8 ms·

Think the Pixel 2 XL is good... just wait until you upgrade to an iPhone!

Someone1234 9y ago
The iPhone's hardware is great and it has good bones in the OS but Apple has placed too many artificial restrictions on the experience. To name one current example, both Android and iOS have the concept of a global password manager for third party apps (and the web-browser). Both Google and Apple offer a password manager that hooks into it. But on Android third party password managers can also utilize the system APIs, whereas on iOS they cannot. Meaning password managers on iOS are stuck with copy/switch/paste/switch/copy/switch/paste for username and password respectively. On Android you get a popup next to the input box, press it, and it is populated. This is just one current example but if you look at the history of iOS Apple has been doing this forever. NFC locked to Apple Pay was a previous good example.
- alphabettsy 9y ago
  That’s incorrect. Password managers on iOS are able to use extensions and thus auto-fill. I use 1Password and auto-fill works with many apps, only on the ones that don’t are you stuck with copy & paste.
  - Someone1234 9y ago
    What I said is absolutely accurate and you seem to know enough to know that. Before Apple added the current global autofill APIs on iOS, third party password managers could register a Safari extension. Ignoring how poor the user experience of doing it this way was, it also limited autofill to third party apps based around a Safari webview who chose not to opt out of third party extensions (namely only these apps[0] worked). Very few of the top 250 apps were supported and that remains the case to this day. Apple added global autofill APIs, but as of today those APIs are only available to Apple. This allows Apple to create a password manager which works across Safari, Safari webview (with or without extensions enabled), and even fully native apps. If an app isn't listed in [0] it will only work with Apple's password manager or copy/paste. Some apps missing include: Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, Google's app suite (gmail, google maps, etc), Netflix, Spotify, et al. Calling my post "incorrect" while understanding the difference between the global autofill APIs and Safari extensions is disingenuous and inaccurate. [0] https://lastpass.com/support.php?cmd=showfaq&id=8606 https://lastpass.com/support.php?cmd=showfaq&id=8606
    - alphabettsy 9y ago
      You said iOS password managers are stuck with copy/paste. That’s inaccurate, proved by your own follow-up with an example from LastPass.
    - sbuk 9y ago
      > What I said is absolutely accurate and you seem to know enough to know that. Well, no. What you said was; "But on Android third party password managers can also utilize the system APIs, whereas on iOS they cannot.", which isn't 'absolutely accurate' at all. The share sheet uses a system API to inject the username/password combination. Your statement is demonstrably inaccurate. It's not as fluid as Android's approach, granted. To make you statement more accurate, you should add '...the same system APIs.", although, I'm not sure that is actually the case. > If an app isn't listed in [0] it will only work with Apple's password manager or copy/paste. Some apps missing include: Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, Google's app suite (gmail, google maps, etc), Netflix, Spotify, et al. Ironically, that list totally disproves what you are suggesting, and arguably, the bad actors here are Facebook and Google who own most of the titles listed.
      - Someone1234 9y ago
        > "But on Android third party password managers can also utilize the system APIs, whereas on iOS they cannot.", which isn't 'absolutely accurate' at all. Yes it is. The global autofill APIs on Android are available to all apps. The global autofill APIs on iOS are available to Apple. > Your statement is demonstrably inaccurate. Only if you intentionally strip out context of the statement and paint it as saying something else entirely. Let's look at that line in-context: > To name one current example, both Android and iOS have the concept of a global password manager for third party apps (and the web-browser). Both Google and Apple offer a password manager that hooks into it. But on Android third party password managers can also utilize the system APIs, whereas on iOS they cannot. It is pretty obvious IN CONTEXT which "system APIs" I was referring to since the previous two sentences and the entire thrust of the post is about one specific topic. Pulling apart my post to strip out context, and then attacking the context-less parts is just arguing for arguing's sake. You aren't even making a point about the issue I raised (restricted system APIs), you're just being pedantic. > Ironically, that list totally disproves what you are suggesting, and arguably, the bad actors here are Facebook and Google who own most of the titles listed. They aren't "bad actors" because they choose to use native controls instead of a webview.
- cdancette 9y ago
  What Android app do you use that does autofill? I use keepass and I could never find such an app.
  - sundvor 9y ago
    Lastpass.
  - sdfhbdf 9y ago
    With Android 8 you can use Keepass2Android which has the auto fill API support, but still in beta. Auto fill is not yet supported in chrome though
    - cdancette 9y ago
      Oh ok, I didn't know autofill was added in Android 8! Thanks, I will need to upgrade / move to lineageOs then I guess
Numberwang 9y ago
I have experience of both, having to use IPhone for work. Android phones are infinitely better. I was actually surprised to find so many stupid bugs in IPhone. I'n my imagination they were solid phones for MAC users. Turns out, as they are the only option, they don't exactly focus on quality.
- stcredzero 9y ago
  I've been an iPhone user since the 1st generation 8GB model. (Very 1st was 4GB.) The overall quality of software has gone down. I remember the first time an iOS update caused issues in some fairly foundational code. (Involving UIImage.) Before that, I thought Apple's iOS team infallible. Today, I have moments when I'm just disgusted with Apple, as well as with 3rd party apps on iOS from well funded companies who should be doing better. Though to be fair, most of the time, things do work. It's just that I run into the odd place where...WAT!?
  - Numberwang 9y ago
    For me is just annoying small issues like when I listen to music and get a notification from another app suddenly the volume doesn't go up as high anymore and stays low until you reboot the phone. Or that when I'm on Bluetooth it will mess with the wifi and you need to disconnect and reconnect to make it work. I also really dislike (maybe this is just me) that I can't deal with files as files on an iPhone. I can't just move an mp3 or an ebook to the memory, find it via an app and open it. It feels so locked it.
- threeseed 9y ago
  Not sure what you are talking about. You can use iPhones with PCs and Android phones with Macs.
- scarface74 9y ago
  And that comes down to trust. Apple usually and correctly doesn’t trust third party apps with sensitive information. Anytime you enter a password in, you get switched back to the native keyboard.
chomp 9y ago
I bought an iPhone 8 Plus after using mostly Android phones due to a lot of really good praise from my friends. I'm finding that while the iPhone's hardware beats most of what Android has to offer, a lot of iOS has weird user design choices (hidden search fields, strange menu placement in apps, random antagonistic design choices), that just seem mildly inconvenient at best. Also iOS 11 had way more bugs than any Android release I've ever used.
- jonathanyc 9y ago
  The last straw that made me switch to iOS 10 was how much less buggy iOS was than Android at the time. And then I upgraded to iOS 11 and now enjoy the most buggy OS I have ever experienced on any platform, period. Insane UI glitches in the parts of the UI I use the most often (in the Notification Center?really?), frequent random total crashing (which I haven’t seen in any OS—including on the desktop—since the 2000s)... I actually do not understand how Apple dropped the ball so badly. Someone should not be getting a bonus.
  - simonh 9y ago
    The buggyness hasn’t honestly affected me, but I am disappointed with the performance of iOS 11 on my 6+, specifically in the phone app and calculator. I get that people have always complained about older phones being slower on later OS releases, but actually the overal, performance of the phone is fine. For some reason there’s a ton of UI lag on loading screens in the phone app and calculator that’s really frustrating. The phone is only a few years old, but feels like my old 3GS. It’s really annoying to have to pause and wait for the UI to become active in two apps I use extensively, and often want to use in a hurry. This is supposed to be a 64bit desktop class CPU. Games load fast and are snappy as hell. How come loading a dial screen is such a massive undertaking? It’s inexplicable.
    - 0x0 9y ago
      Maybe the battery slowdown scandal patch, aka iOS 11.3, and/or a battery replacement will help with that. I used to have a 6+ as well and it felt super laggy since iOS 11. Will be interesting to check with the person who was handed my 6+ when iOS 11.3 and the battery switch program become available.
product50 9y ago
It is pure ignorance to claim that iPhone is better than Pixel 2 XL. Both phones are great and it comes down to your personal preference --> look & feel of the device, camera, better Google Apps experiences, Android Auto vs. Carplay, tied up with Google or Apple ecosystems etc. Please stop making such inflammatory statements with no substance.
chrismcb 9y ago
I'm curious, what do you think is better in iOS? I use both, and for the most part one really isn't better than the other. But there are a few things I prefer Android over iOS.
antirez 9y ago
Before the S8+ I had an iPhone X, after 5 years without iPhones, and I sold it in less than a month because of the software, in a totally different way than Samsung. The iPhone software is very polished, but it has fundamental design flaws, it's like a shiny bike with wonderful colors but the wheels are actually squared.
T-N-T 9y ago
I downgraded from an iPhone 5s to an Honor 8. Best decision I could have done. My Honor 8 is still as fast and snappy as it was on day 1. It doesn't take that long for iPhones to become sluggish. Been there, experienced that with the 3g and 5s.

The iPhone's hardware is great and it has good bones in the OS but Apple has placed too many artificial restrictions on the experience. To name one current example, both Android and iOS have the concept of a global password manager for third party apps (and the web-browser). Both Google and Apple offer a password manager that hooks into it. But on Android third party password managers can also utilize the system APIs, whereas on iOS they cannot. Meaning password managers on iOS are stuck with copy/switch/paste/switch/copy/switch/paste for username and password respectively. On Android you get a popup next to the input box, press it, and it is populated. This is just one current example but if you look at the history of iOS Apple has been doing this forever. NFC locked to Apple Pay was a previous good example.

alphabettsy 9y ago
That’s incorrect. Password managers on iOS are able to use extensions and thus auto-fill. I use 1Password and auto-fill works with many apps, only on the ones that don’t are you stuck with copy & paste.
- Someone1234 9y ago
  What I said is absolutely accurate and you seem to know enough to know that. Before Apple added the current global autofill APIs on iOS, third party password managers could register a Safari extension. Ignoring how poor the user experience of doing it this way was, it also limited autofill to third party apps based around a Safari webview who chose not to opt out of third party extensions (namely only these apps[0] worked). Very few of the top 250 apps were supported and that remains the case to this day. Apple added global autofill APIs, but as of today those APIs are only available to Apple. This allows Apple to create a password manager which works across Safari, Safari webview (with or without extensions enabled), and even fully native apps. If an app isn't listed in [0] it will only work with Apple's password manager or copy/paste. Some apps missing include: Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, Google's app suite (gmail, google maps, etc), Netflix, Spotify, et al. Calling my post "incorrect" while understanding the difference between the global autofill APIs and Safari extensions is disingenuous and inaccurate. [0] https://lastpass.com/support.php?cmd=showfaq&id=8606 https://lastpass.com/support.php?cmd=showfaq&id=8606
  - alphabettsy 9y ago
    You said iOS password managers are stuck with copy/paste. That’s inaccurate, proved by your own follow-up with an example from LastPass.
  - sbuk 9y ago
    > What I said is absolutely accurate and you seem to know enough to know that. Well, no. What you said was; "But on Android third party password managers can also utilize the system APIs, whereas on iOS they cannot.", which isn't 'absolutely accurate' at all. The share sheet uses a system API to inject the username/password combination. Your statement is demonstrably inaccurate. It's not as fluid as Android's approach, granted. To make you statement more accurate, you should add '...the same system APIs.", although, I'm not sure that is actually the case. > If an app isn't listed in [0] it will only work with Apple's password manager or copy/paste. Some apps missing include: Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, Google's app suite (gmail, google maps, etc), Netflix, Spotify, et al. Ironically, that list totally disproves what you are suggesting, and arguably, the bad actors here are Facebook and Google who own most of the titles listed.
    - Someone1234 9y ago
      > "But on Android third party password managers can also utilize the system APIs, whereas on iOS they cannot.", which isn't 'absolutely accurate' at all. Yes it is. The global autofill APIs on Android are available to all apps. The global autofill APIs on iOS are available to Apple. > Your statement is demonstrably inaccurate. Only if you intentionally strip out context of the statement and paint it as saying something else entirely. Let's look at that line in-context: > To name one current example, both Android and iOS have the concept of a global password manager for third party apps (and the web-browser). Both Google and Apple offer a password manager that hooks into it. But on Android third party password managers can also utilize the system APIs, whereas on iOS they cannot. It is pretty obvious IN CONTEXT which "system APIs" I was referring to since the previous two sentences and the entire thrust of the post is about one specific topic. Pulling apart my post to strip out context, and then attacking the context-less parts is just arguing for arguing's sake. You aren't even making a point about the issue I raised (restricted system APIs), you're just being pedantic. > Ironically, that list totally disproves what you are suggesting, and arguably, the bad actors here are Facebook and Google who own most of the titles listed. They aren't "bad actors" because they choose to use native controls instead of a webview.
cdancette 9y ago
What Android app do you use that does autofill? I use keepass and I could never find such an app.
- sundvor 9y ago
  Lastpass.
- sdfhbdf 9y ago
  With Android 8 you can use Keepass2Android which has the auto fill API support, but still in beta. Auto fill is not yet supported in chrome though
  - cdancette 9y ago
    Oh ok, I didn't know autofill was added in Android 8! Thanks, I will need to upgrade / move to lineageOs then I guess

Numberwang 9y ago

I have experience of both, having to use IPhone for work. Android phones are infinitely better. I was actually surprised to find so many stupid bugs in IPhone. I'n my imagination they were solid phones for MAC users. Turns out, as they are the only option, they don't exactly focus on quality.

stcredzero 9y ago
I've been an iPhone user since the 1st generation 8GB model. (Very 1st was 4GB.) The overall quality of software has gone down. I remember the first time an iOS update caused issues in some fairly foundational code. (Involving UIImage.) Before that, I thought Apple's iOS team infallible. Today, I have moments when I'm just disgusted with Apple, as well as with 3rd party apps on iOS from well funded companies who should be doing better. Though to be fair, most of the time, things do work. It's just that I run into the odd place where...WAT!?
- Numberwang 9y ago
  For me is just annoying small issues like when I listen to music and get a notification from another app suddenly the volume doesn't go up as high anymore and stays low until you reboot the phone. Or that when I'm on Bluetooth it will mess with the wifi and you need to disconnect and reconnect to make it work. I also really dislike (maybe this is just me) that I can't deal with files as files on an iPhone. I can't just move an mp3 or an ebook to the memory, find it via an app and open it. It feels so locked it.
threeseed 9y ago
Not sure what you are talking about. You can use iPhones with PCs and Android phones with Macs.
scarface74 9y ago
And that comes down to trust. Apple usually and correctly doesn’t trust third party apps with sensitive information. Anytime you enter a password in, you get switched back to the native keyboard.

chomp 9y ago

I bought an iPhone 8 Plus after using mostly Android phones due to a lot of really good praise from my friends. I'm finding that while the iPhone's hardware beats most of what Android has to offer, a lot of iOS has weird user design choices (hidden search fields, strange menu placement in apps, random antagonistic design choices), that just seem mildly inconvenient at best. Also iOS 11 had way more bugs than any Android release I've ever used.

jonathanyc 9y ago
The last straw that made me switch to iOS 10 was how much less buggy iOS was than Android at the time. And then I upgraded to iOS 11 and now enjoy the most buggy OS I have ever experienced on any platform, period. Insane UI glitches in the parts of the UI I use the most often (in the Notification Center?really?), frequent random total crashing (which I haven’t seen in any OS—including on the desktop—since the 2000s)... I actually do not understand how Apple dropped the ball so badly. Someone should not be getting a bonus.
- simonh 9y ago
  The buggyness hasn’t honestly affected me, but I am disappointed with the performance of iOS 11 on my 6+, specifically in the phone app and calculator. I get that people have always complained about older phones being slower on later OS releases, but actually the overal, performance of the phone is fine. For some reason there’s a ton of UI lag on loading screens in the phone app and calculator that’s really frustrating. The phone is only a few years old, but feels like my old 3GS. It’s really annoying to have to pause and wait for the UI to become active in two apps I use extensively, and often want to use in a hurry. This is supposed to be a 64bit desktop class CPU. Games load fast and are snappy as hell. How come loading a dial screen is such a massive undertaking? It’s inexplicable.
  - 0x0 9y ago
    Maybe the battery slowdown scandal patch, aka iOS 11.3, and/or a battery replacement will help with that. I used to have a 6+ as well and it felt super laggy since iOS 11. Will be interesting to check with the person who was handed my 6+ when iOS 11.3 and the battery switch program become available.

product50 9y ago

It is pure ignorance to claim that iPhone is better than Pixel 2 XL. Both phones are great and it comes down to your personal preference --> look & feel of the device, camera, better Google Apps experiences, Android Auto vs. Carplay, tied up with Google or Apple ecosystems etc. Please stop making such inflammatory statements with no substance.

chrismcb 9y ago

I'm curious, what do you think is better in iOS? I use both, and for the most part one really isn't better than the other. But there are a few things I prefer Android over iOS.

antirez 9y ago

Before the S8+ I had an iPhone X, after 5 years without iPhones, and I sold it in less than a month because of the software, in a totally different way than Samsung. The iPhone software is very polished, but it has fundamental design flaws, it's like a shiny bike with wonderful colors but the wheels are actually squared.

T-N-T 9y ago

I downgraded from an iPhone 5s to an Honor 8. Best decision I could have done. My Honor 8 is still as fast and snappy as it was on day 1. It doesn't take that long for iPhones to become sluggish. Been there, experienced that with the 3g and 5s.