Left the Apple Ecosystem, now having second thoughts.

[bkrbyndr]

Do you still have magnetic stip readers in Sweden?

Yep sometimes both with NFC payment too.

 

[Shanghaichica]

Yep sometimes both with NFC payment too.

Oh we don’t have them anymore in the Uk.

 

[sunking101]

I really like the Gear S3 design (I had a Frontier briefly). For a start, it looks like a real watch, not a piece of tech on your wrist, and a nice-looking one at that. But it just fell short for me in a few areas.

Firstly, as I mentioned before, Samsung Pay is a dead-end here in the UK. There's no point paying premium prices for something with functionality you cannot use.

Secondly - and this was the deal breaker for me - I found the Bluetooth range awful. I could literally walk a couple of rooms away from my phone and it would lose connection. Go upstairs - lose connection. Step outside - lose connection. Awful. That killed a lot of functionality, especially the ability to answer a call when your phone is in another room.

And having to use S Voice instead of Google Asistant? Don't get me started. S Voice is just atrocious. It makes Siri look like the world's most advanced AI.

The one other area where all smartwatches seem to have dropped the ball is the ability to quickly change bands. Apple nailed this - press a button, slide, done. The S3 at least uses standard 22mm bands, but it's still fiddly. It becomes a pain quickly switching to a fitness-oriented band when you've been wearing something more formal, for example. Fitbit's new Versa has really screwed this up - they've gone for a proprietary design that is even more awkward than standard bands. Stupid.

In short, when talking about being deep in an ecosystem, I think a watch is now a major part of it. For anyone fitness-oriented, these things are just indispensable, especially as all your data is synced to the phone. For me, Apple is the only company that has managed to get every single piece of the puzzle working flawlessly together, with no missing functionality. It may not always be the best, but it is the most complete.

The Huwaei Watch 2 has bands with press-button removal but watches are in no way essential ecosystem components, even for fitness. Daley Thompson never needed a smartwatch, nor Michael Johnson, Bruce Jenner or Michael Phelps. They are not essential and the data they log isn't essential either. Helpful at best.

 

[Roadstar]

I guess it depends on your bank. My bank (nationwide) supports Apple, Samsung and google pay. They all use the same technology so wherever contactless works, they will all work.

Yep, they all work if you can just register your card for the payment system. However, in Finland the choice is a bit too easy as we have Apple Pay on one bank (which issues also branded credit cards for various retailers, that’s how I have my Apple Pay compatible card) while Samsung Pay and Google Pay share the second place with 0 banks.

 

[Roadstar]

Not if it doesn’t accept your bank’s cards in the first place. Also, the MTS functionality is currently US-only.

Samsung Pay launched over a year ago here in the UK and has been pretty stagnant. Many of our major banks - NatWest, Barclays, Halifax, Lloyds, Bank of Scotland, RBS etc - still haven’t signed up and show no signs of doing so. That’s tens of millions of debit and credit cards that can’t use it. No PayPal either, unlike the US. Seems DOA at present.

Well, it has at least launched there. I’m a bit surprised that Samsung Pay launched in Sweden, but Finland is still nowhere to be seen. Oh well, at least Apple Pay works like a charm.

 

[bkrbyndr]

Well, it has at least launched there. I’m a bit surprised that Samsung Pay launched in Sweden, but Finland is still nowhere to be seen. Oh well, at least Apple Pay works like a charm.

Samsung pay have been here (sweden) since 2016 I think. And almost every bank have support. But Apple pay only one bank (Nordea) so Samsung pay waaay better.

 

[Roadstar]

Samsung pay have been here (sweden) since 2016 I think. And almost every bank have support. But Apple pay only one bank (Nordea) so Samsung pay waaay better.

Apple Pay is Nordea only in Finland as well, but it’s still better than 0 Samsung Pay banks. I’m not sure if it’s Samsung or the banks holding out.

 

[4RunnerHeaven]

I really like the Gear S3 design (I had a Frontier briefly). For a start, it looks like a real watch, not a piece of tech on your wrist, and a nice-looking one at that. But it just fell short for me in a few areas.

Firstly, as I mentioned before, Samsung Pay is a dead-end here in the UK. There's no point paying premium prices for something with functionality you cannot use.

Secondly - and this was the deal breaker for me - I found the Bluetooth range awful. I could literally walk a couple of rooms away from my phone and it would lose connection. Go upstairs - lose connection. Step outside - lose connection. Awful. That killed a lot of functionality, especially the ability to answer a call when your phone is in another room.

And having to use S Voice instead of Google Asistant? Don't get me started. S Voice is just atrocious. It makes Siri look like the world's most advanced AI.

The one other area where all smartwatches seem to have dropped the ball is the ability to quickly change bands. Apple nailed this - press a button, slide, done. The S3 at least uses standard 22mm bands, but it's still fiddly. It becomes a pain quickly switching to a fitness-oriented band when you've been wearing something more formal, for example. Fitbit's new Versa has really screwed this up - they've gone for a proprietary design that is even more awkward than standard bands. Stupid.

In short, when talking about being deep in an ecosystem, I think a watch is now a major part of it. For anyone fitness-oriented, these things are just indispensable, especially as all your data is synced to the phone. For me, Apple is the only company that has managed to get every single piece of the puzzle working flawlessly together, with no missing functionality. It may not always be the best, but it is the most complete.

I also noticed the weak bluetooth range on my Gear S3 too. My AW S3 doesn't have the issue. I can be anywhere in my house and my watch stays connected, but my Gear S3 lost connection just a room over. Like I said, the Gear S3 isn't as good as the AW. It may have a better design, but it doesn't work as good.

 

[macher]

I also noticed the weak bluetooth range on my Gear S3 too. My AW S3 doesn't have the issue. I can be anywhere in my house and my watch stays connected, but my Gear S3 lost connection just a room over. Like I said, the Gear S3 isn't as good as the AW. It may have a better design, but it doesn't work as good.

Although I really really like the Pixel 2 I’m sticking with Apple cause the of the AW. I’m not impressed with the GW.

 

[one more]

I uploaded years of pictures to Google Photos, but I hate knowing that I gave up so much info/privacy to Google by doing that, and I just feel the integration with iCloud works better.

So did I and have no regrets whatsoever.

Privacy-wise, you can create any dummy Google account not linked to any of your real info, so folks looking for your info online will not find your photos, videos, etc., unless you choose to publicly share them, obviously.

Technically, keeping photos/videos with Google with their unlimited storage is great too, as you do not overburden your devices every time Apple goes for a major system update and wants to reindex your entire Photos library. I remember lots of people complaining here during the HEIF/HEVC introduction - iPhones/iPads overheating and batteries draining fast. None of this with Google that seems to be sorting it all out on their back end.

Everything has its pluses and minuses, so as long as you are happy with your setup, it is all good.

 

[therealunforgiven]

Last year, I started leaving the Apple ecosystem when I purchased a Dell XPS 15 over the MacBook Pro. It was literally $1000 cheaper than the MBP for the same specs, so I couldn't justify getting the MBP. My next step away from Apple was when I bought the Samsung Galaxy S9+ in March. I was getting really frustrated with some of the limitations of iOS (Siri, can't download videos from Safari, being strongly pushed to only use Apple apps, like Apple Maps and Apple Music over Google Maps/Waze and Spotify). The iPhone X was also a couple hundred dollars more than the S9+, which factored into my decision.

I love my S9+, I really do. The features and specs this phone packs in is amazing. The screen is stunning. The speakers with Dolby Atmos are top notch. The build quality and design are very premium. The customization, freedom, and power of choice that this phone and Android give are very liberating. The performance is fast and great besides a few app crashes/freezes (I've had problems with Spotify and YouTube at times). I never realized how much I appreciated the headphone jack until I had it back. My XPS performs great as well and I've had no issues with it.

However, I can't stop considering switching back to the Apple ecosystem. I really, really miss iMessage, AirDrop, iCloud, and the continuity between all my devices. I truly loathe SMS. It's not like other parts of the world where lots of people use WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, etc. either, which would make replacing iMessage much easier. When it comes to missing AirDrop, I recorded some videos on my S9+, tried sending it to my iPad Pro to edit, which was a huge process in itself, but my iPad also wouldn't accept the file (it was HEVC and incompatible, which is also confusing because Apple has high efficiency photo/video options now in Settings). I uploaded years of pictures to Google Photos, but I hate knowing that I gave up so much info/privacy to Google by doing that, and I just feel the integration with iCloud works better. The whole privacy issue is constantly in the back of my mind with my all my main internet browsing being on Windows and Android. I also have only gotten one single security update since I've had my S9+, which worries me.

I also really miss the creative software Apple produces for macOS. I like messing around in Logic Pro. I've tried Ableton Live, but I much prefer the interface of Logic. I love the interface and workflow of Final Cut Pro much more than Adobe Premiere, and I hate the high monthly cost of Adobe software. As a student, I could get Logic and Final Cut for $200 total, which is a steal, especially since I'd get lifetime upgrades too.

All of this has made me start thinking about selling all my current devices and putting it towards getting an iPhone X/"X2" and a MacBook Pro. However, I'd still have to pay a lot of money to switch over even after selling my devices, and I have some reservations. The MacBook Pro keyboard problems scare me a bit. I'm afraid I'll miss the freedom of Android and Google Assistant. My car also only works with Android Auto, not CarPlay, so I'll really miss that. It also just makes me feel wasteful buying new devices when all my current devices work great.

Any thoughts or experiences you would like to share? I'm dying for some insight here.

You tried that is a plus and android and Samsung has mind blowing screens and freedom. Everyone that I've talked with that tried Samsung they loved it. Except when it came to getting stuff to apple products. That isn't android or Samsungs fault as I'm sure you know. imessages I here this alot as well the green bubble comes up more than anything. Apple does make nice products and I just don't want to buy one. My issue is the say they're the best stuff in the world. The hold their self to high standards and this is where and why so many criticisms comes from. I think apple should and could make it easy as in anyone to have few apple products and android or windows. It should be up to the customers. I think if you could mix people might like iphone but not want a mac or whatever. So they buy a surface apple locks everything down so it won't t be easy to do that. It's all apple or you have start all over. When you have thousands of dollars into your setup. Then you realize to get same sharing you need to buy everything over. That's why I don't like apple plus they treat customers like crap. Apple took a open source and closed it like fort Knox. Yeah you can build hackintosh but it should be easy. As you know you buy a Samsung phone to. Opy your iphone stuff is easy not other way around. I'm not saying this to bash apple I just think and see this. I've started building computers in the early 90s. So alot of become to me for help. It's always the same I'm stuck in apple hell and I can't get out. People stop talking to them over the green bubble I'm like that's so sad. Evtjinks you have android your poor. No I'm not anything I buy I need reasons to do so. Like I upgrade my phone about every 3 to 4 years. It works good for me. Just my thoughts

 

[trinec]

After more than 10 years with Apple, I left them two weeks ago. I loved my setup, MacBook Late 2008, Cinema Display 27" via MDP with WQHD, BT keyboard and trackpad. Everything was stylish, working properly and never had any issues. For mobile devices I used an iPhone X and Watch 3 with cellular.

With 90% of my contacts (that's great for a non US country, mostly WhatApp is used in Europe) I could message via iMessage. Everything was in sync, no issues with pictures or videos.

So what was the reason for me to switch?

My MacBook made a still good job on Catalina (thanks Dosdude and co!), my Cinemadisplay seems to quit it's job soon (has already some outages, sometimes I need to plugin-/out the MDP connector multiple times to get a screen) - so this'll need to be replaced soon - but there isn't any stylish display anymore from Apple. Ok, so I'll have a regular ugly screen - well. Next, I'm working as a developer - it doesn't bother me to work on any platform, so I may easily switch to Linux and may avoid heavy prices for more RAM.

Since the iPhone X more and more people in my circle are complaining about the heavy prices and thinking about to leave Apple. Since I make more and more travel videos in 4k/60FPS my 64gb version got to be too small, sometimes it's not possible to uplaod that large files every night, sometimes there's just a link via sattelite phone, hah! Ok, so I had to take a look for a new one, puhhh iPhone 11 Pro 256GB would be really much compared to a Galaxy S10 which could be easily extended by a microSD card.

This was the point of no return for me, I got an Android device, sold my iPhone and Watch (I'll miss my watch in summer again, to coordinate any meetings on an abandoned see or public pools without taking my smartphone with me it was pretty cool).

I was amazed about Android, nah - not customisation, but it's flexibility. Impressing to watch a Youtube video while having open a browser for researching and google docs for writing - one, two or three apps at the same time in an adjustable sizing for each - veeeerryyyy cool! Possibility to get other apps than stock ones - yes! No more Ads in YouTube, systemwide adblocking - yes!

Since I'm out without any pocket I usually only use ApplePay for any payments. I was not sure if GPay will work even reliable for me, but yes it does. No issues yet.

Am I missing something? Yes, sure! It's iMessage and unlock with Watch on my Mac. Are there any possibilities - yes and no. For iMessage you may have some chooses - I'm really fine with Telegram messenger, it gives me all the features, works on any plattform and has an open API (yes that rocks for me!) but you'll maybe need some time to get people over there. If you're fine you could jut switch to the mainstream messenger in your country (probably depends on your country but possible FaceBook messenger in the stats, WhatsApp in Europe, Russia and Turkey, WeChat in Asia and Telegram mostly in Russia and everywhere else a little bit). If you still use an Mac you may give "AirMessage" a try - it'll act as a proxy and forwards your messages to your Android. You may use all features but keep in mind that your mac needs to be active 24/7. So yes I can live with this and try to get more and more people on to Telegram. For unlock with watch I have no solution - sure you can use something like Proximity but that's kinda hacky and not really secure - the timing logic of WLAN AC for unlock with Watch is a really good implementation.

Since I've never used any Apple online services except of iMessage before, my switch was easy. Would I switch back? Maybe but it just depends on the prices. With Android 9 everything is good enough to use it and I do not see any reason anymore to pay more than the times for an iPhone that for an equal or even better device. For everything else - time will tell.

 

[BMox81]

For the first time in a very long time, I'm going to hop back over to Android. Just liking what's going on in relation to the smart stuff and as I predominantly use Google related services, seems like as good a time as any to give it another go.

I've added a Home Mini and Hub, with a Shield TV on it's way, Stadia (and it's Chromecast Ultra) coming for Christmas and will try and get a Max at some point.

 

[rforno]

I'm getting the itch to go back. Why in 2019-almost 2020- Cupertino still refuses to let us organize our IOS icons the way we want to instead of the linear grid where one mis-drag or deletion screws up your 'muscle memory' and icon organization across all screens...which I had to waste 20m this morning doing via one of the hack-around blank-icon sites out there. Wanting certain apps (which compete w/Apple) to do background operation, and of course, why we can't use our own apps as defaults, etc, etc, etc.

Iphones are the slickly-marketed and polished Model Ts of mobile devices. You can do anything you like with them provided it's done Apple's way and only Apple's way. There's only one workflow on IOS, and that's Apple's, not ours.

The only thing keeping me from running out today to switch back to Google phones (Nexus/Pixel) are security/privacy architectures, ease of restoring from backups, and the length of OS support from Apple.

*grumble*

 

[Zaft]

Is that so hard to understand that iMessage is popular in one place but not in another? The facts are that iMessage is heavily used in the US and most people will not use an app just for one person.

It’s a different issue in Europe. I am currently in Russia and even IOS users do not use iMessage. It’s either WhatsApp or Viber.

 

[macher]

Is that so hard to understand that iMessage is popular in one place but not in another? The facts are that iMessage is heavily used in the US and most people will not use an app just for one person.

It’s a different issue in Europe. I am currently in Russia and even IOS users do not use iMessage. It’s either WhatsApp or Viber.

My wife has family in France and everyone uses WhatsApp.

 

[yui4]

It’s a different issue in Europe. I am currently in Russia and even IOS users do not use iMessage. It’s either WhatsApp or Viber.

100%. None of my contacts, except my parents, use the messaging app on any platform. I'm UK based on near enough everybody uses whatsapp.

It makes swapping operating systems easy in that aspect.

 

[IowaLynn]

Zuckerberg plans on unifying the infrastructure of all three of the company’s messaging services — WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger. https://www.xda-developers.com/facebook-messenger-phone-number-support-removed/
Can Facebook be trusted. It abuses your data, shares your ph# with 3rd parties.

 

[Roadstar]

Can Facebook be trusted. It abuses your data, shares your ph# with 3rd parties.

Not really, and I’d rather use other services such as Telegram, but if the people I need to talk to are on WhatsApp, there’s unfortunately not much choice.

 

[Shanghaichica]

Is that so hard to understand that iMessage is popular in one place but not in another? The facts are that iMessage is heavily used in the US and most people will not use an app just for one person.

It’s a different issue in Europe. I am currently in Russia and even IOS users do not use iMessage. It’s either WhatsApp or Viber.

I can’t even imagine not using what’s app at this point.
[automerge]1577862041[/automerge]

100%. None of my contacts, except my parents, use the messaging app on any platform. I'm UK based on near enough everybody uses whatsapp.

It makes swapping operating systems easy in that aspect.

Uk based too. None of my contacts use iMessage even then ones with iPhones.

 

[MarkX]

Uk based too. None of my contacts use iMessage even then ones with iPhones.

What is iMessage?

 

[flybub]

100%. None of my contacts, except my parents, use the messaging app on any platform. I'm UK based on near enough everybody uses whatsapp.

It makes swapping operating systems easy in that aspect.

Until the US carriers completely get rid of SMS/MMS on their networks, this will never be the case over here. I wish we would adopt WhatsApp, but I honestly don't see that happening.

 

[Wildo6882]

Until the US carriers completely get rid of SMS/MMS on their networks, this will never be the case over here. I wish we would adopt WhatsApp, but I honestly don't see that happening.

Yeah. It’s such a pain as I’d like to venture out into the Android world again from time to time, but with all of my family (aside from my wife) on iOS, it makes it such a pain. It would be so much easier if everyone used a single method here in the States.

 

[michael9891]

Until the US carriers completely get rid of SMS/MMS on their networks, this will never be the case over here. I wish we would adopt WhatsApp, but I honestly don't see that happening.

Can't see that happening anytime soon. Seeing as every carrier in the world uses sms.

 

[IowaLynn]

Is this like when long distance land lines were owned by AT&T, MCI, Sprint etc and we had to use access codes - those extra long numbers to place a call?

I don’t like that Google and Facebook know our contacts, call, email, text history and a whole lot more-