When did you switch?

[Harmonious Zen]

I just recently made the switch not just to Android but away from Apple altogether. I have been a multi platform user for years and had maintained two platforms for years but it just wasn't affordable anymore so I had to make a choice. Since I am not going to switch my phone it doesn't really leave me a lot of options unless I want a hobbled system on my own hardware.

So I decided to just go all in and sell off my Mac and iPad and give my air pod pros to my son.

It was not an easy or flippant choice but one carefully considered. I still like Apple gear and will probably get it again at some point. However, making Apple my primary system again will need Apple to make some changes in the way their devices work with non Apple branded devices. If that ever happens then I would be tempted. But at least for now I have a much better experience with Windows, Android, Linux and Chrome OS.

With the antitrust lawsuit against Apple now a thing, it's interesting to consider whether Apple might be better off making their walled garden a little less restrictive. People like you might stick around instead of defecting.

 

[ozaz]

My first iPhone-style smartphone was an Android phone (HTC Hero). Since then I've been back and forth between Android and iPhone a few times. I've always had a fundamental preference for Android (I like the variety of choice that emerges when the OS is uncoupled from device manufacturer) but two factors meant I spent more of the last 15 years using iPhone than using Android:

1. Longer & more assured software updates in iOS
2. iPad app and device quality (I like having phone and tablet on same OS so my tablet choice influences my phone choice to some extent).

But in last few years length of software updates in Android as well as quality of Android tablets and tablet apps have gotten good enough for these to no longer be significant factors for me. So I switched back to Android in January 2023. I don't think there will be any reason for me to switch back to iOS in the foreseeable future.

 

[HouseLannister]

I spent more of the last 15 years using iPhone than using Android:

1. Longer & more assured software updates in iOS

But this was never a guarantee since Apple makes no commitments. It's also probably just false as of late. iOS 17 requires an XS or newer, which is a 5 year old device. Pixel and Samsung now do 7 years of updates. If you want to keep one device for AGES, that's Android now.

The issue I have had is that the last few years of Android updates have been so BORING. None of the new features interest me. It looks like Android 15 so far is mostly just some camera HDR and low exposure improvements. Nothing exciting. I have two Android phones in a drawer right now. I used to switch back and forth very often just to keep my knowledge fresh, but I am not a developer or a power user and just feel tired with Android as of late. I will definitely reactivate my S23 in the fall to play around with RCS messaging to my wife's iPhone, but I am not trading in my iPhone anytime soon.

 

[ozaz]

But this was never a guarantee since Apple makes no commitments.

It was pretty obvious very early on that Apple provided both quicker updates and updates over a longer period. I can't quite remember when this became obvious but I would guess it was within 2 or 3 years of the first iPhone release. Apple never really needed to make any firm commitments as the fragmentation and length of update experience on the competition (i.e Android) was so poor until relatively recently.