Android user thinking about switching to iphone, thoughts?

[ibex333]

I am an Andriod aficionado. An expensive, Apple ecosystem is designed to extract money from you. You will have no choice left but to spend more on Apple services. Think wisely and decide.

I strongly disagree. If anyone wants to extract money from you it's Google. I owned both Android and Apple phones over many years, and the only this I pay for with apple is certain apps/games that I like. Never paid for anything else. Not a penny. chargers and other accessories are available from Anker and such. You don't have to buy Apple, and you don't "NEED" magnetized Magsafe accessories. Regular offbrand ones are just fine.

 

[manly]

The MagSafe battery pack is a wireless external battery for the iPhone 12/13 — you just slap it on the back and it keeps your phone running longer. The reverse charging starts when the iPhone is plugged in to make sure the external pack is topped up.

You can store music and videos offline for some streaming services, so that mitigates the need to always be online. But it is a bit of a hassle to remember to save an album/series/movie before you head out.

Nothing against wireless charging per se, but it would be a travesty if Apple goes entirely port-free on iPhones and forces wireless charging. Wireless charging is something like 40% less efficient than cabled charging, and slower to boot. The option is nice for those who want it, but it shouldn't be the only way.

I strongly disagree. If anyone wants to extract money from you it's Google. I owned both Android and Apple phones over many years, and the only this I pay for with apple is certain apps/games that I like. Never paid for anything else. Not a penny. chargers and other accessories are available from Anker and such. You don't have to buy Apple, and you don't "NEED" magnetized Magsafe accessories. Regular offbrand ones are just fine.

You can strongly disagree, but you're mostly wrong. Numerous studies show that the average iPhone user is wealthier than the average Android phone user (esp. if you factor in rest of world), and iPhone users spend way more on apps and other services within the Apple walled garden.

You're right that some of this spending is optional, but it reflects Apple's business model and strong moat. Google has an entirely different business model built around search and ad revenue, so your assertion that Google directly extracts money from consumers is entirely false. Availability of third-party chargers and accessories is completely beside the point that you replied to.

I'm not saying that Apple forces iPhone users to spend more on apps and services. I'm saying in the real world, they are wealthier and voluntarily choose to do so, with some encouragement by the walled garden.

 

[Commodus]

I strongly disagree. If anyone wants to extract money from you it's Google. I owned both Android and Apple phones over many years, and the only this I pay for with apple is certain apps/games that I like. Never paid for anything else. Not a penny. chargers and other accessories are available from Anker and such. You don't have to buy Apple, and you don't "NEED" magnetized Magsafe accessories. Regular offbrand ones are just fine.

I generally agree, although I'd note that Apple really, really wants you to buy more iCloud storage. 5GB hasn't been enough for years. It doesn't cost much to get more, but egads, Apple, just bump that up to 15GB (or more) already.

 

[killster1]

I strongly disagree. If anyone wants to extract money from you it's Google. I owned both Android and Apple phones over many years, and the only this I pay for with apple is certain apps/games that I like. Never paid for anything else. Not a penny. chargers and other accessories are available from Anker and such. You don't have to buy Apple, and you don't "NEED" magnetized Magsafe accessories. Regular offbrand ones are just fine.

wellllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll
i kinda agree except for no memory card slot = streaming and paying for more apps i am currently paying for itunes 1tb drive, i would like to use it on my android phone but really have yet to try.

 

[tortillasoup]

Used an iPhone X for two months coming from a Galaxy S5. Then switched to a Moto G power (2020). Biggest gripe is both phones were much larger than I'd like but since they were free I took them. Did signal and speed tests, found the GS5 still had the best cellular and WiFi reception of them all and I loved its removable battery. The G power and iPhone X have identical reception (acceptable) and performance felt the same as well.

As of now I prefer the G power over the iPhone X due to the moto gestures and very very good battery life and I know I can unlock and root the device at a later date. But I am keeping my eyes peeled for a better replacement if it comes around because I feel the phone is too large and I don't like that the battery isn't easily replaced. I've replaced the battery in the GS5 3 times in the time I owned the phone which was from 2018 and the battery now needs replacement so I opted to change phones since the EMMC is starting to fail and it's a sprint GS5 (G900P) being used on the AT&T network so no VOLTE service.

 

[nathanjo]

I have never used a iPhone before, nor do I own any Apple products. I'm thinking about retiring my Moto X4 and switching to an iPhone, particularly because my entire family uses them and it would be nice to have iMessage and it seems like the iPhone call quality is much better than my current phone. Has anyone here made the switch and do you have an opinion on which you prefer, Android or iPhone? I used to be so enthusiastic about Android because I could root the phone, install ROMs, install an Adblocker, get a customized keyboard etc., but now I don't do any of those things. I don't use my phone for anything more than calls, texting, and web surfing 90% of the time. I play a few board games on my Android, but nothing graphic intensive. I take the occasional picture but camera quality isn't that big of a deal for me. Seems like an entry-level iPhone might be a better option for me if I plan to buy a device and hold onto it for a few years. Thoughts?

you should definitely go for it, might find some difficulty getting used to it, initially but you wont regret your decision

 

[KMFJD]

Recently went from being a lifelong Android user to an iPhone and i'm rather impressed, does anyone have a list of good/must have apps for iOS?

 

[Commodus]

Recently went from being a lifelong Android user to an iPhone and i'm rather impressed, does anyone have a list of good/must have apps for iOS?

There's a few I'd suggest. Tweetbot is my go-to Twitter client; I prefer it over the official app, in part because you don't have to wade through the usual out-of-order tweets and endless suggestions. The biggest catch is that the current version requires a subscription, although it's very cheap ($6 per year if memory serves me correctly).

I would also point to Camera+ or Halide if you want more powerful photography than the stock camera app, Pixelmator if you need more detailed photo editing and Procreate Pocket if you're more interested in pure art creation.

There's also a few stock apps that are worth a try if you're coming from Android. Apple Maps has come a long, long way, and it's now pretty good for navigation (Google Maps might still have the edge, but it's a narrower gap). Fitness requires an Apple Watch right now, but iOS 16 will let you use your iPhone for some activity tracking. I also find myself using Apple News just to keep tabs on daily events.

 

[z1ggy]

I am in the same boat as OP now.. this read is now 9 months old but I havent read the hole thing. OP did you switch to an iphone? I have been on android now for 10 years and honestly Im getting a bit fed up on two levels. @pete6032

One, literally after 24 months, the phones are sh!tting the bed almost totally. My first iphone lasted 4 years or so before it crapped out totally. My fast charging no longer works, and I can't make wifi calls. My speaker phone is terrible (everyone complains they can't hear me when I use it), too.

Two, I play golf and the GPS app I have on my phone integrates very well with iOS and iWatch, and not as much for Android and other non iOS watches.

Im thinking about switching back to iPhone after all these years because of the above. However, I am balls deep into using all the Google stuff, most importantly photos. If I take pics with my iPhone, can I auto sync it to my Google Photos or not? That's a huge aspect of the phone selection process.

 

[Muadib]

I am in the same boat as OP now.. this read is now 9 months old but I havent read the hole thing. OP did you switch to an iphone? I have been on android now for 10 years and honestly Im getting a bit fed up on two levels. @pete6032

One, literally after 24 months, the phones are sh!tting the bed almost totally. My first iphone lasted 4 years or so before it crapped out totally. My fast charging no longer works, and I can't make wifi calls. My speaker phone is terrible (everyone complains they can't hear me when I use it), too.

Two, I play golf and the GPS app I have on my phone integrates very well with iOS and iWatch, and not as much for Android and other non iOS watches.

Im thinking about switching back to iPhone after all these years because of the above. However, I am balls deep into using all the Google stuff, most importantly photos. If I take pics with my iPhone, can I auto sync it to my Google Photos or not? That's a huge aspect of the phone selection process.

You can backup your iPhone photos to Google Photos if you wish:

Back up photos & videos - iPhone & iPad - Google Photos Help

You can automatically save your photos and videos to your Google Account when you turn on backup. You can access your saved photos and videos from any device you’re signed into, but only you can find

support.google.com

The biggest thing I missed from my time with Android is Google Pay. I could use it everywhere. Apple Pay just isn't as good, IMO.

 

[z1ggy]

You can backup your iPhone photos to Google Photos if you wish:

Back up photos & videos - iPhone & iPad - Google Photos Help

You can automatically save your photos and videos to your Google Account when you turn on backup. You can access your saved photos and videos from any device you’re signed into, but only you can find

support.google.com

The biggest thing I missed from my time with Android is Google Pay. I could use it everywhere. Apple Pay just isn't as good, IMO.

Only thing keeping me on Android at this point is all my wife's charging cables etc are for her Galaxy so to have 2 sets of stuff will be annoying. I've read ample reviews now of latest Pixel vs iPhone and I'll probably just grab a used Pixel 6 Pro for now and get the latest Galaxy watch for my other needs. The Pixel camera seems pretty good, very comparable to iPhone.

 

[Muadib]

Only thing keeping me on Android at this point is all my wife's charging cables etc are for her Galaxy so to have 2 sets of stuff will be annoying. I've read ample reviews now of latest Pixel vs iPhone and I'll probably just grab a used Pixel 6 Pro for now and get the latest Galaxy watch for my other needs. The Pixel camera seems pretty good, very comparable to iPhone.

My wife is what made me switch back to iPhone. I bought her first smartphone when her Nokia was on it's last legs. It was an reconditioned iPhone 6S that I got on Amazon. I figured if she didn't like it I could return it. She loved it, but after keeping it for 3 years the battery was shot. Her replacement was an iPhone 12 that I got for her birthday that year. I got an iPhone 13 pro max when it came out, putting my Note 8 in a drawer as a back up. I bought new cables and chargers on Amazon, they were pretty cheap.

 

[MrSquished]

I am in the same boat as OP now.. this read is now 9 months old but I havent read the hole thing. OP did you switch to an iphone? I have been on android now for 10 years and honestly Im getting a bit fed up on two levels. @pete6032

One, literally after 24 months, the phones are sh!tting the bed almost totally. My first iphone lasted 4 years or so before it crapped out totally. My fast charging no longer works, and I can't make wifi calls. My speaker phone is terrible (everyone complains they can't hear me when I use it), too.

Two, I play golf and the GPS app I have on my phone integrates very well with iOS and iWatch, and not as much for Android and other non iOS watches.

Im thinking about switching back to iPhone after all these years because of the above. However, I am balls deep into using all the Google stuff, most importantly photos. If I take pics with my iPhone, can I auto sync it to my Google Photos or not? That's a huge aspect of the phone selection process.

For your second complaint about the watch integration, Right now the Apple watch integration is unbeatable. However the Google pixel watch will be coming out shortly along with the pixel 7 , if you want to hold out and see how well that integrates with pixel phones and then make a decision.

Speaker phone I've never had an issue with an Android phone. I've never had an issue with an Android phones reliability as far as construction but I only keep them max 3 years, and usually 2, so far.

 

[kingrobert]

Don't do it, if you want to get addicted to IOS because if you shift to IOS just once then you will not be able to come back on android.

 

[MrSquished]

Don't do it, if you want to get addicted to IOS because if you shift to IOS just once then you will not be able to come back on android.

I really admire apple hardware, it's the damn OS that keeps me away.

 

[Commodus]

I really admire apple hardware, it's the damn OS that keeps me away.

Eh, I think the differences between the two have closed enough that it's harder to balk based on the OS. Certainly sounds like iOS 16 will hit the spot for folks tired of iOS' uninteresting lock screen.

 

[MrSquished]

Eh, I think the differences between the two have closed enough that it's harder to balk based on the OS. Certainly sounds like iOS 16 will hit the spot for folks tired of iOS' uninteresting lock screen.

I've used my family's iPhones here and there. Let me tell you, I don't like. And yes the shitty homescreens are part of it.

I'll believe Apple changes it when I finally see it. It's been over a decade waiting for them to fix that shitty interface.