Other With the growing competition and alternatives, why do you choose to stick with iPhone (and iOS)?

[dk001]

In Nokia’s 2021 threat intelligence report, Android devices made up 50.31% of all infected devices, followed by Windows devices at 23.1%, and macOS devices at 9.2%. iOS devices made up a percentage so small as to not even be singled out, being instead bucketed into “other”.

Apple blasts Android malware in fierce pushback against iOS sideloading

Apple is continuing to pushback against looming antitrust legislation in the United States that could bring major changes to the...

9to5mac.com

Consider the source and the data used.
With so many OEM’s and variations of Android, just one OEM getting hit can skew the apparent numbers.
Most of the current data stops with Android 10/11 and iOS 14/15. Not the latest or greatest for either side.

To assume that iOS is far better than Android is placing a false sense of security on the user. Most successful attacks these days are not a result of malware but rather a result of phishing or social. That does not rely on the OS.

 

[dk001]

Should it not be that no matter what android you buy the experience should be good?

OMG no.
That’s like buying a Yugo and complaining that all cars are junk compared to a Audi.
This isn’t an apple vs orange comparison.
Apple vs Samsung vs Xiaomi vs Oppo vs Huawei vs Google vs Sony vs NEC vs …

 

[Thoradin]

I’d rather drive a Yugo.
Much more character and I enjoy fixing cars.

As someone else in this thread said though. I spend my working hours tinkering with tech and just want my own to work. That’s why I own an iPhone

 

[bingeciren]

I have a Samsung Galaxy S10+. I use it as a second phone and I like it a lot. In fact, for user interface, I like OneUI better than IOS.

However my reasons to stick with iPhone can be summarized with the following: Apple Watch, Air Drop, iMessage, FaceTime, FaceID, iCloud, Remote App, and Apple TV. Not to mention the compatibility with the numerous iPads and Mac computers we have all over the house.

 

[ArchEtech]

Apple stuff just works more consistently without crashes as compared to Android. I used to go back and fourth every couple years, but have been only on apple for about 4 years now. You don't get to do as much personalization on the experience, but at least at this point, I'd rather just have things work.

 

[Jay-Jacob]

For me stick with iPhone mainly for ecosystem. iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad and Mac works so well together. So well and it doesn't exist outside Apple ecosystem. Android doesn't have that and Windows doesn't have that.

I can start using one device (iPhone, Mac, iPad) and finish off same thing other device like type email then need to move and I can do that with Apple ecosystem easy. Handoff just so good.

Airdrop, share photos, videos and files easy.

iMessage work so well and group messages plus on Mac too cos most other brands do not have desktop option.

Everything just works so well and rarely have issues or problems. I use Windows laptop for work and it always have some annoying little bugs and Mac just so smooth and reliable. I very rarely need to reboot to fix issues, I can't remember last time I need to reboot and work laptop I need to reboot to fix issues on Windows and it happens every single week.

 

[jaehaerys48]

Samsung hardware is pretty good but I find OneUI to be ugly. Pixel's UI is very nice but I don't want to be in the Google ecosystem. Nothing Phone looks tempting, but it's not in the US yet. So iPhone it is.

 

[heretiq]

I'm always fascinated by people "switching." I mean why do people only want to be on one side? Just use both. I use both Android and iOS, enjoying each strengths. Nobody's telling me that I can only use one and not the other.

Besides, unless you only use free apps, sooner or later, you will accumulate enough investment in the platform that it doesn't make sense to just "switch." So the best way is just use both.

I use Android for their versatility. On the other hand, I use iOS for their security and privacy (in terms of how much data are exposed and easily siphoned of by 3rd party developers).

@ian87w I’m curious: To me, iOS and Android seem mostly functionally interchangeable — so the thought of using both seems unnecessarily complicated when you can use just one. Can you give some examples of the benefits of using both?

 

[Hazmat401]

Apple Security Ecosystem

For example... using gmail my Netflix and Funimation account ALWAYS got hacked by some poor hacker living in a hut somewhere out of the country. and after getting fed up and wanting to figure the issue out

The common demonator was my Smart TV and Gmail account... switch my profile email accounts to my iCloud address and NEVER been hacked since

and if I was a dirtbag that wanted to do dirtbag things and got caught... Apple will tell the Government to go pound sand about getting into my phone

 

[ian87w]

@ian87w I’m curious: To me, iOS and Android seem mostly functionally interchangeable — so the thought of using both seems unnecessarily complicated when you can use just one. Can you give some examples of the benefits of using both?

A lot of reasons

1. For me personally, Android is/was my primary driver. I only recently dipped myself in iOS due to privacy concerns that I have. So my iPhone has most of my critical stuff (banking, personal), while my Android has the rest.
2. Separating work and personal devices. This is a no brainer.
3. A phone can only operate with a max of 2 SIMs (or one if you have an iPhone in a market with no carriers supporting eSIM). In my country, it’s very normal for people to have at least 2 numbers/SIMs. Carriers here chargers you more if you call someone on a different carrier. So most people have at least 2 different carrier SIMs. Also, their coverage varies greatly, where one can have better connectivity than the rest in the area, thus it is critical for me to have backups. And since phones can only have a max of 2 SIMs, having 2 phones becomes essential to have 4 carriers coverage.
4. I love tech, so having access to different platforms make me more informative in the usage and progressions of each. 😊

 

[Abazigal]

It's still the ecosystem for me.

With the iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods, it would be quite annoying to have to divest myself of all 3 simultaneously if I wanted to switch to android. Then there's the other apple products from the ipad to my MBA, iMac, numerous Apple TVs. There's the device integration (airdrop, universal control, clipboard sharing) and the services (Apple One).

Then there are the apps. My lumihealth app (a fitness-tracking app that lets me earn rewards) is iOS-only. There's also numerous iOS-only apps that I love using and would likely miss (eg: 1password, lumafusion, notability, things, overcast, ivory, Apollo, lookup and at one time, fantastical).

It hasn't been cheap but I think looking at my needs, the Apple ecosystem still works best for me.

 

[heretiq]

A lot of reasons

1. For me personally, Android is/was my primary driver. I only recently dipped myself in iOS due to privacy concerns that I have. So my iPhone has most of my critical stuff (banking, personal), while my Android has the rest.
2. Separating work and personal devices. This is a no brainer.
3. A phone can only operate with a max of 2 SIMs (or one if you have an iPhone in a market with no carriers supporting eSIM). In my country, it’s very normal for people to have at least 2 numbers/SIMs. Carriers here chargers you more if you call someone on a different carrier. So most people have at least 2 different carrier SIMs. Also, their coverage varies greatly, where one can have better connectivity than the rest in the area, thus it is critical for me to have backups. And since phones can only have a max of 2 SIMs, having 2 phones becomes essential to have 4 carriers coverage.
4. I love tech, so having access to different platforms make me more informative in the usage and progressions of each. 😊

Thanks @ian87w . That helps me to understand the appeal of both .. and provides a reminder that geographical differences have a big impact on the functionality and experience with each platform. 🙏🏽

 

[maxrest]

I've had the alternatives (Samsung galaxies) in years past and, while they're great, I just prefer the look and feel of iOS and the iPhone. The other apple products I own make the Apple experience even better so for me it's an easy choice. I used to be intrigued by the other devices but now I'm just really happy with my Apple devices and stick with them.

 

[Martyimac]

I like the intergration between MacOS,iPhone, and iPad.. Changes I make in one device propogate to all the other  devices, so I don't have to go make the same changes on 5 different devices.

 

[platinumaqua]

Not getting you.
I can do full offline backups of both my Android and iPhone.

files and settings? Sure you can manually copy files over for backups, but there's only cloud backups built-in to the default android and it's not comprehensive (some apps doesn't support getting their settings backed up)

The encrypted itunes backup equivalent on android requires root and Titanium Backup last I researched this.

 

[RUGERMAN]

I enjoyed my time with Samsung. I had nothing but good experiences and certainly far more customizable than iPhone. However, I returned to iPhone IOS by chance and appreciate the "eco system" for my needs and easy use of Airpods. As far as phones are concerned, I think the latest Galaxy S phones are amazing just not anything I need at this time so I'll finish paying off my iPhone 13 Pro Max.

I've had apple products since 1985 when DOS was the thing and I have always preferred their products, not to mention the fact that I don't care for the business practices of Google. I'm not terribly fond of some of Tims antics but Apple is certainly far better than many of the Android customers. I used PCs for years in the work place and was always happy to return to my Mac. I used Parallels when I needed to run Windows and it seemed to do even that better than PCs. As far as cost is concerned if need be I would buy used Apple products if need be. I have a late 2009 iMac that still does almost everything I need and runs great.

 

[Curry119]

Got the 12 Pro and I have zero plans to upgrade phones anytime soon, still works great. It would be hard for me to switch back to Android at this point due to the iCloud Keychain and other features like that. I also think iOS is better than Android at this time.

 

[dk001]

files and settings? Sure you can manually copy files over for backups, but there's only cloud backups built-in to the default android and it's not comprehensive (some apps doesn't support getting their settings backed up)

The encrypted iTunes backup equivalent on android requires root and Titanium Backup last I researched this.

On both my OnePlus 10 Pro and Samsung S23 Ultra I have the option to either data backup or a full restore from backup. My backup image for the 10 Pro is on Google while the S23U backup is on an external SSD.

I have not restored from the S23U one yet but have used the 10 Pro backup. Worked fine.

I suspect this backup functionality is OEM tweaked.

 

[phrehdd]

I've had apple products since 1985 when DOS was the thing and I have always preferred their products, not to mention the fact that I don't care for the business practices of Google. I'm not terribly fond of some of Tims antics but Apple is certainly far better than many of the Android customers. I used PCs for years in the work place and was always happy to return to my Mac. I used Parallels when I needed to run Windows and it seemed to do even that better than PCs. As far as cost is concerned if need be I would buy used Apple products if need be. I have a late 2009 iMac that still does almost everything I need and runs great.

I came from DOS, Windows, OS/2 before moving to Apple. My two driving forces was having to put Windows Vista on "the bench" for testing (work) and knowing Apple went to Intel chips. Vista was a disaster and if that was the way Windows was going, I wanted out out out. I went over to Apple and was very happy and remained with Apple since that time. My favourite OS remains with OS/2 and some of the cat named OS of Apple.

 

[whitby]

I have both iOS and Android. The Samsung S series and other Android based phones are more innovative than iPhones, so I have a Galaxy Fold 4 which is a remarkable phone.

I do not particularly like iOS but the integrated infrastructure (iOS, iPad OS, Mac OS, Watch OS and TV OS) make it easy to make sure everything is working well enough together seamlessly. Using an Android is a constant battle with incompatible apps and bugs, but when you get it working they are extremely good. Integration with the world is also pretty poor and I am constantly fighting with Samsung, Google (especially Google) and Microsoft apps.

Bottom line is that if you do not care about making the phone work seamlessly with your other devices in the house and just want a portable device, Android based solutions are more innovative and often have features well in advance of iOS. iOS works well with Apple products and some other systems but is boring and iterative with few real useful ideas (e.g. folding phones, long battery life, supper resilient for hostile environments, light weight etc.). I tend to think of Android phones being better phones but poorer components in a wider integrated system.

 

[dk001]

I have both iOS and Android. The Samsung S series and other Android based phones are more innovative than iPhones, so I have a Galaxy Fold 4 which is a remarkable phone.

I do not particularly like iOS but the integrated infrastructure (iOS, iPad OS, Mac OS, Watch OS and TV OS) make it easy to make sure everything is working well enough together seamlessly. Using an Android is a constant battle with incompatible apps and bugs, but when you get it working they are extremely good. Integration with the world is also pretty poor and I am constantly fighting with Samsung, Google (especially Google) and Microsoft apps.

Bottom line is that if you do not care about making the phone work seamlessly with your other devices in the house and just want a portable device, Android based solutions are more innovative and often have features well in advance of iOS. iOS works well with Apple products and some other systems but is boring and iterative with few real useful ideas (e.g. folding phones, long battery life, supper resilient for hostile environments, light weight etc.). I tend to think of Android phones being better phones but poorer components in a wider integrated system.

Not going that route at the moment, but was looking at the latest in the Samsung world.
Between the S23, SW5 Pro, Buds 2 Pro, Tab, and Book, we are seeing the "start" of the same integration and functionality that Apple has between its devices.

Wonder where it goes?

 

[lcs101]

I was an iPhone user from the 3G to 6 (4 phones one 8 years, I believe), but then switched to Android--first Samsung and then the Pixel. Overall, I think I still prefer the Android experienced (and definitely prefer Pixel's camera software*). The reason I finally came back to the iPhone (14) is the Apple Watch. It is lightyears ahead of either both the Samsung and Pixel watches. For that reason alone, I don't see myself going back to Android any time soon.

*Samsung's camera software is crap IMO unless you only take pictures outdoors or of stationary objects.

 

[phrehdd]

I was an iPhone user from the 3G to 6 (4 phones one 8 years, I believe), but then switched to Android--first Samsung and then the Pixel. Overall, I think I still prefer the Android experienced (and definitely prefer Pixel's camera software*). The reason I finally came back to the iPhone (14) is the Apple Watch. It is lightyears ahead of either both the Samsung and Pixel watches. For that reason alone, I don't see myself going back to Android any time soon.

*Samsung's camera software is crap IMO unless you only take pictures outdoors or of stationary objects.

Similar experience. So much more to be done with Samsung/Pixel (Android) but there is a strong case for the Apple eco system including their watch. I switched back as the eco system is as important to me as are the bells and whistles. I need my Mac, phone and iPad on the same page and later, will like yourself, have their watch.

 

[danb1979]

With just rejecting the S23 Ultra and taking the money instead through my company; it was having the Apple Watch Ultra that swayed it for me in the end

I was thinking of along the lines that I don't need it so can do without it etc... So then my iPhone 14 Pro Max can be sold on...

But I realised I like the AWU and like how it works for me and also like how currently, I'm really gelled with my iPhone and using the functions more than I realise

In my home office I've got my studio monitors (which I also considered upgrading recently and realised I'd just be spending for spending sake, as they're absolutely superb to my ears); but all my music is via iTunes/Apple Music and my iPhone is my handy remote when I'm sat in my listening chair in the office (I roll it to the 'sweet spot') 😂

My DAC that's between my M1 Mac Mini and speakers is remote controlled, but only for volume etc; so instead of faffing and squinting at the screen and using my trackpad; I use my iPhone via the Remote app to control what I'm listening to etc...

I will probably end up with the S23U at some point; I'm a gadget freak and love to swap...

But for now, I am content with my 14 Pro Max 👍🏼

 

[Kawawolf]

I was a long time Android user when they were still releasing the Samsung Note phones because I wanted a nice big screen and the customization of the format. Switched to a Galaxy later on. I still keep some Android stuff alone for niche things today because I like tech stuff, but they are not my daily drivers.

What keeps me on iOS, MacOS devices is the fact like others have said, they all play very nice together. I can access my Pages documents, Numbers sheets, Apple Music, calendar items, photos, all from my various devices and they all load without any complications. Plus having Airdrop is a godsend. I don't need to plug anything in, and I've had it fail to work a couple of times, but that's two times, out of hundreds I've sent or had things sent to me. Pretty rock solid, everything just works. I didn't realize what it was like until I switched. Don't plan on switching back as I trust Apple with security and data more than Windows and Android at this point and time.