Do you plan to switch from iPhone to Android? (2016)

[epicrayban]

Exactly. Within the last year or so I’ve been a couple of times caught in a situation where I’ve tried to figure out how to return to the previous view in an iOS app without going all the way to the home screen. That Android back button would’ve been much nicer than a quick game of guess the gesture.

Navigating through iOS is one of the greatest inconsistencies with the software experience. And it's always been true, not just in the latest versions of iOS.

Sometimes to navigate back, the button is upper left, upper right, bottom left or bottom right, or in the center. Sometimes you can swipe back, sometimes you can't.

Doesn't sound intuitive at all. You're constantly having to "seek" it out.
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That's really not true anymore. Android is as easy or complex as you want to make it, and a few OEM's have gone out of their way to clean up their settings menu.

Conversely, iOS seems to be getting clunkier in some areas. The new notification scheme is a disaster, and they've swapped around a few settings that make no sense (why is auto-brightness now in accessibility vs display, for example?)

Just like the point I made about navigation, iOS' settings has always been a mess. Sometimes the settings of an app are in the app itself, sometimes it's in the main iOS Settings menu. And yeah, iOS Settings is surprisingly difficult to find stuff in.

Sounds like it's even worse with iOS 11.

 

[tbayrgs]

Your rant aside, if you've used iOS for an extended period then using Android is an exercise in frustration. Android simply isn't as intuitive as iOS.

What’s not intuitive? Home button takes you to the home screen, back button takes you back step, app switching button shows you your open apps. Notification panel is engaged exactly as in iOS, apps are kept in a drawer in <gasp> an arrangement that’s sortable. Phone settings are kept in a Settings app, just like iOS, touching an app opens it, long pressing an app gives you a selection of options, including the ability to place that icon exactly where you’d like to put it.

The Home button on iOS is used for ump-teen different functions that are completely unrelated. And the least intuitive tool on iOS—3D Touch—offers functionality that’s completely different depending where you are in iOS and is widely inconsistent.

And I’m a an iOS/iPhone user from nearly day one and continue to prefer using an iPhone. I’m also not blindly ignorant. My preference to use iOS though is certainly not because of it being more intuitive.

 

[epicrayban]

We can likely surmise what kind of Apple fan makes comments like those. We've seen it time and time again. Heck, some of those types of fans are still here.

As usual, best ignored.

 

[Zaft]

I have been using an S8+ for around a week now with my 7 Plus.

I enjoy the sheer amount of customization on the S8+, I can just sit there and customize anything, very cool.
The screen is very nice, but I do find it too saturated sometimes, especially compared to the 7 Plus screen.

Overall its a good phone and Android is fine but I simply dont want to give up the ecosystem of IOS.

IMO the main aspect I like is the design, but the X will solve that.

 

[convergent]

Your rant aside, if you've used iOS for an extended period then using Android is an exercise in frustration. Android simply isn't as intuitive as iOS.

My "rant" was an answer to the question that you posted. If you didn't want to have an answer, then why did you ask the question. I answered it based on my experience and opinion, and you are telling me that my opinion about my own experience is wrong. You are also stating your opinion as fact.

I have had two extended periods of Android experience. One about 3 years ago, and the other that started a couple weeks ago. The first was fraught with frustration from the beginning and ended with my happy return to iOS.

This time around it has been the exact opposite. I spent about 2-3 hours watching YouTube videos and had the Note 8 configured very similarly to my iPhone with most of the same apps. The most challenging part of it was unraveling the tentacles of the Apple ecosystem like iMessage, etc.. I've not had any problems that were noteworthy and I have had a lot of fun with the breadth of tailoring that CAN optionally be done to have it work the way I want it... unlike iOS where you really don't have any choices for anything.

So if having options is too troubling for you to comprehend, I can see where you might find that its not intuitive. But, out of the box you don't have to configure any of that... you can just use it the way it came. I won't argue that iOS may be easier for someone to pick up and use the first time, if you want to call that intuitiveness. But its also far less capable than Android, so there is way less to learn about. But your comment was about "extended period". The more you use Android, the more you learn about, the more powerful it is. With iOS, there is nothing new to learn about except for a couple of items they sprinkle out to you once a year, if they decide to enable them on the version of iPhone you have.

The real surprise for me was the Gear S3 vs. Apple Watch. You want to talk about intuitive designs? The Gear S3 is tremendously more intuitive and the rotating dial is so much more usable than the combination of the tiny crown and screen swiping. The Gear S3 will assure that I probably don't return to iOS, because I'd have a hard time going back to WatchOS after using this for workouts.
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I have been using an S8+ for around a week now with my 7 Plus.

I enjoy the sheer amount of customization on the S8+, I can just sit there and customize anything, very cool.
The screen is very nice, but I do find it too saturated sometimes, especially compared to the 7 Plus screen.

Overall its a good phone and Android is fine but I simply dont want to give up the ecosystem of IOS.

IMO the main aspect I like is the design, but the X will solve that.

That's what they are counting on. The ecosystem keeps you locked into a less capable device for more money. Very profitable for Apple and well played on their part.

 

[Zaft]

My "rant" was an answer to the question that you posted. If you didn't want to have an answer, then why did you ask the question. I answered it based on my experience and opinion, and you are telling me that my opinion about my own experience is wrong. You are also stating your opinion as fact.

I have had two extended periods of Android experience. One about 3 years ago, and the other that started a couple weeks ago. The first was fraught with frustration from the beginning and ended with my happy return to iOS.

This time around it has been the exact opposite. I spent about 2-3 hours watching YouTube videos and had the Note 8 configured very similarly to my iPhone with most of the same apps. The most challenging part of it was unraveling the tentacles of the Apple ecosystem like iMessage, etc.. I've not had any problems that were noteworthy and I have had a lot of fun with the breadth of tailoring that CAN optionally be done to have it work the way I want it... unlike iOS where you really don't have any choices for anything.

So if having options is too troubling for you to comprehend, I can see where you might find that its not intuitive. But, out of the box you don't have to configure any of that... you can just use it the way it came. I won't argue that iOS may be easier for someone to pick up and use the first time, if you want to call that intuitiveness. But its also far less capable than Android, so there is way less to learn about. But your comment was about "extended period". The more you use Android, the more you learn about, the more powerful it is. With iOS, there is nothing new to learn about except for a couple of items they sprinkle out to you once a year, if they decide to enable them on the version of iPhone you have.

The real surprise for me was the Gear S3 vs. Apple Watch. You want to talk about intuitive designs? The Gear S3 is tremendously more intuitive and the rotating dial is so much more usable than the combination of the tiny crown and screen swiping. The Gear S3 will assure that I probably don't return to iOS, because I'd have a hard time going back to WatchOS after using this for workouts.
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That's what they are counting on. The ecosystem keeps you locked into a less capable device for more money. Very profitable for Apple and well played on their part.

I wouldn’t call it less capable. I would do the same things on an S8, but I get the software advantage with Apple, updates and support.

 

[dogslobber]

Intuitive means pick it up and go. Nobody can claim that about using Android and I equate Android's usage to being like somebody who starts smoking. Nobody who starts smoking enjoys the experience yet they stick at it and eventually get used to it. Android == smoking.

Now, who care about ordering things? That's why Yahoo! went out of business as humans do not in general order stuff. Those who do are outliers. People want to stick stuff in a drawer and search for it. Android is junk in that arena. Heck, I can't figure out how to use Android without googling for the option first. Android's user experience is fundamentally broken and that's why it's failing. Big fail. I mean, look what happens when you switch on and slide to get to the home screen. Sometimes the widget panel appears and sometimes the home screen appears. I mean, what is going on there? You know, I don't care is my response as Android is junk every time I try it on a cheapo Tracfone. Even my wife utterly hates Android due to the arcane way of working.

 

[epicrayban]

Did I call it or what?

We can likely surmise what kind of Apple fan makes comments like those. We've seen it time and time again. Heck, some of those types of fans are still here.

As usual, best ignored.

 

[Puddled]

Intuitive means pick it up and go. Nobody can claim that about using Android and I equate Android's usage to being like somebody who starts smoking. Nobody who starts smoking enjoys the experience yet they stick at it and eventually get used to it. Android == smoking.

Now, who care about ordering things? That's why Yahoo! went out of business as humans do not in general order stuff. Those who do are outliers. People want to stick stuff in a drawer and search for it. Android is junk in that arena. Heck, I can't figure out how to use Android without googling for the option first. Android's user experience is fundamentally broken and that's why it's failing. Big fail. I mean, look what happens when you switch on and slide to get to the home screen. Sometimes the widget panel appears and sometimes the home screen appears. I mean, what is going on there? You know, I don't care is my response as Android is junk every time I try it on a cheapo Tracfone. Even my wife utterly hates Android due to the arcane way of working.

 

[convergent]

I wouldn’t call it less capable. I would do the same things on an S8, but I get the software advantage with Apple, updates and support.

The X will cost more than the Note 8. Its smaller (need an X+ to be the same), lacks expandable storage, no S-Pen, etc..

 

[Zaft]

The X will cost more than the Note 8. Its smaller (need an X+ to be the same), lacks expandable storage, no S-Pen, etc..

And yet I don’t care, why would I get something cheaper just because it’s cheaper if I won’t like it? I like IOS, iMessage, FaceTime and right now I prefer how widgets work on IOS. It’s just preference, everyone’s different, hardware wise the S8 is a beauty.

 

[convergent]

And yet I don’t care, why would I get something cheaper just because it’s cheaper if I won’t like it? I like IOS, iMessage, FaceTime and right now I prefer how widgets work on IOS. It’s just preference, everyone’s different, hardware wise the S8 is a beauty.

Sorry... I understand everyone likes something different. I wasn't criticizing your choice. The rest of my family has iPhones. I was just saying that the Apple ecosystem allows Apple to continue selling less capable hardware for more money... driving huge profits. They do the same thing with the Macs. Nothing against anyone choosing to buy Apple stuff. I've bought plenty. I just grew tired of that ecosystem and the lack of innovation for what I see as important for me. Everyone is different like you say. I'm just glad there is competition to keep them all moving foward.

 

[torana355]

Intuitive means pick it up and go. Nobody can claim that about using Android and I equate Android's usage to being like somebody who starts smoking. Nobody who starts smoking enjoys the experience yet they stick at it and eventually get used to it. Android == smoking.

Now, who care about ordering things? That's why Yahoo! went out of business as humans do not in general order stuff. Those who do are outliers. People want to stick stuff in a drawer and search for it. Android is junk in that arena. Heck, I can't figure out how to use Android without googling for the option first. Android's user experience is fundamentally broken and that's why it's failing. Big fail. I mean, look what happens when you switch on and slide to get to the home screen. Sometimes the widget panel appears and sometimes the home screen appears. I mean, what is going on there? You know, I don't care is my response as Android is junk every time I try it on a cheapo Tracfone. Even my wife utterly hates Android due to the arcane way of working.

Not sure if you are even serious lol. I find Android much more intuitive. The drag and drop solution to file management falls in line with any computer you would have used including Apple computers. The amount of times iv'e had to show people new to Apple products how to get stuff off their iPhone onto their computer and visa-versa is incredible, it just works my ass. Then you have the home screen where you cant sort the apps in anyway, how is that intuitive? Don't even get me started on the fragmentation of the settings in iOS. Its the Ecosystem that makes people stick with Apple, not iOS itself.

 

[macgeek18]

The pure android experience on the pixel is amazing. I love everything about the layout of Android.

 

[icemanbrfc]

I switched to the Pixel in January. No regrets it's been an amazing phone.

Nice

 

[Septembersrain]

I moved on. Went to an LG V30. I'm still using my 7 Plus just not as my daily driver.

My data consistency is night and day though.

 

[Oakmhcky21]

So i switched to the Note 8. I have been using MacBooks for 11 years, and iPhones since the 4... "dumb" phones prior to that for me.

I usually get the new iPhones each year, but over the last year i grew tired of apple as a whole, not just the iPhone or iOS. I just didn't want to be locked in to apple ecosystem anymore. The final straw for me that made me decide on the note 8 was actually an issue i have with MacOS, that made me say **** it i'm done with apple's ****.

That being said, i could not be happier with the decision. The Note 8 just works for me. It does everything i want or need it to. It has a been a much better experience using it over the 7 plus i had prior. Of course there are a few small things about iOS i miss, but there are many, many more things i enjoy about android.

I have since replaced my iPad with a windows 2-in-1 as well. There are two reason for this. For me, the iPad was an expensive POS. Don't get me wrong, its a nice device that has many uses for many people. For me though, its was an expensive web browser and a gaming device of crappy games. There was no real use for it in my life that my laptop and phone can't handle. Additionally, the non stop notifications trying to get me to enable apple pay on it bugged the crap out of me (new problem introduced with the update to iOS 11). Secondly, for as bad as windows computers can be, theres just some things i can do on them that i can't do on my mac (or iPad). Having full desktop applications on a tablet is amazing. Also, while i have had windows 10 on my mac, it just didn't run smoothly, do to lack of drivers for certain things such as the track pad, and the work around to get full use of it constantly crashing. One of the reasons i like windows is because of Apples BS airplay. The issue i spoke to earlier was this, to mirror my mac i have to plug an HDMI cable into it or use an Apple TV, but if i rebooted up into windows, i could wirelessly mirror it to my TV. I admit that is a small annoyance to have, but that coupled with other small things just added up for me. Overall i wanted a tablet that had more functionallity for me.

I have yet to make a decision on my MacBook though. While my 2-in-1 covers everything i would need for an iPad and MacBook replacement, i really can't see myself willingly leaving macOS. Even with having the 2-in-1, i still do most of my stuff on my MacBook. I think i need to spend a week just using the 2-in-1 to decide if i will be happy without the MacBook.

 

[convergent]

So i switched to the Note 8. I have been using MacBooks for 11 years, and iPhones since the 4... "dumb" phones prior to that for me.

I usually get the new iPhones each year, but over the last year i grew tired of apple as a whole, not just the iPhone or iOS. I just didn't want to be locked in to apple ecosystem anymore. The final straw for me that made me decide on the note 8 was actually an issue i have with MacOS, that made me say **** it i'm done with apple's ****.

That being said, i could not be happier with the decision. The Note 8 just works for me. It does everything i want or need it to. It has a been a much better experience using it over the 7 plus i had prior. Of course there are a few small things about iOS i miss, but there are many, many more things i enjoy about android.

I have since replaced my iPad with a windows 2-in-1 as well. There are two reason for this. For me, the iPad was an expensive POS. Don't get me wrong, its a nice device that has many uses for many people. For me though, its was an expensive web browser and a gaming device of crappy games. There was no real use for it in my life that my laptop and phone can't handle. Additionally, the non stop notifications trying to get me to enable apple pay on it bugged the crap out of me (new problem introduced with the update to iOS 11). Secondly, for as bad as windows computers can be, theres just some things i can do on them that i can't do on my mac (or iPad). Having full desktop applications on a tablet is amazing. Also, while i have had windows 10 on my mac, it just didn't run smoothly, do to lack of drivers for certain things such as the track pad, and the work around to get full use of it constantly crashing. One of the reasons i like windows is because of Apples BS airplay. The issue i spoke to earlier was this, to mirror my mac i have to plug an HDMI cable into it or use an Apple TV, but if i rebooted up into windows, i could wirelessly mirror it to my TV. I admit that is a small annoyance to have, but that coupled with other small things just added up for me. Overall i wanted a tablet that had more functionallity for me.

I have yet to make a decision on my MacBook though. While my 2-in-1 covers everything i would need for an iPad and MacBook replacement, i really can't see myself willingly leaving macOS. Even with having the 2-in-1, i still do most of my stuff on my MacBook. I think i need to spend a week just using the 2-in-1 to decide if i will be happy without the MacBook.

My experience is very similar to yours. My order of ecosystem exodus went like this...

Several Airports to Netgear Orbi
Thunderbolt display to another 4K display
MacBook Air & Mini to Surface Pro
also merged work laptop in
iPhone 6s+ to Note 8
Apple Watch to Gear S3
Apple Music to Spotify

The only things left are Apple TV although we also have a Roku and Chromecast. Will probably always have since rest of family is on iPhones. I also keep the Mini to backup my wife's devices, but don't use it for anything else.

I was really bored with MacOS and iOS. With the Fall Creators Update and using the Microsoft Launcher, I'll start to experieence Microsoft's version of continuity. I jeavikky use One drive, OneNote, and the Office suite. Now having a pen to use on phone and in Windows will be nice.

 

[AustinIllini]

If Chromecast ultra would drive 5.1 in my Sonos system, I wouldn't even have an AppleTV.

In my case, Apple is shooting itself in the foot with the proprietary everything. And HomeKit is complete trash compared to the Google Home system.

 

[convergent]

If Chromecast ultra would drive 5.1 in my Sonos system, I wouldn't even have an AppleTV.

In my case, Apple is shooting itself in the foot with the proprietary everything. And HomeKit is complete trash compared to the Google Home system.

Agree. All the other vendors have ecosystems that can work together. I'm realizing that Apple's ecosystem advantage isn't as much of an advantage as it used to be, and with everyone else working together... It's only a matter of time before Apple slowly starts to fall behind and more people become frustrated with their hands tied. That said, there are a lot of tech illiterate folks that will be OK in the comfy couch of Apple.

 

[AustinIllini]

Agree. All the other vendors have ecosystems that can work together. I'm realizing that Apple's ecosystem advantage isn't as much of an advantage as it used to be, and with everyone else working together... It's only a matter of time before Apple slowly starts to fall behind and more people become frustrated with their hands tied. That said, there are a lot of tech illiterate folks that will be OK in the comfy couch of Apple.

And there's nothing wrong with that, of course, but cell phones within an ecosystem are traditionally thought of as three sides of a triangle. Those are:

Hardware
Software
Services

• iPhone has always had superior hardware. Pixels may trail by a tad (apparently millimeters if FFR is to be believe), but it's still close. Win iPhone by a nose.
• iOS is a solid piece of software. Definitely the most stable and robust OS for mobile. Android is great, especially on Pixel, but it's not quite as secure as iOS. Win iPhone by a nose.
• Apple Services are trash. iCloud is trash, Apple Mail is trash (especially with an Apple email account), Apple Music is comparatively trash. Google has gmail, youtube/GPM, drive (and support for switching default storage to dropbox. Win Android by a landslide.

So it kind of all comes out in the wash. However, it's worth mentioning that there are two new categories to consider.

Ecosystem IoT
AI

• Far and away, ecosystem Internet of Things is the strangest comparo between Google/Apple. For one thing, neither is truly a leader in IoT. Amazon has taken a big lead in this area. Homekit is a cluster. It's not easy to use, not adaptable, and pretty difficult to configure compared to the Google equivalent. Also, through no real fault of its own, Homekit doesn't support nest. By contrast, Google supports nest and is significantly easier to set up. Win Android by a fair bit.
• Siri was really the first "Assistant" to be in everyone's pocket. Problem is, Apple really managed to botch it and let it wane. Six years later, Siri is simply not a leader by any stretch of the imagination. It is neither the most supported assistant (Alexa) or the smartest (Google Assistant). The saving grace for Apple here is that, while you can't make the Google Assistant the default assistant, you can use Google Assistant on your iPhone (as I am doing right now) Win Android by a fair bit.

I guess what I'm really try to say is the two OSs are fairly close overall. Depending on what you value, iOS or Android offers some better options. For people who post in this thread, it's no wonder we're all kind of moving to Android.

 

[convergent]

And there's nothing wrong with that, of course, but cell phones within an ecosystem are traditionally thought of as three sides of a triangle. Those are:

Hardware
Software
Services

• iPhone has always had superior hardware. Pixels may trail by a tad (apparently millimeters if FFR is to be believe), but it's still close. Win iPhone by a nose.
• iOS is a solid piece of software. Definitely the most stable and robust OS for mobile. Android is great, especially on Pixel, but it's not quite as secure as iOS. Win iPhone by a nose.
• Apple Services are trash. iCloud is trash, Apple Mail is trash (especially with an Apple email account), Apple Music is comparatively trash. Google has gmail, youtube/GPM, drive (and support for switching default storage to dropbox. Win Android by a landslide.

So it kind of all comes out in the wash. However, it's worth mentioning that there are two new categories to consider.

Ecosystem IoT
AI

• Far and away, ecosystem Internet of Things is the strangest comparo between Google/Apple. For one thing, neither is truly a leader in IoT. Amazon has taken a big lead in this area. Homekit is a cluster. It's not easy to use, not adaptable, and pretty difficult to configure compared to the Google equivalent. Also, through no real fault of its own, Homekit doesn't support nest. By contrast, Google supports nest and is significantly easier to set up. Win Android by a fair bit.
• Siri was really the first "Assistant" to be in everyone's pocket. Problem is, Apple really managed to botch it and let it wane. Six years later, Siri is simply not a leader by any stretch of the imagination. It is neither the most supported assistant (Alexa) or the smartest (Google Assistant). The saving grace for Apple here is that, while you can't make the Google Assistant the default assistant, you can use Google Assistant on your iPhone (as I am doing right now) Win Android by a fair bit.

I guess what I'm really try to say is the two OSs are fairly close overall. Depending on what you value, iOS or Android offers some better options. For people who post in this thread, it's no wonder we're all kind of moving to Android.

Good post. Some of this is subjective of course. I don't think Apple has the hardware advantage at all. They have lagged way behind. The X is an attempt to try and catch up, partially. The iPhone 8 is a rehashing of 6 and 7. Compared to the Note 8?

And I would say iOS is similar. To me Android has closed the essence of use gap and maintained the huge ability to customize. I see then as equally good but very different.

The one area you left out is support. Apple has a huge advantage here... not even close. That to me is the only advantage Apple still really has. You can go into a brick and mortar store to get help. You know what will happen with updates.

It's "safe", but boring and slow to evolve.

 

[AustinIllini]

Good post. Some of this is subjective of course. I don't think Apple has the hardware advantage at all. They have lagged way behind. The X is an attempt to try and catch up, partially. The iPhone 8 is a rehashing of 6 and 7. Compared to the Note 8?

And I would say iOS is similar. To me Android has closed the essence of use gap and maintained the huge ability to customize. I see then as equally good but very different.

The one area you left out is support. Apple has a huge advantage here... not even close. That to me is the only advantage Apple still really has. You can go into a brick and mortar store to get help. You know what will happen with updates.

It's "safe", but boring and slow to evolve.

I agree with a lot of this, too. With hardware and software, I was focusing more on the concept of durable and robust hardware and software.

Apple's A chips are amazing and their hardware quality continues to be tops. Remains to be seen whether or not the pixel will be better.

 

[convergent]

I agree with a lot of this, too. With hardware and software, I was focusing more on the concept of durable and robust hardware and software.

Apple's A chips are amazing and their hardware quality continues to be tops. Remains to be seen whether or not the pixel will be better.

Durable - both are made of glass and if you throw them on a hard floor odds are they both will result in a mess. (I don't put much stock in the videos comparing how bad is bad) Durability to me is a wash.

Robust - you have to give this to Android by a mile. The Note 8 manages to include an S-pen in a silo, a headphone jack, expandable storage, FPS/Iris/Face, and still waterproof. Apple courageously likes to remove things as an advancement. The OS is immensely more capable and robust.

I would give the iPhone safe and simple. But that simple is slowly going away as iOS gets more complicated and dispersed on more different devices. The "it just works" is great until it doesn't and you have no way to diagnose it.

 

[BlankSlate]

I’m still waiting for my note 8. And I might have a silly newbie question here When photos are backed up to the cloud on an android, or Samsung device, where does it go? Is it picasa, or is it google+ (I don’t have an activated google+ profile), or is it google Photos app, or is it google Drive, all of the above? Help me here, I’m overwhelmed with googles eco system