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> Much more transparency about what the phone is doing This is a curious point, especially considering the recent FB Android app revelations about lots and lot

> Much more transparency about what the phone is doing This is a curious point, especially considering the recent FB Android app revelations about lots and lots of things the phone was doing that nobody realised, things that cannot happen on iOS due to stricter privacy enforcement. I suppose no month is complete without an iOS/Android flame war, but hopefully that won't happen here. For what it's worth, smart phones are all pretty darn awesome and if there is one key distinguishing factor that seems to persist across generations of devices, it's privacy and security, of which Apple is far different. If that doesn't matter to you, pick a year, any year, and you will find one or the other platform to offer features that the other lacks.

techsupporter 8y ago
This is the crux of the issue for me: > it's privacy and security, of which Apple is far different I simply don't trust Google to act in my interests when it comes to use of very private data by them or how their operating system permits use of that data. Frankly, I think Android is great. I love myriad things about it: - Set a default e-mail app - Set a default browser that isn't Safari (my kingdom to use Firefox Mobile with all of its attendant add-ins on my iPhone) - Put icons wherever I want, like the author mentions - A WILDLY better--in my opinion--notification system, again like the author mentions - Themes, widgets, and other customizations - Automation with things like Tasker - Background tasks I'm gonna stop here because I could keep going for much longer. But the point remains that my iPhone and iPad do 90% of what I want on a day-to-day basis and I'm used to the quirks and, more importantly, Apple has shown a propensity to keep what it knows about me primarily on my own devices or, when actually transmitted to Apple, under much more restrictive policies than Google has. I'd love it of Apple could do both, the astounding customization of Android with the privacy and security features of iOS. But maybe you don't get one with the other for some inherent reason. I'm not sure, so I stick with the one in which I'm more confident.
- fasj82 8y ago
  >- Background tasks That's bad
  - saagarjha 8y ago
    Well, it could be good or bad, depending on how you look at it. It's foolish to argue that background tasks can't be useful. Can they also be privacy-violating battery drainers as well? Sure. I'm sure there's a right tradeoff here, and it doesn't have to be "no background tasks, period". My personal take is that it's much closer to "no background tasks" than "free reign", but your needs may vary.
    - dogweather 8y ago
      Yep, an app I want to always be in bg is https://www.thetileapp.com/ https://www.thetileapp.com/
      - RandallBrown 8y ago
        Does Tile have any features on Android that is doesn't on iOS?
  - georgebarnett 8y ago
    Background tasks become essential as soon as you need your phone to be a data aggregator for external devices. As an example, if you monitor biomedical sensors on your body, the app needs a way to reliably run in the background without being shot down.
    - fasj82 8y ago
      The sensors should store the information inside themselves and then sync with the mobile when I open the app. No need to have my mobile awake all the time for something like that.
      - spacemanmatt 8y ago
        'should' Someone should redesign them, someone should rewrite OS support for them, and someone should pay for all that?
dogweather 8y ago
> This is a curious point, especially considering the recent FB Android app revelations about lots and lots of things the phone was doing that nobody realised, things that cannot happen on iOS due to stricter privacy enforcement. . . Yep, I'm definitely being careful. E.g., not installing Facebook or Messenger. I guess I _do_ have more confidence in Apple's dedication to privacy and security. Even with their recent security lapses in MacOS. My experience with Chromebooks gave me a lot of confidence in Google's understanding of security and privacy.
syshum 8y ago
>>especially considering the recent FB Android app revelations about lots and lots of things the phone was doing that nobody realised, No lots of people realized them, and lots of people have been talking about them for years just no one really payed attention until now. When you install FB or any other app you get a nice list of things the App is allowed to do, if you do not want the app to do those things you should not install the app. The problem is most people simply ignore this list and click "install" with out questioning why a Flashlight app would need access to your call history... With Android the user is in control, Some/Most people can not handle that responsibility. For a person that is concerned about privacy, Using facebook at all seems counter intuitive... For me while I do supports Apple's take on user privacy, I do not support their Business Practices of being rabidly anti-repair, anti-ownership, and anti-consumer. It is my device not Apple's, the the fact that Apple wants completely control over a device have I bought from them for about $1,000 is a non-starter for me, I can control my privacy in other ways I do not need my phone OS to do that for me.
- hellofunk 8y ago
  > When you install FB or any other app you get a nice list of things the App is allowed to do, if you do not want the app to do those things you should not install the app. This is actually a fairly recent change to Android. It did not used to provide you with these choices. It demonstrates that user privacy is a bit of an afterthought with Android. For Apple, these kinds of user choices have been there since the start.
  - efdee 8y ago
    I've been using Android since 2.x and I sell to remember it has always been like this. The recent change iirc is being able to decline a certain privilege and still use the app.
    - saagarjha 8y ago
      Yeah, they'd show you a list of a dozen things that the app was going to use and you basically just tapped the "accept" button because you wanted the app to have access to your photos except now it has access to your contacts, location history, notification center, and firstborn child. Android Marshmallow brought improvements in this area, though.

techsupporter 8y ago

This is the crux of the issue for me: > it's privacy and security, of which Apple is far different I simply don't trust Google to act in my interests when it comes to use of very private data by them or how their operating system permits use of that data. Frankly, I think Android is great. I love myriad things about it: - Set a default e-mail app - Set a default browser that isn't Safari (my kingdom to use Firefox Mobile with all of its attendant add-ins on my iPhone) - Put icons wherever I want, like the author mentions - A WILDLY better--in my opinion--notification system, again like the author mentions - Themes, widgets, and other customizations - Automation with things like Tasker - Background tasks I'm gonna stop here because I could keep going for much longer. But the point remains that my iPhone and iPad do 90% of what I want on a day-to-day basis and I'm used to the quirks and, more importantly, Apple has shown a propensity to keep what it knows about me primarily on my own devices or, when actually transmitted to Apple, under much more restrictive policies than Google has. I'd love it of Apple could do both, the astounding customization of Android with the privacy and security features of iOS. But maybe you don't get one with the other for some inherent reason. I'm not sure, so I stick with the one in which I'm more confident.

fasj82 8y ago
>- Background tasks That's bad
- saagarjha 8y ago
  Well, it could be good or bad, depending on how you look at it. It's foolish to argue that background tasks can't be useful. Can they also be privacy-violating battery drainers as well? Sure. I'm sure there's a right tradeoff here, and it doesn't have to be "no background tasks, period". My personal take is that it's much closer to "no background tasks" than "free reign", but your needs may vary.
  - dogweather 8y ago
    Yep, an app I want to always be in bg is https://www.thetileapp.com/ https://www.thetileapp.com/
    - RandallBrown 8y ago
      Does Tile have any features on Android that is doesn't on iOS?
- georgebarnett 8y ago
  Background tasks become essential as soon as you need your phone to be a data aggregator for external devices. As an example, if you monitor biomedical sensors on your body, the app needs a way to reliably run in the background without being shot down.
  - fasj82 8y ago
    The sensors should store the information inside themselves and then sync with the mobile when I open the app. No need to have my mobile awake all the time for something like that.
    - spacemanmatt 8y ago
      'should' Someone should redesign them, someone should rewrite OS support for them, and someone should pay for all that?

dogweather 8y ago

> This is a curious point, especially considering the recent FB Android app revelations about lots and lots of things the phone was doing that nobody realised, things that cannot happen on iOS due to stricter privacy enforcement. . . Yep, I'm definitely being careful. E.g., not installing Facebook or Messenger. I guess I _do_ have more confidence in Apple's dedication to privacy and security. Even with their recent security lapses in MacOS. My experience with Chromebooks gave me a lot of confidence in Google's understanding of security and privacy.

syshum 8y ago

>>especially considering the recent FB Android app revelations about lots and lots of things the phone was doing that nobody realised, No lots of people realized them, and lots of people have been talking about them for years just no one really payed attention until now. When you install FB or any other app you get a nice list of things the App is allowed to do, if you do not want the app to do those things you should not install the app. The problem is most people simply ignore this list and click "install" with out questioning why a Flashlight app would need access to your call history... With Android the user is in control, Some/Most people can not handle that responsibility. For a person that is concerned about privacy, Using facebook at all seems counter intuitive... For me while I do supports Apple's take on user privacy, I do not support their Business Practices of being rabidly anti-repair, anti-ownership, and anti-consumer. It is my device not Apple's, the the fact that Apple wants completely control over a device have I bought from them for about $1,000 is a non-starter for me, I can control my privacy in other ways I do not need my phone OS to do that for me.

hellofunk 8y ago
> When you install FB or any other app you get a nice list of things the App is allowed to do, if you do not want the app to do those things you should not install the app. This is actually a fairly recent change to Android. It did not used to provide you with these choices. It demonstrates that user privacy is a bit of an afterthought with Android. For Apple, these kinds of user choices have been there since the start.
- efdee 8y ago
  I've been using Android since 2.x and I sell to remember it has always been like this. The recent change iirc is being able to decline a certain privilege and still use the app.
  - saagarjha 8y ago
    Yeah, they'd show you a list of a dozen things that the app was going to use and you basically just tapped the "accept" button because you wanted the app to have access to your photos except now it has access to your contacts, location history, notification center, and firstborn child. Android Marshmallow brought improvements in this area, though.