Mobile OSs If you could start over and only pick one ecosystem...

[drinkingtea]

Widgets are far more versatile on android.

Some are more versatile, but when I had the Galaxy S8+, I found the quality and refinement of widgets to be lacking. Most widgets looked like they were designed in the 90s. I missed iOS widgets so much.

Also, I like that I can access the widgets from anywhere with a swipe down of the notifications screen. You can’t do that on Android since widgets are on the home screen.

 

[Shanghaichica]

Some are more versatile, but when I had the Galaxy S8+, I found the quality and refinement of widgets to be lacking. Most widgets looked like they were designed in the 90s. I missed iOS widgets so much.

Also, I like that I can access the widgets from anywhere with a swipe down of the notifications screen. You can’t do that on Android since widgets are on the home screen.

I think the general consensus is that widgets are better on android and the fact that you can place them anywhere you want on any screen is a bonus.

 

[drinkingtea]

I think the general consensus is that widgets are better on android and the fact that you can place them anywhere you want on any screen is a bonus.

General consensus for some, definitely, but not all.

 

[AustinIllini]

I think the general consensus is widgets are not widely used by all that many people anymore.

 

[Fille84]

Widgets on android is without a doubt better in my opinion. Able to resize them and put them wherever I want.

 

[5105973]

General consensus for some, definitely, but not all.

But...but

Definition of general consensus is...

(Yeah I stole Ice Universe’s kitty from Twitter. He’s so cute. Those chubby little cheeks and that expression matches mine when someone says something that makes me think “Wait...what?”

 

[drinkingtea]

Widgets on android is without a doubt better in my opinion. Able to resize them and put them wherever I want.

I didn’t like this aspect of Android widgets. I much prefer having a dedicated page for them and having them all look uniform. Like I said earlier, I really like that I can access them from anywhere and from any app. That’s so convenient. I often need to look at my calendar widget. It’s a swipe down and a quick swipe to the right from anywhere.
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But...but

Definition of general consensus is...

(Yeah I stole Ice Universe’s kitty from Twitter. He’s so cute. Those chubby little cheeks and that expression matches mine when someone says something that makes me think “Wait...what?”

There can be a general consensus between *subsets* of people.

 

[5105973]

I didn’t like this aspect of Android widgets. I much prefer having a dedicated page for them and having them all look uniform. Like I said earlier, I really like that I can access them from anywhere and from any app. That’s so convenient. I often need to look at my calendar widget. It’s a swipe down and a quick swipe to the left from anywhere.
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There can be a general consensus between *subsets* of people.

Ahhh...ok!

Lol your widget comment immediately put me in mind of Rocky Horror. Actually when I’m trying to remember how I’m supposed to reboot my phone I think of the hokey pokey. iOS is driving me a bit nuts sometimes.

Oh goodness and when I switch between my iPhone and my S9+ and keep accidentally bringing up Samsung pay because I’m used to swiping up on iOS for various things...ugh. Sometimes it’s a bit crazy being on multiple platforms. But I love it.

 

[Fille84]

I didn’t like this aspect of Android widgets. I much prefer having a dedicated page for them and having them all look uniform. Like I said earlier, I really like that I can access them from anywhere and from any app. That’s so convenient. I often need to look at my calendar widget. It’s a swipe down and a quick swipe to the right from anywhere.

On Android it's just one click on the home button to see your widgets, if you have them on one screen.

And with apps like KWGT or Zooper you can make your own widgets and make them look whatever you want them to look like.

 

[drinkingtea]

On Android it's just one click on the home button to see your widgets, if you have them on one screen.

And with apps like KWGT or Zooper you can make your own widgets and make them look whatever you want them to look like.

That’s true, but you still have to leave the app you’re in to access them. I also like that I can view my widgets when the phone is locked.

I used KWGT and Zooper when I had an Android, but I just got tired of making widgets look how I wanted them to look. I just don’t have time to sit and fiddle with the design. I don’t need to worry about that with iOS widgets; developers do that job for me and I am more than satisfied with how the widgets look and behave.

I stopped using widgets on Android for a variety of reasons, but I use widgets on iOS daily. There’s nothing wrong with having a preference.

 

[5105973]

Ok looking at my Google Calendar widget on my iPhone I swipe once from the home page to get to it. It’s to the left of my home page and I have to scroll down a ways to get to it. It doesn’t show me a whole lot unless I tap to open it.

On my Pixel I’ve got it actually on my home page. It’s resized to fit the first two days. I can scroll in that widget without opening it and see what’s on each day of the week. I have a full week display of weather in a widget above the calendar widget. If I swipe one more page over to the right of my home screen I have my entire monthly calendar taking up a page as another aspect of the Google Calendar widget so I can see the school calendar meshed with my personal calendar of events in a whole month view. I can see at a glance what’s coming weeks from now in the same month. That is also interactive as if I had opened the full app.

My car insurance app allows me to make a widget that allows me to touch it and immediately be taken to my authentication page where I open using my fingerprint a form where everything I need to access in the chaos of an auto accident is immediately accessible, including my agent where I just need touch his name and get connected to him.

In iOS there's the usual app icon and I can log in but doesn't look like face or touch ID is an option yet, but I think icloud keychain or 1Password authorization is. It all looks different with just a little less immediate of a connection. That immediacy makes a difference when I am shaken up or injured. Log in pages just suck when you're dealing with an accident.

If for some reason the phone or my fingerprint isn't available to work with the widget of course then I still have the icon that works similar to the iOS icon which is my only way in on an iPhone.

The great thing about widgets on Android is you don't have to use them but when you want to they can be customized as to size and stuck pretty much wherever you want to put them. I don't really try to design them any further beyond sizing them to fit the place I want to put them.

Apple Widgets are cool, too, for the reason @drinkingtea says. It depends on what you like. I find I almost never look at the widgets on iOS anymore because they look so plain and on mine it's just a sheet to scroll down. A few of mine are also slow to load what is supposed to be at-a-glance information. Nevertheless I can see the appeal of Apple's way.

Sometimes Android overwhelms people with choices. Samsung in particular can be an overload of customization choices and if you're not in the mood for it, the option to take default is there, but a lot of people just throw their hands in the air and give up on it, which is a shame.

Ugh sorry this post is hard to read. It's hard for me to describe these sorts of things succinctly.

 

[drinkingtea]

I have the Fantastical calendar widget which shows me a full calendar with all of my events and it is interactive. I can select any date to see what events I have, which are indicated by colored dots according to the event. I can also select a date to add an event. It’s perfect for my needs and I prefer it to any Android calendar widget I had.

All of the iOS widgets I have fit my needs perfectly. There isn’t a widget I am lacking. I especially love the Launcher widget. I can quickly call a specific person or quickly go to a specific destination by opening up a maps app of my choice. Also, the Shortcuts widget has changed how I use my phone.

I just really like how iOS handles widgets. I prefer uniformity (it really bothers me that Android widgets look so different from one another) and that I can access them from anywhere.

iOS Widgets are definitely one of the reasons I probably won’t ever switch back to Android. I just hated their implementation so much when I had the S8+.

 

[5105973]

I have the Fantastical calendar widget which shows me a full calendar with all of my events and it is interactive. I can select any date to see what events I have, which are indicated by colored dots according to the event. I can also select a date to add an event. It’s perfect for my needs and I prefer it to any Android calendar widget I had.

All of the iOS widgets I have fit my needs perfectly. There isn’t a widget I am lacking. I especially love the Launcher widget. I can quickly call a specific person or quickly go to a specific destination by opening up a maps app of my choice. Also, the Shortcuts widget has changed how I use my phone.

I just really like how iOS handles widgets. I prefer uniformity (it really bothers me that Android widgets look so different from one another) and that I can access them from anywhere.

Widgets are definitely one of the reasons I probably won’t ever switch back to Android. I just hated their implementation so much when I had the S8+.

I had no idea the iOS widget page was that versatile.

Edit: is there a way to change the order of the widgets? I added my calendar one later but I really want it up on top.

 

[drinkingtea]

I had no idea the iOS widget page was that versatile.

Edit: is there a way to change the order of the widgets? I added my calendar one later but I really want it up on top.

Yes! Scroll down to the bottom in the widget page and select “Edit” to rearrange the widget order. Definitely take a look at the Fantastical calendar app; it has the best calendar widget.

Also, the Cheatsheet app offers a really nice note-taking widget.

 

[tbayrgs]

I have the Fantastical calendar widget which shows me a full calendar with all of my events and it is interactive. I can select any date to see what events I have, which are indicated by colored dots according to the event. I can also select a date to add an event. It’s perfect for my needs and I prefer it to any Android calendar widget I had.

All of the iOS widgets I have fit my needs perfectly. There isn’t a widget I am lacking. I especially love the Launcher widget. I can quickly call a specific person or quickly go to a specific destination by opening up a maps app of my choice. Also, the Shortcuts widget has changed how I use my phone.

I just really like how iOS handles widgets. I prefer uniformity (it really bothers me that Android widgets look so different from one another) and that I can access them from anywhere.

iOS Widgets are definitely one of the reasons I probably won’t ever switch back to Android. I just hated their implementation so much when I had the S8+.

Much the same for me. I prefer not having to leave an app to quickly check a widget and thus like Apples implementation. Admitttdly, I don’t use widgets on my phones that much anymore but like how quickly I can get to all of my iOS widgets. I have to use Authy many times a day for work so having it a couple swipes away on the widget page is great. That being said, I appreciate the flexibility Android offers in their widgets and can see how one would prefer that. It just doesn’t fit my workflow—rarely use them on my Android phones.

To be honest, the widgets I use most are the ‘complications’ in my Apple Watch face. I tap those all the time throughout the day.

 

[Fille84]

That’s true, but you still have to leave the app you’re in to access them. I also like that I can view my widgets when the phone is locked.

I used KWGT and Zooper when I had an Android, but I just got tired of making widgets look how I wanted them to look. I just don’t have time to sit and fiddle with the design. I don’t need to worry about that with iOS widgets; developers do that job for me and I am more than satisfied with how the widgets look and behave.

I stopped using widgets on Android for a variety of reasons, but I use widgets on iOS daily. There’s nothing wrong with having a preference.

Leaving an app/drag down the notification bar and slide, what's the difference.... And honestly I can make the widget to look how I want in 10 minutes, after that it's done. I bet you can find 10 minutes as well.

 

[drinkingtea]

Leaving an app/drag down the notification bar and slide, what's the difference.... And honestly I can make the widget to look how I want in 10 minutes, after that it's done. I bet you can find 10 minutes as well.

The difference is is that you are still in the app you are using without having to leave it. The difference is is that I can access these widgets when the phone is locked.

That’s great, but I’d rather use those ten minutes for something more important. Plus, as I said before, none of the Android widgets satisfied me. I ended up uninstalling all of them and a few months later I went back to iOS.

 

[Fille84]

The difference is is that you are still in the app you are using without having to leave it. The difference is is that I can access these widgets when the phone is locked.

That’s great, but I’d rather use those ten minutes for something more important. Plus, as I said before, none of the Android widgets satisfied me. I ended up uninstalling all of them and a few months later I went back to iOS.

But the app is not disposable either way....Sorry I don't understand the benefit. And 10 minutes is well spent, I get widgets that kicks iPhones-widgets ass in both look and usage.

 

[Falhófnir]

Thankfully you don't have to choose just one ecosystem, you can mix and match to your hearts content. If it came down to it and I really was locked in for 5-6 years, I'd probably have to go Android-Windows over iOS-Mac due to the Macbook's (IMO) less than stellar hardware, and Apple's escalating prices across the board.

 

[slitherjef]

About the only widget I use anymore is the Google at a glance, mostly for weather. I keep my phones desktop about as clean as I possibly can.

I never really got into widgets. Heck at one time I tried an app that kept my widgets in a folder, but I never really got into that either.

I only use one desktop also. I used to have multiple docks I could scroll through with Nova but I've done away with that as well

 

[mib1800]

One of the biggest reasons to stay with Apple. Developers largely prioritize iOS apps. You just don’t find refined apps like Bear, Things, Unread, Airmail, etc. in the Play Store. Also, iOS widget quality is better as well.

Most iOS apps just lack many functions due to iOS lack of interop and true multi tasking capabilities.

 

[AustinIllini]

Most iOS apps just lack many functions due to iOS lack of interop and true multi tasking capabilities.

Basically in iOS you can't do anything to use a competitive ecosystem as well as Android. Google does okay dealing with Apple's abysmal app interactivity by baking the Assistant into several apps and allowing it to call other Google Apps on iPhone. The problem is any app that doesn't fit the Google paradigm on iOS tends to default to the typical low grade Apple nonsense apps.

 

[drinkingtea]

Most iOS apps just lack many functions due to iOS lack of interop and true multi tasking capabilities.

Yet, I manage just fine with iOS apps.

 

[RootBeerMan]

Which ecosystem would I choose? Hands down it would still be Apple. Superior hardware and software integration coupled with user friendliness are always a winner.I've never seen an Android phone do anything that I can't do on my iPhones.

Romesh Ranganathan sums up Android users quite well. Comically. NSFW language.

 

[Klyster]

I've never seen an Android phone do anything that I can't do on my iPhones.

Download any files directly from your browser to a physical file system without using 3rd party apps or the cloud?
Plug the phone into almost any device and transfer files using a file system, any files?
Set an audio file as a ringtone or alarm, without using third party apps?
Customize your home-screen, not just the wallpaper, install a loader, deep customization?
Split screen multitasking?


I'm not saying you can't, could or would want to, I'd just be surprised if you could.

As for ecosystems, I don't use that word in relation to computing usage, I don't really think of it as an ecosystem rather than multiple platforms.
An ecosystem conjures visions of effortless harmonious balance.
I just want things to work how I want them to work, to hell with harmony, I'll force things to work they way I want, if it involves a little thought, so be it.

That said, I use an android TV, PC and android tablet and phone, primarily.

I had an iMac but sold it, it wasn't my cup of tea.
As per the theme of the thread, I would never limit myself to one system.