Sick of the constant negativity from a loud corner of the community about just about everything Apple seem to do I thought it might be nice to have a sound off (and spread a little cheer) about what we actually like about the iPhone. Now I know somebody is about to post 'its not Android' underneath somewhere so I thought it might be nice to concentrate on the little details that Apple always sweat rather than bigger things.

One recent thing that never gets any praise is the spatial scenes. This has really influenced my photography, to the point that I try to think about the image layers in parallax when I'm out with my camera or even using the phone one. With the right images you can do all sorts of clever stuff with merging the clock into the background. It does it all on-device too in a surprisingly quick amount of time even on an iPhone 12.

The haptics for the iPhone are always so spot on as well. The little bit of feedback from the shortcut button is incredibly cathartic to just press and fiddle with.

I’m a big fan of how much attention to detail Apple put into iOS from the animations to the UI sort of following the hardware e.g. the rounding of corners in the UI (icons etc…) sort of following the rounding of corners on the physical hardware. I also have this weird like for the font used in iOS.

Despite all the drama I actually like the Liquid Glass UI, I think it’s going it’s going to evolve pretty well.

In terms of features I still think AirDrop is brilliant, I am still a huge fan of Continuity and I love how I can hit Copy on my Mac or iPad and hit Paste on my iPhone and the content transfers over.

The Dynamic Island, IMO, is great, I often have live football scores, timers etc… running in there along with Live Activities e.g. for Uber, I wish more apps took advantage of this.

Lastly the charm of Apple hardware is never lost, I like the ergonomics of my 17 Pro Max from its rounded corners and overall design. The Stereo speakers are absolutely brilliant and I absolutely agree, Apple’s Haptics are still excellent.

Edit:
Almost forgot to mention how iPhone battery life and camera has improved overtime, the first iPhone that truly blew me away on battery was my 11 Pro Max where they also added Night Photography l, thereafter I got a 13 Pro Max that got even better despite adding larger screen + 120Hz refresh rate. My current 17 Pro Max has been an amazing travel companion and the camera has been so incredibly consistently brilliant even in dark scenes.

 

[eyoungren]

Despite all the drama I actually like the Liquid Glass UI, I think it’s going it’s going to evolve pretty well.

I'm a big fan of iOS 26 and Liquid Glass. For the first time, Apple is approaching stock what I did via jailbreaking from 2011 to 2020. We aren't quite there yet, but it's a start. Full native transparency of the Weather app animations over your wallpaper on the lockscreen and homescreen will be a milestone I'm hoping Apple reaches soon.

 

[Tsepz]

I'm a big fan of iOS 26 and Liquid Glass. For the first time, Apple is approaching stock what I did via jailbreaking from 2011 to 2020. We aren't quite there yet, but it's a start. Full native transparency of the weather app animations over your wallpaper on the lockscreen and homescreen will be a milestone I'm hoping Apple reaches soon.

Exactly this, the UI is sort of “coming alive”, I think in a few years it’s going to look truly amazing, we are still in the very early stages.

 

[winxmac]

iPhone and iOS, fewer models and apps are of higher quality than android counterpart, for the most part.

The convenience of AirDrop between iPhone, iPad, Mac. Yes, because Apple was forced to contribute to the standards, some flagship android smartphones can now AirDrop with Apple devices but for the longest time, it was only limited to Apple devices. Yes, android devices have their own AirDrop, but they never had a single standard, until recently.

Whether you have a carrier-locked or SIM-free iPhone, you can get the latest update/upgrade as soon as it is released by Apple, unlike on the android side that some android smartphones are at the mercy of the carriers to release the update. Also, because most android manufacturers have their own skin on top of android, some android smartphones get the previous latest release just right after the latest release is made publicly available.

 

[mtrm]

One thing Apple rarely gets enough credit for is consistency.
You can pick up a 5-year-old iPhone and it still feels “intentional” in every interaction — animations, haptics, sound design, even the way notifications slide in.
A lot of companies can copy features. Very few can copy polish.

Fully agree. In my case there’s no little thing in particular. It’s the package as a whole that feels integrated and, for the most part, well thought. Then when you get other devices, everything feels similar. The design and organization language feel similar.

I’ve tried a few android devices and they are great pieces of hardware and android does as much or maybe even more than an iPhone does, but the whole package and experience doesn’t feel as polished. Samsung apps looked great and shared a design language, google apps also looked great but had a different design language. Third party apps were hit or miss. It was near impossible to keep an harmonised look and feel across most apps. I don’t hate android, quite the contrary, but it currently lacks polish on the experience as a whole, especially those devices made by manufacturers other than google.

 

[Tsepz]

iPhone and iOS, fewer models and apps are of higher quality than android counterpart, for the most part.

The convenience of AirDrop between iPhone, iPad, Mac. Yes, because Apple was forced to contribute to the standards, some flagship android smartphones can now AirDrop with Apple devices but for the longest time, it was only limited to Apple devices. Yes, android devices have their own AirDrop, but they never had a single standard, until recently.

Whether you have a carrier-locked or SIM-free iPhone, you can get the latest update/upgrade as soon as it is released by Apple, unlike on the android side that some android smartphones are at the mercy of the carriers to release the update. Also, because most android manufacturers have their own skin on top of android, some android smartphones get the previous latest release just right after the latest release is made publicly available.

This was a big part of what brought me to iOS, TBH. I had used androids for a long time and hated having to change the operator SW when wanting the very latest version of the OS.
The fact that every supported iOS device gets the update on the same day was amazing.

In relation to this another thing that I love about iOS is how developers jump on to optimising for new features (not all the time but most of the time) for example when iOS got dark mode we saw a lot of apps natively move to thoroughly support this, something they didn’t do much of on other platforms that had it before iOS.

 

[eyoungren]

In relation to this another thing that I love about iOS is how developers jump on to optimising for new features (not all the time but most of the time) for example when iOS got dark mode we saw a lot of apps natively move to thoroughly support this, something they didn’t do much of on other platforms that had it before iOS.

Apple tends to pressure customers to update. This keeps most of the user base on the same (current) version of iOS. That allows devs not to have to focus on making their apps function on older versions of iOS that Apple has obsoleted. The end result of that is a quicker response time to implement newer features - which you have observed.

Of course though, everyone has their own opinion on Apple pressuring you to update.