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I'm thinking of making the switch to iPhone this year once the USB-C model comes out Whether I regret it, not sure, I mean Android isn't _that_ bad really and

I'm thinking of making the switch to iPhone this year once the USB-C model comes out Whether I regret it, not sure, I mean Android isn't _that_ bad really and the Samsung phones are good, but I think Apple have nailed the ecosystem thing a lot better than what google have.

dopamean 3y ago
I made the switch at the end of 2021 after only having an android phone since the very first one. I wouldn't say I regret the change but I would say I'm not impressed. The way so many of my friends mocked me for having an android phone and talked up their iphones made me think I _must_ be missing something. Alas, I don't feel that I was. Every once in a while I boot up my old android phone (oneplus 6) and use it and it's snappier than I remember and feels way better in my hand than my iphone does. I kinda want to go back but we'll see.
- bgirard 3y ago
  FWIW When I switched from Android->iPhone, I didn't think much of it. Some stuff was better, some stuff was worse. I didn't 'feel' that much better. Then when I switched back from iPhone->Android (Pixel 4) the change was a lot more jarring. I noticed a lot of polish and batteries issues and I missed my iPhone until I finally switched back. My theory is it's similar to lifestyle creep. You wont appreciate improvements as much as you'll notice regressions. > Every once in a while I boot up my old android phone (oneplus 6) and use it and it's snappier than I remember and feels way better in my hand than my iphone does. I wonder if you'd use it as a daily driver for a longer time if you'd have the same experience as me.
- matthewaveryusa 3y ago
  I made the switch to iphone as well in 2021 after androids for 10 years and I echo this sentiment. It's not transformational, it's more or less the same, especially compared to a pixel flagship phone. I still use google photos because I find it better and it works fine. My next phone will be a pixel again though.
  - disiplus 3y ago
    I had a pixel 7 pro, that after a half a year developed a battery problem. I got my money back and could get another pixel but was afraid of battery problems again, and picked a one plus 10 pro. I regret it. Pixel has the best Android expirence on the market. I'm not buying iPhones probably ever. I tried iphone 14 pro max a little bit and it's not worth 400 EUR over the Pixel for me. I also had Samsungs, they are ok, but pixel is better.
  - tom_ 3y ago
    Text entry on my android phone was much more reliably good than on the iPhone, and the ux was better. I've had to disable a bunch of stuff to make it work reasonably on iOS, and it still gets stuff wrong far more often than I'd like. One of the things i unticked removed the words list you get for editing its errors, so i have to edit the mistakes by hand. Very annoying. (And the suggestions were crap anyway.)
- Sohcahtoa82 3y ago
  Apple's real genius is in their marketing. This was clear as day over 10 years ago, and is just as clear today. Back in the early days of iPhone vs Android, there was a huge meme of iPhone users praising Apple for "inventing" features that Android had years ago [0]. I remember (but can't find right now) a screenshot of a conversation of an iPhone user all happy about iPhone getting SwiftKey and then saying "When is Android getting this? XD" and the other person responding with "About 4 years ago". While the meme of "iPhone is better than Android because iPhone can do X" while Android has been able to do X for over 2 years no longer applies, there's still the meme that iPhone is somehow still a superior device. Apple has somehow convinced people that the iPhone is a luxury device, and there are some iPhone users that look down on Android users and think that Android is for people that can't afford iPhone, even though flagship Androids cost just as much. It's just personal preference these days. I can't stand Apple's walled garden approach, but people that have multiple devices (laptop, tablet, phone, watch, etc) love it since it guarantees compatibility and functionality. [0] https://imgur.com/gallery/9V2Vr https://imgur.com/gallery/9V2Vr
  - martimarkov 3y ago
    To me it's the fact that it just works and I use it as a smart phone and not as a General Purpose Computer. There is a lot of ecosystem stuff on iOS that are just missing from Android. Plus the skinning of each manufacturer is/was terrible. Samsung's early TouchWiz was incredibly terrible... I also use Android when I need more access to different things e.g. portable pocket pc that runs Linux.
  - sofixa 3y ago
    > While the meme of "iPhone is better than Android because iPhone can do X" while Android has been able to do X for over 2 years no longer applies It applied as recently as 2020 with iOS 14 releasing picture in picture video, which Android has had since 8 in 2017.
    - goosedragons 3y ago
      Don't have to go back that far. iPhone 14 Pro is the first iPhone with always on display. Although I guess Android wasn't first with that either.
arkitaip 3y ago
Interesting, this is what I'm considering too after exclusively using Android+Windows since forever. The enshittification of Windows is mainly what has changed my mind - worse privacy, UX, forcing users to use online accounts - but also life seems more simple when you only have Apple to consider instead of whatever shenanigans that Microsoft and Google throws at you. Furthermore, the UX of the Apple eco system seems better than anything I've encountered on Android+Windows.
- karaterobot 3y ago
  One thing to note is that Apple also tries very hard to get you to log in to their online services when you use your phone or laptop. They're not as overt as MS about requiring it yet, but I would not be surprised if it was coming. As for UX, I feel like it's hit and miss for me. With the huge caveat that I haven't used Windows 11, Windows beats MacOS in a lot of areas. For example, I prefer older versions of Windows to MacOS for window management, and Explorer is a lot better than Finder in my opinion. Those are two major pieces of the user experience!
- guideamigo_com 3y ago
  Lock-in on Mac OS is much less for developers. Than lock-in for users on iPhone.
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
hospitalJail 3y ago
Careful its a prison.
- nonameking2026 3y ago
  [flagged]
  - tungah 3y ago
    [flagged]
  - tempodox 3y ago
    But the cake is a lie.
avgDev 3y ago
iPhone is not what it is cracked up to be. A lot of lock in. Some things are absolutely annoying. When I went to Poland, I had to change my region to download apps from appstore, it messed up all my purchase history and subscriptions. One thing I like is that I have an iPhone 12 and have no need to upgrade, the phones have a much longer life imo. The statement "apple stuff is just so easy and it works" is EXTREMELY misleading. When it works it works but when it doesn't you generally won't find much good advice.
- kube-system 3y ago
  What lock-in do iPhones have that isn't a thing on Android? Honestly curious.
  - wilsonnb3 3y ago
    iMessage and FaceTime are the biggest ones, leaving the ecosystem will make the experience of talking to you worse for anyone using an iPhone still.
    - rjh29 3y ago
      Thankfully only the US is afflicted with this stupidity.
      - kube-system 3y ago
        The rest of the world chose a different stupidity, locking in their messaging to Meta's platform.
        rjh29 3y ago
        Is it really worse though? I can use WhatsApp on any device I want, I'm not locked to iPhone. Japan uses LINE. Network effect implies a convergence to one app (pick your poison) and I am certain WhatsApp is better than the US situation.
GeekyBear 3y ago
> Android isn't _that_ bad From a support after the sale perspective? Yes it is. The $399 2016 iPhone SE is still getting security updates today. The original Google Pixel is also from 2016 but stopped getting any sort of updates at the end of 2019. If you want a basic phone that will be supported as long as possible after the sale, the support length per dollar spent proposition of the SE models is pretty unbeatable. I think this is a major factor that is driving market share towards iPhone.
- ImprovedSilence 3y ago
  This is 100% the reason I have an iPhone. I can usually eek out 5 yrs on an iphone before it’s taken one too many falls. Which has also been why any iPhone of mine has died, no other reason than I fumbled it around with no case on it…. Also much to my pleasure, the 13 mini was still available for my most recent upgrade, so now I don’t have a gigantic phone anymore either. I have looked to get out of apples grasp, but nothing else comes close in terms of long term support, which is absolutely necessary for a device that touches all of my digital life.
- wilsonnb3 3y ago
  > I think this is a major factor that is driving market share towards iPhone. Few people outside of the tech nerd bubble care about this.
  - inversetelecine 3y ago
    Yes. I'd argue most people hate or are annoyed by updates. "Ugh, another update??" I hear this all the time. Or "X company updated my phone and everything is different, I hate updates!"
    - deleted 3y ago
      [deleted]
    - GeekyBear 3y ago
      I'd argue that Google wouldn't keep gaslighting users about how it's fixed the update issue "for sure this year" if they didn't know that users care about updates.
jeffbee 3y ago
> Android isn't _that_ bad I recently sold a bicycle to a guy, over Craigslist. He sent me the funds with Venmo from his Pixel 7. Not only did it take tens of seconds for Venmo to initially draw itself, after that the platform offered, in a pop-up dialog, to kill the process every few seconds. The entire experience was pure jank. I don't know what that person had done to their phone but it should have been up to Android to have prevented it. That's Google's flagship phone!
thefourthchime 3y ago
Every couple of years, I'd pick up an Android to see what I might be missing. My history includes the HTC1, Samsung 7, and Pixel 3. But last time, I realized that while both types of phones were fine, the ecosystem between Apple and Android was like night and day. Even if the iPhone was a way worse phone, there'd be so much in the Apple ecosystem I'd also have to ditch. That's just a no-go. Here's what I found from my last Android adventure: 1. The iPhone gets the basics right. It might not have the flashy AI stuff of Pixels or the folding thing from Samsungs, but it doesn't drop the ball on the basics like some others I mentioned. 2. Apple usually doesn't rush out half-done features to get people talking. New stuff is generally thought out and polished. Adding a bit more to this, here are some things about iPhones not talked about much: 3. Attention to detail. There are loads of tiny things that on their own don't seem like a big deal, but when you put them together they make a huge difference in the experience. A lot of other phone makers overlook this in their race to jam more features in. 4. Consistency across phone generations. You usually don't see features on iPhones popping up one year only to vanish the next. Even 3D Touch hung around for 3-4 years. 5. Easy data migration between generations. I've got texts going back to 2012 when I first got an iPhone. That might not matter to some, but I don't want to lose my stuff just because I swapped phones. This is becoming more common on Android, but it's not consistent across all phone makers - unless you plug in a wire to transfer your data when you upgrade. Really, needing a wire in 2021? It's nice to have the option, but it shouldn't be the only way. 6. Generally better quality apps. There are a few Android apps that are better than their iOS counterparts, but in my experience, the scales are usually tipped in iOS's favor. 7. Apps that are only on iOS or get there first. Lots of high-quality (Apollo RIP) are still only on iOS and the developers don't seem to be in any rush to move them to other platforms. Can't say the same for many top Android apps. Also, lots of apps launch first on iOS, while the Android version drags its feet for months. 8. The iOS API. It's not perfect - it has its problems, but compared to the hot mess that the Android API can be, it's not half bad. How does this impact me as a user? Well, good APIs mean more developers can make better apps. 9. The camera. No, not the camera hardware or the fancy photography stuff. I mean how the camera works with the rest of the system and the camera APIs. Did you know that a lot of Android apps that use the camera just open it up and take a screenshot? 10. A consistent story. Apple is trying to tell a consistent story, slowly replacing many single-purpose items in your life like your wallet, keys, and ID, and even eventually your passport, with your iPhone. This is done consistently, not just stuffing whatever's new and hot into this year's phones only to toss it next year. I could keep going, but this post is already pretty long. Maybe I'll add more another time. There are a few other things people mention, but they aren't unique to Apple, like the hardware mute switch and Apple Pay. Don't get me wrong - there are things about iPhones that really bug me, but this isn't the post for that. :-)
NovaDudely 3y ago
Really depends on your use case if you are constantly piping various files from one app into another - android still has that down fairly well. Browser > NewPipe > VLC for instance. If you are more focused on the curated ecosystem Apple does it much better. I mostly use Android because of my work flow but I do not think many people in the grand scheme work like this. Give iOS a try you could be plesantly surprised with it.
booleandilemma 3y ago
nailed the ecosystem == perfected vendor lock-in?

dopamean 3y ago

I made the switch at the end of 2021 after only having an android phone since the very first one. I wouldn't say I regret the change but I would say I'm not impressed. The way so many of my friends mocked me for having an android phone and talked up their iphones made me think I _must_ be missing something. Alas, I don't feel that I was. Every once in a while I boot up my old android phone (oneplus 6) and use it and it's snappier than I remember and feels way better in my hand than my iphone does. I kinda want to go back but we'll see.

bgirard 3y ago
FWIW When I switched from Android->iPhone, I didn't think much of it. Some stuff was better, some stuff was worse. I didn't 'feel' that much better. Then when I switched back from iPhone->Android (Pixel 4) the change was a lot more jarring. I noticed a lot of polish and batteries issues and I missed my iPhone until I finally switched back. My theory is it's similar to lifestyle creep. You wont appreciate improvements as much as you'll notice regressions. > Every once in a while I boot up my old android phone (oneplus 6) and use it and it's snappier than I remember and feels way better in my hand than my iphone does. I wonder if you'd use it as a daily driver for a longer time if you'd have the same experience as me.
matthewaveryusa 3y ago
I made the switch to iphone as well in 2021 after androids for 10 years and I echo this sentiment. It's not transformational, it's more or less the same, especially compared to a pixel flagship phone. I still use google photos because I find it better and it works fine. My next phone will be a pixel again though.
- disiplus 3y ago
  I had a pixel 7 pro, that after a half a year developed a battery problem. I got my money back and could get another pixel but was afraid of battery problems again, and picked a one plus 10 pro. I regret it. Pixel has the best Android expirence on the market. I'm not buying iPhones probably ever. I tried iphone 14 pro max a little bit and it's not worth 400 EUR over the Pixel for me. I also had Samsungs, they are ok, but pixel is better.
- tom_ 3y ago
  Text entry on my android phone was much more reliably good than on the iPhone, and the ux was better. I've had to disable a bunch of stuff to make it work reasonably on iOS, and it still gets stuff wrong far more often than I'd like. One of the things i unticked removed the words list you get for editing its errors, so i have to edit the mistakes by hand. Very annoying. (And the suggestions were crap anyway.)
Sohcahtoa82 3y ago
Apple's real genius is in their marketing. This was clear as day over 10 years ago, and is just as clear today. Back in the early days of iPhone vs Android, there was a huge meme of iPhone users praising Apple for "inventing" features that Android had years ago [0]. I remember (but can't find right now) a screenshot of a conversation of an iPhone user all happy about iPhone getting SwiftKey and then saying "When is Android getting this? XD" and the other person responding with "About 4 years ago". While the meme of "iPhone is better than Android because iPhone can do X" while Android has been able to do X for over 2 years no longer applies, there's still the meme that iPhone is somehow still a superior device. Apple has somehow convinced people that the iPhone is a luxury device, and there are some iPhone users that look down on Android users and think that Android is for people that can't afford iPhone, even though flagship Androids cost just as much. It's just personal preference these days. I can't stand Apple's walled garden approach, but people that have multiple devices (laptop, tablet, phone, watch, etc) love it since it guarantees compatibility and functionality. [0] https://imgur.com/gallery/9V2Vr https://imgur.com/gallery/9V2Vr
- martimarkov 3y ago
  To me it's the fact that it just works and I use it as a smart phone and not as a General Purpose Computer. There is a lot of ecosystem stuff on iOS that are just missing from Android. Plus the skinning of each manufacturer is/was terrible. Samsung's early TouchWiz was incredibly terrible... I also use Android when I need more access to different things e.g. portable pocket pc that runs Linux.
- sofixa 3y ago
  > While the meme of "iPhone is better than Android because iPhone can do X" while Android has been able to do X for over 2 years no longer applies It applied as recently as 2020 with iOS 14 releasing picture in picture video, which Android has had since 8 in 2017.
  - goosedragons 3y ago
    Don't have to go back that far. iPhone 14 Pro is the first iPhone with always on display. Although I guess Android wasn't first with that either.

arkitaip 3y ago

Interesting, this is what I'm considering too after exclusively using Android+Windows since forever. The enshittification of Windows is mainly what has changed my mind - worse privacy, UX, forcing users to use online accounts - but also life seems more simple when you only have Apple to consider instead of whatever shenanigans that Microsoft and Google throws at you. Furthermore, the UX of the Apple eco system seems better than anything I've encountered on Android+Windows.

karaterobot 3y ago
One thing to note is that Apple also tries very hard to get you to log in to their online services when you use your phone or laptop. They're not as overt as MS about requiring it yet, but I would not be surprised if it was coming. As for UX, I feel like it's hit and miss for me. With the huge caveat that I haven't used Windows 11, Windows beats MacOS in a lot of areas. For example, I prefer older versions of Windows to MacOS for window management, and Explorer is a lot better than Finder in my opinion. Those are two major pieces of the user experience!
guideamigo_com 3y ago
Lock-in on Mac OS is much less for developers. Than lock-in for users on iPhone.

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

hospitalJail 3y ago

Careful its a prison.

nonameking2026 3y ago
[flagged]
- tungah 3y ago
  [flagged]
- tempodox 3y ago
  But the cake is a lie.

avgDev 3y ago

iPhone is not what it is cracked up to be. A lot of lock in. Some things are absolutely annoying. When I went to Poland, I had to change my region to download apps from appstore, it messed up all my purchase history and subscriptions. One thing I like is that I have an iPhone 12 and have no need to upgrade, the phones have a much longer life imo. The statement "apple stuff is just so easy and it works" is EXTREMELY misleading. When it works it works but when it doesn't you generally won't find much good advice.

kube-system 3y ago
What lock-in do iPhones have that isn't a thing on Android? Honestly curious.
- wilsonnb3 3y ago
  iMessage and FaceTime are the biggest ones, leaving the ecosystem will make the experience of talking to you worse for anyone using an iPhone still.
  - rjh29 3y ago
    Thankfully only the US is afflicted with this stupidity.
    - kube-system 3y ago
      The rest of the world chose a different stupidity, locking in their messaging to Meta's platform.
      - rjh29 3y ago
        Is it really worse though? I can use WhatsApp on any device I want, I'm not locked to iPhone. Japan uses LINE. Network effect implies a convergence to one app (pick your poison) and I am certain WhatsApp is better than the US situation.

GeekyBear 3y ago

> Android isn't _that_ bad From a support after the sale perspective? Yes it is. The $399 2016 iPhone SE is still getting security updates today. The original Google Pixel is also from 2016 but stopped getting any sort of updates at the end of 2019. If you want a basic phone that will be supported as long as possible after the sale, the support length per dollar spent proposition of the SE models is pretty unbeatable. I think this is a major factor that is driving market share towards iPhone.

ImprovedSilence 3y ago
This is 100% the reason I have an iPhone. I can usually eek out 5 yrs on an iphone before it’s taken one too many falls. Which has also been why any iPhone of mine has died, no other reason than I fumbled it around with no case on it…. Also much to my pleasure, the 13 mini was still available for my most recent upgrade, so now I don’t have a gigantic phone anymore either. I have looked to get out of apples grasp, but nothing else comes close in terms of long term support, which is absolutely necessary for a device that touches all of my digital life.
wilsonnb3 3y ago
> I think this is a major factor that is driving market share towards iPhone. Few people outside of the tech nerd bubble care about this.
- inversetelecine 3y ago
  Yes. I'd argue most people hate or are annoyed by updates. "Ugh, another update??" I hear this all the time. Or "X company updated my phone and everything is different, I hate updates!"
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
  - GeekyBear 3y ago
    I'd argue that Google wouldn't keep gaslighting users about how it's fixed the update issue "for sure this year" if they didn't know that users care about updates.

jeffbee 3y ago

> Android isn't _that_ bad I recently sold a bicycle to a guy, over Craigslist. He sent me the funds with Venmo from his Pixel 7. Not only did it take tens of seconds for Venmo to initially draw itself, after that the platform offered, in a pop-up dialog, to kill the process every few seconds. The entire experience was pure jank. I don't know what that person had done to their phone but it should have been up to Android to have prevented it. That's Google's flagship phone!

thefourthchime 3y ago

Every couple of years, I'd pick up an Android to see what I might be missing. My history includes the HTC1, Samsung 7, and Pixel 3. But last time, I realized that while both types of phones were fine, the ecosystem between Apple and Android was like night and day. Even if the iPhone was a way worse phone, there'd be so much in the Apple ecosystem I'd also have to ditch. That's just a no-go. Here's what I found from my last Android adventure: 1. The iPhone gets the basics right. It might not have the flashy AI stuff of Pixels or the folding thing from Samsungs, but it doesn't drop the ball on the basics like some others I mentioned. 2. Apple usually doesn't rush out half-done features to get people talking. New stuff is generally thought out and polished. Adding a bit more to this, here are some things about iPhones not talked about much: 3. Attention to detail. There are loads of tiny things that on their own don't seem like a big deal, but when you put them together they make a huge difference in the experience. A lot of other phone makers overlook this in their race to jam more features in. 4. Consistency across phone generations. You usually don't see features on iPhones popping up one year only to vanish the next. Even 3D Touch hung around for 3-4 years. 5. Easy data migration between generations. I've got texts going back to 2012 when I first got an iPhone. That might not matter to some, but I don't want to lose my stuff just because I swapped phones. This is becoming more common on Android, but it's not consistent across all phone makers - unless you plug in a wire to transfer your data when you upgrade. Really, needing a wire in 2021? It's nice to have the option, but it shouldn't be the only way. 6. Generally better quality apps. There are a few Android apps that are better than their iOS counterparts, but in my experience, the scales are usually tipped in iOS's favor. 7. Apps that are only on iOS or get there first. Lots of high-quality (Apollo RIP) are still only on iOS and the developers don't seem to be in any rush to move them to other platforms. Can't say the same for many top Android apps. Also, lots of apps launch first on iOS, while the Android version drags its feet for months. 8. The iOS API. It's not perfect - it has its problems, but compared to the hot mess that the Android API can be, it's not half bad. How does this impact me as a user? Well, good APIs mean more developers can make better apps. 9. The camera. No, not the camera hardware or the fancy photography stuff. I mean how the camera works with the rest of the system and the camera APIs. Did you know that a lot of Android apps that use the camera just open it up and take a screenshot? 10. A consistent story. Apple is trying to tell a consistent story, slowly replacing many single-purpose items in your life like your wallet, keys, and ID, and even eventually your passport, with your iPhone. This is done consistently, not just stuffing whatever's new and hot into this year's phones only to toss it next year. I could keep going, but this post is already pretty long. Maybe I'll add more another time. There are a few other things people mention, but they aren't unique to Apple, like the hardware mute switch and Apple Pay. Don't get me wrong - there are things about iPhones that really bug me, but this isn't the post for that. :-)

NovaDudely 3y ago

Really depends on your use case if you are constantly piping various files from one app into another - android still has that down fairly well. Browser > NewPipe > VLC for instance. If you are more focused on the curated ecosystem Apple does it much better. I mostly use Android because of my work flow but I do not think many people in the grand scheme work like this. Give iOS a try you could be plesantly surprised with it.

booleandilemma 3y ago

nailed the ecosystem == perfected vendor lock-in?