Other Is there a specific app or feature that is keeping others "iPhone bound"?

[eyoungren]

It’s a phone. No-one is trapped. There’s no magic app forcing users to use an iPhone.

If you don’t like iPhones, get a different phone.

It might be good to bring the dramatics down to a less hysterical level. There are more important things in life.

👍

Ah, but the difficulty of extracting yourself from the Apple ecosystem and the amount of effort required! Easier to say "Trapped" or "Invested heavily into the Apple ecosystem".

That's what I hear as a defense whenever I make comments such as you have.

It's a choice. And people make it to stay for their own reasons. But that doesn't mean it's not possible to leave, nor does it mean the choice has been taken out of your hands.

 

[Starfia]

The Watch is the main thing. I bought my first iPhone because I wanted the first Apple Watch. The iPhone is still my least-used Apple device, and I'm happy to keep and care for the oldest iPhone that still works well. After ten years, I'd still ready to welcome the Watch's iOS 5-esque "PC-free" moment.

But I still love the iPhone, and the main reason is just that the team at Apple truly did invent the modern smartphone, thought about it carefully and thoroughly, and are still maturing it excellently. Other companies have contributed and inspired Apple to "catch up" with certain features, but they're fundamentally still imitating Apple today.

I interpreted "bound" in your question in the sense of feeling tethered or "locked in," as though one might want to move away but felt they couldn't. But this thread seems to suggest that users generally just stay with iPhone because they like it.

 

[Coltaine]

I like Apple products and the ecosystem.
I moved from Windows 14 years ago.
No particular „killer“ app or use case.
Just more or less smooth sailing.
Unfortunately, as a German citizen, the EU is trying to save me. Meaning I get more and more features delayed or not at all.

 

[cjsuk]

I spent 2 weeks offline with both Android and iOS.

Android was a complete liability on many fronts. iOS was fine.

That's why I stick with the iPhone.

To clarify this point, it's worth suggesting that the Android phone is about as useful as a brick after 2-3 days offline. Things actually stop working. Keep wouldn't open, Tasks was throwing errors, Offline maps didn't work very well. It is too tied to their cloud being contactable and operational. That puts me at risk. Also a companion on that trip had Android and her compass app wouldn't open without an internet connection which is plain old stupid. iOS was absolutely fine - everything worked offline and sync'ed happily when we had WiFi. Reminders/Notes/Mail/Calendar all worked fine.

 

[Ctrlos]

Is there a specific app or feature, that either works better on iPhone, or only exists on iPhone, which is enough to keep you "iPhone bound"?

I have been pondering moving over to Android for some time now, but there are specific apps and features that either are only available on iPhone, or work better on iPhone compared to other phones.

To mention just a few, flighty app, craft app and Apple Pay.

If there was a flight app and craft app for Android, my "switching to" decision would be made easier, but these two natively working so great on the platform, it's hard to let them go.

Am I alone with feeling this way? Is there a specific app or feature that is keeping others "iPhone bound"?

To name but a few:

- The extra buttons. Android phones have a dearth of lockscreen shortcuts
- Apple Wallet is better integrated into the base OS and works 100% of the time
- Airplay Mirroring is 30000% smoother than Cast
- Google keep killing all their best apps. No native podcast app is a big deal breaker
- Exclusive apps like Pixelmator, Tapestry, Halide, Kino, Ulysses, Spectre, Procreate etc are not only unavailable on Android but have no equivalents
- Exclusive games like Tiny Wings, Trism and Rolando as well as console ports like Journey, Flower, Death Stranding and AC Mirage are a big draw. Android has these 'gaming' handsets but no exclusive titles to push them with.

I've played in the Android yard more than a few times and there is a lot to love but I always come back to iPhone because there are very few compromises.

 

[Spinarelo]

My son will be 22 this week. Back when he was in high school he attended a STEM school that was highly oriented towards technology, both learning it and using it in the school. My son has an iPhone.

I asked him once if the kids at his school using Android phones ever messed up the chat group or got looked down on because their messages were green bubbles. He looked at me like I'd sprouted a second head. His answer was 'no'. His co-students had zero issues with any of that.

I'm not saying anything to knock your choice because what you use is your business and it works for you. I'm just mentioning my son's experience is all.

High school kids are more rational and understanding than adults when it comes to this stuff 😂

 

[rui no onna]

- Exclusive games like Tiny Wings, Trism and Rolando as well as console ports like Journey, Flower, Death Stranding and AC Mirage are a big draw. Android has these 'gaming' handsets but no exclusive titles to push them with.

True. On the other hand, emulation is more mature on Android and it's even possible to play some Windows games on high-end handsets.

 

[Ctrlos]

True. On the other hand, emulation is more mature on Android and it's even possible to play some Windows games on high-end handsets.

The ability to play GameCube and PS2 games certainly has merit, doubly so with Samsung Dex. I spent some time using my phone as a games console in hotels and it was a good way to spend an evening. I always find emulation to have diminishing returns though as there is too much choice when it comes to the game selection. I've also changed my stance on roms in that time and now only play my own backups, largely cheap UMDs I've picked up for the PSP.

When someone makes a phone that can emulate Xbox 360 games, that would be worth buying.

 

[iPhone-Guy]

Here our mine (not that I feel Apple Bound, I just really like Apple):

Important: Apple Pay, iCloud, Apple Music (tried other music apps but just not for me), and surprissingly, Journal, even though there are other journaling apps I already used it too much to transfer everything

Semi-Important: Apple Watch+AirPods+iPad=$$$ (I know there are Android counterparts but still), Notes, Reminders

Nice to Have: Find My, Action Button, Camera Control (be quiet haters, I like my fun buttons), Calendar, Fitness, Apple TV, Files

 

[zenmacx]

This is why I find alternatives and do not lock myself into Apple.

I've used both Android and iPhone for years. Working in a cross platform environment has its advantages as it keeps one up to date on both ecosystems. Each has their pros and cons.

Where Apple truly shines is how clever they've been over the years convincing people that their products are the only ones that "just work". That they are the only ones that care about your privacy. Repeating this mantra over and over and over has served them well.

Google on the other hand has made no effort in these areas and as such does not have what some might characterize as a cult like following. Android offers complete freedom and as such is the global platform of choice in many instances. While some love to question their privacy practices, what if it turns out the competition is no better?

There’s a lot to be said about freedom of choice.

 

[eyoungren]

I've used both Android and iPhone for years. Working in a cross platform environment has its advantages as it keeps one up to date on both ecosystems. Each has their pros and cons.

Where Apple truly shines is how clever they've been over the years convincing people that their products are the only ones that "just work". That they are the only ones that care about your privacy. Repeating this mantra over and over and over has served them well.

Google on the other hand has made no effort in these areas and as such does not have what some might characterize as a cult like following. Android offers complete freedom and as such is the globe platform of choice in many instances.

While some love to question their privacy practices, what if it turns out the competition is no better?

There’s a lot to be said about freedom of choice.

I had almost bought into that in 2012 when I got my iPhone 5. First iPhone for me that served as my primary phone. Unfortunately, I discovered that in that same year Apple had chosen to prevent older PowerBook G4s from using iTunes to connect to and control iPhones with the lightning cable connector. That meant I couldn't manage my iPhone with my G4.

That led (for me) to a cascade effect where the stuff I wanted to sync from my G4 to my iPhone (and vice-versa) would not work. So, I had to find workarounds and third party services. Since I already had Google accounts it was an easy matter to go that route. However, I had to come up with a convoluted process to get syncing to work. Then I discovered that (at that time) iCloud contacts only synced one way. I couldn't get my iCloud contacts to my G4 and I learned that the default for adding contacts on iOS was iCloud. So, that meant Google again.

Another work around was something I'd already been doing with a 3GS - jailbreaking. So, I jailbroke my iPhone 5 and that allowed me better circumstances to sync third party services and use my iPhone in the way I wanted. But, despite an always renewed DMCA exemption from the Librarian of Congress saying that jailbreaking was (and is) legal and allowed, Apple adopted the stance that it was dangerous and harmful.

Whatever your stance on that, Apple repeated it in the same way that they repeated the stuff you mention. So, just like the reactionaries who have problems with Google, there were reactionaries who had problems outright with just the mention of jailbreaking. "'Cause Apple said it was bad."

Come November 2020 and I've left jailbreaking behind for a few reasons not related to anything Apple ever said about it, and Apple's entire stance has changed about it.

So yeah…I don't just reflexively buy whatever Apple is pushing/saying/selling anymore.

 

[tbgb50]

I use calendar and notes extensively. That's it; my other apps are from 3rd parties . If I only count actual photos - I've got 15 that took me 10+ years to accumulate.

The reason I stick with iPhones is that they work seamlessly with all of my other Apple devices which no other phone can claim. Productivity alone is worth the Apple tax.

The only thing that would change my mind is if Apple only sold Pro Max sized devices.