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I use an Android every day, and my wife has an iPhone. The absolute biggest thing that annoyed me about using the iPhone after being used to the Android is the

by vlucas 15y ago

I use an Android every day, and my wife has an iPhone. The absolute biggest thing that annoyed me about using the iPhone after being used to the Android is the lack of a dedicated hardware back button. The problem you describe about an app opening the browser and then trying to get back to the app on the same screen you left it is so irritating in iOS - It's a huge glaring issue that is seamless on Android.

jsz0 15y ago
Since iOS4 if you double-tap the home button the left most icon in the application switcher is the last application you were in. Probably not as seamless but it prevents accidental back button presses which is something that has caused me problems on Android. If I buy another Android phone I will definitely try to find one with hardware buttons that are not located directly below the display.
- smackfu 15y ago
  I sometimes wonder what percentage of iPhone users even know about double-click home to task switch.
  - enjo 15y ago
    I bet about the same percentage that know about the long-hold of the home button to bring up the task switcher in Android (not many). I was amazed that my wife, who has had an Android phone for a year, didn't know about that one...
    - kgtm 15y ago
      It isn't a task switcher though is it? It just lists the apps you used recently, not the ones that are open. AFAIK you need a separate app that is binded to the home button to get different behavior.
      - runjake 15y ago
        Due to the way Android garbage collects & prunes processes, it depends. It's a task switcher/recent apps view.
      - chc 15y ago
        That's the same way the iPhone "application switcher" that was previously mentioned works.
- sosuke 15y ago
  Even more fun in the iOS 4.3 devices you can do multi-touch gestures to get to the other apps, home screen or swipe between running apps. Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvxSSGUtTYA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvxSSGUtTYA
  - ikono 15y ago
    Wasn't this only in the developer betas? I thought they removed it in the final release. The problem with this is some apps already use those gestures for other things.
    - nevster 15y ago
      You can get access to the gestures back by connecting your iPad to XCode.
      - smackfu 15y ago
        Step 1: Download the 4GB XCode.
ikono 15y ago
This is a deeper philosophical issue. With Android you have to remember your usage history to know what the back button is going to do. In iOS you're never going to accidentally switch to a different app. Once you get used to one philosophy the other will become annoying.
- enjo 15y ago
  On quibble: In Android the back button really seems to serve the purpose of "take me anywhere BUT here". I have no real cognitive sense (generally) of where I am in the stack. I simply hit the back button until I get back to something that looks familiar.
  - sehugg 15y ago
    It's not you :) The design for Activity and "task stacks" is very complicated: http://developer.android.com/guide/practices/ui_guidelines/activity_task_design.html http://developer.android.com/guide/practices/ui_guidelines/a...
- spot 15y ago
  I use both and trust me, the back button is good. Your browser has it... even on iOS. Do you have a problem "remembering" where it will take you?
  - ikono 15y ago
    The browser never takes you to a different app and there is a forward button as well if you don't like where it takes you. I'm not saying that iOS task switching is good, I'm just saying there is a reason that there is no global back button. I expect that Apple will make changes to task switching one way or another eventually but it's not going to be with a back button.
    - ajross 15y ago
      That's a nitpicky distinction based on the meaning of "app". The back browser certainly can switch you between applications. A user will be equally "confused" by their screen switching from facebook to gmail as they will if it switched to the photo app or whatever.

by vlucas 15y ago

jsz0 15y ago

Since iOS4 if you double-tap the home button the left most icon in the application switcher is the last application you were in. Probably not as seamless but it prevents accidental back button presses which is something that has caused me problems on Android. If I buy another Android phone I will definitely try to find one with hardware buttons that are not located directly below the display.

smackfu 15y ago
I sometimes wonder what percentage of iPhone users even know about double-click home to task switch.
- enjo 15y ago
  I bet about the same percentage that know about the long-hold of the home button to bring up the task switcher in Android (not many). I was amazed that my wife, who has had an Android phone for a year, didn't know about that one...
  - kgtm 15y ago
    It isn't a task switcher though is it? It just lists the apps you used recently, not the ones that are open. AFAIK you need a separate app that is binded to the home button to get different behavior.
    - runjake 15y ago
      Due to the way Android garbage collects & prunes processes, it depends. It's a task switcher/recent apps view.
    - chc 15y ago
      That's the same way the iPhone "application switcher" that was previously mentioned works.
sosuke 15y ago
Even more fun in the iOS 4.3 devices you can do multi-touch gestures to get to the other apps, home screen or swipe between running apps. Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvxSSGUtTYA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvxSSGUtTYA
- ikono 15y ago
  Wasn't this only in the developer betas? I thought they removed it in the final release. The problem with this is some apps already use those gestures for other things.
  - nevster 15y ago
    You can get access to the gestures back by connecting your iPad to XCode.
    - smackfu 15y ago
      Step 1: Download the 4GB XCode.

ikono 15y ago

This is a deeper philosophical issue. With Android you have to remember your usage history to know what the back button is going to do. In iOS you're never going to accidentally switch to a different app. Once you get used to one philosophy the other will become annoying.

enjo 15y ago
On quibble: In Android the back button really seems to serve the purpose of "take me anywhere BUT here". I have no real cognitive sense (generally) of where I am in the stack. I simply hit the back button until I get back to something that looks familiar.
- sehugg 15y ago
  It's not you :) The design for Activity and "task stacks" is very complicated: http://developer.android.com/guide/practices/ui_guidelines/activity_task_design.html http://developer.android.com/guide/practices/ui_guidelines/a...
spot 15y ago
I use both and trust me, the back button is good. Your browser has it... even on iOS. Do you have a problem "remembering" where it will take you?
- ikono 15y ago
  The browser never takes you to a different app and there is a forward button as well if you don't like where it takes you. I'm not saying that iOS task switching is good, I'm just saying there is a reason that there is no global back button. I expect that Apple will make changes to task switching one way or another eventually but it's not going to be with a back button.
  - ajross 15y ago
    That's a nitpicky distinction based on the meaning of "app". The back browser certainly can switch you between applications. A user will be equally "confused" by their screen switching from facebook to gmail as they will if it switched to the photo app or whatever.