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keti2377

macrumors member
Nov 1, 2020
70
89
Hi all.
See here many happy users of S21U.
I'm thorn between S21U and Ip12PMax.
Till now i had only Samsung flaships but never IP .... so maybe You'll convince me or show thread where there are happy old time Android users who switched to iOS?
It’s always fun to try something new. Try iPhone and see if you’ll like it. The one thing I’ve seen people complain when switching over from Android to iPhone is missing certain features and not enough customization even with iOS14. Definitely do some research and watch comparison videos between the two devices.

I went from an iPhone 12 Pro Max to the Galaxy S21 Ultra and have absolutely no regrets, even though I’ve been in the Apple ecosystem for 4 years now.
 

5105973

Cancelled
Sep 11, 2014
12,132
19,733
It’s always fun to try something new. Try iPhone and see if you’ll like it. The one thing I’ve seen people complain when switching over from Android to iPhone is missing certain features and not enough customization even with iOS14. Definitely do some research and watch comparison videos between the two devices.

I went from an iPhone 12 Pro Max to the Galaxy S21 Ultra and have absolutely no regrets, even though I’ve been in the Apple ecosystem for 4 years now.
I can’t comfortably fully switch because in my social life and region iMessage rules, though many of my friends and family also use FB Messenger. Since I absolutely refuse to have anything to do with anything touched by Mark of the Beast ZuckerBorg, I have to at least use iMessage. Even my husband has to use WhatsApp because he’s got European family and currently works for a European company. So he’s on WhatsApp, Slack, FB Messenger, iMessages. I am only on IMessages and regular SMS on my Samsung.
 
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kkh786

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Nov 25, 2013
734
816
United Kingdom
I can’t comfortably fully switch because in my social life and region iMessage rules, though many of my friends and family also use FB Messenger. Since I absolutely refuse to have anything to do with anything touched by Mark of the Beast ZuckerBorg, I have to at least use iMessage. Even my husband has to use WhatsApp because he’s got European family and currently works for a European company. So he’s on WhatsApp, Slack, FB Messenger, iMessages. I am only on IMessages and regular SMS on my Samsung.
Most of my extended (elderly) family are on iPhones due to their simplicity and apparent ease of use.

The younger generation (includes me ) would have fallen in the same iMessage trap as you but we (mostly me due to constant phone/OS changes) have convinced the elders to use WhatsApp which has now become their norm for messages/calls/video calls etc. Funnily enough.. the iMessage app now resides in a "CrApple" folder with the likes of Stocks etc.

The wife and I use Samsung Messages between us which is essentially iMessage'sque RCS/picture/video sharing. We tend to use Google Duo for higher quality video calls than WhatsApp.

Furthermore, our friends and peers seem to all use Android (with RCS) or iPhone with WhatsApp.. it all seems to work nicely.
 
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keti2377

macrumors member
Nov 1, 2020
70
89
I can’t comfortably fully switch because in my social life and region iMessage rules, though many of my friends and family also use FB Messenger. Since I absolutely refuse to have anything to do with anything touched by Mark of the Beast ZuckerBorg, I have to at least use iMessage. Even my husband has to use WhatsApp because he’s got European family and currently works for a European company. So he’s on WhatsApp, Slack, FB Messenger, iMessages. I am only on IMessages and regular SMS on my Samsung.
For me, I realized no one that I know really cared for iMessage or used it exclusively. With friends, I’m always texting them on Whatsapp, IG chat, or other social media chats. We don’t really use iMessage together. My family prefers Android so we all use either SMS or whatsapp to get in contact with each other if we’re in different countries. I just recently started using Google Duo and so far we’re liking it. I had no issues switching over.
Most of my extended (elderly) family are on iPhones due to their simplicity and apparent ease of use.

The younger generation (includes me ) would have fallen in the same iMessage trap as you but we (mostly me due to constant phone/OS changes) have convinced the elders to use WhatsApp which has now become their norm for messages/calls/video calls etc. Funnily enough.. the iMessage app now resides in a "CrApple" folder with the likes of Stocks etc.

The wife and I use Samsung Messages between us which is essentially iMessage'sque RCS/picture/video sharing. We tend to use Google Duo for higher quality video calls than WhatsApp.

Furthermore, our friends and peers seem to all use Android (with RCS) or iPhone with WhatsApp.. it all seems to work nicely.
This is exactly me at the moment! Whatsapp is our preferred texting app for my family and international friends.
 

t1328

macrumors member
Jun 21, 2017
44
63
For me, I realized no one that I know really cared for iMessage or used it exclusively. With friends, I’m always texting them on Whatsapp, IG chat, or other social media chats. We don’t really use iMessage together. My family prefers Android so we all use either SMS or whatsapp to get in contact with each other if we’re in different countries. I just recently started using Google Duo and so far we’re liking it. I had no issues switching over.

This is exactly me at the moment! Whatsapp is our preferred texting app for my family and international friends.

Ironically, the recommendation from Cyber Security professionals (I am in the field) right now, is to switch away from WhatsApp to Signal or Telegram, with Signal being preferred. Facebook’s rules on WhatsApp are another privacy and security quagmire. Course getting family (particularly older family) to all switch to anything isn’t easy.
 
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PlacekPS

macrumors newbie
Jul 24, 2020
18
5
It’s always fun to try something new. Try iPhone and see if you’ll like it. The one thing I’ve seen people complain when switching over from Android to iPhone is missing certain features and not enough customization even with iOS14. Definitely do some research and watch comparison videos between the two devices.

I went from an iPhone 12 Pro Max to the Galaxy S21 Ultra and have absolutely no regrets, even though I’ve been in the Apple ecosystem for 4 years now.
You're a great example.
So now being S21 user ,what You think, what does Samsung give, was it only curiosity or wish to try Android without particular reason?
 

AppleRobert

macrumors 603
Nov 12, 2012
5,729
1,133
Well I stuck with my Note 20 Ultra this go round. Didn’t even think about getting any iriteration of the s21. As far as that commercial regarding the s21 with the camera being different and constantly being played on TV, is that the best they could come up and make me want to run and get a s21? LOL!
 

keti2377

macrumors member
Nov 1, 2020
70
89
You're a great example.
So now being S21 user ,what You think, what does Samsung give, was it only curiosity or wish to try Android without particular reason?
Just wanted something new. When I got the 12, felt like nothing was different than the previous iPhone that I had and really wanted certain features that was rumored to be on the 12. Instead of waiting for the next iPhone for those features, why not just go back to Android. I’ve always been the type of person that loved to tinker with my phones and loved all the features that I had on my previous Android devices, and it looked like Samsung’s software improved so much from Touchwiz days.
 

PlacekPS

macrumors newbie
Jul 24, 2020
18
5
Just wanted something new. When I got the 12, felt like nothing was different than the previous iPhone that I had and really wanted certain features that was rumored to be on the 12. Instead of waiting for the next iPhone for those features, why not just go back to Android. I’ve always been the type of person that loved to tinker with my phones and loved all the features that I had on my previous Android devices, and it looked like Samsung’s software improved so much from Touchwiz days.
So i'm on the opposite site.
From 7 years using Samsung Notes and now S.
With all those years all features become useless to me , themes,icon packs, fancy AOD frames.... Each time i was buying a new Samsung i knew i had to start the procedure of debloating and turning off those crappy 'secondary software' and making it as pure as possible.
Sti have in mind that a lot is going on in background and by battery is being drained without control.
Why i have to fight for simplicity and reliability?
This made me th
ink about iPhone but till now just watching YT-ers and collecting info what would i loose comparing to Android...
I'm stucked.
 

t1328

macrumors member
Jun 21, 2017
44
63
So i'm on the opposite site.
From 7 years using Samsung Notes and now S.
With all those years all features become useless to me , themes,icon packs, fancy AOD frames.... Each time i was buying a new Samsung i knew i had to start the procedure of debloating and turning off those crappy 'secondary software' and making it as pure as possible.
Sti have in mind that a lot is going on in background and by battery is being drained without control.
Why i have to fight for simplicity and reliability?
This made me th
ink about iPhone but till now just watching YT-ers and collecting info what would i loose comparing to Android...
I'm stucked.

There really isn’t an easy answer to this (fanboys will have plenty, but they’re not generally really using both ecosystems long enough to tell).

Unfortunately neither side has everything working as well as I personally would like. Both have things that are really great, and in some cases unique to each, and both have things that are also uniquely irritating or frustrating.

Some pros of iPhones that I didn’t recognize until i switched, and some of these are not covered by reviewers much, and may, or may not be important to you, and I’ll follow that with some pros of Android / cons of iOS that you don’t feel until you switch.

Starting off with iOS pros:
1. Apps really are better, and more stable (yes, this is covered by reviewers). But for example, when i tried out the Fold 2, I couldn’t get the CVS app or one of my most important banking apps working on it.
2. iOS’ home screen is a complete mess, but the swipe down to search for apps is a lot more than just a search function. It is AI driven and suggests the 8 most likely apps you’re likely looking for at the time you swipe down. It gets it right for me 90% of the time. So whereas on Android, I had everything positioned exactly where I wanted it, including using the Nova launcher and some really neat swipe folders, here it doesn’t matter. I just swipe down, and 90% of the time, I find what I’m looking for without typing in the first letter of the app already there. For example, i work out on a bike that my wife also works out on. I have to change the bike’s seat height etc after I’m done and I keep my wife’s settings in a note in Google Keep. Every time i finish working out, when i swipe down, Google Keep is the first app in the list.
3. Two factor authentication with iMessage is automatic. So if an app or a website sends me a two factor code by text, I don’t have to go to messages, read or copy the code, then go back and paste it into the app or website. Instead, iOS offers me in the app or website to paste just TFA code, and if I use it, it marks the text message as read for me so I don’t have to go back to messages myself. Small thing, but huge timesaver.
4. Not including covid, all apps pretty much support FaceID for login. You open the app, you’re already looking at your phone, so it authenticates you immediately. No need to use a fingerprint. Face ID is not great for Covid, but Apple is finally catching up to Android cerca 2012 and allowing unlock with the Apple Watch with iOS 14.5 - only took them 8 years.
5. If you have a Macbook as your primary laptop, there’s just no getting around how well the iPhone, Airpods, and Apple Watch integrate with it. I tried a Dell XPS 17 with Samsung Dex to compare when i was trying the Fold 2, and it just isn’t as easy or intuitive. Its really difficult to describe just how useful this is. All i can say is that while I’m working on my MBP, I don’t have to pull out my phone at all. Everything is right there if i want it. Pairing my Airpods to my phone or setting up a new Wifi, all Apple devices i own get the same pairing, same new Wifi with zero effort from me. This is a huge timesaver.
6. The overall echosystem is still unbeatable. As much as I love the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 looks wise, it has terrible app support. WearOS is not great either. The Apple Watch may not look as nice as some of those, but it just works better. Its significantly more reliable for health metrics like heart rate, exercise tracking, etc. I’ve used the Galaxy Watch 3, and the Tic Watch Pro 2 for reference.
7. Standby battery life is just insanely good. There simply isn’t a comparison. I know battery life tests show that some Android phones do as well or better, but they’re not real world. In the real world, on an average day, your phone is in standby mode more often than not. That’s where the iPhone absolutely shines, probably because it sucks at keeping apps open in memory.
8. Privacy…
9. The camera. Yes, there are better cameras on Android phones. But every single time i take a photo with the 12 Pro Max, it is good. On average for non-photographer types, it just works.
10. The video camera. This is more than covered enough by reviewers.

Cons and or pros of Android:
1. The iPhone 12 Pro Max has a huge screen whose size is completely useless except for content consumption, because I still can’t have more than 4 icons across and however many vertically than the iPhone mini. Come on Apple, give your users options! I mean app icons are still justified to the top of this huge screen?! Why do i have to use a popsocket or that horrible excuse for this of swiping from exactly the right spot on the bottom of the screen to get to apps on top of the screen? Why do i even need apps on top of the screen? Drives me crazy.
2. Customization is a nightmare in iOS. There just is no comparison.
3. Its just so damn boring. I can’t change anything really other than the occasional widget, which also is implemented poorly.
4. Notifications are still absolutely terrible on iOS compared to Android 9, never mind Android 11.
5. Missing Google Home Screen
6. Siri sucks big time.
7. I really miss running two apps at the same time, or 3 in the case of the Fold 2.
8. Refresh rate at 60MHz is absolutely noticeable when you have this sitting next to that gorgeous Fold 2 main screen. There just is no comparison.
9. That damn notch. Yes, you get used to it. But it never becomes not ugly.

Etc.
 

Tulani

macrumors 68000
Dec 6, 2012
1,889
851
There really isn’t an easy answer to this (fanboys will have plenty, but they’re not generally really using both ecosystems long enough to tell).

Unfortunately neither side has everything working as well as I personally would like. Both have things that are really great, and in some cases unique to each, and both have things that are also uniquely irritating or frustrating.

Some pros of iPhones that I didn’t recognize until i switched, and some of these are not covered by reviewers much, and may, or may not be important to you, and I’ll follow that with some pros of Android / cons of iOS that you don’t feel until you switch.

Starting off with iOS pros:
1. Apps really are better, and more stable (yes, this is covered by reviewers). But for example, when i tried out the Fold 2, I couldn’t get the CVS app or one of my most important banking apps working on it.
2. iOS’ home screen is a complete mess, but the swipe down to search for apps is a lot more than just a search function. It is AI driven and suggests the 8 most likely apps you’re likely looking for at the time you swipe down. It gets it right for me 90% of the time. So whereas on Android, I had everything positioned exactly where I wanted it, including using the Nova launcher and some really neat swipe folders, here it doesn’t matter. I just swipe down, and 90% of the time, I find what I’m looking for without typing in the first letter of the app already there. For example, i work out on a bike that my wife also works out on. I have to change the bike’s seat height etc after I’m done and I keep my wife’s settings in a note in Google Keep. Every time i finish working out, when i swipe down, Google Keep is the first app in the list.
3. Two factor authentication with iMessage is automatic. So if an app or a website sends me a two factor code by text, I don’t have to go to messages, read or copy the code, then go back and paste it into the app or website. Instead, iOS offers me in the app or website to paste just TFA code, and if I use it, it marks the text message as read for me so I don’t have to go back to messages myself. Small thing, but huge timesaver.
4. Not including covid, all apps pretty much support FaceID for login. You open the app, you’re already looking at your phone, so it authenticates you immediately. No need to use a fingerprint. Face ID is not great for Covid, but Apple is finally catching up to Android cerca 2012 and allowing unlock with the Apple Watch with iOS 14.5 - only took them 8 years.
5. If you have a Macbook as your primary laptop, there’s just no getting around how well the iPhone, Airpods, and Apple Watch integrate with it. I tried a Dell XPS 17 with Samsung Dex to compare when i was trying the Fold 2, and it just isn’t as easy or intuitive. Its really difficult to describe just how useful this is. All i can say is that while I’m working on my MBP, I don’t have to pull out my phone at all. Everything is right there if i want it. Pairing my Airpods to my phone or setting up a new Wifi, all Apple devices i own get the same pairing, same new Wifi with zero effort from me. This is a huge timesaver.
6. The overall echosystem is still unbeatable. As much as I love the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 looks wise, it has terrible app support. WearOS is not great either. The Apple Watch may not look as nice as some of those, but it just works better. Its significantly more reliable for health metrics like heart rate, exercise tracking, etc. I’ve used the Galaxy Watch 3, and the Tic Watch Pro 2 for reference.
7. Standby battery life is just insanely good. There simply isn’t a comparison. I know battery life tests show that some Android phones do as well or better, but they’re not real world. In the real world, on an average day, your phone is in standby mode more often than not. That’s where the iPhone absolutely shines, probably because it sucks at keeping apps open in memory.
8. Privacy…
9. The camera. Yes, there are better cameras on Android phones. But every single time i take a photo with the 12 Pro Max, it is good. On average for non-photographer types, it just works.
10. The video camera. This is more than covered enough by reviewers.

Cons and or pros of Android:
1. The iPhone 12 Pro Max has a huge screen whose size is completely useless except for content consumption, because I still can’t have more than 4 icons across and however many vertically than the iPhone mini. Come on Apple, give your users options! I mean app icons are still justified to the top of this huge screen?! Why do i have to use a popsocket or that horrible excuse for this of swiping from exactly the right spot on the bottom of the screen to get to apps on top of the screen? Why do i even need apps on top of the screen? Drives me crazy.
2. Customization is a nightmare in iOS. There just is no comparison.
3. Its just so damn boring. I can’t change anything really other than the occasional widget, which also is implemented poorly.
4. Notifications are still absolutely terrible on iOS compared to Android 9, never mind Android 11.
5. Missing Google Home Screen
6. Siri sucks big time.
7. I really miss running two apps at the same time, or 3 in the case of the Fold 2.
8. Refresh rate at 60MHz is absolutely noticeable when you have this sitting next to that gorgeous Fold 2 main screen. There just is no comparison.
9. That damn notch. Yes, you get used to it. But it never becomes not ugly.

Etc.

You really have taken so much effort to type this fair analysis.

 

5105973

Cancelled
Sep 11, 2014
12,132
19,733
So i'm on the opposite site.
From 7 years using Samsung Notes and now S.
With all those years all features become useless to me , themes,icon packs, fancy AOD frames.... Each time i was buying a new Samsung i knew i had to start the procedure of debloating and turning off those crappy 'secondary software' and making it as pure as possible.
Sti have in mind that a lot is going on in background and by battery is being drained without control.
Why i have to fight for simplicity and reliability?
This made me th
ink about iPhone but till now just watching YT-ers and collecting info what would i loose comparing to Android...
I'm stucked.
I go into the optimization app in settings to kill anything draining battery or other resources.
 

ian87w

macrumors G3
Feb 22, 2020
8,704
12,638
Indonesia
I go into the optimization app in settings to kill anything draining battery or other resources.
The problem with that is sometimes it kills some apps that you actually want to keep running.

I never have to use any optimization feature ever on any of my Android phone, but then again I always meticulously uninstall and/or disable un-needed apps/services.
 

Shanghaichica

macrumors G5
Apr 8, 2013
14,725
13,245
UK
Most of my extended (elderly) family are on iPhones due to their simplicity and apparent ease of use.

The younger generation (includes me ) would have fallen in the same iMessage trap as you but we (mostly me due to constant phone/OS changes) have convinced the elders to use WhatsApp which has now become their norm for messages/calls/video calls etc. Funnily enough.. the iMessage app now resides in a "CrApple" folder with the likes of Stocks etc.

The wife and I use Samsung Messages between us which is essentially iMessage'sque RCS/picture/video sharing. We tend to use Google Duo for higher quality video calls than WhatsApp.

Furthermore, our friends and peers seem to all use Android (with RCS) or iPhone with WhatsApp.. it all seems to work nicely.
I would like my husband and I to be on the same platform as it would make sharing pictures in high quality much easier.
 

Zito Abroad

macrumors 6502a
Mar 17, 2019
535
1,218
I would like my husband and I to be on the same platform as it would make sharing pictures in high quality much easier.
Whatsapp does very little compression when sending a pic, and that's OK for just sending a pic that doesn't really matter. But if you want the recipient to have a copy of that pic without any compression, then you can still do that in Whatsapp. Just send the pic as a document, and it won't be compressed. So no need to be on the same platform with Whatsapp. That being said, most of my family are now using Galaxy devices, and we have a shared album in the gallery app. Whatsapp is still our way to go for sharing uncompressed pics when messaging in general though.
 

ian87w

macrumors G3
Feb 22, 2020
8,704
12,638
Indonesia
Whatsapp does very little compression when sending a pic, and that's OK for just sending a pic that doesn't really matter. But if you want the recipient to have a copy of that pic without any compression, then you can still do that in Whatsapp. Just send the pic as a document, and it won't be compressed. So no need to be on the same platform with Whatsapp. That being said, most of my family are now using Galaxy devices, and we have a shared album in the gallery app. Whatsapp is still our way to go for sharing uncompressed pics when messaging in general though.
LOL what? WhatsApp severely reduces the photo resolution. And sending photos as documents is unintuitive as you cannot see the thumbnail nor is easy finding the photo file.

I don’t understand all these excuses for WhatsApp. There are more common sense ways to share full res photos, like sharing via Google Photos for example.
 

Zito Abroad

macrumors 6502a
Mar 17, 2019
535
1,218
LOL what? WhatsApp severely reduces the photo resolution. And sending photos as documents is unintuitive as you cannot see the thumbnail nor is easy finding the photo file.

I don’t understand all these excuses for WhatsApp. There are more common sense ways to share full res photos, like sharing via Google Photos for example.

Right, sending an attachment to a message is so unintuitive. ?
 

Klyster

macrumors 68020
Dec 7, 2013
2,231
2,642
I don’t understand all these excuses for WhatsApp. There are more common sense ways to share full res photos, like sharing via Google Photos for exexample.
What steps are involved sharing a photo from Google photos vs whatsapp?

I know the answer, I also know which one is easier to share from.

Also, the quality from whatsapp isn't severely downgraded, it's totally acceptable for a social media app.
 

ian87w

macrumors G3
Feb 22, 2020
8,704
12,638
Indonesia
What steps are involved sharing a photo from Google photos vs whatsapp?

I know the answer, I also know which one is easier to share from.
The argument was about sending a full res photo. In Whatsapp, you have to send it as a document, which is, contrary to the techies here, unintuitive for most people. In that sense, sending them via Google Photos is easier. Simply select the photos via Google Photos and share the link via the share sheet to the Whatsapp conversation.

Of course, easiest is the regular photo sharing on the app directly, but Whatsapp severely resize the photos. This is the advantage of iMessage imo, and other services like Wechat (where it gives a simply check box to send the full size). But the poster I replied to stated that Whatsapp "does very little compression," which is totally false. Thus my comment, why do people made up these excuses, and went as far as spreading false info to defend Whatsapp?
 
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Zito Abroad

macrumors 6502a
Mar 17, 2019
535
1,218
The argument was about sending a full res photo. In Whatsapp, you have to send it as a document, which is, contrary to the techies here, unintuitive for most people. In that sense, sending them via Google Photos is easier. Simply select the photos via Google Photos and share the link via the share sheet to the Whatsapp conversation.

Of course, easiest is the regular photo sharing on the app directly, but Whatsapp severely resize the photos. This is the advantage of iMessage imo, and other services like Wechat (where it gives a simply check box to send the full size). But the poster I replied to stated that Whatsapp "does very little compression," which is totally false. Thus my comment, why do people made up these excuses, and went as far as spreading false info to defend Whatsapp?

I don't have a single person in my social circle that doesn't know about how to send a pic with no compression. No so called tech nerds among them. Gone are the days of people being so ignorant of minor tech issues. Everyone Googles solutions these days. You remind my of those kids who would call themselves hackers for knowing how to download with torrents. It's nothing special.
 

MarkX

macrumors 65816
Sep 10, 2015
1,201
1,495
Fochabers, Scotland
I don't have a single person in my social circle that doesn't know about how to send a pic with no compression. No so called tech nerds among them. Gone are the days of people being so ignorant of minor tech issues. Everyone Googles solutions these days. You remind my of those kids who would call themselves hackers for knowing how to download with torrents. It's nothing special.
Agreed. It's no different to attaching a picture in an email.
 

5105973

Cancelled
Sep 11, 2014
12,132
19,733
I don't have a single person in my social circle that doesn't know about how to send a pic with no compression. No so called tech nerds among them. Gone are the days of people being so ignorant of minor tech issues. Everyone Googles solutions these days. You remind my of those kids who would call themselves hackers for knowing how to download with torrents. It's nothing special.
Lol you need to meet my dad. He can do amazing things with his desktop PC but talking him through sending me photos via imessage took almost an hour! He's 83 though. But when it comes to using a PC he's actually better than I am. I think if he wanted to learn how to use his iPhone better he would do well.

Anyway, I was stuck in bed with an asthma/allergy flareup so I binge watched movies on S21 Ultra. I also tried to watch on my 12 Pro Max but the S21 display looks noticeably nicer. The 12 Pro Max display apparently hasn't been fully fixed in updates and still doesn't do blacks that great. I am just glad I got this S21 Ultra. My S20 display was also gorgeous perfection but it was smaller.

This phone is just a fantastic little entertainment center. I don't like to watch a full sized TV when everyone is home doing zoom school and meetings. We have only a couple of TVs and they'd be too loud where they are located. This is cozy.
 
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