iPhone New Pixel 3 owner’s perspective

[vhl71]

My daughter only has iPhones so for. As a Xmas gift I got her the new pixel 3. While she liked it initially, after using it for a day or two she feels she made the wrong choice.

Main complaint is lack of iMessage equivalent which I told her beforehand. To my surprise she tells me apps like instagram, Snapchat etc aren’t the same on android and she says they re pretty bad compared to iOS. I do t use those social media apps but this comes as a
Surprise to me.

Told her to see how it goes in a week. She is probably finding it tough to get adjusted to Android from iOS.

Will keep this thread updated.

 

[Glennster]

Clunky & unpolished was how I felt about it. I’ve gone back to the iPhone & couldn’t be more happier.

 

[timeconsumer]

The Pixel 3 is an excellent phone. Lack of iMessage is certainly one thing that previous iPhone users notice immediately.

You may need to have her de-register iMessage which can be done here: https://selfsolve.apple.com/deregister-imessage/

While it hasn’t rolled out everywhere yet, there’s an update coming to SMS called RCS which promises to bring iMessage like features of read receipts, typing indicators, etc. Currently I believe it’s supported on Pixel 3 devices on Verizon, so it’s very limited right now. Probably will take another year before it’s more common.

But, for RCS to iPhone users it would require Apple to update their Messages app. And who knows if Apple will ever do that as iMessage is a big reason people stay using iPhones.

As far as the apps, I have read others mentioning that Snapchat isn’t as good on Android as it is on iOS.

I think giving a week is a reasonable thing to do. But if she can’t get over the lack of iMessage and the app differences it will be tough. You can see if her friends use a different messaging app instead of iMessage, such as Facebook messenger or WhatsApp.

 

[drinkingtea]

Clunky & unpolished was how I felt about it. I’ve gone back to the iPhone & couldn’t be more happier.

Clunky and unpolished how? I'm thinking about switching to the Pixel 3 XL, but everything that I have been reading about it has been largely disappointing and I don't know if I can cope without iMessage and Apple's more refined apps.

 

[jamezr]

There are pros and cons to both devices.......
I have the Xs Max and Pixel 3 XL and really enjoy them both for different reasons.

 

[Glennster]

Clunky and unpolished how? I'm thinking about switching to the Pixel 3 XL, but everything that I have been reading about it has been largely disappointing and I don't know if I can cope without iMessage and Apple's more refined apps.

The same apps on Android do not look as refined as on iOS. That coupled with the fact my Pixel 2 weather forecast was out of order more than it actually worked. Phone crashed for no reason numerous times, and that’s just using the stock launcher. I tried it for about a mos and said nope.

 

[drinkingtea]

The same apps on Android do not look as refined as on iOS. That coupled with the fact my Pixel 2 weather forecast was out of order more than it actually worked. Phone crashed for no reason numerous times, and that’s just using the stock launcher. I tried it for about a mos and said nope.

That's disappointing to hear. These issues seem so common with the Pixel line.

It makes no sense to me when Android users say that Android app quality is the same as iOS app quality. That isn't true at all. I'm not sure what makes them say something like that. One of the biggest reasons why I went back to iPhone is because iOS app quality is much better and Apple offers more app selection. Also, Android widgets are awful and look so outdated.

Which iPhone did you get?

 

[jamezr]

I don't think the apps are so much better on IOS. I think they are pretty much even. Then there are things the Pixel does better...such as the Google Assistant is miles better than Siri.......
Google Maps is better on IOS than the native Apple Maps....

 

[Glennster]

That's disappointing to hear. These issues seem so common with the Pixel line.

It makes no sense to me when Android users say that Android app quality is the same as iOS app quality. That isn't true at all. I'm not sure what makes them say something like that. One of the biggest reasons why I went back to iPhone is because iOS app quality is much better and Apple offers more app selection. Also, Android widgets are awful and look so outdated.

Which iPhone did you get?

I just went with the 8.

 

[Wildo6882]

I don't think the apps are so much better on IOS. I think they are pretty much even. Then there are things the Pixel does better...such as the Google Assistant is miles better than Siri.......
Google Maps is better on IOS than the native Apple Maps....

Yeah, I just don’t understand the argument that apps are better on iOS. I use an iPhone but my wife uses an S9. I use it sometimes around the house and I don’t notice anything mind blowingly different. Majority of apps look the same and act the same. Sure there are some minor differences because of different app guidelines. But I just don’t see the “more polish” argument.

 

[jamezr]

Yeah, I just don’t understand the argument that apps are better on iOS. I use an iPhone but my wife uses an S9. I use it sometimes around the house and I don’t notice anything mind blowingly different. Majority of apps look the same and act the same. Sure there are some minor differences because of different app guidelines. But I just don’t see the “more polish” argument.

Exactly....I switch back and forth between the Pixel 3 XL and Xs Max sometimes in the middle of the day. I don't really see a difference in the apps to be honest.
But notifications and the control over them are so much better on the P3 XL

 

[drinkingtea]

Yet, the Play Store lacks suitable RSS and email apps for example. iOS has beautiful RSS apps to choose from, such as Unread and Reeder. Android RSS apps look like they were designed in the 90s (Feedly is the only Android RSS app that somewhat looks decent, but it’s an awful app in comparison to iOS RSS apps). iOS has many great email apps to choose from outside of the stock email app and the Gmail app. Not one Android email app comes close to the elegance and functionality of iOS email apps like Airmail and Spark. Even the Microsoft Outlook iOS app is designed better than its Android equivalent. Google’s own Android Gmail app is awful and poorly designed. Most of Google’s own apps function and look better on the iPhone; hell, Google usually prioritizes its apps for iOS over its Android versions. Dark mode was available on the YouTube iOS app long before it was a option in the Android version. Don’t get me started on the lack of good Android podcast apps. One reason I hesitate to transition to Android is because the Castro and Overcast apps are only available for iOS. When I had an Android a year or so ago, I tried finding alternative apps for the apps that I loved on my iPhone, but I found the Android selection to be lacking or non-existent. And I did try them all.

 

[Aneres11]

I personally think iOS apps are better in some cases.

For instance, I use my BMW app every day for my car (it's an i3) so it has this cool option where I can heat the car before I get in it which I use twice daily.
Both apps aren't great, but the iOS one is head and shoulders better.

Same with Snapchat - I use it sporadically, but videos sent from SC on an Android phone look absolutely garbage. Like terrible.
Not as much of an issue with Pixel, as they changed something last year that did something to the camera in third party apps, but still not as good.

Instagram, Android doesn't give notifications on likes - I personally like that they flash up on screen in a bundle on iOS.

My mobile banking app - iOS has had FaceID forever - the Android version doesn't even let you use fingerprint. I work for said bank too lol, and I used to work on the Social Media team least year and virtually every day unhappy Android users were Tweeting that they couldn't even use their fingerprint and had to use a passcode.
'No plans' for Android biometric log in was always the response.

Obviously, not everyone will be the same but these are the things that annoy me with Android over time.

On the other hand though, there are still a handful of apps I use very frequently (ATP / WTA tennis scores) on iOS that are terrible and display like they are on an iPhone 5.
I know these are lowly apps that are not used by the masses, but it still kind of sucks.
And there's a large number of apps on my iPP which are similar.

For the most part though, in my use case iOS provides a better app experience.

 

[SteveJUAE]

My daughter only has iPhones so for. As a Xmas gift I got her the new pixel 3. While she liked it initially, after using it for a day or two she feels she made the wrong choice.

Main complaint is lack of iMessage equivalent which I told her beforehand. To my surprise she tells me apps like instagram, Snapchat etc aren’t the same on android and she says they re pretty bad compared to iOS. I do t use those social media apps but this comes as a
Surprise to me.

Told her to see how it goes in a week. She is probably finding it tough to get adjusted to Android from iOS.

Will keep this thread updated.

Your daughter may be suffering some withdrawal due to the Pixel not having such a feature rich interface in comparison to eg Samsung and Apple phones. It is part of the charm of pixels where less is seen as more giving a far cleaner and purer interface and not all the extra fluff you get with others.

Personally I like the fluff but many others see it as a distraction or like with Apple confuse it with true functionality which is why you see the opposing comments on apps.

Gmail well may be somewhat ugly but in pure functionality it is second to none similar Outlook has many advance features and complete integration with calendars that many apps simply do not have, Spark whilst rated highly is a fiddlers paradise and have to meddle to get the best out of it and can be confusing

Personally I like the simplicity yet functionality of Samsung Email as the landscape mode with preview is great for scanning down and marking read 100's of work emails effortlessly nor do I have to go back to swap accounts or folders etc like with some others

Each to their own but lets not confused personal preference with aesthetics over functionality as most have already noted there is little difference between major apps outside of mostly superficial preferences

 

[AustinIllini]

I personally think iOS apps are better in some cases.

For instance, I use my BMW app every day for my car (it's an i3) so it has this cool option where I can heat the car before I get in it which I use twice daily.
Both apps aren't great, but the iOS one is head and shoulders better.

Same with Snapchat - I use it sporadically, but videos sent from SC on an Android phone look absolutely garbage. Like terrible.
Not as much of an issue with Pixel, as they changed something last year that did something to the camera in third party apps, but still not as good.

Instagram, Android doesn't give notifications on likes - I personally like that they flash up on screen in a bundle on iOS.

My mobile banking app - iOS has had FaceID forever - the Android version doesn't even let you use fingerprint. I work for said bank too lol, and I used to work on the Social Media team least year and virtually every day unhappy Android users were Tweeting that they couldn't even use their fingerprint and had to use a passcode.
'No plans' for Android biometric log in was always the response.

Obviously, not everyone will be the same but these are the things that annoy me with Android over time.

On the other hand though, there are still a handful of apps I use very frequently (ATP / WTA tennis scores) on iOS that are terrible and display like they are on an iPhone 5.
I know these are lowly apps that are not used by the masses, but it still kind of sucks.
And there's a large number of apps on my iPP which are similar.

For the most part though, in my use case iOS provides a better app experience.

Definitely no argument there. This is because the emulator used when developing iOS apps is just better than the equivalent debugger for android. As such, Apps are built for iOS first.

 

[csurfr]

Definitely no argument there. This is because the emulator used when developing iOS apps is just better than the equivalent debugger for android. As such, Apps are built for iOS first.

I’ll pass that along to a friend of mine who is is lead PM on Android Studio. See what their take on it is.

 

[AustinIllini]

I’ll pass that along to a friend of mine who is is lead PM on Android Studio. See what their take on it is.

I'll be honest, that was what I was told from my friends in the industry. The other reason is the fact that iPhone users are more likely to pay for an App than an Android user.

 

[csurfr]

I'll be honest, that was what I was told from my friends in the industry. The other reason is the fact that iPhone users are more likely to pay for an App than an Android user.

Makes sense to me. However, when I see things like the Starbucks, and Wells Fargo that are different, it does make me wonder why as well.

 

[AustinIllini]

Makes sense to me. However, when I see things like the Starbucks, and Wells Fargo that are different, it does make me wonder why as well.

So, I was reading some other things on this and I believe Android has actually caught up from a pure development workflow standpoint, but the app revenue and the limited hardware must still favor iOS.

 

[hallux]

I think the big concern here is the "F" word - FRAGMENTATION. There are SOOO many people either using very old Android devices or using devices that the manufacturers have just chosen not to update. The app developers need to support the lowest API Google still supports in order to reach the largest group of possible users. Google is TRYING to improve this by retiring API levels and making it easier for OEMs to update devices. We're 3 months into the life of Pie and the biggest name is JUST rolling out the newest OS on this year's model while several smaller manufacturers have had it out for a month or more.

By having to support the older APIs the developers can't put on some of the polish that people might hope for.

 

[Ralfi]

I get sent photos from people using android phones (MMS) & they’re lower in quality than the ones sent from iMessage.

This, along with slightly less optimised Apps makes IOS more appealing to some.

 

[Paradoxally]

If you're big on social media there's only one option - iPhone. Android equivalent apps have not come close, especially Instagram and Snapchat.

 

[AustinIllini]

If you're big on social media there's only one option - iPhone. Android equivalent apps have not come close, especially Instagram and Snapchat.

I honestly don't see the difference with either app.

These kinds of comments are just so out of touch.

 

[jamezr]

I honestly don't see the difference with either app.

These kinds of comments are just so out of touch.

I actually enjoy FB or Instagram on my Pixel more than on my Xs Max....The back button on the lower left hand side is easier to navigate through the app.

 

[MarkX]

I actually enjoy FB or Instagram on my Pixel more than on my Xs Max....The back button on the lower left hand side is easier to navigate through the app.

The swipe to go back on IOS doesn't get much easier. Although, it can be a bit temperamental at times.