Switching over - iOS to Android

[dalbir4444]

I dont really see how its so "open and unlocked" like a lot of people and companies make Android out to be, to me it seems that the only real difference is all the apps for rooted phones are on Google Play itself rather than being on Cydia. You can change email clients and sms clients easily but thats not exactly what I thought "open" would be.

Can you expand on this? What were you expecting?

Also rooting is damn near impossible compared to jailbreaking...not for the faint of heart. Android is very easy to brick and there are about 50 different ways to attack every problem, some work and some dont so its easy to get confused about what to do. Another thing I noticed, it quickly switches between 1X, 3G, and 4G. I noticed on the iPhone that once it hit 1X, it took a while before it would kick back up to 3G. If tethering it often would not go back to 3G once it dropped to 1X and required a cycle through airplane mode or sometimes a hard reset, not the case with this phone.

AFAIK, it is harder to root the S3 than jailbreaking an iPhone but if you find a good guide (there are many on XDA), it makes it much easier. Usually involves downloading a kernel and flashing it. Also, it is very hard to brick a S3. As long as you can boot into download or recovery mode, you will be fine.

 

[cynics]

Great phone so far, I love all the new features that the iPhone never had. Simple things like keeping the display active because it is tracking your eyes, the small notification LED at the top and then if that doesnt get your attention it will vibrate when you pick it up to let you know.

Bunch of other motion activated features like zoom, pan, and change pictures. It has facial and voice unlock as well as the pattern, pin, password, swipe, and motion.

This doesnt really apply to the iPhone anymore but the LTE is amazing, faster than the internet my grandparents have. I dont really see how its so "open and unlocked" like a lot of people and companies make Android out to be, to me it seems that the only real difference is all the apps for rooted phones are on Google Play itself rather than being on Cydia. You can change email clients and sms clients easily but thats not exactly what I thought "open" would be.

That all said, I love the phone so far. I have not had it fully charged since last night it was broken(because of me) so I have no idea about battery time. Also rooting is damn near impossible compared to jailbreaking...not for the faint of heart. Android is very easy to brick and there are about 50 different ways to attack every problem, some work and some dont so its easy to get confused about what to do. Another thing I noticed, it quickly switches between 1X, 3G, and 4G. I noticed on the iPhone that once it hit 1X, it took a while before it would kick back up to 3G. If tethering it often would not go back to 3G once it dropped to 1X and required a cycle through airplane mode or sometimes a hard reset, not the case with this phone.

Android is open source software that's why its considered open. Its not so much to do with how easy are hard gaining root access on a device is, be it a phone or a camera with Android software etc...

Verizon is who locks the S3's bootloader BTW.

 

[SomeDudeAsking]

Great phone so far, I love all the new features that the iPhone never had. Simple things like keeping the display active because it is tracking your eyes, the small notification LED at the top and then if that doesnt get your attention it will vibrate when you pick it up to let you know.

Bunch of other motion activated features like zoom, pan, and change pictures. It has facial and voice unlock as well as the pattern, pin, password, swipe, and motion.

This doesnt really apply to the iPhone anymore but the LTE is amazing, faster than the internet my grandparents have. I dont really see how its so "open and unlocked" like a lot of people and companies make Android out to be, to me it seems that the only real difference is all the apps for rooted phones are on Google Play itself rather than being on Cydia. You can change email clients and sms clients easily but thats not exactly what I thought "open" would be.

That all said, I love the phone so far. I have not had it fully charged since last night it was broken(because of me) so I have no idea about battery time. Also rooting is damn near impossible compared to jailbreaking...not for the faint of heart. Android is very easy to brick and there are about 50 different ways to attack every problem, some work and some dont so its easy to get confused about what to do. Another thing I noticed, it quickly switches between 1X, 3G, and 4G. I noticed on the iPhone that once it hit 1X, it took a while before it would kick back up to 3G. If tethering it often would not go back to 3G once it dropped to 1X and required a cycle through airplane mode or sometimes a hard reset, not the case with this phone.

I don't know how you got so far off the beaten track. When I had a Galaxy S3, I rooted it in 1 minute using CF-Root that doesn't involve any custom ROMS: http://www.xda-developers.com/android/how-to-root-the-samsung-galaxy-s-iii-xda-developer-tv/. It is way more difficult and sketchy to jailbreak an iPhone.

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AFAIK, it is harder to root the S3 than jailbreaking an iPhone but if you find a good guide (there are many on XDA), it makes it much easier. Usually involves downloading a kernel and flashing it. Also, it is very hard to brick a S3. As long as you can boot into download or recovery mode, you will be fine.

It is much easier to root an S3 than it is to jailbreak an iPhone. There are no custom kernels or ROMs involved if you use the CF-Root method which keeps thing stock. It literally takes 1 minute to do. Other developers have also created different methods that do involve ROMs if you actually want to replace the entire OS and wipe the recovery partition with a custom one. The important thing is to read what the method will do.

 

[dalbir4444]

I don't know how you got so far off the beaten track. When I had a Galaxy S3, I rooted it in 1 minute using CF-Root that doesn't involve any custom ROMS: http://www.xda-developers.com/android/how-to-root-the-samsung-galaxy-s-iii-xda-developer-tv/. It is way more difficult and sketchy to jailbreak an iPhone.

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It is much easier to root an S3 than it is to jailbreak an iPhone. There are no custom kernels or ROMs involved if you use the CF-Root method which keeps thing stock. It literally takes 1 minute to do. Other developers have also created different methods that do involve ROMs if you actually want to replace the entire OS and wipe the recovery partition with a custom one. The important thing is to read what the method will do.

I see. I didn't know that. Overall, it depends on which method you are using to root. I know some phones also have a one-click solution to root but I'm not sure if the S3 has one. Personally, I always just flash and find it pretty easy to do. I understand it's a bit intimidating at first, but after that it feels pretty natural.

 

[tjb1]

I don't know how you got so far off the beaten track. When I had a Galaxy S3, I rooted it in 1 minute using CF-Root that doesn't involve any custom ROMS: http://www.xda-developers.com/android/how-to-root-the-samsung-galaxy-s-iii-xda-developer-tv/. It is way more difficult and sketchy to jailbreak an iPhone.

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It is much easier to root an S3 than it is to jailbreak an iPhone. There are no custom kernels or ROMs involved if you use the CF-Root method which keeps thing stock. It literally takes 1 minute to do. Other developers have also created different methods that do involve ROMs if you actually want to replace the entire OS and wipe the recovery partition with a custom one. The important thing is to read what the method will do.

CF-Root doesn't work on the Verizon Galaxy S3 I535 as far as I can see which is why I didn't end up using it.

I took another crack at rooting basically just for "Triangle Away" and I believe I found the problem that caused all my hassle last night. When I downloaded "Ez-unlock" it showed the phone lock was "unknown" so the package I used to root that phone was in fact supposed to unlock it also did not which led to the "Unauthorized Verizon software" error.

Also I don't see how anyone that has jailbroken an iPhone can say its harder than Android. You literally download the ipsw, open it and hit a button. That may be the case with a few Android phones but not the Verizon S3 which requires Odin, 2 - bootchains, CWM Recovery, and the SuperSU package.(Thats what the method I used required)

And I was expecting to be able to freely edit everything basically, the LED notification for instance requires root access for many functions along with many more advanced apps.

Continuing, all is good now. I am on JellyBean through OTA updates, rooted and flash counter is 0.

 

[Tinmania]

CF-Root doesn't work on the Verizon Galaxy S3 I535 as far as I can see which is why I didn't end up using it.

I took another crack at rooting basically just for "Triangle Away" and I believe I found the problem that caused all my hassle last night. When I downloaded "Ez-unlock" it showed the phone lock was "unknown" so the package I used to root that phone was in fact supposed to unlock it also did not which led to the "Unauthorized Verizon software" error.

Also I don't see how anyone that has jailbroken an iPhone can say its harder than Android. You literally download the ipsw, open it and hit a button. That may be the case with a few Android phones but not the Verizon S3 which requires Odin, 2 - bootchains, CWM Recovery, and the SuperSU package.(Thats what the method I used required)

And I was expecting to be able to freely edit everything basically, the LED notification for instance requires root access for many functions along with many more advanced apps.

Continuing, all is good now. I am on JellyBean through OTA updates, rooted and flash counter is 0.

I don't know how you can say it's easier to jailbreak an iPhone when that is not even possible at all right now (unless you have a virtually obsolete device). Be happy that you can unlock and root your S3. Yes there are more options but that just means you have more things that are possible. If you had an iPhone 5 you wouldn't have any options, you're stuck with stock. The same with my 4S and iPad 3.



Michael

 

[tjb1]

I don't know how you can say it's easier to jailbreak an iPhone when that is not even possible at all right now (unless you have a virtually obsolete device). Be happy that you can unlock and root your S3. Yes there are more options but that just means you have more things that are possible. If you had an iPhone 5 you wouldn't have any options, you're stuck with stock. The same with my 4S and iPad 3.



Michael

This is exactly why I moved to Android...I needed a new phone capable of tethering. What I was saying was not the difficulty of "making" the jailbreak but the end user doing it.

Adding some annoyances...

-Constant Wifi ongoing notification - Thanks Verizon
-Phone lowering headphone volume when they are plugged in, I am capable of turning the volume down myself if I feel it is too loud.

 

[Niko91]

I have an iPhone 4S and I'm kind of worried seeing at how slow Apple introduces new features in iOS.
So, I'm actually thinking of switching to Android, to a Nexus 4.
Anyway, I don't know if this will be a good thing. If I make the switch and, then, Apple introduces new features in iOS 7, I'll regret moving to Android.
I'm.. Confused.
What should I do?

 

[aerok]

I have an iPhone 4S and I'm kind of worried seeing at how slow Apple introduces new features in iOS.
So, I'm actually thinking of switching to Android, to a Nexus 4.
Anyway, I don't know if this will be a good thing. If I make the switch and, then, Apple introduces new features in iOS 7, I'll regret moving to Android.
I'm.. Confused.
What should I do?

Wait until iOS 7 is announced, if the new features don't interest you, then go for Android. That's what I did with iOS 6

 

[SomeDudeAsking]

Wait until iOS 7 is announced, if the new features don't interest you, then go for Android. That's what I did with iOS 6

That's not a solution, he will be waiting until October 2013.

 

[aerok]

That's not a solution, he will be waiting until October 2013.

No the features are announced during summer.

 

[Fed]

One has to be a very sad person (or stupid consumer) to 'wait' for a company to catch-up and update an aged product that's far behind the market. Seems like people don't care what it's like, as long as the apple logo is on the back.

 

[F123D]

I have an iPhone 4S and I'm kind of worried seeing at how slow Apple introduces new features in iOS.
So, I'm actually thinking of switching to Android, to a Nexus 4.
Anyway, I don't know if this will be a good thing. If I make the switch and, then, Apple introduces new features in iOS 7, I'll regret moving to Android.
I'm.. Confused.
What should I do?

I feel right now is a great time to give Android a try with the lack luster updates apple has been pushing out with their phones.

I'd sell the 4S and purchase a Nexus 4 to use for the next year. Once apple announces iOS 7 and iPhone 5S or whatever its called, you can decide if it's worth an upgrade or continue using Android.

If you decide to keep your 4S, just know whatever main feature (software wise) apple introduces in iOS 7 probably won't be available on the 4S anyway.

 

[Niko91]

One has to be a very sad person (or stupid consumer) to 'wait' for a company to catch-up and update an aged product that's far behind the market. Seems like people don't care what it's like, as long as the apple logo is on the back.

Well, I'm not a sad person or a stupid consumer.
I like my iPhone 4S and I don't think it's so "far behind the market".
I'm just curious about Android and, that's why I'm confused, I don't like the "sell and buy a new phone" thing. For me, it's a waste of time (and my girlfriend kills me, lol).

Anyway, thank you all.

 

[Fed]

Well, I'm not a sad person or a stupid consumer.
I like my iPhone 4S and I don't think it's so "far behind the market".
I'm just curious about Android and, that's why I'm confused, I don't like the "sell and buy a new phone" thing. For me, it's a waste of time (and my girlfriend kills me, lol).

There's nothing wrong with sticking to the phone you have. At the end of the day, if it can make phone calls and send text messages, you have a sufficient phone. But someone after the latest and greatest smart phone seriously needs to reconsider the Apple adverts polluting their minds. Make no mistake, one doesn't buy an iPhone for the latest innovation, features or technology. They buy it for the cushiness (oh, spare me the ecosystem nonsense) and perceived image.

I didn't comment on a previous posting (was that by you?) to pick a fight or play schoolboy games. It was making the general point that brand loyalty for the sake of brand loyalty only leads to sloppiness. Looking at the market offering, in my opinion, it's already happened to Apple and it's iPhone. Thus, my current personal phone choice of iPhone 4S will not become 5.

 

[maxosx]

There's a world to discover with Android.

This is quite true. I must say, after using iPhones exclusively since the first one was released, it's the various annoyances with my iPhone 5, iOS6 & Apple Maps issues that finally drove me to try Android.

So I decided to go way outside of my comfort zone & buy a Galaxy Note II. My decision was based on a very comprehensive amount of research on my part, since I had not used Android before.

Now that I've used it, did the requisite learning, I'm very happy with the end result. No phone is perfect, but for my needs this is indeed a very impressive model, running an OS that has been a real joy to use.

It's changed my outlook, I give Google a lot of credit for what they've accomplished. The Note II and Android 4.1 has integrated very nice with OS X on my MBP. A very welcome surprise.

My new perspective is one that reveals Android as a very nice compliment to my iPad & MBP environment. Android plays very nicely with no conflicts of any consequence. Plus I'm now staying abreast of both platforms.

I'm very satisfied with how well they all play together.

 

[eggas]

I recently started the switch to android by purchasing the s3 instead of iPhone 5. I still have my ipad 2 and iphone 4S but don't use them that much anymore.
I think the best combo for me is my macbook air 13" and galaxy s3. Before I got my air I used my ipad all the time, now its gathering dust with my 4S

I have to say that with 4.0 ICS and now jelly bean, I prefer android by a long shot compared to my past iOS experience. Being able to choose default apps, having a file system so dont have to buy ringtones or use apps for it, having highly customisable UI, having a big screen on my phone and all the other android things...it feels just...liberating.

I don't know the whole google experience (apps, google's cloud solutions) feel more advanced and better for me :/ (this is coming from the biggest iOS fan only less than year ago)

 

[cuzo]

I have a iphone and its cool and is built great but I have some things I dislike about it.

1. When I had android I has power amp and honestly it sounded a little better than iTunes on my iphone, I also don't like the fact that the music player isn't in the pull down notification like it is in android so I have to either open up the program each time I want to change a song or I have to double tap and select the music player to open it.

2. The iPhone keyboard is good but I miss swiftkey and multitouch support. Having to click abc all the time to select numbers is tiring after a while and I wish the keyboard was a little more customizable.

3. I hate how basically everything on the iPhone is pay, for example I downloaded a app to hide pictures and it lets you select two pictures for free but after more and you need to upgrade. In android a lot of programs are free app lock I think it's called does the same for free.

Anyways I actually bought the iphone to resell on sprint but realizing that I have sprint and seeing the resell value of sprint iPhones I decided to keep it. If I go back to android I don't know which one to get, I don't really care for the gs3 in white nor blue and the evo lte is a phone I don't trust.

 

[Tinmania]

This is exactly why I moved to Android...I needed a new phone capable of tethering. What I was saying was not the difficulty of "making" the jailbreak but the end user doing it.

Yes, it has been quite an adjustment to get used to the myriad of ways of unlocking/rooting on Android. It's particularly hard when you are late to the party. Even supposedly simple guides have forks in the road, such as "use your favorite method of doing x" when I have NO method of doing x yet--so please spell it out!

BUT, at least it can be done, and gets easier the more you work with it. There is no option on iOS if you have a later device. It looks like it will only get worse as time goes on. It really stings when you have bought apps through Cydia that you cannot even use. In my opinion all the folks who sell apps through Cydia should focus most if not all of their attention on helping out with a jailbreak. No point in having a "market" that no one can use. I know I will never spend another dime on a Cydia app--not unless the situation drastically improves.





Michael

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I don't know the whole google experience (apps, google's cloud solutions) feel more advanced and better for me :/ (this is coming from the biggest iOS fan only less than year ago)

Same for me: had an iPhone since it came out in 2007. But the iPhone 5 I just had to say no to.

Have been pleasantly surprised that Google's equivalent to my iOS solutions are are better than I expected. I had forgotten all about signing up and installing google music when it first debuted. But it had been quietly keeping my iTunes library synced. So within minutes of turning on my Nexus 4 for the first time I had all my iTunes music available, including playlists. And it worked better for me than iTunes match on my iPhone 4S. AND it is free. Just let iTunes match expire and don't even notice it is gone. I even use google music on my iPad now.

That is not to say I don't miss anything from my iPhone. I do.



Michael

 

[tjb1]

More things I like about Android...

For lack of better works, Google has been kicking ass lately. Free music matching and storage for 20,000 songs? Count me in, I was exclusive to the freebies like Pandora, Slacker, Tune-In, I Heart Radio, etc...while using the iPhone because I didn't want to give up my valuable space to hold music. Next point, 10 minutes after getting my S3 I went to Best Buy and grabbed a Class 10-16GB SD card for $17. I just doubled my phones capacity for $17! If needed I can easily go up to 32GB.

Next...I can access files, I can download ZIP files and even more...I can open them!! Its amazing being able to use files on a phone. That always drove me nuts on the iPhone that you can't access any sort of file system besides using Dropbox and the few apps that support it.

I can install apps from outside! Another great feature, drop an APK on a card or even download it on the phone and install it. There are ways to do this on the iPhone and that requires jailbroken apps and a bunch of other hassles. Another one I found recently is that you can install apps to the phone by selecting them on the computer, i.e. go to http://www.play.google.com and select and app and it will download it to the phone similar to xbox live.

I'm sure I will have some more to add soon but so far I like the Android experience.

 

[tjb1]

I lied, I tried again and am now running the BAKED(BlackBean) rom.

Pretty much just a black version of AOKP and CM10 combined. I tried CM10 and the keyboard kept quitting and the home button wouldn't work. Then tried AOKP, tethering wouldn't work on it. Then went through a few various other roms and settled on BAKED.

Happy to say that I successfully loaded the roms and then restored back to stock without a problem.

 

[tjb1]

Speaking of 4G, loaded the CleanROM so I am not sure if thats related or if the tower just got faster but yeah...