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filu_

macrumors regular
May 30, 2020
160
76
Considering that my phone has become an extremely important device, from banking to health care, it carries critical private data.


I fully agree. This is the last anchor holding me to the iPhone.

But not so much that I didn't order and try an Android phone.
 

8012R3

macrumors member
Aug 18, 2014
82
242
I bought a pixel 4a to test out.

At the very least I wanted to test out the competition. I don't know if I'll stay Android but I needed to know what I was missing out on.

That and my dad always asks for help with his phone and I had no clue where to find any of the settings or apps or what gestures/navigation was in use!
 
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Mellofello808

macrumors 65816
Mar 18, 2010
1,088
2,162
At one point in the early-mid 2000s my house looked like an apple store.

I had nearly every single product they sold, including a Mac pro, couple laptops, one of every ipod, and was an evangelist for apple.

True believer.

When the iphone came out I was in line day one.

I bought every single iphone from then on, and all the way up to the XS I owned every model (sometimes 2 of each when a special color came out).


I am lucky in life, and have 2 cell services. So naturally I would usually run the last year's iphone on my work line.

However my work is out in the field, and I need to do a ton of reading on my phone. One day on a lark I purchased a note 3 for my work line. Android wasn't polished as iOS, but having the huge screen was a absolute game changer.

Over the years I continued to buy the latest iphones, but as time went by I found that I was spending more time on the Android.

Long story short I bought a iphone 7+ from T-Mobile, and it had the intel modem in it, and got terrible coverage. This was my breaking point, and when the S8 came out for the first time Android got my main sim, and it has been that way ever since.

I still have a XS, and will probably be getting a 12 max, but my heart isn't really in it.

As someone who has been on iphone from day one, and a decade of apple products before that I have accepted that they really aren't for me anymore. As a power user, I bash into the walls of the walked garden every time I try to make a iphone my main squeeze.

Fact is that I just really prefer the hardware on Samsung phones. Even with the new redesign of the 12 (which I really like), it still looks out of date vs the straight from the future Samsung designs.

I also have come to really enjoy Android as a OS. I think that people who have never known anything but iOS would be pretty surprised what modern Android is like to live with, after about 6 months with a flagship android phone, I am genuinely curious how many people would switch back.

However I don't think it is a total lost cause for me, every year apple opens the door just a little more to customization, and more compatibility. IOS 14 walks up to the line for what I am looking for.

I would love to have an apple watch, and a blue bubble again. Time will tell.
 
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Expos of 1969

Contributor
Aug 25, 2013
4,793
9,431
At one point in the early-mid 2000s my house looked like an apple store.

I had nearly every single product they sold, including a Mac pro, couple laptops, one of every ipod, and was an evangelist for apple.

True believer.

When the iphone came out I was in line day one.

I bought every single iphone from then on, and all the way up to the XS I owned every model (sometimes 2 of each when a special color came out).


I am lucky in life, and have 2 cell services. So naturally I would usually run the last year's iphone on my work line.

However my work is out in the field, and I need to do a ton of reading on my phone. One day on a lark I purchased a note 3 for my work line. Android wasn't polished as iOS, but having the huge screen was a absolute game changer.

Over the years I continued to buy the latest iphones, but as time went by I found that I was spending more time on the Android.

Long story short I bought a iphone 7+ from T-Mobile, and it had the intel modem in it, and got terrible coverage. This was my breaking point, and when the S8 came out for the first time Android got my main sim, and it has been that way ever since.

I still have a XS, and will probably be getting a 12 max, but my heart isn't really in it.

As someone who has been on iphone from day one, and a decade of apple products before that I have accepted that they really aren't for me anymore. As a power user, I bash into the walls of the walked garden every time I try to make a iphone my main squeeze.

Fact is that I just really prefer the hardware on Samsung phones. Even with the new redesign of the 12 (which I really like), it still looks out of date vs the straight from the future Samsung designs.

I also have come to really enjoy Android as a OS. I think that people who have never known anything but iOS would be pretty surprised what modern Android is like to live with, after about 6 months with a flagship android phone, I am genuinely curious how many people would switch back.

However I don't think it is a total lost cause for me, every year apple opens the door just a little more to customization, and more compatibility. IOS 14 walks up to the line for what I am looking for.

I would love to have an apple watch, and a blue bubble again. Time will tell.
Good points. One year ago I put iPhone aside and purchased my first Android, a Samsung Galaxy S10e. I did so for three main reasons: Cost of iPhones (particularly in Europe); Size of flagship iPhones (too big); Tim Cook’s hypocrisy on numerous issues.

I have been very pleased with both my Samsung and Android. No interest in going back to an iPhone.
 

filu_

macrumors regular
May 30, 2020
160
76
If your bank has good processes in how it conducts online transactions and authenticates it is you, there should be no problem on Android.

I checked that Google has a remote phone wipe like iPhone. Filling passwords with your fingerprint also seems to work, don't they have significant differences between Android and iOS?
 

ILowry82

macrumors 6502
Sep 26, 2014
341
117
I used to constantly switch from iPhone to android and back to iPhone. What kept me going back to iPhone was two things. iMessage and Apple Watch. All of my friends and family are on iMessage. iMessage makes group threads so much better. As for Apple Watch, there is no android alternative. It is simply the best smart watch you can buy. I recently purchased the Samsung Galaxy Fold 2. This is an amazing phone. I love innovation and Apple doesn't really innovate anymore. They take features android phones have had for 2-3 years and improve on them. I feared I would have to switch back to iPhone until I discovered Air Message. Air Message is a server you run on a mac that allows your android device to receive and send iMessages. For me at least, it has worked flawlessly. iMessage on my Fold 2 works just as good as iMessage on an iPhone. As for the watch, I took an old iPhone and used it to set up the Apple Watch. I use the old iPhone as more of a relay. The only thing I don't get on the watch is regular SMS (green bubble) messages. This new system has worked great for me and now I am fully on Android with no intention of switching back anytime soon.
 
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ian87w

macrumors G3
Feb 22, 2020
8,704
12,638
Indonesia
If your bank has good processes in how it conducts online transactions and authenticates it is you, there should be no problem on Android.
The problem with Android is the lax of apps access to the phone's data. And due to fragmentation, Google has to allow apps targeting older Android versions that have even less restrictions in privacy.

iOS14 has shown how apps are accessing many of phone's data that is not even relevant to the app function (eg. tiktok and linkedin got caught red-handed). Imagine this in an environment with less check and balances like Android. There are countless apps that ask requests to your SMS and contacts for convenience, but in the background, they have complete access, all the time, to those, and you don't know what the developers (which are often outsourced to China/India) would do with those data. I even found a popular and well regarded music/podcast streaming app in my country that demand request to the phone's camera and microphone. And the problem with Android is that if you don't allow those access, the app won't work.

On Android, you just got to have faith in the good intention of the app developers since the OS doesn't provide enough safeguards. But knowing that many developers are actually outsourced, would you still be able to have faith? As an Android user, it's quite a stress to keep this in mind everytime I want to install an app that I think will be useful.
 

serpico007

macrumors 6502
Sep 18, 2017
303
320
I used to constantly switch from iPhone to android and back to iPhone. What kept me going back to iPhone was two things. iMessage and Apple Watch. All of my friends and family are on iMessage. iMessage makes group threads so much better. As for Apple Watch, there is no android alternative. It is simply the best smart watch you can buy. I recently purchased the Samsung Galaxy Fold 2. This is an amazing phone. I love innovation and Apple doesn't really innovate anymore. They take features android phones have had for 2-3 years and improve on them. I feared I would have to switch back to iPhone until I discovered Air Message. Air Message is a server you run on a mac that allows your android device to receive and send iMessages. For me at least, it has worked flawlessly. iMessage on my Fold 2 works just as good as iMessage on an iPhone. As for the watch, I took an old iPhone and used it to set up the Apple Watch. I use the old iPhone as more of a relay. The only thing I don't get on the watch is regular SMS (green bubble) messages. This new system has worked great for me and now I am fully on Android with no intention of switching back anytime soon.

I used to do the relay thing too with an old iPhone at home and my Apple Watch. But not that I have a cellular model, I don't need to do it. Some days I go out with no phone and I'm fine. For short trips of course :) When I tried to be on the Note 9 for over 6 months, it was horrible communicating with anyone. I was alone on Android and missing out on iMessages with family and friends. I'm going to look into Air Message and run it on my Mac Mini server to see if this helps me. If so, I'm going back to my Note 9 full time! Then look at a new Android phone that folds!
 

filu_

macrumors regular
May 30, 2020
160
76
n my case, the transition should be less painful because:
- I'm not in the Apple ecosystem;
- I use a sports watch that should work with Android via a dedicated application;
- in terms of security - I do not stream music, I do not use FB, etc. and the only social media are internet forums, but only in the browser;
- I will probably have to switch to WhatsApp, which is a bit of an inconvenience but my family is on both platforms;
- the fewer notifications, the better - I don't want my phone buzzing every now and then - the only thing that can bother me is an SMS / message and a scheduled calendar event, I also don't use widgets - the phone can't absorb me, I don't want a smartwatch, and my watch has notifications turned off.
 
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Shanghaichica

macrumors G5
Apr 8, 2013
14,724
13,244
UK
I like the iPhone but I see a lot of android phones with features that I wish was on the iPhone. The thing that makes me hesitate to switch is the other Apple devices that I use and how they work together. If it was just a case of switching to another phone it would be much easier. It's the other devices like the iPad, MacBook, Apple TV and Apple Watch that make it difficult for me to switch.

I actually couldn't care less about iMessage. All of my contacts use WhatsApp, even the ones with iPhones.
 

Ludatyk

macrumors 603
May 27, 2012
5,956
5,123
Texas
It's the other devices like the iPad, MacBook, Apple TV and Apple Watch that make it difficult for me to switch.

Out of all those devices... the Apple Watch would be the most difficult to replace. Samsung has done well with providing an alternative for those who want to switch from Apple. You might have an argument with the iPad, if you rely on proven 3rd party apps. But Windows is doing great with integrating with Samsung devices. I like the "Your phone companion"... getting notifications from Android phone through Windows.

In regards to Apple TV.. there's the Chromecast. And the newest release looks pretty solid. But there's absolutely nothing comparable to the Apple Watch... I wish Google would put more of an effort toward building a Watch. Its as if Google is abandoning the Watch platform like they did with tablets.
 

Tsepz

macrumors 601
Jan 24, 2013
4,883
4,696
Johannesburg, South Africa
I keep jumping between but iPhone is my daily driver. Using the foldable Huawei Mate Xs right now in terms of Android and I am looking forward to more foldables like this, if Google can get developers on board to properly optimize all their apps for foldables I could return full-time to Android, we'll see if they do or if Apple launches a foldable to.

There is something just so right, consistent and dependable about an iPhone, Apple Watch and iPad, I love the integration and consistency between them, I never thought I’d be an iPhone user but I have been incredibly happy with it, even more so now with iOS 14 bringing widgets and PiP on iPhone.

I tend to be OCD about some things and Apple seem to understand my OCD, they pay a lot of attention to detail.

That being said iOS/iPad OS also have things that frustrate me, there are times where I am like “this was so much easier in Android” lol.
 
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Baldilocks

macrumors 6502a
Jan 2, 2012
506
435
Delaware, USA
I like the iPhone but I see a lot of android phones with features that I wish was on the iPhone. The thing that makes me hesitate to switch is the other Apple devices that I use and how they work together. If it was just a case of switching to another phone it would be much easier. It's the other devices like the iPad, MacBook, Apple TV and Apple Watch that make it difficult for me to switch.

I actually couldn't care less about iMessage. All of my contacts use WhatsApp, even the ones with iPhones.

I don’t know anyone who uses WhatsApp. I guess in the USA it hasn’t gained a lot of traction, at least among iPhone users.
 

_karrol

macrumors regular
Oct 27, 2017
204
228
Wien, Österreich
I don’t know anyone who uses WhatsApp. I guess in the USA it hasn’t gained a lot of traction, at least among iPhone users.
It’s funny how it varies between the region. I’m in Europe and of all my contacts I was using iMessage with just one person. All the rest are divided between WhatsApp (even that one person also uses it) and messenger.


I only switched two days ago after 7 years with the iPhone. More reflections to come, but the main reason is that I was very disappointed with the hardware, as there is literally nothing which feels innovative in the current 12 series. So when the news became official, I pulled the trigger. Other than that, I also have to say I got terribly bored of iOS. I still love macOS and iPadOS which I use everyday (which will also be an interesting thing to see how I stand the mix with Android), but iOS felt very long in the tooth to me.
 
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Shanghaichica

macrumors G5
Apr 8, 2013
14,724
13,244
UK
It’s funny how it varies between the region. I’m in Europe and of all my contacts I was using iMessage with just one person. All the rest are divided between WhatsApp (even that one person also uses it) and messenger.


I only switched two days ago after 7 years with the iPhone. More reflections to come, but the main reason is that I was very disappointed with the hardware, as there is literally nothing which feels innovative in the current 12 series. So when the news became official, I pulled the trigger. Other than that, I also have to say I got terribly bored of iOS. I still love macOS and iPadOS which I use everyday (which will also be an interesting thing to see how I stand the mix with Android), but iOS felt very long in the tooth to me.
I thought I would be getting the iphone 12 pro max but it seems that the camera isn’t all that it seems. Apparently the optical zoom is still only 2.5 x. Now I’m a bit confused.
 

The_Interloper

macrumors 6502a
Oct 28, 2016
686
1,413
I'm not officially an "ex"-iPhone user yet as I still have an SE 2020, but I recently picked up a Samsung Galaxy A71 for under £300 here in the UK as I was feeling disillusioned at the iPhone 12 rumours (cost, base 64Gb storage etc).

Man, the A71 (and other phones like it such as the Pixel 4a) make it VERY hard for me to justify staying in the Apple ecosystem. It runs just great, the 1080p AMOLED screen is beautiful and it came with free AKG Bluetooth headphones (which are terrific by the way!), 6 months Spotify, 4 months YouTube Music/Premium and a 25w fast charger. That's nuts.

My SE was meant to be a stopgap until the new iPhones, but I'm really struggling to justify spending £850 on an iPhone 12 with 128Gb storage now. The missing charger and earphones don't bother me, but it's an insult at the price. The base 64Gb storage is just too low and the lack of a 120Hz display at this price is crazy when there are sub-£400 Androids with those screens (OnePlus, Realme, Xiaomi etc). The fourth year with that massive damn notch (which I've always hated) also makes the design feel stagnant and so dated.

I've been back and forth with Apple in recent years (been a Mac user for 25 years) and the cost of everything is starting to really grate in these troubling times. Add to that the loss of Windows VMs in Apple Silicon Macs (I still need to run critical Windows applications for work) and I may need to jump ship fully at some point. I've threatened to do it many times but my financial patience is wearing thin.
 

The Game 161

macrumors Nehalem
Dec 15, 2010
30,966
20,163
UK
I thought I would be getting the iphone 12 pro max but it seems that the camera isn’t all that it seems. Apparently the optical zoom is still only 2.5 x. Now I’m a bit confused.
They won't get bigger zoom til periscope. Still I expect it to be the best camera on a phone even without it given what it provides
 

_karrol

macrumors regular
Oct 27, 2017
204
228
Wien, Österreich
I thought I would be getting the iphone 12 pro max but it seems that the camera isn’t all that it seems. Apparently the optical zoom is still only 2.5 x. Now I’m a bit confused.
Oh yeah, this camera was one of the letdowns for me, but it's just so typical Apple 😂 I have to say that the switch was surprisingly easy, samsung has the smart switch app and it really worked well. There are of course some hiccups (e.g. if you store your passwords on icloud, they'll not be transferred, WhatsApp chats, for some totally inexplicable reason, cannot be transferred between ios and android without using a 3rd party software), but other than that it was way smoother than i expected. Hope the impressions will stay positive when the novelty effect wears off.
 
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The Game 161

macrumors Nehalem
Dec 15, 2010
30,966
20,163
UK
I keep jumping between but iPhone is my daily driver. Using the foldable Huawei Mate Xs right now in terms of Android and I am looking forward to more foldables like this, if Google can get developers on board to properly optimize all their apps for foldables I could return full-time to Android, we'll see if they do or if Apple launches a foldable to.

There is something just so right, consistent and dependable about an iPhone, Apple Watch and iPad, I love the integration and consistency between them, I never thought I’d be an iPhone user but I have been incredibly happy with it, even more so now with iOS 14 bringing widgets and PiP on iPhone.

I tend to be OCD about some things and Apple seem to understand my OCD, they pay a lot of attention to detail.

That being said iOS/iPad OS also have things that frustrate me, there are times where I am like “this was so much easier in Android” lol.
A user who has the fold 2, galaxy watch, tab s7 plus, Buds live so I'm very much in with Samsung

I have to admit apple watch is the best piece of tech going. It's the best smart watch by a mile.

The apple ecosystem is unmatched. The apple watch is the best watch by a mile and is are the ipads. So much so that no matter what I will always need an iPhone as my daily

I love my fold 2 but it will be my 2nd device... Apple products just work too well even if android has more hardware features.. The user experience is unmatched for me
 

The Game 161

macrumors Nehalem
Dec 15, 2010
30,966
20,163
UK
Oh yeah, this camera was one of the letdowns for me, but it's just so typical Apple I have to say that the switch was surprisingly easy, samsung has the smart switch app and it really worked well. There are of course some hiccups (e.g. if you store your passwords on icloud, they'll not be transferred, WhatsApp chats, for some totally inexplicable reason, cannot be transferred between ios and android without using a 3rd party software), but other than that it was way smoother than i expected. Hope the impressions will stay positive when the novelty effect wears off.
Zoom sure but it won't be there until periscope lens but with apples software I would bet on the zoom still be far better than ever before. Camera for me is the main reason to get the pro max.. I can't see the camera being beat as it stands but will see
 

tbayrgs

macrumors 604
Jul 5, 2009
7,463
5,092
I thought I would be getting the iphone 12 pro max but it seems that the camera isn’t all that it seems. Apparently the optical zoom is still only 2.5 x. Now I’m a bit confused.

If you were counting on greater zoom capabilities, then yes, it's not a huge change. But there are some other serious camera improvements onboard the Pros and even more on the Pro Max. For the wide camera, the pixels are larger on the Pro Max (better low light performance than the Pro) and it now has a stabilized sensor (vs. typical OIS that stabilizes the lens), as well as 10‑bit HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 60fps) video.

I'm very interested to see camera/video performance once sites have a chance to put them through their paces.
 
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tbayrgs

macrumors 604
Jul 5, 2009
7,463
5,092
A user who has the fold 2, galaxy watch, tab s7 plus, Buds live so I'm very much in with Samsung

I have to admit apple watch is the best piece of tech going. It's the best smart watch by a mile.

The apple ecosystem is unmatched. The apple watch is the best watch by a mile and is are the ipads. So much so that no matter what I will always need an iPhone as my daily

I love my fold 2 but it will be my 2nd device... Apple products just work too well even if android has more hardware features.. The user experience is unmatched for me

Don't let Aneres11 see this or he's going to give you a big 'I told you so...' ;)😂.

I thought you were getting along splendidly with the new Samsung watch/Fold 2/Tab S7 Plus combo? Where's it falling it short for you?
 
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The Game 161

macrumors Nehalem
Dec 15, 2010
30,966
20,163
UK
Don't let Aneres11 see this or he's going to give you a big 'I told you so...' ;).

I thought you were getting along splendidly with the new Samsung watch/Fold 2/Tab S7 Plus combo? Where's it falling it short for you?

Yeah he was correct ha. New iphone release always gets me.

For me it all comes down to the Apple Watch. THE galaxy watch is a good watch but really isn’t close to the Apple Watch. I have badly missed the Apple Watch so i will be ditching the galaxy watch for the Apple Watch in blue.

I still love the fold 2 and it’s a keeper for me and the tab s7 plus is a great android tablet but over time app quality has been an issue. I’m using it as purely a media device right now for sport events/YouTube which i know is an expensive device just for that but still i still like it. Even with 120hz though it’s become different in smoothness. IPad is just smoother in day to day usage.

iOS for me overall the apps are simply better. I enjoy viewing content on iPhone/iPad over the experience from android. Android has many areas which is better though but i like the fact i have enjoyed and will enjoy both iOS and android.

Just i would say as a daily driver iphone/Apple Watch/iPad is the best combination you can get for my usage

Notifications not arriving on time has started to bother me more again. I follow a lot of twitter to get news/sports scores/live updates and i simply can’t get that on android. I like seeing all the people i follow on my feed. Many won’t as it’s too many but i like that but on android it stops coming through after 24 tweets. This is just a me issue not for most.

Guess I’m lucky i can enjoy both ecosystem’s and see it for the positives and negatives.

I have really enjoyed the zoom on the note ultra as well but felt after 20x it stopped being useful. It’s nice to market 50x but overall image quality i think 20x is where i would stop using it to show off pictures.
 
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tbayrgs

macrumors 604
Jul 5, 2009
7,463
5,092
Yeah he was correct ha. New iphone release always gets me.

For me it all comes down to the Apple Watch. THE galaxy watch is a good watch but really isn’t close to the Apple Watch. I have badly missed the Apple Watch so i will be ditching the galaxy watch for the Apple Watch in blue.

I still love the fold 2 and it’s a keeper for me and the tab s7 plus is a great android tablet but over time app quality has been an issue. I’m using it as purely a media device right now for sport events/YouTube which i know is an expensive device just for that but still i still like it. Even with 120hz though it’s become different in smoothness. IPad is just smoother in day to day usage.

iOS for me overall the apps are simply better. I enjoy viewing content on iPhone/iPad over the experience from android. Android has many areas which is better though but i like the fact i have enjoyed and will enjoy both iOS and android.

Just i would say as a daily driver iphone/Apple Watch/iPad is the best combination you can get for my usage

Notifications not arriving on time has started to bother me more again. I follow a lot of twitter to get news/sports scores/live updates and i simply can’t get that on android. I like seeing all the people i follow on my feed. Many won’t as it’s too many but i like that but on android it stops coming through after 24 tweets. This is just a me issue not for most.

Guess I’m lucky i can enjoy both ecosystem’s and see it for the positives and negatives.

I have really enjoyed the zoom on the note ultra as well but felt after 20x it stopped being useful. It’s nice to market 50x but overall image quality i think 20x is where i would stop using it to show off pictures.

Don't feel bad, I go through something similar every couple of years where I try to flip to Google/Android (not a Samsung guy) and ultimately, I end of having the same issues I've had in the past and come back to Apple.

It's always fun to try out shiny new tech, though it can certainly be an expensive habit.
 
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