Biggest Myths of Android Explained or busted

[daveathall]

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.

I think that this statement is also true;

For Android, 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.

 

[VulchR]

...

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.

...

Android loses me at 'entering Google info.'

 

[Apollo 13]

Dont know how many times i have to say this but android will always be laggy. Google made their UI smoother from before, but when u have some company slap their bloated skin over Google's some what smooth UI it causes more lag. Once u go to an app Jellybean does nothing for smoothness and u have to rely on app devs to create clean smooth apps, and thats not going to happen when u have 300+ android phones u have to make sure your app works on. So as a guy that owns both devices i laugh when i see crap as the S3 is just as smooth as ios...its straight up BS. Remember ppl jellybean was tdeveloped to make google UI smooth...all bets are off when u enter a app.

 

[dkersten]

Dont know how many times i have to say this but android will always be laggy. Google made their UI smoother from before, but when u have some company slap their bloated skin over Google's some what smooth UI it causes more lag. Once u go to an app Jellybean does nothing for smoothness and u have to rely on app devs to create clean smooth apps, and thats not going to happen when u have 300+ android phones u have to make sure your app works on. So as a guy that owns both devices i laugh when i see crap as the S3 is just as smooth as ios...its straight up BS. Remember ppl jellybean was tdeveloped to make google UI smooth...all bets are off when u enter a app.

Fair point, but I could never give up some of my apps that Apple would never allow in their App store. I can deal with infrequent lag in some apps if that means I can keep apps like NFC Tasker and Swiftkey among others.

Besides, on most of the apps that come from the big developers (and the ones that most people download) are tested on the flagship phones that most of us on these forums have. Its not going to be a big deal to the majority of us. The lag in these apps will have little to no affect on us.

 

[aneftp]

While I agree with the OP on myth's of Android.

The real truth is for cell phone carriers in the USA (the vastly profitable post paid contract model). The one "truth" about Android is carriers love it cause
1. Phones are generally cheaper
2. Carriers have final say on the Android software regardless of manufactuer (Verizon fiasco making bing the default search for one of their Android phones).

Combine 1 and 2 means more control and bigger profit margins for carriers. And that's the truth. Not a myth.

 

[Apollo 13]

Fair point, but I could never give up some of my apps that Apple would never allow in their App store. I can deal with infrequent lag in some apps if that means I can keep apps like NFC Tasker and Swiftkey among others.

Besides, on most of the apps that come from the big developers (and the ones that most people download) are tested on the flagship phones that most of us on these forums have. Its not going to be a big deal to the majority of us. The lag in these apps will have little to no affect on us.

even popular apps have lag. Netflix is one of them. I can't even browse through the movies without my eyes hurting because it lags so much scrolling through the movies.

 

[dkersten]

even popular apps have lag. Netflix is one of them. I can't even browse through the movies without my eyes hurting because it lags so much scrolling through the movies.

Hmm... odd. Netflix on my iPad lags too. Anyways my point being even if the major apps lag its little to none. And if they do I'm more than willing to put up with it to keep all the apps I have on my phone.

 

[Bahroo]

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.

In pretty sure over 75% of all iOS devices are on iOS 6, that is what you compare...the adoption rate for iOS 6 was 65% when it came out now its well over 75%

Im looking at the device statistics that are on the latest software, and it clearly says that iOS 6 is a improvement and that iOS 6 apps crash less then Jelly Bean apps...

"New data from Crittercism, a mobile performance monitoring startup, shows apps on the latest versions of Apple’s operating system, iOS6, crash less than those on Android’s new Jelly Bean OS."

Over 75% of all iOS devices ever made are on iOS 6.

 

[tech4all]

Android loses me at 'entering Google info.'

How did you manage to sign in to MacRumors? I mean you have to enter your username and password at some point.

 

[VulchR]

How did you manage to sign in to MacRumors? I mean you have to enter your username and password at some point.

I decided the benefits were greater than the costs. I made a different decision with respect to Google. It's just that simple.

 

[thehustleman]

You also have to use info to sign into am iphone

 

[cynics]

Android loses me at 'entering Google info.'

Loses you how? Don't want to give them the info? Don't have the info?

I find it pretty easy just like iOS. I already had an iTunes account from using an iPod. So just entered my username and pw.

Google is the same way. I already had a gmail account and a YouTube account. Just enter my user name password.

Google I find a bit easier. Well at least when I got my iPhone because I had to have iTunes. Now that might not be a requirement but I'm not sure.

 

[VulchR]

Loses you how? Don't want to give them the info? Don't have the info?

I find it pretty easy just like iOS. I already had an iTunes account from using an iPod. So just entered my username and pw.

Google is the same way. I already had a gmail account and a YouTube account. Just enter my user name password.

Google I find a bit easier. Well at least when I got my iPhone because I had to have iTunes. Now that might not be a requirement but I'm not sure.

I guess I fell a little more comfortable with Apple tracking me than Google, since Google's primary source of income is marketing. To each his/her own.

 

[Dr McKay]

I guess I fell a little more comfortable with Apple tracking me than Google, since Google's primary source of income is marketing. To each his/her own.

I looked at my advertising profile of who Google thinks I am. All it said was Male, 30-40, interested in technology, gadgets.

They're pretty spot on apart from my age. I don't use gmail and I have adblock installed on my phone and in Chrome so I never see the targeted ads anyway.

 

[McGiord]

Yes...about Android MYTHS...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_T9YtA1mRQ

 

[spinedoc77]

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

It can be complicated, I've found quite a bit of things which should be simple but are not, as a disclaimer this is on a Note 2 so what I'm experiencing may very well be specific to the Note. For example if I make a phone call, then exit out while the call is in progress, then press my phone icon again it goes into a new phone screen which has nothing to do with my current call, ie: I don't see a dialpad that works with my call, no speaker button, etc. I actually have to slide down the notification screen and press the phone icon in there. Now other things are incredibly simple and genius when you set them up, for example I have shortcuts to navigate to different work locations, a single press and it goes right into the navigation for that location, pure genius and I've yet to see this on any other OS.

It's a mixed bag IMO, some things are weirdly complicated though IMO.

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.

Definitely true, but this highlights one of (if not the biggest) the largest weakness of Android in general. The fragmentation is horrible.

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.

You really do need some set up time with Android for it to work just right IMO, I'm not talking days, but a good 20 minutes I'd say to get everything right.

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.

This isn't the same thing as iCloud. I can warranty swap an iphone and restore it from the cloud and it's absolutely exactly as I left it, all accounts, messages, history, etc, it's very impressive. Google has nothing like this at all, and from what I understand the 3rd party backup programs which cost money need to be rooted to function as well as iCloud.

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.

Good stuff, I agree with most of it. I've weaned myself off iOS kicking and screaming for the past 2 months, and just the other day I finally stopped using my IP5 AND my Note 2 at the same time and just gave my wife the ip5. Android definitely has a much larger learning curve than iOS, but IMO it's more satisfying when you do get past that hump.

 

[TacticalDesire]

I looked at my advertising profile of who Google thinks I am. All it said was Male, 30-40, interested in technology, gadgets.

They're pretty spot on apart from my age. I don't use gmail and I have adblock installed on my phone and in Chrome so I never see the targeted ads anyway.

How do you look at your advertising profile?

Edit. Never mind. I found it

 

[NewAnger]

How do you look at your advertising profile?

Edit. Never mind. I found it

I block ads on all my browsers so Google does not have one for me.