Biggest Myths of Android Explained or busted

[thehustleman]

This is not an android vs ios thread, so let's please not turn it into that, I ask the great moderators to please help with that. For sake of this post, both OSes are different, equal, but different, and neither is better than the others.

1. "Android is complicated to do basic things on"
Not really. If you want to use the phone, simply tap the phone button. You can pick your contacts, or just dial directly. Want to text? tap it. Pictures and videos are stored in gallery, and if you want to turn on settings, simply pull down from the top screen and tap the button and continue working/playing/using the app you were in previously

2. "Android is android, used one you use them all"
This is a huge one, Android phones are WORLDS apart. The user experience on say a Droid is not the same as the user experience on a Note 2 or a Galaxy S III, or even the One X. Don't even get me started on high end vs low end android. You can't pick up a low end android and say that you tried android and it just simply sucks. TOTALLY different experience, this is one that I (as a former iOS user) used to justify my prior Android hate. I've also seen this quite a few times on here, people will pick up an old/cheap android and expect it to wow them - it won't, just like an iphone 4 wouldn't wow anyone that knows about technology. Also Android 4.0+ can't even be compared to the previous versions of the OS because it was essentially a rebuild of android.

3. Options make it complicated
No, not at all. Simply don't turn on the options and it won't affect your experience.

4. Android can't be just turned on and used, it has to be set up
Actually no it doesn't, you can use the phone for basic uses right out of the box without any extra setup other than selecting a language and entering your google info.

5. Android apps crash more than any other mobile OS
Actually, that's not true, iOS apps crash more than Android apps as shown Here and Here plus on earlier versions of android this has in fact been true. Android had a loong way to go.

6. Android needs to have task killers and things to close apps to keep the phone running
This was true in older versions, ruined the experience, BUT in newer versions (4.0+) this isn't needed. Android manages the memory on it's own just fine. Multi-tasking is incredible and aside from web OS is the best I've ever seen or heard of.

7. You have to be careful on android phones - they catch viruses
Really? I have yet to see a virus on an android phone. Malware in general is so few and far between on android in reality it isn't even funny. I've personally never seen anyone with malware on their phone (adware yes!).

8. Benchmarks
These mean nothing, it's just a number. I've seen android phones with lower benchmarks that are more smooth than other phones with faster benchmarks

9. You have to worry about turning GPS on and off when you're using/not using it or it'll wreak havoc on your battery
This is another MYTH. I keep my GPS on all the time on my GS3 with no hits to battery life. The Os only uses it when an app calls for location.

10. Android (the OS) always crashes
not true on 4.0+ phones. Android is a rock solid OS and I really haven't experienced a problem with it (except when I decided to root it and install a custom ROM. keep it stock and there isn't a problem.)

11. I have a macbook/imac/mac pro, I can't use android with them
Actually you can. I have an imac and my wife has a macbook pro and we both have android phones and use them without fail. We send and transfer files using android file transfer, no need to open up or touch itunes or anything like that

12. You can't backup on android.
Says who? Google account backs up your contacts AUTOMATICALLY but if you want to back up settings and everything - use GoBackup or even Titanium Backup. problem solved.

13. Android doesn't have cloud storage
It doesn't? Well what is google drive, google +, dropbox, box.net etc? I use google+ and dropbox. Cloud storage IS available on android

14. Droid is the same as android
Another big one, Droid is a particular brand of Android phone, like a galaxy s, Galaxy Note, EVO, or ONE. Android is the operating system, on many phones, Droid is just one single brand. Don't call a galaxy s III a droid, it isn't one. You wouldn't call it an EVO or a ONE would you? Exactly.

Any others I forgot?


Once again please don't turn this into iOS vs Android, this is just a myth buster for people curious about android but poisoned by others' words. Some things are just not true.

 

[marc11]

There are no apps for Android
The apps are all scaled phone apps
Fragementation means poor apps

 

[matttye]

I like the idea but I'd like to see more sources to back up your claims.

What makes your anecdotal evidence any more valuable than anyone else's?

There are lots of articles that suggest that Android is THE virus hotspot in the mobile space. https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=a...7j60j65l2j59j61.1938&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

 

[Skika]

Android is tasteless.

 

[onirocdarb]

for this to be fair someone should do ios rumors

 

[jrswizzle]

for this to be fair someone should do ios rumors

I've often considered it but would need a considerable amount of time to debunk them all.

For iOS, I think most of the hate comes from misconceptions about what the device can do and from the fact that, while you can do the exact same thing, sometimes the method is different than someone would prefer.

 

[TacticalDesire]

I've often considered it but would need a considerable amount of time to debunk them all.

For iOS, I think most of the hate comes from misconceptions about what the device can do and from the fact that, while you can do the exact same thing, sometimes the method is different than someone would prefer.

Or lacks something all together unless you jailbreak.

 

[Abazigal]

My friend is recently thinking of switching to an iPhone from the s3. She feels the user interface is simply not intuitive enough. For example, even within the contacts app, the search box can
jump to either the top or bottom of the screen. There seems to be no consistency! She also finds it difficult to quickly filter out missed calls at a glance.

It may seem like a minor issue to you, But he evidently irks her enough after being used to the Intuitiveness of iOS.

Simple does not necessarily equate elegance.

 

[Stuntman06]

My friend is recently thinking of switching to an iPhone from the s3. She feels the user interface is simply not intuitive enough. For example, even within the contacts app, the search box can
jump to either the top or bottom of the screen. There seems to be no consistency! She also finds it difficult to quickly filter out missed calls at a glance.

It may seem like a minor issue to you, But he evidently irks her enough after being used to the Intuitiveness of iOS.

Simple does not necessarily equate elegance.

I find that if you are used to one UI, going to the other one will take some adjustment. I am familiar with Android first and those times that I have used iOS, I find it frustrating because iOS was not intuitive to me. It took me time to figure out the differences and I had a little help of someone more familiar with iOS to tell me some of the differences.

 

[thehustleman]

Updated original post

 

[mobilebuddha]

here are my comments:

7) malware - I'd say as long as you do the following, it's very difficult to get malware: (a) don't install apps from 3rd party except maybe Amazon. (b) never install an app that doesn't have 50K or 100K installs. (c) read reviews on them and know what the app does. Although I'm sure if you don't follow this rule with an iOS app, you run the chance of hitting malware as well. Apple can't catch -everything-, just like it couldn't catch apps that have tethering backdoors sometimes, etc.

I've been told too many times of the following:

1) Android keyboard sucks.
2) Android has worse battery life
3) Android browsers aren't as good/crashes often.
4) MicroSD is slower than internal memory so it must be not as good/useful.
5) Android phones lag

1) is certainly not the case. SwiftKey > Apple iOS keyboard, any time.
2) this MIGHT be the case because of how Android multi-tasking and Apple multi-tasking works. Apple iOS doesn't do real multi-tasking so apps do not stay in background the way that Android does. Less things to sync/update in the background = better battery life. However, with removable battery, the issue is moot.
3) dunno what to say about that.. never used Android phones prior to Android 4.0/galaxy nexus, so I never really experienced crashes. Most Android 4.0+ phones nowadays are not experiencing crashes, UNLESS you root/install custom ROM/mess w/ the internals. Just like if you jailbreak your iphone and install different kinds of mods. The system is bound to be less stable.
4) I have plenty of videos, music, photos on my MicroSD and it doesn't seem to slow down much, if anything.
5) This hasn't been my experience

 

[Orlaam]

Some of your myths are not myths. I had the Samsung Galaxy SIII and it did crash or lag in JB. It was much improved over ICS but it still had bugs and problems.

Some will say their device is working great in JB but it's far from perfect for a lot of people. A simple search on various forums and review sites reveal that all devices have problem (iOS and Android).

 

[iCole]

My personal experience after a few months of Galaxy S3 :

I agree with most of the myths but :

- Apps do crash a little bit more then on my iPhone 4, but i'm talking about small numbers here.
- Browsing on iPhone still feels much "better". Can't explain it. It just seems for fluid and stable.
- Things are more complicated. But maybe also a bit more interesting.
- Lots of things that are useless (most of the samsung added stuff) but also some things that Apple should've had ages ago.
- Lack of overal fuidity. People continue to say that Android is now as fast and smooth as iOS. That's simply not the case. The old iPhone 4 still runs smoother (not faster!) then my S3. Sometimes my clockwidget disappears and reloads after closing the browser. Sometimes it takes a second to close an app. Sometimes you see a little stutter. Then again, it's a trade-off. If you don't have OCD, you probably enjoy the bigger screen more then the lesser smoothness when compaired to the iPhone 4.
- Lack of consistency and clarity of the UI. Somewhat confusing if you aren't acustomed to smartphones. An iPhone is way simpeler. It wasn't a problem for me, but it was for friend of mine (who isn't a gadget geek).
- The keyboard of iPhone feels much better, until you install Swype or Swiftkey.

So coming from iOS, a lot of things I like, also some things I don't. But it's all good.

 

[Dr McKay]

My personal experience after a few months of Galaxy S3 :

- Lack of overal fuidity. People continue to say that Android is now as fast and smooth as iOS. That's simply not the case. The old iPhone 4 still runs smoother (not faster!) then my S3.

Is your S3 still on Android 4.0 by any chance? Also Touchwiz does stutter sometimes, even on JellyBean.

Vanilla Android 4.1 and higher is just as smooth, sometimes smoother than iOS.

 

[wbtlevi]

I would strongly disagree with the articles linked about iOS crashing more than android. The data is from an individual app maker that apparently has more issues with iOS than android. When I have a program constantly crash on my device I usually blame the programmers not the device, unless it is a stock device or consistent crashing across the device.
From my experience with owning a nexus 7, GSIII, iPad and iPhone is the exact opposite. I have jellybean on all my android devices and I notice that apps and browsing are much faster on my iOS devices. I experience far less crashes on my apple gear. I may get the occasional app crash on my istuff, but on android it is very consistent across the board. I'm not saying its androids fault, but I have noticed that iOS is more consistent with a good quality of app performance.
If you don't want a thread to turn into android vs iOS, don't make the comparison. Each have their benefits and drawbacks. I couldn't live without both.

 

[chagla]

I like the idea but I'd like to see more sources to back up your claims.

What makes your anecdotal evidence any more valuable than anyone else's?

There are lots of articles that suggest that Android is THE virus hotspot in the mobile space. https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=a...7j60j65l2j59j61.1938&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

some of points made may seem anecdotal but even the critics of Android won't find anything in his claims to disagree with.

what irks me about these malware/virus claims is that people forget about USER INTERACTION / USER RESPONSIBILITY. its not like the moment you turn on your Android phone you are bombarded with malware/viruses. although these do exist, the number is very low. also a USER HAS TO install a suspicious package in order to be infected.

Android SHOWS what permissions an app needs before being installed. YOU need to accept that and then the app gets installed. You can actually get granular and see exactly what permission an Android app is using unlike iOS.

 

[1member1]

How do you see a virus / trojan ? do you have anti virus on your phone ?
Viruses are not meant to be seen...

 

[iCole]

is your s3 still on android 4.0 by any chance? Also touchwiz does stutter sometimes, even on jellybean.

Vanilla android 4.1 and higher is just as smooth, sometimes smoother than ios.

4.1.2

 

[Bahroo]

This is not an android vs ios thread, so let's please not turn it into that, I ask the great moderators to please help with that. For sake of this post, both OSes are different, equal, but different, and neither is better than the others.

1. "Android is complicated to do basic things on"
Not really. If you want to use the phone, simply tap the phone button. You can pick your contacts, or just dial directly. Want to text? tap it. Pictures and videos are stored in gallery, and if you want to turn on settings, simply pull down from the top screen and tap the button and continue working/playing/using the app you were in previously

2. "Android is android, used one you use them all"
This is a huge one, Android phones are WORLDS apart. The user experience on say a Droid is not the same as the user experience on a Note 2 or a Galaxy S III, or even the One X. Don't even get me started on high end vs low end android. You can't pick up a low end android and say that you tried android and it just simply sucks. TOTALLY different experience, this is one that I (as a former iOS user) used to justify my prior Android hate. I've also seen this quite a few times on here, people will pick up an old/cheap android and expect it to wow them - it won't, just like an iphone 4 wouldn't wow anyone that knows about technology. Also Android 4.0+ can't even be compared to the previous versions of the OS because it was essentially a rebuild of android.

3. Options make it complicated
No, not at all. Simply don't turn on the options and it won't affect your experience.

4. Android can't be just turned on and used, it has to be set up
Actually no it doesn't, you can use the phone for basic uses right out of the box without any extra setup other than selecting a language and entering your google info.

5. Android apps crash more than any other mobile OS
Actually, that's not true, iOS apps crash more than Android apps as shown Here and Here plus on earlier versions of android this has in fact been true. Android had a loong way to go.

6. Android needs to have task killers and things to close apps to keep the phone running
This was true in older versions, ruined the experience, BUT in newer versions (4.0+) this isn't needed. Android manages the memory on it's own just fine. Multi-tasking is incredible and aside from web OS is the best I've ever seen or heard of.

7. You have to be careful on android phones - they catch viruses
Really? I have yet to see a virus on an android phone. Malware in general is so few and far between on android in reality it isn't even funny. I've personally never seen anyone with malware on their phone (adware yes!).

8. Benchmarks
These mean nothing, it's just a number. I've seen android phones with lower benchmarks that are more smooth than other phones with faster benchmarks

9. You have to worry about turning GPS on and off when you're using/not using it or it'll wreak havoc on your battery
This is another MYTH. I keep my GPS on all the time on my GS3 with no hits to battery life. The Os only uses it when an app calls for location.

10. Android (the OS) always crashes
not true on 4.0+ phones. Android is a rock solid OS and I really haven't experienced a problem with it (except when I decided to root it and install a custom ROM. keep it stock and there isn't a problem.)

11. I have a macbook/imac/mac pro, I can't use android with them
Actually you can. I have an imac and my wife has a macbook pro and we both have android phones and use them without fail. We send and transfer files using android file transfer, no need to open up or touch itunes or anything like that

12. You can't backup on android.
Says who? Google account backs up your contacts AUTOMATICALLY but if you want to back up settings and everything - use GoBackup or even Titanium Backup. problem solved.

13. Android doesn't have cloud storage
It doesn't? Well what is google drive, google +, dropbox, box.net etc? I use google+ and dropbox. Cloud storage IS available on android

14. Droid is the same as android
Another big one, Droid is a particular brand of Android phone, like a galaxy s, Galaxy Note, EVO, or ONE. Android is the operating system, on many phones, Droid is just one single brand. Don't call a galaxy s III a droid, it isn't one. You wouldn't call it an EVO or a ONE would you? Exactly.

Any others I forgot?


Once again please don't turn this into iOS vs Android, this is just a myth buster for people curious about android but poisoned by others' words. Some things are just not true.

but your posting incorrect information.. because actually Android Apps DO crash more then ios apps

http://www.forbes.com/sites/tomiogeron/2013/02/07/app-data-crash-off-android-jelly-bean-vs-ios6/

1.1% crash rate for iOS 6, 1.5% crash rate for Jelly Bean... and that is extremely impressive considering the fact that alot of iOS 6 devices are 4/4s running on single core, 512 mb ram setups compared to the 2 gigs of ram quad core/dual core android phones on JellyBean

learn to find up to date information.. stop spreading incorrect things

and just because you dont have malware/viruses doesnt mean it doesnt exists

http://www.redmondpie.com/android-m...re-top-500-list-unsafe-for-users-says-report/

in October they found 23 apps deemed malware on the top 500 section in the Play Store... that is just terrible lmfao

 

[TheMTtakeover]

5. Android apps crash more than any other mobile OS
Actually, that's not true, iOS apps crash more than Android apps as shown Here and Here plus on earlier versions of android this has in fact been true. Android had a loong way to go.

You wan't this not to turn into an iOS vs Android thread, yet you are directly comparing the two...

 

[Bahroo]

You wan't this not to turn into an iOS vs Android thread, yet you are directly comparing the two...

too bad he is wrong with that information he posted

http://www.forbes.com/sites/tomiogeron/2013/02/07/app-data-crash-off-android-jelly-bean-vs-ios6/

this is the most recent up to date statistics.. and it shows JellyBean Apps crash more then iOS 6 apps

 

[TheHateMachine]

too bad he is wrong with that information he posted

http://www.forbes.com/sites/tomiogeron/2013/02/07/app-data-crash-off-android-jelly-bean-vs-ios6/

this is the most recent up to date statistics.. and it shows JellyBean Apps crash more then iOS 6 apps

A few sentences in...

" Still, overall iOS apps crash more than Android apps on Crittercism’s network."

How did you miss that? It is even on the chart the article quoted. You probably read a few lines in on the article and decided to post this didn't you... lol indeed.

 

[matttye]

some of points made may seem anecdotal but even the critics of Android won't find anything in his claims to disagree with.

what irks me about these malware/virus claims is that people forget about USER INTERACTION / USER RESPONSIBILITY. its not like the moment you turn on your Android phone you are bombarded with malware/viruses. although these do exist, the number is very low. also a USER HAS TO install a suspicious package in order to be infected.

Android SHOWS what permissions an app needs before being installed. YOU need to accept that and then the app gets installed. You can actually get granular and see exactly what permission an Android app is using unlike iOS.

I've said this countless times, but I'll say it again; who has time to read every permission before installing every app? Have you ever been really busy at work trying to meet a deadline? Now imagine you have to stop for two minutes to read the permissions required to install an app. Not going to happen.

iOS doesn't show you permissions because it blocks the potentially harmful ones by default. Apps must prompt the user if they want access to Facebook, Twitter, location, photos, notes, calendar, reminders, contacts, etc.

Anywho, this thread is about Android, not iOS, so I don't see the relevance.

 

[Dr McKay]

4.1.2

Touchwiz is known to stutter sometimes, I have 2 friends at work with S3's, both on the 4.1 update and one is buttery smooth, the other is a stuttery mess. Weird.

My other friend installed a plain Jelly Bean ROM onto it and it was very smooth.

 

[jrswizzle]

A few sentences in...

" Still, overall iOS apps crash more than Android apps on Crittercism’s network."

How did you miss that? It is even on the chart the article quoted. You probably read a few lines in on the article and decided to post this didn't you... lol indeed.

Uhh, the poster you quoted was correct and the OP of this thread was in fact wrong (or poorly worded his sentence).

I was going to post that crittercism finding as well but got beat to the punch.

Overall I'd say a 1.5% crash rate vs a 1.15% crash rate really isn't a big deal...both platforms have gotten to their most stable point I would bet. Software will always have bugs and you'll get the occasional crash.

The numbers from that specific finding though only speak to iOS 6 vs. 4.2 - earlier versions of each platform had more trouble, with much earlier versions of Android (Honeycomb) - which still make up a majority of Android handsets - having the most crashes.

But I'd say comparing the two most recent OS versions is the fair thing to do and to that point, technically Android apps crash at a rate of about .35% more frequently than iOS 6 apps.

Not a big deal, but the OP wasn't correct in his statement (though I admit the wording is quite confusing, he may have meant it the other way).

EDIT: I now see the OVERALL number (1.76% on Android vs. 1.98% on iOS). Touche. Still think the most recent should be the best measure. But in reality, the whole crashing apps thing is moot since neither has a big crashing problem anymore.