Some iOS apps are not as good as Android

[slu]

As this being my first iPhone i always thought iOS had the best apps, but I've recently found out this is not the case with some of the apps i use.

Whatsapps for instants is just better on Android, it just seems to be set out better and for some reason better to use than on iOS, sending pictures is alot easier aswell, plus it always seem to get updated often aswell.

Satnav I have Co Pilot Premium on both Android & iOS it was the first app i bought for my iPhone, thinking it might actually be better on iOS than Android.... nope Android version wipes the floor with it & doesn't crash neither and seems more polished than the iOS version, voices also using VOX speak street names alot better than siri does.

Ebay app this aswell it just better on Android than iOS, it seems Ebay has put more effort into it for some reason over iOS.

Natwest banking app, this also is better on Android.

Then you've got the Google stuff, but that to be expected as they never gonna make their experience better on a rival OS than their own.

Maybe in time these will get updated to iOS 7 & improve more, but atm i get the feeling iOS is now playing second fiddle when it comes to apps & updates, where Android is getting priority.

So anybody else who has both iOS & Android agree with me on this or i am just being stupid lol.

Translation of OP: The apps and UI I am used to are better than the new apps and UI that I just switched to.

Reality: Some apps are better on Andriod. Some are better on iOS. Most are basically the same and it comes down to personal perference as to which one you prefer.

 

[mib1800]

Translation of OP: The apps and UI I am used to are better than the new apps and UI that I just switched to.

Reality: Some apps are better on Andriod. Some are better on iOS. Most are basically the same and it comes down to personal perference as to which one you prefer.

Another reality is that there are more varieties of apps on android. Some types apps are just not available on the less capable ios platform.

 

[Oohara]

My Data Manager really is a lot better on Android. I found it to be bar none the most detailed and useful data managing app for my Note 2, but it's nowhere near as good on my iPhone. The design is fiddly and doesn't offer the clarity of the Android version, and the info is not as detailed. I loved being able to see how much I used for instance on PC tether, streaming, etc. on Android, but I can't do that on iOS.

 

[cynics]

Certain Google apps like YouTube I prefer on iOS devices then the Android devices I've used. Which makes no sense.

And easy example is YouTube on my Xoom vs an iPad 2 which is about the same age. It's terrible on a Xoom which is running vanilla jelly bean. Chrome is the same way comparing those two devices.

Android apps shine usually due to features, like Google Drive. I've always preferred that on Android.

 

[JackieInCo]

Translation of OP: The apps and UI I am used to are better than the new apps and UI that I just switched to.

Reality: Some apps are better on Andriod. Some are better on iOS. Most are basically the same and it comes down to personal perference as to which one you prefer.

I was just coming here to say this. It goes both ways.

I have many apps on iOS for my iPad that have no tablet version for my Nexus 7. They are just phone apps scaled up to fill the screen on the tablet. I have way too many of those on my Nexus 7. Some people tell me that I need to fins alternatives then for my Nexus 7 but some apps, there are no alternatives such as SiriusXM. The SiriusXM app on my Nexus 7 is again a scaled up phone app like many others that I have that there are no alternatives for.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

With the number of apps out there this is bound to be true.

But IMO the statement "most Android apps are not as good as iOS," is also still true.

I quite agree. The OP said about Whatsapp and I have to say I had the opposite opinion when I switched. It seems more stable on iOS.

Tapatalk is much better on iOS and is one I use daily for this forum. The Halifax banking app was appalling on Android but they appear to have designed it primarily for iOS anyway. As you say with so many apps in existence, there will undoubtedly be apps better on one more so than the other. Its just all the apps I use are better on iOS.

 

[jrswizzle]

Dropbox does not auto upload in the background as it does on Android. With Android, I turned "camera upload" on the first time I used the app and never had to fool with it again. Doesn't work that way with ios because of the background limitations.

Downcast still stops downloading after 10 minutes because of the background limitations.

Wrong. Because I use both an Android phone and iPhone/iPad, I use dropbox to sync photos together from both places. I personally turn the background uploading off because I don't want it draining battery trying to either upload over my cell signal or eating up bandwidth at home. But background uploading can most certainly be toggled on and accomplished.

FYI - background uploading for you may be preferable, but for some of us its not.

 

[mattopotamus]

Wrong. Because I use both an Android phone and iPhone/iPad, I use dropbox to sync photos together from both places. I personally turn the background uploading off because I don't want it draining battery trying to either upload over my cell signal or eating up bandwidth at home. But background uploading can most certainly be toggled on and accomplished.

FYI - background uploading for you may be preferable, but for some of us its not.

On IOS you have to open dropbox for the process to start, on android it will do it automatically.

Once you open the app on IOS it will then continue the upload process without you staying in the app, but it does need that extra step.

 

[jrswizzle]

On IOS you have to open dropbox for the process to start, on android it will do it automatically.

Once you open the app on IOS it will then continue the upload process without you staying in the app, but it does need that extra step.

So what is the difference if I opened the app earlier today versus opening now and leaving? Via iOS 7's intelligent multitasking, as long as other resources aren't being used, it will simply just start the process because the app IS open....

There are times when I'll unlock my phone to find the little red circle with a number in it on the dropbox app and when I open it, its in the process of uploading a photo.....

 

[mattopotamus]

So what is the difference if I opened the app earlier today versus opening now and leaving? Via iOS 7's intelligent multitasking, as long as other resources aren't being used, it will simply just start the process because the app IS open....

There are times when I'll unlock my phone to find the little red circle with a number in it on the dropbox app and when I open it, its in the process of uploading a photo.....

true, that is a way around it but still different.

 

[jrswizzle]

true, that is a way around it but still different.

I don't see how? If I kill the dropbox app in the multitasking drawer on Android, don't I still have to fire it back up at some point or will the app fire itself up?

IMO, that doesn't make it better.....that makes it a battery hog and one of the reasons I'm still not totally in the Android camp (I prefer to use both). If I kill an app, it should stay killed until I decide to open it. If I leave it open in the multitasking tray, I'm giving it permission to run in the background.....

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From the Dropbox iOS App FAQ:

"Background uploading is a new option that helps your Camera Uploads finish without the need for you to open the Dropbox app.

You may have noticed that with long videos or big batches of photos, the Dropbox app stops uploading shortly after you close it and resumes uploading only when you open it again. This is due to a time limit iOS puts on apps running in the background.

However, with background uploading turned on, the app will automatically resume uploading for a few minutes whenever it detects a significant change in your iPhone's location (such as when you commute home from work). You can go about your daily activities and the app will periodically upload without needing you to open it...."

INTELLIGENT multitasking.

So yes, I suppose you are correct. It is different - but I'd argue its better.

 

[mattopotamus]

I don't see how? If I kill the dropbox app in the multitasking drawer on Android, don't I still have to fire it back up at some point or will the app fire itself up?

.

it will fire up itself if auto upload is turned on and then kill itself....google+ auto upload does the same. I never see the app actually on in my multitask tray, it just uploads the photos and does not keep the app open.

 

[jrswizzle]

it will fire up itself if auto upload is turned on and then kill itself....google+ auto upload does the same. I never see the app actually on in my multitask tray, it just uploads the photos and does not keep the app open.

Ahh gotcha. Does it do this anytime and everytime there's a photo? Or is there some grouping done with it? Still waiting on my Nexus 5 to ship.....currently without my Android phone

Just curious.

 

[mattopotamus]

Ahh gotcha. Does it do this anytime and everytime there's a photo? Or is there some grouping done with it? Still waiting on my Nexus 5 to ship.....currently without my Android phone

Just curious.

I have it to do it only when on WiFi. I use Google+ since you get unlimited free photo storage. It uploads the photos in a private album and sorts it by upload date.

It also uploads videos too. You can make it upload your current photos if you are just setting it up. The best part is you can really use that instead of your photo gallery since it is a choice when you want to share a photo with someone.

 

[jrswizzle]

I have it to do it only when on WiFi. I use Google+ since you get unlimited free photo storage. It uploads the photos in a private album and sorts it by upload date.

Pretty sure my photos are auto uploaded to G+ as well, but since I never use it myself and it still keeps my iOS and Android photos separate I prefer Dropbox.

Essentially, I use iCloud to back up my iOS photos, G+ to backup my Android photos and Dropbox to make them available together across all my devices.

 

[mattopotamus]

Pretty sure my photos are auto uploaded to G+ as well, but since I never use it myself and it still keeps my iOS and Android photos separate I prefer Dropbox.

Essentially, I use iCloud to back up my iOS photos, G+ to backup my Android photos and Dropbox to make them available together across all my devices.

icloud does videos now right?

 

[jrswizzle]

icloud does videos now right?

Yes.

 

[robjulo]

Wrong. Because I use both an Android phone and iPhone/iPad, I use dropbox to sync photos together from both places. I personally turn the background uploading off because I don't want it draining battery trying to either upload over my cell signal or eating up bandwidth at home. But background uploading can most certainly be toggled on and accomplished.

FYI - background uploading for you may be preferable, but for some of us its not.

Sorry, you are incorrect. There is a camera upload on ios but it is not (unless it has changed very very recently) an auto-upload. The app itself has to be triggered to get it to work on ios. That is not the case with android.

Someone mentioned that it may have been changed to allow uploads when location is changed. However, if you are sitting in your house, and not moving, it isn't going to upload and will still be limited to the 10 minute limit imposed by Apple.

With android, you turn the camera upload on once and never have to worry about it again. I know, because I used it with my GS4 for months.

 

[mib1800]

I don't see how? If I kill the dropbox app in the multitasking drawer on Android, don't I still have to fire it back up at some point or will the app fire itself up?

IMO, that doesn't make it better.....that makes it a battery hog and one of the reasons I'm still not totally in the Android camp (I prefer to use both). If I kill an app, it should stay killed until I decide to open it. If I leave it open in the multitasking tray, I'm giving it permission to run in the background.....

----------

From the Dropbox iOS App FAQ:

"Background uploading is a new option that helps your Camera Uploads finish without the need for you to open the Dropbox app.

You may have noticed that with long videos or big batches of photos, the Dropbox app stops uploading shortly after you close it and resumes uploading only when you open it again. This is due to a time limit iOS puts on apps running in the background.

However, with background uploading turned on, the app will automatically resume uploading for a few minutes whenever it detects a significant change in your iPhone's location (such as when you commute home from work). You can go about your daily activities and the app will periodically upload without needing you to open it...."

INTELLIGENT multitasking.

So yes, I suppose you are correct. It is different - but I'd argue its better.

On ios when location changed it uploads is kind of like android intent system except that android version is much more powerful.

On the Dropbox example the android version uploads when a photo is taken (not on location change). Furthermore android automatically starts Dropbox in the background and after it finishes the app is unloaded freeing up RAM.

For ios version you have to start it up manually and leave it in the background thus taking up RAM and causing slowdown of the phone. And there is a chance that ios will kill it when resources become low. Then you suddenly realize Dropbox no longer uploads anymore.