Why do you use Android?

[sixrom]

After using and enjoying every model of iPhone since the original, including the 5S, I now use a new Nexus 5.

It's everything I'd hoped that Apple would create in the iPhone.

Switching was easy and day to day use is pure joy. Having full and easy access to the file system is terrific. Battery life is quiet good, speedy, smooth and crash free, Google's to be commended.

So good that I've bought 4 more so our family can all enjoy this wonderful phone.

 

[JaySoul]

It's funny because after years of being Anti-Apple, I've bought an iPhone to supplement my Android. Heh.

I'm grateful for being able to have two lines. Being able to fiddle with two different OS's is an incredibly enjoyable experience.

It's all about the quality of goods/services combined with value for money for me.

I'm also moving to more agnostic apps like Evernote etc just in case I want to swap back or try something new etc.

 

[Digital Skunk]

Plain and simple for me. I've always wanted a Palm TX like device with a phone function. The TX was my everything device. With a keyboard and WiFi I didn't need my laptop and that was way back in 2005.

I still needed my phone however and at times the iBook. The iPhone was great until I started needing to do more and more with it and that's when it started to show its novelty.

Once I held and used the HTC EVO I was sold on the larger screen. It came close to being my TX replacement but not quite.

The Note 2 and 3 were definitely the device I was looking for. I stay with two apps running at the same time and the stylus comes out at least twice a day. I practically run a low power TV station from my phone, and I don't have to bring any other device with me most days. Only when I need to cut in the field do I pack a MBP.

 

[deluxeshredder]

I'm using Android since 2010 and I'm:
- free to choose the hardware to run the system on;
- free to choose default apps;
- enjoying a 1.6 Ghz quad-core CPU and 2GB RAM for more than a year now;
- enjoying integrated, powerful and mostly OS-agnostic web services intead of the iCloud abomination;
- not restricted to a 4" screen;
- having ~60 FPS animations;
- not forced to "enjoy" a disgusting UI theme;
- not forced to use iTunes which is beyond horrendous on Windows.

 

[Septembersrain]

I'm using Android since 2010 and I'm:
- free to choose the hardware to run the system on;
- free to choose default apps;
- enjoying a 1.6 Ghz quad-core CPU and 2GB RAM for more than a year now;
- enjoying integrated, powerful and mostly OS-agnostic web services intead of the iCloud abnomination;
- not restricted to a 4" screen;
- having ~60 FPS animations;
- not forced to "enjoy" a disgusting UI theme;
- not forced to use iTunes which is beyond horrendous on Windows.

I think it's the iTunes thing that has me still banging my head....

 

[jrswizzle]

I carry two phones, one for work and one for personal use. One has always been an iPhone because personally for me its the best option out there, but carrying two iPhones just feels odd, plus I could mix them up since I don't like using cases and I much prefer black. So my second phone I switch around a lot between the different platforms. I've used webos, windows mobile, windows phone, android, and blackberry.

Up until last year it was really frustrating as it seemed none of the other OS'es were anywhere near iOS (well, except webos, but we all know what happened there), but this past year android has really separated itself from the pack and is now at the same level of iOS for me, and I will probably now stick with carrying and iPhone with an android phone, as the other options just interest me anymore.

This is me exactly. I've gone through quite a few Android phones this year and am waiting on my first WP8 device to arrive.

Though, its become apparent I'm just an iOS guy. I simply prefer iOS and the way all my iOS devices work. I'm a one ecosystem, maximum efficiency type guy.

That being said, if Apple released a larger iPhone I may simply abandon Android as a daily driver and just use two iPhones. There are still some everyday annoyances that cause me to want to go back to the iPhone as my personal device. If Apple can add some type of additional functionality or featureset to the larger iPhone, all the better.

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I think it's the iTunes thing that has me still banging my head....

Why are you still using iTunes for anything? I mean, I use it for media playback through my computer, but that's because its not a laggy mess on OSX like it is on Windows.

I haven't synced my phone to iTunes in years.....

 

[Septembersrain]

Why are you still using iTunes for anything? I mean, I use it for media playback through my computer, but that's because its not a laggy mess on OSX like it is on Windows.

I haven't synced my phone to iTunes in years.....

I wanted to put a few of my already existing music on the phone. I'd never used iCloud as this is my first iDevice. I decided against it though as I use my SGNIII with Bluetooth in my car. I mostly listen to radio stations when I work out. I should work out more...

I'm sorry, off topic. Heh.

 

[jrswizzle]

I wanted to put a few of my already existing music on the phone. I'd never used iCloud as this is my first iDevice. I decided against it though as I use my SGNIII with Bluetooth in my car. I mostly listen to radio stations when I work out. I should work out more...

I'm sorry, off topic. Heh.

haha, gotcha. Ya ever since throwing everything on iCloud, I can't remember the last time I plugged my iPhone in to sync with iTunes. Of course, iTunes is much smoother on a Mac....works well on my iMac at home as my central hub for my movie collection which I can then stream to my TVs through each AppleTV.

I'd say "screw it" too if I had to use iTunes on a PC.....its a terrible mess.

 

[ozaz]

Thanks for contributing to the thread everyone.

Just a quick observation....from what I remember of the replies, no one has mentioned multi-user accounts as an important influence of their choice of using android. I had been anticipating that this would be an important factor for android tablet users. But I suppose its not such a big deal now that the really popular android tablets are so cheap...

 

[panzer06]

Thanks for contributing to the thread everyone.

Just a quick observation....from what I remember of the replies, no one has mentioned multi-user accounts as an important influence of their choice of using android. I had been anticipating that this would be an important factor for android tablet users. But I suppose its not such a big deal now that the really popular android tablets are so cheap...

Multiuser is a big reason I went with windows tablets. Not a huge android tablet fan. I like the phones but on tablets I want full PC functions and neither android or apple give me that. Even so, I keep a Verizon iPad mini handy for the free tethering and it's light weight.

 

[Septembersrain]

Thanks for contributing to the thread everyone.

Just a quick observation....from what I remember of the replies, no one has mentioned multi-user accounts as an important influence of their choice of using android. I had been anticipating that this would be an important factor for android tablet users. But I suppose its not such a big deal now that the really popular android tablets are so cheap...

No one touches my phone but me. No need for multi-user honestly. Multi-window however, that's always nice. =)

 

[coldjeanzzz]

Because my phone at the time was on its last legs and I didn't feel like waiting another 3 months for the 5S to come out. Definitely switching to an iPhone when my contract runs out though. After playing around with the 5S for a few days I really loved it and it mostly comes down to the apps. Apps on iOS just provide a much better experience, they're smooth and look nice. On Android it's hit or miss, because the devs don't care about making a nice app they just want to be able to say that they offer it for Android. So you end up with clunky and laggy apps. It's the devs of smaller apps that actually take the time to make them nice. Some people don't care about that but for me it's huge, I can't stand to use apps that don't provide an enjoyable experience.

Also as much as I tried to get used to it, I hate that I have to use two hands for a lot of the stuff on my HTC One. If I use one then I need to be extra careful that I don't drop it.

 

[Aika]

I use Android because of price. My phone contract was due to expire in November and I wanted an off contract phone. I was dead set on the 5C following rumours that it would be a mid price phone which sounded reasonable given it was to use last year's tech and a plastic case.

After the unveiling I thought "screw it, I will wait for the Nexus 5" and sure enough, I got a way better phone for £200 less.

With cheap but great phones now emerging like the Moto G and the Lumia 520 Apple has a fight on their hands if they want to stay relevant, especially in Europe.

 

[TacticalDesire]

Because it does everything I need. I'm not a heavy customizer but if there's something I dont like I can change it.

 

[three]

Back when I was using some LG dumbphone, I had a first generation iPod touch that I jailbroke, tweaked, and customized to my hearts desire. I got tired of having to decide whether I should upgrade and lose my jailbreak or stay on the old software. I eventually just got bored of iOS in general.

A couple months later I saw advertisements for the HTC Hero and thought I'd give Android a try. Really wasn't sure if I was going to like it at the time... Eventually I really started to like Android, the ability to customize how I want (ROMs, launchers, etc), and the bigger screens available on some Android devices.

I also really agree with everyone and how badly iTunes sucks on Windows. It's simply awful.

 

[einmusiker]

google ftw
still love mac os for my computer though although I do have a windows 8 laptop connected to my plasma for videos

 

[nfl46]

Flexibility and larger screen.

 

[soulreaver99]

Larger screen, swift key, flexibility and being part of a mobile OS that continues to progress

 

[sentinelsx]

Default apps and a few smaller inconveniences mean i still use android.

For example, i like how on iOS you can double tap on your lockscreen and start playing music, EXCEPT unless you recently had a media app open, it will always go for the stock ipod app which i don't like to use as it forces me to use iTunes/iCloud both of which i don't use at all.

Safari may be nice to some, but i cannot use chrome or firefox or another browser with its own enhancements on iOS. It is limited by Apple, and i hate this.

SMS apps, mail apps, all launched as stock ones by the system when clicked on something that offers to launch said apps.

I am not in love with the 5 inch screen on my GS4, but i also don't like the small-ish 4 inch on the iPhone. It is not perfect for me. I do like the moto X a lot, i find it very ergonomic, and almost a sweet spot, but i don't think i will buy it now that i have a GS4, probably buy the second iteration next year.

Notifications. Lock screen notifications on iOS are still the best IMO, but the notification shade is rather unappealing. Android is doing pretty good here, with actionable, swipe-to-dismiss type notifications. I love how i can deal with a reminder for instance without entering the app. Makes me really appreciate the "smart" nature of my smartphone. Apple's visual revamp of notification center didn't win me over.

On screen buttons and a recents key in those. Yeah i am that one guy who hates hardware buttons, and having to double press one is an even bigger no-no for me. I like pressing the recents soft key and having all the apps appear in a much less clunkier fashion that double pressing a hardware button which feels more like double pressing a remote button because it is failing to register on my TV.

Sharing is some what better in android as well IMO. In iOS the "open with" menu results in having the target app creating the copy of the file while in android the intents system allows for a simple sharing of the same file between multiple apps. I just prefer that. Also i don't have to pray that the developer of my app forgot to add a share target or doesn't care, the OS takes care of that for me.

App settings. I was sort of a fan of iOS style single settings page until i realized how much i value changing a setting in one of the apps i am using and keeping on working inside the app instead of unneeded exits and entries, making the process feel more streamlined.