Android features that the iPhone should have

[sneaky butcher]

-Large, high-quality screens
-More customization (keyboards, themes, etc.) - I wouldn't want amateur crap going around iOS; some Apple-created ones would be nice, though.
-More "open" app store (less censorship and restrictions on what type of apps can and can't be sold, but still reviewed by Apple for anything shady)
-Expandable storage

expandable storage is a big no no for apple. Unless its as fast as internal memory.

accessing the expandable will cause slow down in how the phone operates. Also it would just encourage people to get the cheaper handset and add memory of their own. Less money for apple

buy you never know they might surprise me.

 

[Photogdave]

Still trying to understand why people want their iOS to act like Android. Why don't they just buy android?

I wonder if these are the same people that jump into a pool, then bitch about getting wet.

Same here. I just dont get it.

 

[sneaky butcher]

Same here. I just dont get it.

I think iphone users who are more informed see features on android they would like but they're still only a small percentage of apple users.

i asked 3 of my iphone owning friends if they would like widgets and all of them said "what are widgets?".

 

[Photogdave]

expandable storage is a big no no for apple. Unless its as fast as internal memory.

accessing the expandable will cause slow down in how the phone operates. Also it would just encourage people to get the cheaper handset and add memory of their own. Less money for apple

buy you never know they might surprise me.

I completely agree. I think one MO for Apple is to eliminate things that could make a consumer "think" somethings wrong.

For sure, a bottleneck occurs between OS and Micro Sd speed.

We see it using external HD via USB vs internal HD.

So I think Apple would rather take the option out and force internal so there's no chance a consumer would complain about a hang up or slow function between phone and card.
Because if the consumer buys the cheapest card available from Walmart a Class 2 , which most do, instead of a Class 10, then when the bottleneck occurred, they'd blame Apple and bad mouth the product when it wasn't their fault. It was just a cheap card.
I think thats why there are some limitations on things that would seem so trivial to allow.
Apps are another. Yes they are strict and it feels like parental controls. But how many times have we seen a crappy App cause some really weird issues only for the actual phone to get the blame.
I speak of Android here, I've seen that.
I have no experience of this with Apple.

 

[SurferMan]

I think iphone users who are more informed see features on android they would like but they're still only a small percentage of apple users.

i asked 3 of my iphone owning friends if they would like widgets and all of them said "what are widgets?".

Yeh believe me I have plenty of iPhone friends who don't even know how to use iTunes, never update, or even just personalize settings on the phone lol. I mean my sister the other day, I asked her if she updated her 4 to iOS5, she goes "what's iOS5??" ... she had no clue what I was talking about when I asked her if she ever updated her phone, and she's had three 4's.

But I cant help but wonder, why cant we.
There must be a reason Apple deems it a no go.
"I" personally cant see how being able to do so would cause any kind of issues with the iPhone, but they must have a reason. Anyone with higher knowledge on iOS UI care to speculate.

Don't think there's any reason, Apple does things that make sense, and other's that make absolutely no sense even on their other products like my MBP lol.

For example even their folder system, they finally bring folders out over a year ago, yet they still limit you to 12 apps per folder and no folders in a folder, to me, that's pointless. With FolderEnchancer running, I can put as many app's as I want in any folder, and make folders in a folder. Which is great for when I had a lot of business and other related apps to keep organized but especially for games. When you clicked the game folder, it opened up to other folders categorized (like action, puzzles, strategy, racing, shooting etc).

 

[xTRIGGER092x]

expandable storage is a big no no for apple. Unless its as fast as internal memory.

accessing the expandable will cause slow down in how the phone operates. Also it would just encourage people to get the cheaper handset and add memory of their own. Less money for apple

buy you never know they might surprise me.

Oh, I know, but a guy can dream.

 

[Photogdave]

I think iphone users who are more informed see features on android they would like but they're still only a small percentage of apple users.

i asked 3 of my iphone owning friends if they would like widgets and all of them said "what are widgets?".

And for the most part, that's probably because they've never felt the need for them.
I mean really, most of them are just something new to look at on the page. We have clocks and date already. The iPhone comes with Weather stuff.
So with a few exceptions, they are just new crap for people to be enamored with for a short while.

I work with 4 people who have iPhone's and their wives have Android phones. They tell me all the time, I sit and play with her phone, and I wanna like it, it has a big screen, but after a minute, I start disliking the actual phone, the whole user experience, the little things that make it fun to use.
They say I wanna like it, I try to like it all the time. But it just never pans out.
Of those for instance we were at a restaurant one night, Mexican to be exact. A nice little tune came on and someone said, I wonder who that is.
Well, one friend whipped his iPhone 4 out, called up Sound Hound, and in 5 seconds had Artist and Song.....just from table.
His wife pulled out her HTC EVO and tried it and it wouldn't load Sound Hound first. The when it did load it wouldn't find song. My Fascinate wouldn't either.
If I got up and went closer to speaker, it did, but all 3 iPhone users at table worked just fine without moving.
One of the coworkers wife this Christmas made the switch from Android to iPhone 4 when he upgraded his 3gs.
Now the HTC user is considering. She bought that phone btw over iPhone originally because it was 4g. Which she complains that its more useless than it is useful.
That will be the case for some time until everything is sorted out.
Which may be why Apple hasn't been in to big a hurry to release a 4g iPhone just yet. I think they actually want user experience to be good when they do it.
One thing for sure is first impressions are hard to overcome. And I have a few friends that have had bad impressions of 4g so far. When its up and working, its lightening fast, buts its sluggish and unstable more than its right.
I think Apple wants to be sure the first impression is good. And it cheeeews battery unbelievably. Maybe they also want to work on a newer battery to help offset some 4g pull.
Who knows, Im just trying to give benefit of doubt

 

[Photogdave]

Yeh believe me I have plenty of iPhone friends who don't even know how to use iTunes, never update, or even just personalize settings on the phone lol. I mean my sister the other day, I asked her if she updated her 4 to iOS5, she goes "what's iOS5??" ... she had no clue what I was talking about when I asked her if she ever updated her phone, and she's had three 4's.
Don't think there's any reason, Apple does things that make sense, and other's that make absolutely no sense even on their other products like my MBP lol.

For example even their folder system, they finally bring folders out over a year ago, yet they still limit you to 12 apps per folder and no folders in a folder, to me, that's pointless. With FolderEnchancer running, I can put as many app's as I want in any folder, and make folders in a folder. Which is great for when I had a lot of business and other related apps to keep organized but especially for games. When you clicked the game folder, it opened up to other folders categorized (like action, puzzles, strategy, racing, shooting etc).

Yeah, I can see that. But Ive worked in the Automotive Man. industry for some time years ago and I can tell you. When we thought there was a very stupid reason for doing something, that particular engineer would then explain why and it made total sense.
Like, sometimes there was a limitation in one area that made no sense.
But when explained it was more if they did that, then x y and z would be greatly effected and x y z took more precedence over say the simple folder thing......according to those who make the final decisions.....i.e Steve Jobs.
Which they are usually driven by overall consumer reports and they represent a vast majority of people who don't care about things you and I care about.....or most here in these forums care about.
See, there's a lot of iPhone users that have never even heard of a Forum.....they just use their phones and deal directly with Apple.
One thing for example that drove me crazy at Mercedes. On the M Class which is what we built, if I set the a/c to be on recirculate for max cooling in summer, after I shut the vehicle off and restarted, it always went back to fresh.
Oh my god they annoyed me. I set it to recirc. LEAVE IT THERE.

Well, when I was in a meeting with VP engineering, I made that very argument.
I was told, they have so many reports from consumers that complain about stale air upon entrance, they decided to always start with fresh air which eliminated stale odors on the evaporator core. They never one time had a complaint about it switching over to fresh, but thousands about stale air smell.
So while I would be very annoyed, they didn't care, it was driven by hard data on paper by average target consumer groups.
So while us tech guys mess with stuff like this, the majority of consumers never even pushed that button, they set temp and let vehicle manage it.
In which it did a very good job. If needed, it would switch itself to recirc at that point.

Things aren't always as they appear....I guess that's why I'm more tolerable to these things, Ive been there and seen it.
Id bet there are meetings and groups at Apple that go exactly like I stated and you wouldn't believe some of the stuff they are dealing with and how affects decisions we think are so very simple.

And BTW, I'm sorry but what is MBP.....i see it all over

 

[verwon]

Yeah, I can see that. But Ive worked in the Automotive Man. industry for some time years ago and I can tell you. When we thought there was a very stupid reason for doing something, that particular engineer would then explain why and it made total sense.
Like, sometimes there was a limitation in one area that made no sense.
But when explained it was more if they did that, then x y and z would be greatly effected and x y z took more precedence over say the simple folder thing......according to those who make the final decisions.....i.e Steve Jobs.
Which they are usually driven by overall consumer reports and they represent a vast majority of people who don't care about things you and I care about.....or most here in these forums care about.
See, there's a lot of iPhone users that have never even heard of a Forum.....they just use their phones and deal directly with Apple.
One thing for example that drove me crazy at Mercedes. On the M Class which is what we built, if I set the a/c to be on recirculate for max cooling in summer, after I shut the vehicle off and restarted, it always went back to fresh.
Oh my god they annoyed me. I set it to recirc. LEAVE IT THERE.

Well, when I was in a meeting with VP engineering, I made that very argument.
I was told, they have so many reports from consumers that complain about stale air upon entrance, they decided to always start with fresh air which eliminated stale odors on the evaporator core. They never one time had a complaint about it switching over to fresh, but thousands about stale air smell.
So while I would be very annoyed, they didn't care, it was driven by hard data on paper by average target consumer groups.
So while us tech guys mess with stuff like this, the majority of consumers never even pushed that button, they set temp and let vehicle manage it.
In which it did a very good job. If needed, it would switch itself to recirc at that point.

Things aren't always as they appear....I guess that's why I'm more tolerable to these things, Ive been there and seen it.
Id bet there are meetings and groups at Apple that go exactly like I stated and you wouldn't believe some of the stuff they are dealing with and how affects decisions we think are so very simple.

And BTW, I'm sorry but what is MBP.....i see it all over

MacBook Pro

 

[mmmtastybusch]

Still trying to understand why people want their iOS to act like Android. Why don't they just buy android?

I wonder if these are the same people that jump into a pool, then bitch about getting wet.

I don't get it either. It's almost like they really really want an iPhone, but just can't bring themselves to buy one. Why are some so lustful and hopeful over a product they will never buy?

Maybe we love the build quality of Apple products, and the stable, polished look and feel of iOS, but feel it lacks some features that we would enjoy having?

 

[Photogdave]

MacBook Pro

hahaha, Duh.

I should have got that. I guess I was thinking of phone.

 

[thatappleguytoday]

.

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OK, I see. Well, its not that big a deal for me, but if that's a must for some, so be it.

But I cant help but wonder, why cant we.
There must be a reason Apple deems it a no go.
"I" personally cant see how being able to do so would cause any kind of issues with the iPhone, but they must have a reason. Anyone with higher knowledge on iOS UI care to speculate.

from a UI stand point, it's quite simple

see, you can put icons to one side, for a wallpaper

also, apple would bank if they just created a theme store already..main reason I have JB in the past

miss this SB I was using on the 4

 

[sentinelsx]

If anything people should first push for a pin input based Simlock for iOS devices. Sure one could buy an unlocked iPhone, but if i buy a locked SGS2LTE, i can unlock and use it anywhere in a matter of days after being introduced. My carrier still gets the money from me and in the case of leaving the contract a nice fat ETF dough, i don't get why Apple needs the iTunes based lock system.

That really pisses me sometimes.

 

[GadgetJunkyChic]

I know almost nothing about jailbreaking but I am considering getting in the game but since I have no experience I am reluctant and don't want to mess up my phone. I can't right now anyway, not until they release a jailbreak for the 4S

I'm in the same boat.....I'm green to jailbreaking....I would need to research more and wait for 4S release.

 

[wordoflife]

Automatic configurable sound profiles. For example, I want my phone to automatically mute itself when it's 7:00-11:30, then I want it audible in 11:30-12:30, then mute again until Evening ...for example

Not really that big of a deal, but it would be nice.

 

[GadgetJunkyChic]

This is how I use widgets on android...

Lock screen:

Image

Main home screen:

Image

Some may say that looks cluttered, but it has everything I need most often right on the screen. I put the spotify widget on the lock screen so I can change tracks without unlocking the phone. The SMS/calls/gmail bits light up when I have a new message/call/email and I can tap to go straight to the app.

The little square icons that I've blurred out automatically call/text my favourite contacts when tapped. The large calendar widget has another view which lets you see your agenda for the day (one of those buttons switches between the views).

A lot of the time I don't actually need to leave my home screen to do things!

I can see your points. The widgets (shortcuts) put everything you regularly use at your finger tips. I previously owned two android phones before changing to my IPhone 4S. I miss certain things about android phones...being able to customize the screens to fit my personality. I used widgets too...such as the agenda view for calendar.

----------

i think it provides for an increased level of functionality. I think anytime you are able to put the things that are most important to you in a place that makes it readily available, adds a level of functionality and convenience.

ita

 

[GadgetJunkyChic]

Maybe we love the build quality of Apple products, and the stable, polished look and feel of iOS, but feel it lacks some features that we would enjoy having?

You hit the nail on the head. I would never go back to android but I'm honest enough to admit there are certain features I would like to have on my IPhone. IJS

 

[riotgeek]

The only thing that I have on my Android phone that I'd want on my iPhone would be the Swype feature. The "tap individual keys" thing on the iPhone can be a tiny bit annoying sometimes. Having said that, I just want to get a new iPhone so I can ditch the crappy prepaid Android I currently have (that's going bad after less than a year of service).

 

[Photogdave]

The only thing that I have on my Android phone that I'd want on my iPhone would be the Swype feature. The "tap individual keys" thing on the iPhone can be a tiny bit annoying sometimes. Having said that, I just want to get a new iPhone so I can ditch the crappy prepaid Android I currently have (that's going bad after less than a year of service).

I hear ya. I got tired of mine(wasn't prepaid) and bought the 4s.....couldn't be happier.

But I can say this....I do miss the swype. I had gotten quite good at it and it was fast.
But, the keyboard accuracy on iPhone is real good and the voice text is extremely accurate.....in which the Android phone wasn't.
So I lost one feature, but gained another.

 

[YMark]

The only thing that I have on my Android phone that I'd want on my iPhone would be the Swype feature. The "tap individual keys" thing on the iPhone can be a tiny bit annoying sometimes. Having said that, I just want to get a new iPhone so I can ditch the crappy prepaid Android I currently have (that's going bad after less than a year of service).

But I can say this....I do miss the swype. I had gotten quite good at it and it was fast.
But, the keyboard accuracy on iPhone is real good and the voice text is extremely accurate.....in which the Android phone wasn't.
So I lost one feature, but gained another.

I'm dumping my Vibrant POS for a 4S next month. I do like Swype, and I'm sure I'll miss that. Won't miss much else though, except having my daily appointments on my home screen.

Anyway, are there any other keyboard apps that can be used on the iPhone, such as Swiftkey? Or is it the stock IOS keyboard or nothing?

 

[Photogdave]

I'm dumping my Vibrant POS for a 4S next month. I do like Swype, and I'm sure I'll miss that. Won't miss much else though, except having my daily appointments on my home screen.

Anyway, are there any other keyboard apps that can be used on the iPhone, such as Swiftkey? Or is it the stock IOS keyboard or nothing?

Yeah I know about the daily appointments LOL. I had a Widget called Simple 13 I think and it laid my week out right on the screen. It was synced with my calendar, which I add my jobs for the day via PDF.

But....BUT, as I thought Id really miss it....I haven't.
The calendar from Apple is right on the screen, and in that I have it set to list view and so really its laid out just as it was before.....actually more useful because I can scroll with the calendar, couldn't with widget.

So before, I unlocked screen, swiped left for screen with agenda. Now I just click calendar button......really no different.
I just hated having to navigate through 3 folders to open a PDF for my schedule. Because Android wouldn't let us add that folder to home screen.
people complain so much about Apple wont let us do things so so simple......well I'm here to tell ya, Android too.
They gave us folders....but we cant put them where we want LOL.

As for Keyboard. I couldn't tell ya. Maybe some others here that are Apple veterans can, I'm new, this is my first Apple product.
I wish Apple had swype, but im getting used to not having it.
I catch myself just wanting to trace the word out.....
I hear you can add different keyboards, but I don't know how and really haven't wanted to chance messing anything up.
And I'm afraid it wont function well with the iOS.....because it wasn't put in by Apple
If I'm in a hurry, I fire up Siri or just dictate in the message window and its very good.

 

[thenerdal]

I want expandable storage.

 

[Photogdave]

I want expandable storage.

Well, having had several Micro card issues, I see why they dont.
The Fascinate's factory card 16g Class 2 card was too slow for bigger files.
I bought a Class 10 PNY....it crashed and I lost everything....never PNY again.
So I see their reason for internal only.
I wish they'd just offer the 32 at the price of 16 and allow 64gb for upgrade if you want.
You'd spend $100 for a good, name brand high end class 10 32gb card to add on to get to 64......and even then, at Class 10, it still wouldn't be as fast as internal.
So, I don't know, its a big deal to some, but Ive weighed the differences and its no big deal to me.
I bought the 16GB.....only because the 32 wasn't available for another month. I looked at the price difference....$100. Well the Class 10 high end micros were $60. So for $100, Id get 32 and way faster. But they didnt have one.
And I wanted out from under my Android BAD. I had no issue with 16 before, so I'll live with it now.

 

[thenerdal]

Well, having had several Micro card issues, I see why they dont.
The Fascinate's factory card 16g Class 2 card was too slow for bigger files.
I bought a Class 10 PNY....it crashed and I lost everything....never PNY again.
So I see their reason for internal only.
I wish they'd just offer the 32 at the price of 16 and allow 64gb for upgrade if you want.
You'd spend $100 for a good, name brand high end class 10 32gb card to add on to get to 64......and even then, at Class 10, it still wouldn't be as fast as internal.
So, I don't know, its a big deal to some, but Ive weighed the differences and its no big deal to me.
I bought the 16GB.....only because the 32 wasn't available for another month. I looked at the price difference....$100. Well the Class 10 high end micros were $60. So for $100, Id get 32 and way faster. But they didnt have one.
And I wanted out from under my Android BAD. I had no issue with 16 before, so I'll live with it now.

Well, that only happened to one device you had. So it could've been defected or something.

 

[Carl Sagan]

I want expandable storage.

Expandable storage makes as much sense these days as having a floppy disc drive...