Mobile OSs What Would Make Android better (From an iOS Guy)

[taptic]

Just in reply to the general thread name:

The main reason I like iOS more is because I like the walled garden. I bought a phone. Not a computer.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

Now note, I own a Moto X and an iPhone 5S.

Neither phone is a slouch, and I use them both tons!

I still lean toward iOS just for some small details that I DO notice after using iOS for so long.

So here is my list:

Smoother framerate when scrolling SLOWLY, My iPhones have never had this problem, unless its a media filled webpage (5S is an exception, never had issues with framerate on it.)

Lower Screen Rotation Delay (My iPhone is near instant to rotate the screen, while android will either never do it, for have a huge delay.)

Better design on the Play store, (The App Store is extremely easy to find new things all the time, and the homepage showcases apps extremely well.)

Less Google intrusion. (My iPhone, while an Apple Phone, on an Apple Operating system, you don't see Apple everywhere, they are not intrusive, while on Android you see "Google" or "Play" just about everywhere.)

Touch Input Lag.

Most of what you mentioned is more device specific. For example, my N7(2013) has a slight delay before is rotates the screen, it's feels like they meant for it to do that. My S4 has no delay whatsoever and is faster at rotating the screen than any iPhone I've ever own.

I don't have a scrolling issue on any of my android devices, but I do remember having them on previous devices. Not sure if it's Android or newer devices for the cause of scrolling improvement. I have an equivalent experience vs the iPhone when scroll nowadays.

Any touch input lag I experience is always within a specific app, never the OS itself.

Everything else is you mentioned is preference. I do like the Playstore better, and maybe Apple should stop being intrusive with the lower case letter "i".

 

[sixrom]

For clarification iOS & Android are distinctly _different_ platforms.

Those who obsess and insist on comparing specific characteristics, usually have a personal agenda against one or the other. Something as common as scrolling is extremely well done and very smooth on both. I _know_ because I'm currently using both Android and iOS.

Anyone can pick apart any product, often exaggerating their claims. I've owned every single iPhone to date, and nearly every top of the line Android concurrently. Thus I enjoy a wealth of experience.

Both are excellent. It's all about trying each to have the first hand experience. If that's not possible then reading the reviews and carefully studying your needs is the key to a good decision. No one can possibly understand your wants and needs like you.

 

[parapup]

You then ignore evidence in your face because you can't find it in a search.

No. I ignore it because I have never witnessed anything like that myself and I don't find anything other than the couple isolated cases you pointed. That's far from being a widespread and relevant to 2014 Android problem.

With so much diverse hardware there is bound to be crap in Android land - the key is to stick to mainstream devices. And as someone who has only ever owned Android phones - Nexus One, Nexus S, Epic 4G, Atrix, GNex, Note 2, Moto G and Moto X - I've never had the issue you mention - at least I remember clearly not having it after Atrix.

So for fun, I just spent time with Note 2 and Moto G - Note 2 is 1.5 years old and G is about the weakest mainstream Android phone you can buy today. I initiated restore of my apps after resetting them and played HD YouTube videos while that was happening in the background. No stutter of any kind. I then played RipTide GP2 on the Note 2 while apps were updating. No sign of any trouble there either.

So I guess what I am saying is I will continue to believe what I see.

 

[ozaz]

Have only been using Android for a couple of weeks after switching from iOS.
The following improvements would be desirable to me.

1. System-wide word lookup/define like in iOS.

2. Better implementation of text selection and copy/paste. I prefer the way its done in iOS.

3. A centralised way to identify which apps have notifications turned on and disable notifications from this central location. I found iOS notification centre easy for this.

4. Country-wide offline maps for Google Maps, like Bing Maps has on Windows Phone.

5. This is not really Android feature, but a accessories ecosystem feature. I would like something that is similar to Airplay/Airport Express for streaming device audio to my speakers via wifi (i.e. not bluetooth).

6. I haven't tried restoring my apps/settings/content to a new phone yet, but I expect it won't work as well as iOS backup/restore from iCloud. If so, I'd like to see that improved.

 

[appledes7]

No. I ignore it because I have never witnessed anything like that myself and I don't find anything other than the couple isolated cases you pointed. That's far from being a widespread and relevant to 2014 Android problem.

With so much diverse hardware there is bound to be crap in Android land - the key is to stick to mainstream devices. And as someone who has only ever owned Android phones - Nexus One, Nexus S, Epic 4G, Atrix, GNex, Note 2, Moto G and Moto X - I've never had the issue you mention - at least I remember clearly not having it after Atrix.

So for fun, I just spent time with Note 2 and Moto G - Note 2 is 1.5 years old and G is about the weakest mainstream Android phone you can buy today. I initiated restore of my apps after resetting them and played HD YouTube videos while that was happening in the background. No stutter of any kind. I then played RipTide GP2 on the Note 2 while apps were updating. No sign of any trouble there either.

So I guess what I am saying is I will continue to believe what I see.

LOL is the brand new Nexus 7 and Nexus 5 straight from the makers of Android not mainstream enough for you? You do know what mainstream means, right?

So according to you and your tests, this issue did not happen on your Note 2. Is that running 4.4? I had already mentioned that I was running 4.4, maybe you forgot? Also once again, this isn't an isolated issue. It is 100% repeatable and multiple people have chimed in saying it is happening to them too. How many people have chimed in to back you up? Ya, thats what I thought.

----------

6. I haven't tried restoring my apps/settings/content to a new phone yet, but I expect it won't work as well as iOS backup/restore from iCloud. If so, I'd like to see that improved.

It doesn't. Not even close. iOS backup is far superior, and I haven't even used it since iOS 6. So I am comparing current Android with outdated iOS and iOS still wins in this aspect.

 

[superstarmc]

Faster software updates to start.

 

[jeffe]

I've got a few more things about Android I don't like too much.


Second, and more annoying, is the scroll bar in a lot of apps seems almost random and is constantly changing size.

I've personally never noticed this but I'd speculate that this would be a bug within the app that the developer introduced.

 

[blackhand1001]

Note 2 user here:

Scrolling - is generally smoother on iOS, there can be no doubt about that. I literally get a little shiver of joy whenever I pick up my 4S just because the screen follows my finger so precisely.

But I still prefer the sheer speed of Android scrolling. Whether I'm going up or down doesn't matter, I can get all the way in just a few quick swipes. This gives me a greater sense of being in control than what I get with iOS.

Screen rotation - this is one of the most irritating things with Android for me, at least on my Note 2. I hate waiting that extra half second (sometimes whole second or more) for the screen to rotate, compared to my 4S which seems to follow my command much better in this regard.

It's better since the 4.3 update though. At least now the screen doesn't get helplessly stuck in the wrong orientation anymore

Text selection - I use to loathe the way this was implemented on Android, but since the 4.3 upgrade I've not had those issues with the markers going haywire anymore. I actually rather like how this works on Android now, with the cursor ending up exactly where I want surprisingly often, even at the first touch when quite far zoomed out from a long text document. The markers are kind of ugly though.

Copy/paste - this is a breeze since I started using Swype. Swipe from Swype symbol to C = copy, to V = paste, etc. It works extremely well and is very fast and intuitive, and uniform across all apps. I absolutely love this, and miss it dearly whenever I use my 4S (and swipe typing in general, of course).

Keyboard bug (stays up) - this almost never happens anymore for me since the 4.3 upgrade. When it does however, Swype again comes in handy. Swipe from the symbol to Backspace = lower keyboard.

As for stuff not already mentioned:

Watching Youtube clips from other apps - this is utterly horrible on my Note 2, don't know how it is on other Android phones. Basically, I press the link and pray. Most of the time it is very slow to start, and when it does it usually refuses to rotate when I flip the phone over. Fullscreen normally doesn't work. And the whole procedure usually leads to the app crashing.

Whereas on my 4S this is remarkably smooth in all respects. Not sure how Google can just leave this in its current state. How is this on other Android phones?

Notification light - I love this in principle, but I really dislike that I have to wake up, unlock, and pull down the notifications tab before the light stops blinking. There should at least be an option to have it stop as soon as I've just woke up the phone - which should be sufficient confirmation that the user is now aware of the message/reminder.

Again, not sure how this is on other phones. Maybe TouchWiz is the culprit for these last two points?

The notification light definitely shuts off after unlocking the phone, you don't have to clear the notification. Atleast thats how it works on my nexus phones. I guess samsung must change the implementation.

 

[ozaz]

Have only been using Android for a couple of weeks after switching from iOS.
The following improvements would be desirable to me.

1. System-wide word lookup/define like in iOS.

2. Better implementation of text selection and copy/paste. I prefer the way its done in iOS.

3. A centralised way to identify which apps have notifications turned on and disable notifications from this central location. I found iOS notification centre easy for this.

4. Country-wide offline maps for Google Maps, like Bing Maps has on Windows Phone.

5. This is not really Android feature, but a accessories ecosystem feature. I would like something that is similar to Airplay/Airport Express for streaming device audio to my speakers via wifi (i.e. not bluetooth).

6. I haven't tried restoring my apps/settings/content to a new phone yet, but I expect it won't work as well as iOS backup/restore from iCloud. If so, I'd like to see that improved.

One more thing I'd add to my earlier list is a simplified "reading view" mode like mobile safari has. As far as I can tell, Chrome does not have one. Or am I missing something? I know I can share a web page to something like Pocket or Readability, but that's a bit more of a hassle involving adding web pages to a reading list and jumping between apps.

 

[sentinelsx]

No. I ignore it because I have never witnessed anything like that myself and I don't find anything other than the couple isolated cases you pointed. That's far from being a widespread and relevant to 2014 Android problem.

With so much diverse hardware there is bound to be crap in Android land - the key is to stick to mainstream devices. And as someone who has only ever owned Android phones - Nexus One, Nexus S, Epic 4G, Atrix, GNex, Note 2, Moto G and Moto X - I've never had the issue you mention - at least I remember clearly not having it after Atrix.

So for fun, I just spent time with Note 2 and Moto G - Note 2 is 1.5 years old and G is about the weakest mainstream Android phone you can buy today. I initiated restore of my apps after resetting them and played HD YouTube videos while that was happening in the background. No stutter of any kind. I then played RipTide GP2 on the Note 2 while apps were updating. No sign of any trouble there either.

So I guess what I am saying is I will continue to believe what I see.

On my gs4 which is newer than a note 2 and also running the leaner Google edition, kingdom rush frontiers lags badly with many enemies. On my friend's iPhone 5 (not 5S), it is smooth in those circumstances.

 

[cynics]

I just broke out my Xoom to see the pausing issue. It had like 20 app updates because I haven't used it in a while.

I was able to watch a YouTube video as the apps updated in the background with no effects on the video/sound. Stock JB.

Strange a newer and much more powerful device can't do that. That would be very annoying. Every iOS device I have does that with ease.

 

[Cod3rror]

Bounce Back, aka Rubberbanding, aka Patent 381.

Android would greatly benefit from it. The current edge-glow solution Android has, is not that good.

 

[tbayrgs]

I just broke out my Xoom to see the pausing issue. It had like 20 app updates because I haven't used it in a while.

I was able to watch a YouTube video as the apps updated in the background with no effects on the video/sound. Stock JB.

Strange a newer and much more powerful device can't do that. That would be very annoying. Every iOS device I have does that with ease.

Yeah, I tried to simulate it on my LG G Pad 8.3 GPE running KK 4.4.2 and had no pauses or hiccups at all while watching a YouTube video when I ran about a dozen app updates. Now I don't have my device setup to automatically update apps--have to initiate it manually, so is this problem possibly exclusive to automatic updates?

 

[cynics]

Yeah, I tried to simulate it on my LG G Pad 8.3 GPE running KK 4.4.2 and had no pauses or hiccups at all while watching a YouTube video when I ran about a dozen app updates. Now I don't have my device setup to automatically update apps--have to initiate it manually, so is this problem possibly exclusive to automatic updates?

Maybe. I also didn't have it set for automatic updates. I started the video, then started the updates, then went back to the video. Although apps updates were starting and completing as I watched the video. It was 50 minutes long so it's not like I was starting and stopping videos myself.

 

[gotluck]

Maybe. I also didn't have it set for automatic updates. I started the video, then started the updates, then went back to the video. Although apps updates were starting and completing as I watched the video. It was 50 minutes long so it's not like I was starting and stopping videos myself.

I think it depends on what app it is. I've experienced the slowdown when installing updates, but I cannot reliably recreate the issue. Don't personally use autoupdate on ios or android.

 

[cynics]

I think it depends on what app it is. I've experienced the slowdown when installing updates, but I cannot reliably recreate the issue. Don't personally use autoupdate on ios or android.

Although it's not with updating but sometimes when I'm using Safari pandora stutters on iOS. I don't know if it's network congestion on my end or lack of processing power/ram. Happens on both my iPad 3 and iPhone 4S. Didn't notice that until iOS 7.

 

[sentinelsx]

What I want:

1. Lock screen notifications. Something like iOS. If iOS can get a notification shade why can't android get similar lockscreen notifications?

2. Ability to ungroup notifications in the notification shade and have then separately actionable. If I get two emails, I should be able to act on one without affecting the other.

3. A mandatory constant basic framework aand cohesive APIs so making an app on touchwiz doesn't mean a Dev has to buy a sense device or an lg device or a huawei device to make sure it will run on all without specific bug fixes (this is probably why many indie devs shy away, can't really execute a brilliant idea if the capital requirement is huge).

4. 2 years of gauranteed updates.

5. A full blown built in backup solution that backups everything from settings to launcher layouts to app saves to communication logs. Like a nandroid image but not needing any hacking.

6. This is not android and more hardware, but more options for frequently updated, almost flagship specced (especially camera) phones with 4.3-4.5 inch screens.

Most of this implemented would pretty much kill any lingering affinity for iPhone or iOS for me for sure.

 

[AustinIllini]

1. Lock screen notifications. Something like iOS. If iOS can get a notification shade why can't android get similar lockscreen notifications?

I agree with this 100%. I can't believe vanilla Android users don't have these.

2. Ability to ungroup notifications in the notification shade and have then separately actionable. If I get two emails, I should be able to act on one without affecting the other.

I haven't experienced this yet, but I can see where this would be annoying.

3. A mandatory constant basic framework aand cohesive APIs so making an app on touchwiz doesn't mean a Dev has to buy a sense device or an lg device or a huawei device to make sure it will run on all without specific bug fixes (this is probably why many indie devs shy away, can't really execute a brilliant idea if the capital requirement is huge).

I agree with this because I am a former iPhone user. Problem is, the cat's out of the bag on this, and I don't think Google will be able to unify Android from the current fractured state.

4. 2 years of gauranteed updates.

This one gets me too (again the iPhone user in me). Wouldn't it make sense that if you buy a phone on a two year contract, you should get all the updates associated with the phone over the two years? It shouldn't be mandatory, but it would be nice. The Galaxy Nexus (from Oct 2011) won't be getting 4.4 (from Oct 2013). This is, of course, only considering Nexus devices. Is a phone earlier than the S4 getting KitKat? doubtful.

5. A full blown built in backup solution that backups everything from settings to launcher layouts to app saves to communication logs. Like a nandroid image but not needing any hacking.

This seems like something Android should do. Thankfully, all I really care about are my google services, which are in the cloud, I guess.

6. This is not android and more hardware, but more options for frequently updated, almost flagship specced (especially camera) phones with 4.3-4.5 inch screens.

I was wondering about stuff like this, too. Based on everything I'm reading, it appears that the next Nexus will be the Nexus 6 with a 6 inch screen. I hope Google doesn't do away with the Nexus 5 sized phone (just call it Nexus 5 again, honestly) because a 6 inch phone is just huge.

Most of this implemented would pretty much kill any lingering affinity for iPhone or iOS for me for sure.

A number of these things feel like they're a long way off especially timely updates.

 

[strausd]

I've personally never noticed this but I'd speculate that this would be a bug within the app that the developer introduced.

That would only make sense it it was specific to one app, but it happens in tons of apps.

 

[Dr McKay]

Haha a bad unit? It has happened on every Android device I have owned. And someone earlier has said it happened to them too.

Even if I do manual updates, when things get updated in the background it still interferes with what I am trying to do. It will bring general lag to the device, but more important it will pause videos and stop games in the middle of them. Here is an example

Notice the pause button in the top corner never being touched. Everytime it stops is when an app finished being updated in the background.

Weird, I unable to replicate the issue on my Note 3. Ran 8 updates back to back and even downloaded 3 new ones in the queue. Started a 10 minute video and it never skipped or stuttered once.

 

[(Chanticleer)]

Preference will always be key in these debates. With that being said, I can't ever see myself leaving the Apple walled garden ecosystem, it works best for me. I like the way they all work together with no issues. I am certain that most Android users love to tweak and play around, and while I do enjoy that with my computers, I just simply want my phone to work with ease.

 

[appledes7]

Weird, I unable to replicate the issue on my Note 3. Ran 8 updates back to back and even downloaded 3 new ones in the queue. Started a 10 minute video and it never skipped or stuttered once.

Just out of curiosity, what version of Android is your Note 3 on? Because I can repeat it perfectly whenever I want and have earlier in this thread.

 

[Dr McKay]

Just out of curiosity, what version of Android is your Note 3 on? Because I can repeat it perfectly whenever I want and have earlier in this thread.

It's still on 4.3

 

[Dontazemebro]

Just out of curiosity, what version of Android is your Note 3 on? Because I can repeat it perfectly whenever I want and have earlier in this thread.

Is this an issue with Kitkat only? I haven't noticed it either on the Note 3 or even on the Nexus 7