Definitely one of the things I have appreciated the most since returning to iPhone.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Other With the growing competition and alternatives, why do you choose to stick with iPhone (and iOS)?
- Thread starter newdev9
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
If you replaced all of your Apple items with Samsung items you pretty much get the same functionality including "Airdrop". New Samsung. For the remainder of your items, Google can do the same if you use Google docs and Chrome. For Windows you can do the same with MS and OneDrive. For us multiple OS users, this doesn't work nearly as well. The challenge is to look at this as OEM vs OEM, not Apple vs Android or Windows or Chrome or .... unless of course you are a multi OS user.
But then you'd be stuck with a Samsung laptop and tablet...Not to mention, you still wouldn't have airdrop abilities with those with iPhones, which defeats much of the helpfulness of the feature.
You can do all this stuff if you have all Apple. Including Airdrop.
You can do this stuff if you have all Samsung. Including Airdrop (called Nearby Share and works with many Android OEM devices) plus you get Dex.
Other OEM’s are bits and pieces of this.
If I went all ________ and had this functionality, why would I buy ________
Insert Samsung / Apple or Apple / Samsung.
For me it’s what I’m familiar with and it works really well. I also think Apple Watch, even my series 4, is a better experience than anything else I’ve tried. It’s the ecosystem. I would certainly like some more customization but iOS works really well for me. I do recognize some of my attachment is probably from Apple’s stellar marketing but mostly I just like how it works better. That said I might pick up a used galaxy s22 just to try it out.
Because the “alternatives” don’t offer anything I really want. Why would I bother switching?
If I was not using Mac, I would still be with an Android phone. I started with iPhone and switched later as the system was too rigid for my needs and as soon as I went to Samsung's offering, I was able to fix the issue I had quickly and did not look back. However, I came back of recent (13 pro max) for the ecosystem as it was more important than some things before and Apple also added a few things that helped out with my needs. If I were using just Windows and Linux, I doubt I would bother with iPhone.
I just switched over to the iPhone 14PM (thanks to my FIL) after a long time with Android. My previous iPhone was the iPhone 4, it was that long ago. What started me on the Android journey after the iP4 was a Sony Xperia Z3. That said, I didn't like Windows laptops and went with the mid-2015 MBP15" instead. My last Android phone was the Samsung S20 FE 5G - nothing wrong with the phone but I just felt it's time for a change (and with the FIL incentivizing me with a free iPhone 14PM).
I'm all Apple ecosystem now.
I'm all Apple ecosystem now.
Hope you enjoy the eco system as much as I do. As for the phone itself...doesn't seem any better than top Android phones (or worse).
One of the issues with Android phones is the big variety of models and software mods. So that even an unlocked phone may not be compatible with other US companies.
A Samsung Galaxy A10e I have. Unlocked. Sold via Tracfone. The model was designed to work on the different carriers Tracfone sold at the time (so should work on the ATT, T-Mobile, and Verizon networks). Has the important bands. Does it work on ATT? No. Not on the whitelist. Does it work on a T-Mobile MVNO I have an account with? No. I'm thinking the main issues is the software customizations made for the carriers and MVNOs it is sold for.
Now for the more midranged oriented models (US targetted). I get the impression sometimes that the faster variants of 5G may only be available with the carrier version. So will the unlocked models work with ATT? And Verizon? depending on SIM.
Then you run into the person who ordered the global unlocked version of a phone from Amazon. And miss the fine print that says to check with the carrier. Then the purchaser complains when it doesn't work on ATT and goes to T-Mobile, not realizing that they still aren't getting the performance they paid for because it misses some important T-Mobile bands.
A Samsung Galaxy A10e I have. Unlocked. Sold via Tracfone. The model was designed to work on the different carriers Tracfone sold at the time (so should work on the ATT, T-Mobile, and Verizon networks). Has the important bands. Does it work on ATT? No. Not on the whitelist. Does it work on a T-Mobile MVNO I have an account with? No. I'm thinking the main issues is the software customizations made for the carriers and MVNOs it is sold for.
Now for the more midranged oriented models (US targetted). I get the impression sometimes that the faster variants of 5G may only be available with the carrier version. So will the unlocked models work with ATT? And Verizon? depending on SIM.
Then you run into the person who ordered the global unlocked version of a phone from Amazon. And miss the fine print that says to check with the carrier. Then the purchaser complains when it doesn't work on ATT and goes to T-Mobile, not realizing that they still aren't getting the performance they paid for because it misses some important T-Mobile bands.
Support by the app vendor. Not necessarily Apple's doing since they went through the 32-bit to 64-bit transition. So you aren't running a 2008 era app now
Not sure why but I have been finding the big US carriers are seriously restricting what they allow full access.
Until this year my OnePlus 9 Pro and 10 Pro could access ATT but not the 5G even though they had the bands.
Wasn’t a TMobile version and could not access all the TMo bands BUT via Mint Mobile (uses TMo network) I could access everything.
Not sure what the issue is but it is a pita.
That is true for both iOS and Android. Most times on both the Stores stop carrying the legacy apps. At the moment you can find some of them from Android side loading like via Amazon.
The reason I stick with iPhone is because in my experience, iPhone tended to outlast the Android phones I've had. There was a point in time when you couldn't pay me to get an iPhone. What got me interested in, at least, trying an iPhone was the fact that Android usually show their age around 2 years with lagging, sometimes unresponsive and buggy touchscreen feedback. That is a problem I've never had with iPhones in the decade I've been using them. It's been a few years since I've used an Android phone and maybe that's a problem that's been fixed, but I've gotten used to iPhone now. I'm okay where I'm at. I just need them to do what I need when I need it to.
As an added plus, ike many others have said, the ecosystem brings added convenience. I have an iPhone 13 PM and now a MBP that I've had for about a year, and the convenience of these two devices being able to "talk" to each other is great. I work remotely now more than I did before, so more of my business happens through my phone, iMessage, WhatsApp, and other messaging platforms and having the ability to pick up near-seamlessly from my phone to my laptop when needed is a great convenience that I didn't have before. I use Google Drive, MS OneDrive as well as iCloud. Google Drive is for work. There's much less friction using iCloud because it's sort-of built in and makes transitioning between devices even smoother, without having to dig through or search my huge volumes of Google Drive files. That makes works-in-progress for me much easier across devices. Then, I store finished files in Google Drive. Despite my efforts to get people I work with to use their emails when they send files (which hasn't worked), they still use iMessage or WhatsApp or some other messaging app so AirDrop becomes all the more valuable.
I've always been a person that was always willing to pay for convenience, and my phone is of greater convenience to me now than it was before with the addition of my MBP. Those little points of friction that I had with Android phones and Windows PCs either don't exist or are minimized with an iPhone and a MacBook. To me, all of that feels like such a time-saver, which is why I spend so much money on technology, to make my life easier. iPhones have been furthering that goal for me more than Androids have done before. Until Android can do that better than iPhone, iPhone it is.
As an added plus, ike many others have said, the ecosystem brings added convenience. I have an iPhone 13 PM and now a MBP that I've had for about a year, and the convenience of these two devices being able to "talk" to each other is great. I work remotely now more than I did before, so more of my business happens through my phone, iMessage, WhatsApp, and other messaging platforms and having the ability to pick up near-seamlessly from my phone to my laptop when needed is a great convenience that I didn't have before. I use Google Drive, MS OneDrive as well as iCloud. Google Drive is for work. There's much less friction using iCloud because it's sort-of built in and makes transitioning between devices even smoother, without having to dig through or search my huge volumes of Google Drive files. That makes works-in-progress for me much easier across devices. Then, I store finished files in Google Drive. Despite my efforts to get people I work with to use their emails when they send files (which hasn't worked), they still use iMessage or WhatsApp or some other messaging app so AirDrop becomes all the more valuable.
I've always been a person that was always willing to pay for convenience, and my phone is of greater convenience to me now than it was before with the addition of my MBP. Those little points of friction that I had with Android phones and Windows PCs either don't exist or are minimized with an iPhone and a MacBook. To me, all of that feels like such a time-saver, which is why I spend so much money on technology, to make my life easier. iPhones have been furthering that goal for me more than Androids have done before. Until Android can do that better than iPhone, iPhone it is.
Last edited:
Ironically I recently decided to go back to Android anyway. I wanted more handset choice and some of Samsung's ideas like Dex mode are absolutely brilliant. I also wanted some emulator action. Now my phone is all my favourite classic games consoles rolled into one.
Do share how do you achieve those 1 to 1 backups. What software did you use? And how was the restore process? As far as I know, Google doesn’t offer this, only backing up things that are already in their database anyway like contacts. It doesn’t backup any app data. I haven’t tried Samsung’s recently, but long time ago, it did nothing as well, no 3rd party all data were transferred, not even chat data from chat apps.
I have a dedicated 1TB Sandisk SSD (you can use a pc if you want) for each and the backup process comes in a couple of flavors.
Both OnePlus and Samsung have dedicated backup apps and/or you can use Google backup to the cloud. Cloud backs up all data and some settings.
In both cases after a reset I plug in the SSD and the option to restore is available.
OnePlus I have only used the SSD. Backup and restore both worked.
Samsung I have backed up to SSD and PC (just to try it). I have only backed up so far.
I also have the ability to clone one device to another.
Samsung also has Smartswitch which I have just started looking at. It also has a full backup option. See attached.
Both have the backup and restore options. Different than iOS but just as effective and so far easy to use.
Attachments
Oh so you back them up directly to an external SSD from the phone?
I guess I will give it a try the next time I upgrade/reset my phone. My past experiences were horrible (including Google's) that anytime I have a new phone, I just start from scratch and restore data manually (eg. each chat apps with their own individual backup). Would be nice if I can have a direct 1 to 1 restore like the iPhone.
I found that Google backup doesn’t capture all the settings. It does capture all the data.
The Settings “lack” is why I went to an SSD.
One can always find workarounds, if that's your bag then fine, however my moto is why bother. I could do the same but keeping up with too many ecosystems and interop issues might as well stay in one homogeneous environment. Apple works for me and is multi-platform synching. Don't even have to think. iPhone, iPad, Mac, Home App, iCloud all just work seamlessly.
Including @eyoungren
Reading through these posts, and yours is a great example, I can go all Samsung and get the same and more than Apple offers from an ecosystem perspective. It all comes down to what you as a user want to use or feel comfortable with.
For now just Apple and Samsung offer this “ecosystem”. At least here in the US. I wonder who is next.
Personally, I am one of those who likes fitting different pieces together as no one ecosystem offers everything I need or want.
I do think we need to properly define “workaround”.
Last edited:
Why bother?
As you said, it's my bag. I enjoy tech and making the stuff I have work and do what I want it to do. Been that way since my first computer in 1980 when I was nine.
But aside from that, I bother because I don't want to be owned. I just think it's best (for me) to not keep all my eggs in one basket. You never know what the future holds and I want to be free to come and go should I choose to do so.
I damaged my iPhone in December while overseas and didn’t have an immediate fix to replace it nor did I see value in buying a brand new one while going through the replacement process with Apple; so I bought an Android S22. I have both side by side and each have their advantages. Android is edging out the iPhone but everything about Android seems so mutually exclusive. Though everything is connected in Android through Chrome, Google, etc. with my gmail user id, it seems so deliberate to enjoy the ecosystem it provides. With Apple, everything works w/o any added measures. The handoff feature second to none imo. I put iMessage on my android but it doesn’t give the same feel. I’m still evaluating.
