Will Android L keep you on Android?

[0000757]

For a while I was prepared to jump off the Android ship and back onto the iOS train once the larger iPhone and iOS 8 were released, but Android L has made me reconsider some.

Considering I have a Moto X, I know I can expect to see the update sooner than later once it's launched, and L has added many features from iOS that I missed and changed many of the things I hated about Android.

Those who were considering going back to iOS (or going to another platform), will the features and changes introduced in Android L keep you on the platform a little bit longer, or has it made you want to switch even faster?

I think I'll still switch back to iOS 8, but I think I'll wait for my "official" Edge Up opportunity next April before I completely switch...

 

[mattopotamus]

At this point android and IOS are both fully capable OS's. The reason I am using android is b.c the openness in terms of compatibility with other devices.

Plus I can get the same functionality from android at half the price. The phone that most interest me is the amazon phone just b.c it is different. It is just priced to high for people who do not want to do contracts.

 

[0dev]

I was considering jumping back to iOS 8 and the bigger iPhone but honestly it's still far too locked down for me to consider using now I'm so used to Android. Going back to iOS after being on Android for so long would be like going back to a VW Polo from a Lamborghini.

 

[bushido]

I was considering jumping back to iOS 8 and the bigger iPhone but honestly it's still far too locked down

i dont really get this point. I have an Nexus 4 and an iPhone 5 but i basically can do as much with the Nexus as i can do on my iPhone. everything i would like to try requires damn "root" access (which i am not gonna do cuz those steps, especially to revert it seems way to complicated + i dont even have a windows pc at my disposal to do so).

so much for being "open".

 

[0dev]

i dont really get this point. I have an Nexus 4 and an iPhone 5 but i basically can do as much with the Nexus as i can do on my iPhone. everything i would like to try requires damn "root" access (which i am not gonna do cuz those steps, especially to revert it seems way to complicated + i dont even have a windows pc at my disposal to do so).

so much for being "open".

I can torrent on Android without rooting, I can put more memory in it without buying a whole new phone, I can install different ROMs very easily. And rooting a Nexus takes less than 10 minutes and does not require Windows, it's not difficult in the slightest.

 

[Black Magic]

For a while I was prepared to jump off the Android ship and back onto the iOS train once the larger iPhone and iOS 8 were released, but Android L has made me reconsider some.

Considering I have a Moto X, I know I can expect to see the update sooner than later once it's launched, and L has added many features from iOS that I missed and changed many of the things I hated about Android.

Those who were considering going back to iOS (or going to another platform), will the features and changes introduced in Android L keep you on the platform a little bit longer, or has it made you want to switch even faster?

I think I'll still switch back to iOS 8, but I think I'll wait for my "official" Edge Up opportunity next April before I completely switch...

Aren't you worried about the affects of fragmentation? Some phones take a year plus to get the latest Android update, others don't ever see it. This may force developers to create apps for the mostly widely used Android OS versus the latest and greatest Android L that will not have wide scale traction until 3 years from now. Would developers create apps that look designed for Android L but run on older Android OSes?

 

[bushido]

Aren't you worried about the affects of fragmentation? Some phones take a year plus to get the latest Android update, others don't ever see it. This may force developers to create apps for the mostly widely used Android OS versus the latest and greatest Android L that will not have wide scale traction until 3 years from now. Would developers create apps that look designed for Android L but run on older Android OSes?

thats what i am worried about as well. most apps have UI elements all over the place as it is and no consistency in regards of design elements. thats why i like iOS better cuz devs seem to take Apples own design elements and update their apps to fit the overall look of the OS while the apps on my nexus look sometimes great but mostly dated and dont really take cues from googles flat design. i cant see that improving on L tbh

 

[Lloydbm41]

i dont really get this point. I have an Nexus 4 and an iPhone 5 but i basically can do as much with the Nexus as i can do on my iPhone. everything i would like to try requires damn "root" access (which i am not gonna do cuz those steps, especially to revert it seems way to complicated + i dont even have a windows pc at my disposal to do so).

so much for being "open".

This is pure b.s. Rooting and unlocking a Nexus device is simpler and less time consuming than the paragraph you just wrote. Seriously, I know 4 year old kids that can do it.

----------

For a while I was prepared to jump off the Android ship and back onto the iOS train once the larger iPhone and iOS 8 were released, but Android L has made me reconsider some.

Considering I have a Moto X, I know I can expect to see the update sooner than later once it's launched, and L has added many features from iOS that I missed and changed many of the things I hated about Android.

Those who were considering going back to iOS (or going to another platform), will the features and changes introduced in Android L keep you on the platform a little bit longer, or has it made you want to switch even faster?

I think I'll still switch back to iOS 8, but I think I'll wait for my "official" Edge Up opportunity next April before I completely switch...

Yes, I will be buying the iPhone 6 (4.7" version) when it is released. But I'll still be keeping and using my windows and Android phones. I switch back and forth between phones all the time. Depends on my mood.

 

[Ddyracer]

This is pure b.s. Rooting and unlocking a Nexus device is simpler and less time consuming than the paragraph you just wrote. Seriously, I know 4 year old kids that can do it.

Now wait a minute. I'm rooted, and have rommed a few times and it's not exactly a walk in the park.

You have to download the Android SDK, Extract the ADB and fastboot files for your CLI, put them where you want on your HD/SSD, enable USB debugging for ADB, Hold down the volume down or volume down & power for Fastboot mode for flashing images.

Not to mention figuring out the right commands and having to drag the images path one by one (i know no other way atm) into Terminal if you're on a mac. Took me ages to figure that one out, and there was no tutorials on that VERY important detail btw.

 

[0dev]

Now wait a minute. I'm rooted, and have rommed a few times and it's not exactly a walk in the park.

You have to download the Android SDK, Extract the ADB and fastboot files for your CLI, put them where you want on your HD/SSD, enable USB debugging for ADB, Hold down the volume down or volume down & power for Fastboot mode for flashing images.

Not to mention figuring out the right commands and having to drag the images path one by one (i know no other way atm) into Terminal if you're on a mac. Took me ages to figure that one out, and there was no tutorials on that VERY important detail btw.

So basically you have to download and drag a few files and hold some buttons down on your phone. So difficult!

Even if you really can't do that you easily download a one click rooting app from xda that automates the process, same as a jailbreak on an iPhone. bushido is talking crap if he thinks there's anything complicated about rooting a Nexus.

 

[Lloydbm41]

Now wait a minute. I'm rooted, and have rommed a few times and it's not exactly a walk in the park.

You have to download the Android SDK, Extract the ADB and fastboot files for your CLI, put them where you want on your HD/SSD, enable USB debugging for ADB, Hold down the volume down or volume down & power for Fastboot mode for flashing images.

Not to mention figuring out the right commands and having to drag the images path one by one (i know no other way atm) into Terminal if you're on a mac. Took me ages to figure that one out, and there was no tutorials on that VERY important detail btw.

So, downloading the Android SDK is difficult? You only have to do it once and you are set for life. And you have to download a twrp or cwm recovery file. Okay, this may be too difficult for some?

Plug phone into PC or Mac. BTW, you don't need any adb commands for this. Only fast boot commands are needed.

Reboot phone into bootloader. Is holding down power and volume down buttons simultaneously difficult?

Open cmd prompt as admin on Mac or pc and type fastboot OEM unlock. Reboot into bootloader. Type fastboot flash recovery twrp.img or cwm.IMG. SuperSU can be downloaded or side loaded

Done. Total time 30 seconds. Like I said, I see 4 year olds doing this. It isn't rocket science.
Not to mention, there are probably 50,000 instructional videos and guides online showing how to do this. I can literally get a new nexus device and have it unlocked and rooted in under 30 seconds. That includes getting the phone out of the box.

 

[bushido]

So, downloading the Android SDK is difficult? You only have to do it once and you are set for life. And you have to download a twrp or cwm recovery file. Okay, this may be too difficult for some?

Plug phone into PC or Mac. BTW, you don't need any adb commands for this. Only fast boot commands are needed.

Reboot phone into bootloader. Is holding down power and volume down buttons simultaneously difficult?

Open cmd prompt as admin on Mac or pc and type fastboot OEM unlock. Reboot into bootloader. Type fastboot flash recovery twrp.img or cwm.IMG. SuperSU can be downloaded or side loaded

Done. Total time 30 seconds. Like I said, I see 4 year olds doing this. It isn't rocket science.
Not to mention, there are probably 50,000 instructional videos and guides online showing how to do this. I can literally get a new nexus device and have it unlocked and rooted in under 30 seconds. That includes getting the phone out of the box.

i wasnt saying rooting is hard ... theres even a one tap solution straight from the phone itself. what troubles me is doing it backwards and getting the latest OS update on it. i already looked up some tutorials to unroot or to upgrade using the factory image but all i saw reading it was "????" might as well have been written in chinese, no idea what half those words even meant (like those things you just mentioned in your post actually). if theres a one tap solution i dont know about go ahead and jokes on me in that case

 

[Ddyracer]

i wasnt saying rooting is hard ... theres even a one tap solution straight from the phone itself. what troubles me is doing it backwards and getting the latest OS update on it. i already looked up some tutorials to unroot or to upgrade using the factory image but all i saw reading it was "????" might as well have been written in chinese, no idea what half those words even meant (like those things you just mentioned in your post actually). if theres a one tap solution i dont know about go ahead and jokes on me in that case

Unrooting is really easy. Go into supersu settings, and find the button thats says uninstall root, and voilà!

 

[Lloydbm41]

i wasnt saying rooting is hard ... theres even a one tap solution straight from the phone itself. what troubles me is doing it backwards and getting the latest OS update on it. i already looked up some tutorials to unroot or to upgrade using the factory image but all i saw reading it was "????" might as well have been written in chinese, no idea what half those words even meant. if theres a one tap solution i dont know about go ahead and jokes on me in that case

Unroot and restoring is even simpler. Go to Googles factory image page. Download the version of android you want. Unzip the file. Open cmd prompt as admin. Plug phone into pc/mac. Put in boot loader mode. Now type: Flash-all.bat

Done. Total time to restore or upgrade to next version. 2 seconds of typing.

 

[ozaz]

Will Android L keep you on Android?

At this point I'm not sure.

The main things I like about Android are the larger screen hardware, sharing content between apps, and the multiple price point choices. iOS 8 and iPhone 6 potentially removes the first two of these differentiators.

The main thing I prefer on iOS are the device security model and backup/restore model. It's not yet clear to me if and how these have changed in Android L, so I guess I'll have to wait and see.

.....It's going get very difficult to choose!

 

[gotluck]

Yep, no plans on pitching my S4 google edition for the foreseeable future
Android L is looking to be a significant update, from aesthetics to performance
Root access with quick updates will keep me on android phones probably

Jailbreaking is great, but not being able to update reliably annoys me
Like for my ipad air, who knows when I will update to iOS 8, becuase I will not do it before the jailbreak is released.

I am also really used to pushbullet now. I realize ios continuity is better, but I have no plans to purchase a mac, so Android will have much more robust continuity for me.

 

[aneftp]

At this point android and IOS are both fully capable OS's. The reason I am using android is b.c the openness in terms of compatibility with other devices.

Plus I can get the same functionality from android at half the price. The phone that most interest me is the amazon phone just b.c it is different. It is just priced to high for people who do not want to do contracts.

FYI, you kinda of make contradictory comments about "android at half the price".

Yet point out the Amazon phone (which is based on Android) to be too high of a price for people who do not want to do contracts.

It's priced just as expensively ($199/299) on contract as well. So the Amazon phone isn't a good example.

I get what you mean. Phones like the Moto G/E and even Nexus phones are "half the price" of the iPhone off contract. But the Amazon phone is essentially the same MSRP as the iPhone on or off contract.

Some high end phones like the Galaxy S5 and HTC One are price the same as iPhones on and off contract as well

 

[digi999]

Considering it's ugly as sin, probably not.

 

[0000757]

Aren't you worried about the affects of fragmentation? Some phones take a year plus to get the latest Android update, others don't ever see it. This may force developers to create apps for the mostly widely used Android OS versus the latest and greatest Android L that will not have wide scale traction until 3 years from now. Would developers create apps that look designed for Android L but run on older Android OSes?

Yes, they would. In a sense, they almost HAVE to.

In fact, developers have done this before. They did it with Android 4.0 vs. 2.3, iOS 7 vs. iOS 6, Mac OS X vs. Mac OS 9, Windows Vista/7 vs. Windows XP.

Not to mention certain universal design elements that are used in certain apps can be automatically updated to match. I know this is a case for Android (as well as Windows and Mac, but it's NOT for iOS).

 

[nfl46]

Nexus devices will keep me on Android. Those are the only Android devices I can keep up to a year aside from the iPhone.

 

[fredaroony]

Since iOS 8 doesnt seem as good as the current version of Android from what I have seen so far my answer would be no I don't intend to move back.

I have a 5C anyway and tend to use it every once in a while though.

 

[coldjeanzzz]

Eligible for upgrade in March 2015...but since my M7 will get L I will try it out for a while and then probably switch to the iPhone 6 in summer 2015 since I'm going to be bored of Android regardless.

 

[AustinIllini]

I go back and forth, but this Android L preview is pretty stinking good. If Android Silver is an high quality vanilla android phone, I may never come back.

Edit: As a human being, I reserve the right to change my mind depending on what comes out from our friends in Cupertino (particularly the iWatch).

 

[ucfgrad93]

I'm pretty happy with Android and my HTC One (M7) so I don't have any plans on moving back to iOS.

 

[Vegastouch]

Most likely yes. Ill be keeping my Nexus 5 and if i get something else it will probably be a Windows Nokia phone. Ill give the next iPhone a look, but probably wont get one. You never know though though. I went to Amazon and saw a demo of their new phone and its actually pretty nice.

In case anybody else is interested Click on "watch the video" and you can scroll down for more info.