Android in Decline?

[TiggrToo]

Just exactly why is it a bad mindset? If there are security issues found within android OS then I expect secuirty updates to occur. If there are no issues then why would I want to update android? If it works, leave it alone.

Your windows example is idiotic because I had already stated that android updates should take place if secuirty issues are found.

There's ALWAYS security issues.

You're kidding yourself if you believe lack of updates is synonymous with no security issues.

No smart device anywhere from anyone has ever been perfect - every single last one have issues.

If there weren't issues on Android, then how come rooting is still commonplace? If you can root outside manufacturer control, the device is insecure and needs patching.

 

[LFC2020]

Funny that this is the usual reply I read from your side here & follows a very familiar pattern:

1} Is this a new feature only on Apple?

Remind Apple users where it came from originally, irrespective of the type of device.


2} Is it a new Apple feature originally on Android?

Remind Apple users that Android had the feature first.

3} Is this a new feature only on Android?

Ignore any previous versions of the feature on other non smartphone devices (also negates rule 1 for Apple) and remind Apple users just how amazingly innovative and great Android is.

Tigger is on fire today ???

 

[maflynn]

so basically your complaint against android is that you want the latest version of android on your phone, why?

The thread is whether Android is in decline. I provided one of my reasons as to why I'm no longer using android and yes, I've had a number of android phones over the years. I believe my complaint is not unique. There's something to be said to owning a 1,000+ dollar phone and have the opportunity to upgrade to the newer OS version when its released. I get that Android doesn't work like that and some people are ok with it, I'm not ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

why are you looking for updates?

New features

Just because Apple updates iOS,

Yup and every other operating system maker as well, even Google updates Android and promotes how much better the experience will be with the latest version of OS. Seems like you're making excuses to justify the fact that this is one of the major drawbacks (at least to me) of Android

My 2 year old Motorola works fine with the android version it has on it, no issues

I'm happy for you, but you don't have much choice do you. If you wanted to upgrade you'd be hard pressed to wait for Moto to upgrade. Just look at the entire computer industry, it revolves around updates and if I'm going to spend 1,000+ for a phone, I'd like to upgrade the operating system and not be locked into one version of the OS

'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'

If we were to use your logic, why is Google even on Android 11. They've had many solid versions, why bother announcing version 12?

Your position is unenterable - trying to justify that never upgrading is actually a good thing. You may think so, and more power to you, but your opinion is not among the consumers who hear about Apple's latest OS and see how often those phones get updated but they don't really see anything for their phones.

 

[Michael Scrip]

Neither platform is going anywhere, anytime soon.

Bit of a ridiculous thread really, there's no sign of iOS or Android slowing down, developing markets are there to tap into, and the established markets crave new products.

If this were Apple vs HTC then fair call.

Exactly. ?

And you're right to call out that these are platforms we're talking about.

There are literally 100 companies selling Android phones across all price ranges and across the globe. It's not going anywhere.

 

[Smellmet]

I don't see an OS in decline. Not one bit. For me android has been excellent since the days of the Samsung S6/7, and has continued to become slicker and more fluid with every iteration. The days of these phones lagging and freezing are long gone in my experience.

 

[ian87w]

I don't see an OS in decline. Not one bit. For me android has been excellent since the days of the Samsung S6/7, and has continued to become slicker and more fluid with every iteration. The days of these phones lagging and freezing are long gone in my experience.

The better user experience came thanks to the tech itself. UFS and A7x performance cores really helped. When we go the the lower end of Android today, where the common specs are still SoCs with just A5x cores and eMMC storage, the experience is still awful. Simple things like updating apps will make the phone slow down to a crawl. And then there's lack of optimization of the skins. Eg. on my Poco X3, even with 120Hz screen, the app drawer sometimes stutter simply because of MiUI stuttering. No reason for the hardware unable to keep up.

On the bright side, the tech is trickling down, and some OEMs like Xiaomi is pushing the boundaries on what to expect on the low end.

 

[nothingtoseehere]

Depends on the country. U.K., Canada, Australia, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden and Denmark have about 50% iPhone users.

In many big countries, iOS is a rather small minority. In Germany, where I live, it is about 10 to 20 percent, something like that.
To point it out: In my office, two people have iPhones, 15 have Android phones. The peer situation is absolutely pro Android, people in general don‘t even think to switch, why should they? I personally despise Google‘s greed for data but most people very much enjoy the deep integration of the Google ecosystem.
Therefore, nothing of an Android decline around here. 80+% and stable.

 

[TopherMan12]

I used Samsung for the past year before returning to iPhone and I certainly do not see a massive difference in feature sets in either direction. There are pros and cons for each. The OP didn't really flesh out the differences that indicate Android isn't innovating and providing more new features than Apple is for iPhone. Now if we were discussing a multiple device ecosystem then that is a different story, but this is just about smart phones.

Either way, I don't understand how any of this translates to Android being in "decline". For a product to be in "decline" then typically that means it isn't doing very well in sales. Android overall isn't in decline in that aspect as marketshare is still heavily in its favor. So this claim of "decline" just doesn't seem to have a real substance behind it.

 

[Shanghaichica]

In many big countries, iOS is a rather small minority. In Germany, where I live, it is about 10 to 20 percent, something like that.
To point it out: In my office, two people have iPhones, 15 have Android phones. The peer situation is absolutely pro Android, people in general don‘t even think to switch, why should they? I personally despise Google‘s greed for data but most people very much enjoy the deep integration of the Google ecosystem.
Therefore, nothing of an Android decline around here. 80+% and stable.

Oh yes I'm well aware that in other European countries like Germany, Spain, Italy and France that android dominates. I think the UK and the other coutires I mentioned are somewhat outliers when it comes to Europe as a whole.

 

[The Game 161]

Unfortunately not, had 3 people I know switch from their samsung to a iPhone, asked them for their verdict 3 month later, told me they're never going back.

There is a certain polish and consistency that you get with iOS that for some reason has never been the case with android.

I agree on it being polished and very consistent but I know people who have said the same about going from iPhone to android and how they would never buy another iPhone again. You will always get different cases of views on preference.

there used to be a big Gap on smoothness and performance between iOS and android but now I would say android top flagships are smoother than iPhones. Granted this is more down to 60hz vs 120hz but there is nothing wrong with androids‘s smoothness now and over a longer period of time.

the best thing about iPhones is the consistency and that goes for the software and photo quality. Things just generally work well without anything to be added Or adjusted.

i’ve always said if you want all the breakthrough tech then android flagships are always the best option as they will always be out first. If you prefer iOS and are happy to wait then iPhone is fine for alot of people.

For the tech heads who want all the best tech thats why samsung and android in general is the better option. All depends on what your needs are.

 

[maflynn]

Neither platform is going anywhere, anytime soon.

Nope, and truth be told, I'm not really down on Android, it has some downsides, as does iOS. There will be an ebb and flow, but there does seem to be a retraction of vendors, perhaps its just due to LG exiting the mobile market. There's fewer and fewer makers that can go toe to toe with apple on the premium segment.

It almost seems like Google, and Samsung vs. Apple. I know there's a lot others, especially in the world wide market but just using news/tech sites the discussion is almost always those three

 

[polyphenol]

5G is nonexistent where I live and my iPhone 12 has never even connected to it. It’s not really a selling point yet as so few places seem to have it.

I kicked myself a week or so ago. For the first time since getting my 5G-capable iPhone, I visited a city with at least some 5G through my carrier. And completely failed to check whether it connected.

 

[Awesomesince86]

Funny that this is the usual reply I read from your side here & follows a very familiar pattern:

1} Is this a new feature only on Apple?

Remind Apple users where it came from originally, irrespective of the type of device.


2} Is it a new Apple feature originally on Android?

Remind Apple users that Android had the feature first.

3} Is this a new feature only on Android?

Ignore any previous versions of the feature on other non smartphone devices (also negates rule 1 for Apple) and remind Apple users just how amazingly innovative and great Android is.

When did I say Android invented fingerprint scanners? The user I was having a discussion with tried to claim Android doesn't innovate and gets their features from others, while touting TouchID and FaceID tech as being Apple innovations. I was merely showing that user that you can't make both claims. The user I was talking to keeps moving the goalposts of what constitutes innovation in order to fit their argument.

But it's fine. These threads are pointless. They prove nothing and nobody changes their mind. I usually don't get involved but I was bored yesterday.

 

[iluvmacs99]

Have you all noticed that Android seems to have been in decline over the past couple years, or is it just the fact that I’ve been paying less attention? By decline, I don’t mean that the software is getting worse, it just seems to have lost its competitive edge compared to Apple.

For years up to a couple years ago, it seemed like iOS and Android would be neck all the time. Android was heralded for its freedom of choice. But over time, it’s become more like iOS being more restrictive while iOS has slowly been gaining more freedoms.

Samsung was always the one to release the best hardware you could ask for in a device and usually at a really good price. But now they introduced products like the recent Note that simply doesn’t live up to its history of being insane everything-you-could-ask-for hardware at a good price and charges a ridiculous amount for a cheaper product.

Pixels used to be known for their cameras, but iPhone and other phones caught up, Google hasn’t really improved much with the cameras since the Pixel 2 or 3. Google has stopped trying to compete with Apple by going to a non-flagship processor. Their marketing also seems to have died down.

A lot of Android phones copied things they made fun of the iPhone for and things Android enthusiasts loathed (removal of the headphone jack, notch, no charger in the box).

There seem to be less value in Android anymore. For instance, pretty much every phone OnePlus released was an instant recommendation for someone who wanted a flagship for less money. Now, they’re basically just another flagship but at a lower quality for a similar price. Even their “value” phones are no longer instant recommendations anymore.

iOS seems to be innovating while Google is not. For example, privacy standards. Android used to always be in the news for all of their innovation and features that iOS doesn’t have. I can’t remember the last time I heard Android news about a new big feature. Maybe it was that feature from like 2018 where Google Assistant could schedule an appointment over the phone with you.

It just seems like iPhone has gained mostly all of the features that Android had that it didn’t while also providing more value for the money while Androids have gotten more expensive while also becoming worse products. iPhone also pretty much has a phone at every price now too compared to in the past when they really were known for being only the premium expensive product. It’s hard to compete with iPhones in every price range with incredible software support and updates, customer service, solid hardware, and reliability.

Yeah, I know there are a lot of good phones out there and Android dominates with market share across the world overall. And for a lot of people, it’s good enough and they’re able to find a phone they’re happy with. I also know mobile phones have become a mature product. But from an enthusiast standpoint, I’m not crazy right? Android has been declining over the past few years right? Or am I just not paying enough attention?

Perhaps you're experiencing iOS confirmation bias? Your statement that "it's hard to compete with iPhones in every price range is a little bit misleading." There are some Samsung phones like the Samsung A52 which not only priced better than the iPhone SE 2020 but also performs better battery life wise against the SE 2020 and the Samsung A52 even comes with a better wider angle camera..

I updated recently to an iPhone SE 2020, from SE 2016, because I am locked into the iOS eco-system and my Apple Watch. If I'm not locked into the iOS eco-system, it would have been a Samsung A52 phone which is right about the same price range as the SE 2020.

Another misleading statement you make is software support and updates. Android 11 gets software and security updates just like iOS gets its own updates. iOS Gatekeeper isn't all that magnificent like what Apple tells people, because even iOS has bugs. And for virus and malware protection; well Malwarebytes is available for Android and iVerify for iOS. I own both devices (iPhone and Android tablet), but I'm completely agnostic because I leverage the strengths of both platforms because they both can complement each other.

Neither OS are the end all be all, but I find that people who is biased on either iOS or Android are the same people who can't see the forest for the trees.

That's why Android and the PC still command roughly 70-80% of market share, because they both serve a market that want these devices. If they are not innovate enough, you'll see Apple commanding that lead, but that's not the case is it.

You will see what happens to companies that lost the innovation edge or unwilling to continue innovating. History has shown repeatedly and very reliably that companies that failed to innovate will implode from within and disappear from the market altogether and or not able to continue to maintain its once-held dominant market share. That's what happened to BlackBerry, which was once the dominant market leader in phones, but BlackBerry couldn't see the forest for the trees themselves that iOS and Android were innovating and today command the majority of the mobile market share.

Everyone is copying. Look at every industry; aren't companies copying each other? Korean car companies copying Japanese; Japanese copying German, American companies copying Japanese Kaizen's production method? What Apple does best is take a concept that's out there and make it better, but it is still copying. And how did Apple came about the mouse operating system? Steve Jobs went to Xerox and COPIED it! Funny that never gets mentioned at all.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Unfortunately not, had 3 people I know switch from their samsung to a iPhone, asked them for their verdict 3 month later, told me they're never going back.

There is a certain polish and consistency that you get with iOS that for some reason has never been the case with android.

My last Android phone was. Samsung S3 and before that a HTC Desire HD lol. It’s got to be better now surely?

 

[Expos of 1969]

Perhaps you're experiencing iOS confirmation bias? Your statement that "it's hard to compete with iPhones in every price range is a little bit misleading." There are some Samsung phones like the Samsung A52 which not only priced better than the iPhone SE 2020 but also performs better battery life wise against the SE 2020 and the Samsung A52 even comes with a better wider angle camera..

I updated recently to an iPhone SE 2020, from SE 2016, because I am locked into the iOS eco-system and my Apple Watch. If I'm not locked into the iOS eco-system, it would have been a Samsung A52 phone which is right about the same price range as the SE 2020.

Another misleading statements you make is software support and updates. Android 11 gets software and security updates just like iOS gets its own updates. iOS Gatekeeper isn't all that magnificent like what Apple tells people, because even iOS has bugs. And for virus and malware protection; well Malwarebytes is available for Android and iVerify for iOS. I own both devices (iPhone and Android tablet), but I'm completely agnostic because I leverage the strengths of both platforms because they both can complement each other.

Neither OS are the end all be all, but I find that people who is biased on either iOS or Android are the same people who can't see the forest for the trees.

That's why Android and the PC still command roughly 70-80% of market share, because they both serve a market. If they are not innovate enough, you'll see Apple commanding that lead.
See what happens to companies that lost the innovation edge or unwilling to continue innovating? They WILL implode from within and disappear from the market altogether and or not continue to maintain market share. That's what happened to BlackBerry, which was once the dominant market leader in phones, but BlackBerry couldn't see the forest for the trees themselves that iOS and Android were innovating.

I agree with the majority of your comments. However, I take issue with....."because I am locked into the iOS eco-system and my Apple Watch." Have you locked yourself in or has someone or some thing locked you in? Unless your employer has locked you in, you have done it to yourself. If you are happy with that lock in choice then all is good. But if you were extremely happy I don't think you would call it a lock in which has negative connotations.

Some people claim they are locked in because they can't imagine life being possible without iMessages. Others "blame" the Apple Watch. Perhaps if these folks looked in the mirror they would readily see the source of the lock in.

 

[iluvmacs99]

I agree with the majority of your comments. However, I take issue with....."because I am locked into the iOS eco-system and my Apple Watch." Have you locked yourself in or has someone or some thing locked you in? Unless your employer has locked you in, you have done it to yourself. If you are happy with that lock in choice then all is good. But if you were extremely happy I don't think you would call it a lock in which has negative connotations.

Some people claim they are locked in because they can't imagine life being possible without iMessages. Others "blame" the Apple Watch. Perhaps if these folks looked in the mirror they would readily see the source of the lock in.

What I meant by the iOS eco-system is the apps I paid for in the past which I carried over to the present. There are some medical apps that cost a pretty sum, that by going to Android exclusively would mean that I have to re-pay the same apps I paid for in iOS. Which is why I'm smarter now by owning both platforms and spreading the apps evenly between iOS and Android so that I'm not locked into 1 system. I also own a Samsung Gear Fit Pro 2 watch which works on both Android and my iOS phone, though on iOS, you can only get notifications, weather, email and messages but works fully when used with an Android device.

The negative connotation is meant to showcase the continued divisiveness of both the iOS and Android platform; that is apps I bought from the iOS app store can not be fully transferred license wise to Android and vice versa. It's not really a freedom of choice given by either iOS and Android, unless you don't have a significant outlay in apps investment on either platform.

 

[Shanghaichica]

My last Android phone was. Samsung S3 and before that a HTC Desire HD lol. It’s got to be better now surely?

It’s much better. Before I switched back to the iPhone my last android phone was the S5. However over the years I’ve dabbled with several android phones whilst keeping the iPhone as my daily driver. They are fine. They aren’t buggy anymore.

 

[TopherMan12]

It’s much better. Before I switched back to the iPhone my last android phone was the S5. However over the years I’ve dabbled with several android phones whilst keeping the iPhone as my daily driver. They are fine. They aren’t buggy anymore.

Yep. Zero issues with Note 20 Ultra. My last Android prior to that was Galaxy S7. That was a great phone in its own right, but now Android is much more refined. Great hardware, great operating system.

 

[Expos of 1969]

My Samsung Galaxy S10e is a very good phone. No problems, monthly updates and a joy to use.

 

[kp98077]

I see hardly anyone with an android anymore where I live... maybe 1 in 10? Even my son who is an android fan is getting rid of his... mostly quality issues i'd say

 

[cuzo]

Android isn't in decline, Android is more PC and IOS is more a extension of your daily life.

Apple is focusing on health and other things to make it easier for people to get.

Like Apple health app letting your family know you have a problem with your health. That's Apple in a nutshell.

IOS still has memory issues and browsing on IOS is much slower.

I do prefer Android but I've spent so much being invested into Apple selling everything isn't wise but I really want the Pixel 5 and the buds.

Apple still won't allow split screens on phones and really still blocks alot of freedom with apps compared to android.

 

[Shanghaichica]

I see hardly anyone with an android anymore where I live... maybe 1 in 10? Even my son who is an android fan is getting rid of his... mostly quality issues i'd say

It depends where you live I guess. Where I live it’s predominantly iPhones. It takes about 50 minutes to commute into London by train. On the journey into London it’s very rare to see an android phone. It’s like 99% iPhone. However once you get into London it’s very even. You are just as likely to see an android as an iPhone.

 

[Expos of 1969]

It depends where you live I guess. Where I live it’s predominantly iPhones. It takes about 50 minutes to commute into London by train. On the journey into London it’s very rare to see an android phone. It’s like 99% iPhone. However once you get into London it’s very even. You are just as likely to see an android as an iPhone.

Are you coming in from Surrey or Richmond?

 

[polyphenol]

Are you coming in from Surrey or Richmond?

I'm so old, I still think of Richmond as being in Surrey.