Contemplating switch from iOS to Android

[From A Buick 8]

I tried to make the switch to android and the s7 edge is an awesome phone. However, I did not want to break the apple ecosystem since my computer is a MacBook Pro. I've yet to find a Windows alternative that is even close to the mbp. I tried the surface pro 4 and the battery life sucks and it gets hot. To me the advantages of being in the ecosystem outweigh the benefits android has over iOS.

I am making the switch when the note 7 comes out, what are the top issue you had leaving the ecosystem. The rest of the family still use iPhones, we have an AppleTv and use an iMac to stream iTunes to it. My wife has an iPad but I switched to a Surface to I could run some full applications as well as do some tablet surfing.

 

[lowendlinux]

I tried to make the switch to android and the s7 edge is an awesome phone. However, I did not want to break the apple ecosystem since my computer is a MacBook Pro. I've yet to find a Windows alternative that is even close to the mbp. I tried the surface pro 4 and the battery life sucks and it gets hot. To me the advantages of being in the ecosystem outweigh the benefits android has over iOS.

I agree.

But I'm not clear on the advantages Android has on iOS for 99% of people

 

[5105973]

I tried to make the switch to android and the s7 edge is an awesome phone. However, I did not want to break the apple ecosystem since my computer is a MacBook Pro. I've yet to find a Windows alternative that is even close to the mbp. I tried the surface pro 4 and the battery life sucks and it gets hot. To me the advantages of being in the ecosystem outweigh the benefits android has over iOS.

My husband loves his Surface Pro but he doesn't use it exclusively. He has it for specific purposes for work. All of his daily driver devices are Apple. He says a lot of his apps are not confined to one OS or the other, so he can port most of his work from Windows to Apple and vice versa.

I don't know what the situation is now, but when I bought my non retina 15" MBP around 2011, no other laptop on the market could touch it for build quality, which is why I bought it even though I was needing it to run Windows for the games I was playing. I think Snow Leopard is the OS currently on it and Windows 8 on VM. I loved Mac OS for everything else I was doing on computers at the time.

My husband dug out his Samsung Note tablet running Android 4.4.2 so I can get a feel for the S Pen. He's also updating his Nexus Tablet with Marshmallow so I can get a feel for that.

I'm still doing a lot of research and thinking before I make this leap. I'm not switching out of IOS per se, since I will still be using my SE as my main phone. I am not afraid of breaking up my ecosystem because I already run my iPhone independently from my MacBook. I don't let my iPad and my iPhone share too much info between them, either.

Where it's going to hurt, though, is Live Photo. I'm really loving that S7 camera in every review article and every time I try it out in the store and it's supposed to be in the Note 7 I'm thinking of getting. But if I get it and start taking a lot of photos with it, I won't be able to share their version of Live Photos with the kids. Nor would they be able to share Live Photos with me to view on that gorgeous bigger screen. Now I can still view Live Photos on my 6S Plus screen. I know a lot of people don't care about Live Photos but it's been a big hit with kids. They love to press on a photo and see all the goofy action that was happening at the time the photo was taken.

 

[The Game 161]

My husband loves his Surface Pro but he doesn't use it exclusively. He has it for specific purposes for work. All of his daily driver devices are Apple. He says a lot of his apps are not confined to one OS or the other, so he can port most of his work from Windows to Apple and vice versa.

I don't know what the situation is now, but when I bought my non retina 15" MBP around 2011, no other laptop on the market could touch it for build quality, which is why I bought it even though I was needing it to run Windows for the games I was playing. I think Snow Leopard is the OS currently on it and Windows 8 on VM. I loved Mac OS for everything else I was doing on computers at the time.

My husband dug out his Samsung Note tablet running Android 4.4.2 so I can get a feel for the S Pen. He's also updating his Nexus Tablet with Marshmallow so I can get a feel for that.

I'm still doing a lot of research and thinking before I make this leap. I'm not switching out of IOS per se, since I will still be using my SE as my main phone. I am not afraid of breaking up my ecosystem because I already run my iPhone independently from my MacBook. I don't let my iPad and my iPhone share too much info between them, either.

Where it's going to hurt, though, is Live Photo. I'm really loving that S7 camera in every review article and every time I try it out in the store and it's supposed to be in the Note 7 I'm thinking of getting. But if I get it and start taking a lot of photos with it, I won't be able to share their version of Live Photos with the kids. Nor would they be able to share Live Photos with me to view on that gorgeous bigger screen. Now I can still view Live Photos on my 6S Plus screen. I know a lot of people don't care about Live Photos but it's been a big hit with kids. They love to press on a photo and see all the goofy action that was happening at the time the photo was taken.

FYI there is a live photo type shot with the S7/edge. You take a photo and there's an icon you can click that plays the photo like with love photo

 

[machtv]

I tried to make the switch to android and the s7 edge is an awesome phone. However, I did not want to break the apple ecosystem since my computer is a MacBook Pro. I've yet to find a Windows alternative that is even close to the mbp. I tried the surface pro 4 and the battery life sucks and it gets hot. To me the advantages of being in the ecosystem outweigh the benefits android has over iOS.

i guess it all comes down to which ecosystem you prefer apples or the rest of the world. i prefer the rest of the world. because it is much bigger than apples.
[doublepost=1469036929][/doublepost]

I agree.

But I'm not clear on the advantages Android has on iOS for 99% of people

with android it just simply works with whatever you want it to work with. with apple your stuck with just apple. it's whole new world with android. just look at the market share that should say everything. you say ios is for 99% but it's really more like 30-40% total market share

 

[lowendlinux]

i guess it all comes down to which ecosystem you prefer apples or the rest of the world. i prefer the rest of the world. because it is much bigger than apples.
[doublepost=1469036929][/doublepost]

with android it just simply works with whatever you want it to work with. with apple your stuck with just apple. it's whole new world with android. just look at the market share that should say everything. you say ios is for 99% but it's really more like 30-40% total market share

Did you read what I said or did you use a canned response?

"But I'm not clear on the advantages Android has on iOS for 99% of people"

Nothing you said addressed this. Android market share is bigger and much of the developing world it's their only computing devise. In the developing world price will obviously reign supreme so the market share argument doesn't address what I said.

Getting back to our first world problems and taking into account the poster I quoted lives in a Apple world I'm not clear on the advantages Android has on iOS for 99% of people.

 

[THE JUICEMAN]

Did you read what I said or did you use a canned response?

"But I'm not clear on the advantages Android has on iOS for 99% of people"

Nothing you said addressed this. Android market share is bigger and much of the developing world it's their only computing devise. In the developing world price will obviously reign supreme so the market share argument doesn't address what I said.

Getting back to our first world problems and taking into account the poster I quoted lives in a Apple world I'm not clear on the advantages Android has on iOS for 99% of people.

Ive tried to switch to Android many times but always come back. I'm going to try really hard to switch and stick with it this time.

Some mainstream advantages that I'm looking forward to are managing notifications. I find it much easier and more powerful on Android. For example the ability to see icons in the status bar for your different notifications, a notification LED, and swiping to dismiss notifications. I hate that damn tiny x on the iPhone. I'm also looking for to being able to set default applications. I'm getting tired of clicking links and being forced to use safari or Apple maps. Customization might not be as mainstream as the previous two reasons but I am personally wanting to have a cleaner home screen place apps wherever I want, have widgets on the home screen and have gestures to make navigating to OS easier. Apple has a couple gestures but not any that I can control.

On the hardware side fast charging and wireless charging will be nice along with a better screen IMO.

Just a few advantages I can think of that %99 percent might enjoy if they had the option on iOS.

 

[The Game 161]

Live photo on my Samsung works just as well as on my iPhone

 

[lowendlinux]

Ive tried to switch to Android many times but always come back. I'm going to try really hard to switch and stick with it this time.

Some mainstream advantages that I'm looking forward to are managing notifications. I find it much easier and more powerful on Android. For example the ability to see icons in the status bar for your different notifications, a notification LED, and swiping to dismiss notifications. I hate that damn tiny x on the iPhone. I'm also looking for to being able to set default applications. I'm getting tired of clicking links and being forced to use safari or Apple maps. Customization might not be as mainstream as the previous two reasons but I am personally wanting to have a cleaner home screen place apps wherever I want, have widgets on the home screen and have gestures to make navigating to OS easier. Apple has a couple gestures but not any that I can control.

On the hardware side fast charging and wireless charging will be nice along with a better screen IMO.

Just a few advantages I can think of that %99 percent might enjoy if they had the option on iOS.

Thank you!

Those are reasons and I can go along with them

 

[5105973]

Live photo on my Samsung works just as well as on my iPhone

But can the live pictures from the Samsung be shared to my kids using IPhone so they can view it live, too? Or do they just get the still version?

The way it is now through ICloud I share any live photos I took with the kids and they share any they took with me. See, most of our family and friends are on iPhones, except for one nephew who just got the S7.

(And that's an adorable dog! Which reminds me, time to walk my dog though she's still grumpy about the hot weather).

 

[Wildo6882]

Ive tried to switch to Android many times but always come back. I'm going to try really hard to switch and stick with it this time.

Some mainstream advantages that I'm looking forward to are managing notifications. I find it much easier and more powerful on Android. For example the ability to see icons in the status bar for your different notifications, a notification LED, and swiping to dismiss notifications. I hate that damn tiny x on the iPhone. I'm also looking for to being able to set default applications. I'm getting tired of clicking links and being forced to use safari or Apple maps. Customization might not be as mainstream as the previous two reasons but I am personally wanting to have a cleaner home screen place apps wherever I want, have widgets on the home screen and have gestures to make navigating to OS easier. Apple has a couple gestures but not any that I can control.

On the hardware side fast charging and wireless charging will be nice along with a better screen IMO.

Just a few advantages I can think of that %99 percent might enjoy if they had the option on iOS.

You sound like pretty much my exact situation and why I'm wanting to jump back to Android. I've flip flopped a ton over the last 4-5 years. Currently using a 6s Plus and have been doing so since December of last year.

You definitely hit the nail right on the head for me. While I love a lot of the things that Apple does, and does so well, it's the things it's lacking that are really starting to stand out. Default apps I 110% agree with. Why, for the love of all things holy, can I not set Google Maps and Chrome as defaults? I hate Safari. I'm not going to use it. I use Chrome because it syncs to everything I use. My two Windows laptops, my phone, my Chromebook, etc. And I don't care what anyone says, Google Maps is superior to Apple Maps, which doesn't suck anymore, but it isn't Google Maps. I also miss that I can't just glance at my phone and see notifications. I have to swipe to see if there's anything I need to tend to. Just seems like extra work for nothing, because Apple says so. I also use Google Photos, and it won't sync in the background unless I have recently opened the app. I also feel like my homescreens can work for me in Android, rather than just having a sea of apps and folders. I also despise the way that 3rd party keyboards work in iOS. No swipe in the Apple keyboard and the great third party keyboards like SwiftKey and GBoard don't have the dictation microphone, as that's only allowed in the stock Apple keyboard. I also hate how randomly the third party keyboard just disappears and defaults to the Apple keyboard.

The freedom with Android is nice. I'm really missing it after 8 months with iOS again.

 

[The Game 161]

But can the live pictures from the Samsung be shared to my kids using IPhone so they can view it live, too? Or do they just get the still version?

The way it is now through ICloud I share any live photos I took with the kids and they share any they took with me. See, most of our family and friends are on iPhones, except for one nephew who just got the S7.

(And that's an adorable dog! Which reminds me, time to walk my dog though she's still grumpy about the hot weather).

As far as i'm aware you can't unfortunely. Although I struggle to see live photos through one device to the next with my iphone to my GF's iphone. Maybe it would work from one samsung to another though. and yeah thanks it's been a pain walking him due to the england heatwave lately. Had to take him early morning and even then he was knacked ha
[doublepost=1469087717][/doublepost]

Thank you!

Those are reasons and I can go along with them

in terms of accurate times of charging. Fast charge on my S7 edge takes about 1 hour, 15 mins from dead and on the fast wireless charger takes about 2 hours, 30 mins ish. So really putting it on fast charging is perfect if you only have half an hour if you are going out and want to go from 0% to 50-60% in 30 mins
[doublepost=1469088682][/doublepost]

You sound like pretty much my exact situation and why I'm wanting to jump back to Android. I've flip flopped a ton over the last 4-5 years. Currently using a 6s Plus and have been doing so since December of last year.

You definitely hit the nail right on the head for me. While I love a lot of the things that Apple does, and does so well, it's the things it's lacking that are really starting to stand out. Default apps I 110% agree with. Why, for the love of all things holy, can I not set Google Maps and Chrome as defaults? I hate Safari. I'm not going to use it. I use Chrome because it syncs to everything I use. My two Windows laptops, my phone, my Chromebook, etc. And I don't care what anyone says, Google Maps is superior to Apple Maps, which doesn't suck anymore, but it isn't Google Maps. I also miss that I can't just glance at my phone and see notifications. I have to swipe to see if there's anything I need to tend to. Just seems like extra work for nothing, because Apple says so. I also use Google Photos, and it won't sync in the background unless I have recently opened the app. I also feel like my homescreens can work for me in Android, rather than just having a sea of apps and folders. I also despise the way that 3rd party keyboards work in iOS. No swipe in the Apple keyboard and the great third party keyboards like SwiftKey and GBoard don't have the dictation microphone, as that's only allowed in the stock Apple keyboard. I also hate how randomly the third party keyboard just disappears and defaults to the Apple keyboard.

The freedom with Android is nice. I'm really missing it after 8 months with iOS again.

Honestly I have moved back to S7 edge as my daily driver as I have simply missed certain things with it. Having google photos to sync all my photos from my iphone/ipad straight to my google photos makes one of the reasons having apple as my daily driver due to the icloud not seem as important.


Just like the icloud backup when changing new phones and it saving all your home screen but now there are apps for android that let you do the same thing. So things like this makes leaving apple easier. Only thing which you could really miss is imessage and facetime.


It’s great using nova launcher and making the phone how you want it. I’m mad on widgets and using nova makes it easier to add as many as I wish. I must say apps like mobdro, WSS and showbox which you can get on android but can’t on apple is a big deal for me. Certainly when working on a Saturday I can watch any football I like.

 

[Cpt. Gilgamesh]

^ last time I had used Android, widgets were really gimmicky. But now I find them incredibly useful.

I've been using Android for three or so weeks now and it's not very different in my everyday life in all honesty. It's just not as polished. And no Siri

 

[ChrisWard1994]

I've tried a Sony Xperia previously but just didn't like it. I did find it pretty glitchy at times and I wasn't fond of the Sony UI either, didn't bother me when I got it but it continued to get on my nerves. The screen, while good, had terrible viewing angles that if it was on a table I couldn't see the screen properly.

I got an iPhone 6 when it came out and it's been great. Not a fan out the design that iOS 10 is taking though with the oversized text, icons and the bubbled style notifications. Was also hoping for an AMOLED screen in the 7 but that doesn't look like happening so gonna try a Nexus device when they release.

The notifications are far better in android I find, and the Google now assistant was far more useful to me that Siri ever has. In my opinion, iOS apps are more polished than their android counterparts which is annoying. However I'm looking forward to seeing what Google has in store for the new nexus's.

 

[widgeteer]

I think what a lot of you underestimate is that the reason you're switching is because you're simply bored. You get the new thing, play with it for a while, and then want to go back to the thing you prefer using. It's really not a case of one OS being better than the other, you just want a new gadget. This was more fun and interesting back in the days when we had iOS, Windows Mobile, Android, BB, Nokia, and Palm. You would see new phones and designs, new ways of doing things. It was legitimately fun to *use* a new device. Now though, meh. Both OS's do virtually all the same stuff with some variation here or there. So you wind up going back because you realize the new shiny toy doesn't do anything that much differently than the previous shiny toy.