Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Shanghaichica

macrumors G5
Apr 8, 2013
14,725
13,245
UK
Receive messages and calls on all your ios devices.

Start a call on another ios device.

Start a task on one ios device and pick up where you left off on another ios device.

Have a seemless 100% backup of your entire device.

A keyboard as good as the stock ios one.
 
  • Like
Reactions: akash.nu

ramram55

macrumors 6502a
Jul 27, 2012
829
189
Receive messages and calls on all your ios devices.

Start a call on another ios device.

Start a task on one ios device and pick up where you left off on another ios device.

Have a seemless 100% backup of your entire device.

A keyboard as good as the stock ios one.
The problem with the so-called 'third world' or developing countries, the consumers have just one phone in their procession, what do they care about connecting to 'another device'? :)
 

Applemaniac7

Suspended
Mar 2, 2018
327
250
So Cal.
one thing i have yet to find on any Android phone is a keyboard as good as the one on my iphones. I can type like a madman on my iphone and the keyboard is not perfect but really close. I have tried multiple keyboards on my Android phones and nothing compares yet. The spell correction and predictive words are top notch.... i make fewer mistakes somehow.
No top row of numbers, I'll pass!! That in itself is unreal....
[doublepost=1533312285][/doublepost]
imessage
facetime
amazing in store support
consistant updates
true icloud syncing
notifications coming through waking screen up
keyboard

just some things i think are important for me
Whatsapp, Skype, fb messenger replicate some of these perfectly.. the thread is about platform specific features that can't be replicated...
 
  • Like
Reactions: rbrian

Macalicious2011

macrumors 68000
May 15, 2011
1,860
1,972
London
A keyboard as good as the stock ios one.

Try SwiftKey. It completely supercharged my typing speed and accuracy.

The prediction is biased towards words and names you typically use and it's insanely good. I speak Swedish and English and it's the best bilingual keyword. As soon as I type a word, it instantly knows which language I'm using. I basically don't have to switch between English and Swedish language setting which is great as I sometimes write messages with both English and Swedish sentences.

A big bonus is that you can enlarge keys and even have add a row for numbers. This makes typing more comfortable for my large hands.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Oohara

Shanghaichica

macrumors G5
Apr 8, 2013
14,725
13,245
UK
Try SwiftKey. It completely supercharged my typing speed and accuracy.

The prediction is biased towards words and names you typically use and it's insanely good. I speak Swedish and English and it's the best bilingual keyword. As soon as I type a word, it instantly knows which language I'm using. I basically don't have to switch between English and Swedish language setting which is great as I sometimes write messages with both English and Swedish sentences.

A big bonus is that you can enlarge keys and even have add a row for numbers. This makes typing more comfortable for my large hands.
I use swiftkey on android but it just not as good for me.
 

Oohara

macrumors 68040
Jun 28, 2012
3,050
2,423
Swype was always the best one for me. I also speak Swedish and English :p and frequently Italian too, and it would switch seamlessly between all three and easily remember all the new words I'd enter into it (which Google Keyboard fails hard at). It also had the awesome c/v/x functionality that I've found on no other keyboard. Alas, it's been discontinued now... :oops:

But SwiftKey is easily the second best for me. Apple's keyboard doesn't even come close when I use it. This is one of the primary reasons why I'm seriously considering switching back to Android for my next phone.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Macalicious2011

pika2000

Suspended
Jun 22, 2007
5,587
4,903
Easily transfer files with other iOS devices and Macs with Airdrop. There are plenty of Android apps trying to mimic that functionality, but often times they are too convoluted (having to do hotspot on one phone and connect the other to it, etc). Airdrop is just seamless.

Much much faster PDF processing. I have a wireless printer that have a mobile app on both iOS and Android. Whenever I want to print a PDF, the iOS version just print it without a hitch while the Android version will stall for minutes processing the PDF, and it happens to all Android devices I have. Really annoying.

One shot built-in full backup and restore. On iOS, I can backup a device, but a new device, and simply restore the backup and I’m back where I was. This makes upgrading or switching iPhones/iPads ultra easy. On Android, I have to do things manually as Google don’t even backup SMS. Many apps don’t utilize Google drive backup either. All the third party backup apps I’ve tried don’t work 100% right either, making switching/upgrading phones a chore.
 

LIVEFRMNYC

macrumors G3
Oct 27, 2009
8,877
10,987
Easily transfer files with other iOS devices and Macs with Airdrop. There are plenty of Android apps trying to mimic that functionality, but often times they are too convoluted (having to do hotspot on one phone and connect the other to it, etc). Airdrop is just seamless.

Airdrop is nice, but not seamless. Can't count how many times myself or someone else had issues with detection. And detection issues is a common occurrence. Setting visibility to everyone helps only sometimes, and contacts only viability has regularly been problematic.


Much much faster PDF processing. I have a wireless printer that have a mobile app on both iOS and Android. Whenever I want to print a PDF, the iOS version just print it without a hitch while the Android version will stall for minutes processing the PDF, and it happens to all Android devices I have. Really annoying.

Don't experience this at all. Any Android or iOS printing is done instantly for me. Maybe it's your printer, app, or specific Android phone model.



One shot built-in full backup and restore. On iOS, I can backup a device, but a new device, and simply restore the backup and I’m back where I was. This makes upgrading or switching iPhones/iPads ultra easy. On Android, I have to do things manually as Google don’t even backup SMS. Many apps don’t utilize Google drive backup either. All the third party backup apps I’ve tried don’t work 100% right either, making switching/upgrading phones a chore.

I think you need to clarify the differ backups before comparing them. Seems like you're comparing iTunes fully encrypted backups to Google cloud based backup, which is not a fair comparison. Let me clear things up ...

iTunes fully encrypted backup is the best phone backup. But it's not without it's own cons. Some of the cons is, it can only be backed up to one iTunes(one Mac or PC). This means no FULL backup on the go. Or if something happens to the computer you backup on, then you are out of luck. Another issue is iTunes is horrible on lower end PCs. So any iPhone owner with a budget PC will most likely not be doing iTunes full encrypted backups.

Whereas Samsung, LG, and other manufactures, you can make full backups and save it locally on the micro SD card, and make multiple copies on any USB or hard drive. Not tied down to any desktop. Almost no manual input needed after a restore. It's basically 98% equivalent to an iTunes fully encrypted backup.

Any iOS backup besides a fully encrypted(must select that option) iTunes backup is basically equivalent to any cloud backup. So there is no difference between Google, Samsung, or Apple's cloud backups. Google backups doesn't backup SMS, but Gmail does using SMS backup. But that's only an issue if someone has vanilla Android. Every other manufacturer backs up SMS.
 
  • Like
Reactions: rbrian and mib1800

mib1800

Suspended
Sep 16, 2012
2,859
1,250
Receive messages and calls on all your ios devices.

Start a call on another ios device.

Start a task on one ios device and pick up where you left off on another ios device.

Have a seemless 100% backup of your entire device.

A keyboard as good as the stock ios one.

There is almost nothing available in iPhone that can't be done on an Android one way or another. But there are many things in Android that can't be done on iPhone PERIOD.
 

pika2000

Suspended
Jun 22, 2007
5,587
4,903
Airdrop is nice, but not seamless. Can't count how many times myself or someone else had issues with detection. And detection issues is a common occurrence. Setting visibility to everyone helps only sometimes, and contacts only viability has regularly been problematic.

Don't experience this at all. Any Android or iOS printing is done instantly for me. Maybe it's your printer, app, or specific Android phone model.

I think you need to clarify the differ backups before comparing them. Seems like you're comparing iTunes fully encrypted backups to Google cloud based backup, which is not a fair comparison. Let me clear things up ...

iTunes fully encrypted backup is the best phone backup. But it's not without it's own cons. Some of the cons is, it can only be backed up to one iTunes(one Mac or PC). This means no FULL backup on the go. Or if something happens to the computer you backup on, then you are out of luck. Another issue is iTunes is horrible on lower end PCs. So any iPhone owner with a budget PC will most likely not be doing iTunes full encrypted backups.

Whereas Samsung, LG, and other manufactures, you can make full backups and save it locally on the micro SD card, and make multiple copies on any USB or hard drive. Not tied down to any desktop. Almost no manual input needed after a restore. It's basically 98% equivalent to an iTunes fully encrypted backup.

Any iOS backup besides a fully encrypted(must select that option) iTunes backup is basically equivalent to any cloud backup. So there is no difference between Google, Samsung, or Apple's cloud backups. Google backups doesn't backup SMS, but Gmail does using SMS backup. But that's only an issue if someone has vanilla Android. Every other manufacturer backs up SMS.
1. Airdrop is not seamless for you, but it does for me. So maybe check your wifi router or firewall settings, or update your devices.
2. I have phones from Motorola, Xiaomi, OnePlus, and Samsung. Printing anything else is fine. It's just PDFs, whatever processing Android has is just slow, ultra slow. This happens even on brothers and samsung apps for their respective wireless printers, not just for a specific model.
3. I have tried Samsung, Sony, and HTC backups. They all don't backup everything. You still end up having to restore many things separately. There is no all-in-one solution that actually works like Apple's iTunes/iCloud backup. Upgrading to a new iPhone means literally restoring from backup and go. Done. On Android, I have to meticulously figure out what works and what doesn't.

I have more Android phones than iPhones. Have been using Android since the Nexus One. The thread is about things I can do on iOS but not on Android. This is not meant to argue which platform is better. I use both platforms for their purposes.
 
  • Like
Reactions: rtomyj and akash.nu

Shanghaichica

macrumors G5
Apr 8, 2013
14,725
13,245
UK
1. Airdrop is not seamless for you, but it does for me. So maybe check your wifi router or firewall settings, or update your devices.
2. I have phones from Motorola, Xiaomi, OnePlus, and Samsung. Printing anything else is fine. It's just PDFs, whatever processing Android has is just slow, ultra slow. This happens even on brothers and samsung apps for their respective wireless printers, not just for a specific model.
3. I have tried Samsung, Sony, and HTC backups. They all don't backup everything. You still end up having to restore many things separately. There is no all-in-one solution that actually works like Apple's iTunes/iCloud backup. Upgrading to a new iPhone means literally restoring from backup and go. Done. On Android, I have to meticulously figure out what works and what doesn't.

I have more Android phones than iPhones. Have been using Android since the Nexus One. The thread is about things I can do on iOS but not on Android. This is not meant to argue which platform is better. I use both platforms for their purposes.
Samsung keep telling me that there isn’t enough space to back up my S9 plus. I’m using 5GB out of the free 15GB. I have an old note 8 back up that I want to delete to create more space. It won’t let me. I also don’t have the option to buy more storage.

No issues with doing an iCloud back up for my iPhone. Paying £2.49 a month for 200GB and I can back up my iPhone, 2 iPads and MacBook Air seemlesly.

What Samsung/google offer is good enough for a second device but for my daily driver I need something more robust.
 
  • Like
Reactions: rtomyj and akash.nu

LIVEFRMNYC

macrumors G3
Oct 27, 2009
8,877
10,987
1. Airdrop is not seamless for you, but it does for me. So maybe check your wifi router or firewall settings, or update your devices.

Nope, this is a common problem with Airdrop.



2. I have phones from Motorola, Xiaomi, OnePlus, and Samsung. Printing anything else is fine. It's just PDFs, whatever processing Android has is just slow, ultra slow. This happens even on brothers and samsung apps for their respective wireless printers, not just for a specific model.

Most of us in this forum of a long history of phones. It seems like the PDF issue it is something you're only experiencing.

3. I have tried Samsung, Sony, and HTC backups. They all don't backup everything. You still end up having to restore many things separately. There is no all-in-one solution that actually works like Apple's iTunes/iCloud backup. Upgrading to a new iPhone means literally restoring from backup and go. Done. On Android, I have to meticulously figure out what works and what doesn't.

I have more Android phones than iPhones. Have been using Android since the Nexus One. The thread is about things I can do on iOS but not on Android. This is not meant to argue which platform is better. I use both platforms for their purposes.

Doing a complete backup on a Samsung device to an SD card, tell me what is not backed up?
The only thing that's not backed up is Secure Folder, which has it's own back up.

And please stop mentioning iCloud or any cloud backups, as that doesn't backup everything.
 

Oohara

macrumors 68040
Jun 28, 2012
3,050
2,423
I used to have nothing but trouble with Air Drop but since a year or so it's working flawlessly and I use it all the time.

I also love that you can copy text on the iPhone and immediately paste it on the Mac (or vice versa), this I find incredibly useful.

I dislike many things about iOS but I'm happy to give credit where it's due.
 
Last edited:

pika2000

Suspended
Jun 22, 2007
5,587
4,903
Nope, this is a common problem with Airdrop.

Most of us in this forum of a long history of phones. It seems like the PDF issue it is something you're only experiencing.

Doing a complete backup on a Samsung device to an SD card, tell me what is not backed up?
The only thing that's not backed up is Secure Folder, which has it's own back up.

And please stop mentioning iCloud or any cloud backups, as that doesn't backup everything.
Looks like you’re just trolling to shift a discussion into an argument, which is not the point of this thread.
 

LIVEFRMNYC

macrumors G3
Oct 27, 2009
8,877
10,987
Looks like you’re just trolling to shift a discussion into an argument, which is not the point of this thread.

I'm not trolling. You just need to backup your claims. Doing a complete backup on a Samsung device to an SD card, tell me what is not backed up? If you can't answer it, then stop spreading info your're clueless about to favor the iPhone.
 

hallux

macrumors 68040
Apr 25, 2012
3,443
1,005
Receive messages and calls on all your ios devices.

Start a call on another ios device.

I can do this on my Android devices, and with my Mac. In fact, I received a text on my Mac while skimming this thread. Project Fi with Hangouts integration allows for this, and the way the data billing functions works for me so the service works for me.

A keyboard as good as the stock ios one.

I'm quite happy with GBoard on my Android devices. When I've had to use iOS devices at work the keyboard just felt uncomfortable. What that tells me is that you prefer what you're used to. In fact - I was a Swype user from the beginning of the app, swapping to GBoard was REAL easy for me when Dragon decided to kill the app.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Shanghaichica

Shanghaichica

macrumors G5
Apr 8, 2013
14,725
13,245
UK
I can do this on my Android devices, and with my Mac. In fact, I received a text on my Mac while skimming this thread. Project Fi with Hangouts integration allows for this, and the way the data billing functions works for me so the service works for me.



I'm quite happy with GBoard on my Android devices. When I've had to use iOS devices at work the keyboard just felt uncomfortable. What that tells me is that you prefer what you're used to. In fact - I was a Swype user from the beginning of the app, swapping to GBoard was REAL easy for me when Dragon decided to kill the app.
I guess that’s it. It’s about what you are used to. I don’t find swift key terrible, it’s good. Just prefer the iOS keyboard, although it’s a bit small on my iPhone X now.
 

Vegastouch

macrumors 603
Jul 12, 2008
6,185
992
Las Vegas, NV
No top row of numbers, I'll pass!! That in itself is unreal....
[doublepost=1533312285][/doublepost]
Whatsapp, Skype, fb messenger replicate some of these perfectly.. the thread is about platform specific features that can't be replicated...
Who still uses Skype?
[doublepost=1533410825][/doublepost]
I guess that’s it. It’s about what you are used to. I don’t find swift key terrible, it’s good. Just prefer the iOS keyboard, although it’s a bit small on my iPhone X now.
I always hated the iOS keyboard. I use Gboard, its a lot better imo than Swiftkey.
[doublepost=1533410944][/doublepost]
There is almost nothing available in iPhone that can't be done on an Android one way or another. But there are many things in Android that can't be done on iPhone PERIOD.
True, but i can only recieve a call on my other Android devices thru Hangouts (wifi only devices)
 

convergent

macrumors 68040
May 6, 2008
3,034
3,083
In the interests of fairness.....


Imessage obviously is one

Its not that iMessage provides any special function, its that the way Apple has implemented iMessage doesn't play well with others. Its fall back to SMS ruins the experience if everyone doesn't have Apple products. So while this is a perceived "limitation" of Android, its really a limitation of iMessage. And in my experience, all the "limitations" with Android are really inconveniences when dealing with Apple users. Since there are so many Apple users in most folks' circle of contacts, and since many (not all of course) are largely technically inept, it creates impossible situations that make the Android user appear to be the problem. If everyone were on Android, this wouldn't be a problem, and if everyone were on Apple this wouldn't be a problem. The problem is with Apple wanting to seclude themselves into their own walled environment.
 

I7guy

macrumors Nehalem
Nov 30, 2013
35,156
25,262
Gotta be in it to win it
Its not that iMessage provides any special function, its that the way Apple has implemented iMessage doesn't play well with others. Its fall back to SMS ruins the experience if everyone doesn't have Apple products. So while this is a perceived "limitation" of Android, its really a limitation of iMessage. And in my experience, all the "limitations" with Android are really inconveniences when dealing with Apple users. Since there are so many Apple users in most folks' circle of contacts, and since many (not all of course) are largely technically inept, it creates impossible situations that make the Android user appear to be the problem. If everyone were on Android, this wouldn't be a problem, and if everyone were on Apple this wouldn't be a problem. The problem is with Apple wanting to seclude themselves into their own walled environment.
So how do two Android phones communicate if one phone only has whatsapp and the other has hangouts? The native apps were deleted by the owners for whatever reason. They can't even use SMS and whatsapp doesn't communicate with hangouts.

This is a fragmentation issue for android. Since there appears to be one open standard and that is SMS, the lowest common denominator.
 

Applemaniac7

Suspended
Mar 2, 2018
327
250
So Cal.
So how do two Android phones communicate if one phone only has whatsapp and the other has hangouts? The native apps were deleted by the owners for whatever reason. They can't even use SMS and whatsapp doesn't communicate with hangouts.

This is a fragmentation issue for android. Since there appears to be one open standard and that is SMS, the lowest common denominator.
The native apps were deleted for whatever reason.. ok.. so no sms, if we are going down that route.. what if one iPhone owner didnt have a data contract when they were out of Wi-Fi range.. how does I message work then?
 

I7guy

macrumors Nehalem
Nov 30, 2013
35,156
25,262
Gotta be in it to win it
The native apps were deleted for whatever reason.. ok.. so no sms, if we are going down that route.. what if one iPhone owner didnt have a data contract when they were out of Wi-Fi range.. how does I message work then?
If we’re taking that road, the android user could just as easily not have data and be out of range of WiFi also.:rolleyes:
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.