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I'm part of this statistic. I've been an Android user my entire adult life, but it really has been a constant downward spiral over these past several years. My

by sb057 3y ago

I'm part of this statistic. I've been an Android user my entire adult life, but it really has been a constant downward spiral over these past several years. My previous three phones from LG, Motorola, and Xiaomi all had major software bugs that were never fixed, the biggest being just incredibly poor network connectivity (across multiple carriers, mind you) resulting in at least several calls just not connecting to me. I switched to an iPhone SE several months ago and have had zero issues whatsoever. I resent that my money went to a company like Apple, but there really is no alternative if you want a decent cell phone in 2023.

mgh2 3y ago
Curious, why do you "resent" your money going to Apple?
- ok123456 3y ago
  Because they're hostile to general purpose computing.
  - Angostura 3y ago
    Well, they certainly view phones as appliances, rather than general purpose computers. Personally, I’m fine with that
    - MildRant 3y ago
      They absolutely view phones as general purpose computers. It's why iOS is slowly turning into OS X.
      - abenga 3y ago
        Isn't it going the other way?
        Tagbert 3y ago
        Not really. They are bringing features out on all of their platforms at the same time, now, so where is more feature constancy. Some iOS UI treatments have been brought to MacOS and some MacOS UI elements have been brought to iPadOS. But MacOS is not getting locked down the way that a phone is.
    - meragrin_ 3y ago
      They view all of their products as appliances rather than general purpose computers.
  - lockhouse 3y ago
    My UNIX workstation that I bought from them running a bunch of open source software installed with Home brew disagrees.
  - kube-system 3y ago
    General purpose computing is a concept that computer scientists appreciate. The vast majority of consumers buy products based on their cost/benefit of their features and overall experience, not ideology of their technical construction. You won't see too many people who decide to hand wash their dishes because they can't find a dishwasher with an unlocked bootloader. It either satisfactorily washes the dishes or it doesn't. Most people buy phones the same way.
    - echelon 3y ago
      General purpose computing was the default from 1990 - 2010. Apple killed it by turning computers into "devices" and "platforms". And now Google is killing the web. Fuck these two companies. They're too big, too unilaterally powerful, and their greed to control knows no bounds.
      - kube-system 3y ago
        The disconnect is that you're thinking about computers for their ability to do computing. Most people don't care about whether their computers are good at computing, but are instead trying to accomplish some other task. In fact, the more that the 'computer' disappears, the better in their mind.
        Aerroon 3y ago
        They don't care until they need to do something that they can't do because their platform doesn't allow them to do it. There's no reason why compilers couldn't run on phones. Modern phones are more powerful than computers were even 15 years ago. And yet you can't do the things on a modern phone that you could on that computer from 15 years ago. At least you can't do it nearly as easily because of artificial limitations.
        kube-system 3y ago
        > And yet you can't do the things on a modern phone that you could on that computer from 15 years ago. At least you can't do it nearly as easily because of artificial limitations. This may be a con for enthusiasts, but these artificial 'limitations' are exactly why Apple has been successful with the mass market. 15 years ago, computers were plagued by drive-by downloads, malvertising, and other crap. People in the early 00s spent millions of dollars paying repair technicians to uninstall toolbars, adware, and other junk software they were duped into installing.
  - nerdbert 3y ago
    I don't understand what you mean. They make an awful lot of their money selling what I'd assume to be general purpose computing devices. I run mostly mostly open source software on mine. Almost everything made for the linux ecosystem is also available packaged for MacOS or can be trivially built on MacOS. What more are we talking about here?
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
- sb057 3y ago
  https://stallman.org/apple.html https://stallman.org/apple.html
- lazide 3y ago
  For me it's things like iCloud Photos having no API to access them and no reasonable way to pull them out or back them up. So very much a trap. Among other things.
  - filoleg 3y ago
    There was a thread on HN in the past few days linking this[0] post about a tool that seems to solve just that problem. 0. https://eclecticlight.co/2023/07/17/how-does-icloud-work-plus-a-new-version-of-cirrus/ https://eclecticlight.co/2023/07/17/how-does-icloud-work-plu...
    - lazide 3y ago
      Thanks! I looked into it when that article got posted actually, and near as I can tell that isn't a solution to this problem - and that is fully intentional on Apple's part - because: 1) That article is for things in iCloud Drive, which is everything EXCEPT iCloud Photos. Though you can put photos in iCloud Drive (as files), they just won't be seen as photos, visible in iCloud Photos (or the Photos app), etc. without importing them on an Apple device manually into the Photos app. Where they'll then be synced into iCloud Photos. The photos that are imported/stored in the Photos App on Apple devices also are not visible in iCloud Drive after being imported into iCloud Photos. 2) It only works on Mac/Apple devices. And only locally. So you'd need to sync to a Mac device, then backup the mac device, then hope it all works. No direct backup is available. So even if it did allow syncing iCloud Photos, it is a really awkward and brittle way to back them up. 3) There ARE APIs for iCloud Drive. But not iCloud Photos. The web iCloud Photos interfaces also only does manual per-album level downloads (no Takeout or global download equivalent) of photos using the web interface), which stops working at scale VERY quickly. Notably, Google Photos stopped providing the Google Drive interface to Google Photos shortly after Apple made this their standard operating procedure. So it's a common theme. Though Google Photos does have APIs and Takeout, so it's lockin is less 'firm', and they're definitely less obnoxious about it. The Takeout data requires some significant massaging to get equivalent from what is visible in Google Photos though. This is the kind of sneaky trap I've learned to be wary of, as Apple does this a lot for lock-in purposes with their hardware too.
jerrygenser 3y ago
Funny, my last android was samsung which I had many of the issues you describe above, and in particular it felt very bloated. I've been getting older generation Pixel S and they are very good for the price. usually 1/4 the price of a comparable flagship iOS and I never have any issues.
- hospitalJail 3y ago
  Samsung is the Apple of android. Big marketing budget, mid performance at best.
  - lockhouse 3y ago
    What’s mid performance about an iPhone?
    - lazide 3y ago
      Per dollar? Everything. If cost is not considered, nothing much really.
      - lockhouse 3y ago
        The Samsung Galaxy S23 and iPhone 14 both start at $799.
        lazide 3y ago
        Which versions, exactly? Because each one of those has 3 (Samsung) or 4 (iPhone) major models with wildly different specs, and each of those specs has often times major differences in quality between the two lines. [https://www.pcmag.com/news/samsung-galaxy-s23-vs-apple-iphone-14 https://www.pcmag.com/news/samsung-galaxy-s23-vs-apple-iphon...] Samsungs adware and weird modifications being a major negative IMO too. Though that's a taste thing I guess.
        lockhouse 3y ago
tyfon 3y ago
I kind of went the other way, I have had androids since 2010ish, then tried an iphone at the beginning of corona since my old sony phone couldn't run teams properly. Had it for 2 years and hated it so much I went back to android. I couldn't even install a separate browser like firefox that was not just a skin and the ad-block on safari drove me crazy. It only prevented items from being displayed but not the network requests etc. Also, it was nagging me a lot, constantly asking for me to sign up to icloud and other things. Back on a pixel phone now and couldn't be more happy really.
- OO000oo 3y ago
  Yeah, I don't see how Apple can claim to prioritize privacy when they won't even allow real ad blocking.
  - QuarterReptile 3y ago
    I think Apple's strong claim is security, not privacy.
    - 121789 3y ago
      they claim privacy very strongly. you can see billboards or commercials where privacy is their only selling point
      - QuarterReptile 3y ago
        Sorry, I don't really follow their advertising campaigns. I just mean that they can't make a valid claim for privacy, unless you agree to the idea of being private only when Apple likes...
    - howinteresting 3y ago
      ??? https://appleinsider.com/articles/19/03/14/privacy-thats-iphone-ad-campaign-launches-highlights-apples-stance-on-user-protection https://appleinsider.com/articles/19/03/14/privacy-thats-iph...
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
ke88y 3y ago
Same. My last two androids literally didn't work as cell phones -- calls dropped all the time, SMS messages consistently failed to send, etc. I guess now I'm an Apple person, but I didn't choose Apple per se... I just needed a phone that actually worked. And switching platforms is so painful, I'm not going to switch back unless Apple shits the bed as badly as Android did.
- meroes 3y ago
  Same. I had to make around 300 phone calls for a recent health ordeal by my rough estimates^. I went through 3 androids and settled on used iPhone after learning my lesson. I can’t tell you how frustrating it was to drop calls/not be heard/screen freeze/no ring. A cheap 3 year old iPhone worked so, so much better. ^if you’re on “Obamacare”, which is a godsend, finding a specialist on your own equates to being given an excel sheet with extremely uncurated or simply incorrect listings. Then finding a specialized occupational therapist after surgery, etc, etc.
wilsonnb3 3y ago
"there really is no alternative if you want a decent cell phone in 2023" is just plain wrong. I try to avoid lumping all of the android manufacturers together and treat them individually when comparing them to apple. LG, Motorola, and Xiaomi are not as good as apple but Samsung is. Decent argument to be made for OnePlus, Google, and Asus matching apple as well.
- JohnFen 3y ago
  > but Samsung is My current phone is a Samsung and I find it disappointing. Perhaps their good ones are limited to specific models?
  - BossingAround 3y ago
    The Galaxy models compete with iPhones. I've got an old Galaxy S10 that I got like 4 years ago and it still works great, even the battery is holding up so far.
    - JohnFen 3y ago
      My last two phones have been Galaxies. The first one was pretty great. The one I have now is not. It's not about longevity, though. They all easily last 5+ years.
  - rjh29 3y ago
    I also remember Samsung being bad in the past but I got a Fold 4 and the software is fantastic. Very little bloatware and many convenience/productivity features added over stock Android.
  - Xeamek 3y ago
    >Perhaps their good ones are limited to specific models? I mean, that's kinda a given when samsung has offers ranging from the verry budget to the verry top (not to mention gimmicky ones like the folds)
- SkyPuncher 3y ago
  Having switched from Android to iPhone recently, it’s not even the quality of the phone. It’s the insane fragmentation, incomplete features, and random breaking features. I finally gave up when a pair of Bluetooth headphones couldn’t pair with my phone. I realized that there are simply too many variations of Android for device manufacturers to test. With an iPhone, you know that most accessories are going to be tested against your specific model. Now that I’m on an iPhone, the integration between various device is insane. Answer a call in your watch, transfer it to your phone, then move it to your laptop. Seamlessly, cast music to speakers/tv/bluetooth and it just works, every single time.
MisterBastahrd 3y ago
I've been using Google Fi as a wireless provider for years and have been using their phones as a result. I've only once ever had an issue with one of the phones from a software standpoint and it took me a while to figure out how to port over my contacts (I had to export them to an Apple format and then import them). I've stayed away from Apple products because (1) the Google products don't have a ton of corporate fluff like Samsung products, (2) Apple phones tend to do "magic" things that just annoy the hell out of me, and (3) Android Auto just works.
zvmaz 3y ago
I mainly used Samsung phones with KISS launcher and very few apps (not even Google Play); it has been more or less stable throughout the years.
- nani8ot 3y ago
  KISS launcher is one of the main reasons I gave my iPhone XS to my dad. On iOS I'm not even allowed to place app icons where I want to. The freedom to install any app I want is another main advantage. Most people just want their defaults to be good enough but there's no reason to limit those that want something that works better for them. Obviously iOS does some things incredibly well. E.g. gesture navigation on Android is objectively worse than on iOS.
idiotsecant 3y ago
As long as we are comparing anecdotes I've used a cheap one note Android for years and it's amazing
lynndotpy 3y ago
I'm part of this statistic too, in a different way. Android worked perfectly for me, but the OS was increasingly dumbed down and Androids consistently threw out features I loved. (Headphone jack, expandable storage, full rectangular screens). Androids threw away their market differentiation just to become bad iPhone clones. When I found myself needing a new phone, I had little reason not to consider an iPhone. I bought an SE, then bought a Pixel 4a because of iOS issues, but I am here again considering an iPhone as my 4a nears EOL. I share your resentment of giving money to Apple.
- nashashmi 3y ago
  I am also part of this statistic. I feel like android dumbed down the google assistant. Sometimes I am no longer sure what app is called on hey google. In comparison to Bixby, the tech became worse. I would have switched to SE if my wife did not get me a pro for my birthday (to communicate in iMessage). And now I am on this boring phone no longer passionate about phones anymore.
  - freedomben 3y ago
    > And now I am on this boring phone no longer passionate about phones anymore. Oh man, I could not relate more to this. With how hard it has become to run rooted, for the first time in well over a decade I'm running stock Android with no root. It used to be so exciting! A computer in my pocket! But more and more Apple's (awful IMHO) vision of the phone as an "appliance" rather than a general purpose computer is becoming true, and it's depressing. I don't even really care about specs anymore, cause I can't do much with that horsepower anyway. I haven't gotten to the point of giving Apple any money yet, and probably won't as the Pixel A is affordable and does everything I need, but I miss the good old days so much. I've been hearing people say I should try GrapheneOS, maybe it's time to finally try it.
    - pomian 3y ago
      Graphene on a pixel is great. It's easy to install, with an online, real time(live) install and load.(Do not adb, a computer, USB drive, etc etc.) It does add a bit of 'let's install a MacOS on an Alienware' feel to computing without the pain. Then f droid and infinite other sources for apps.
phpisthebest 3y ago
>>really is no alternative if you want a decent cell phone in 2023. False, Pixel phone. Same deal as the manufacturer of the OS is making the hardware so you get tighter integration
- sneak 3y ago
  The best and tightest integration is when the ad network, phone OS, and hardware are all made by the same people.
stavros 3y ago
I've been thinking about switching to an iPhone because I'm tired of never upgrading my phone to avoid it breaking, but the fact that I can't install ReVanced or an adblocker stops me. I don't know if I'll ever change my mind on this, lack of good ad blocking really is a dealbreaker for me.
willio58 3y ago
> I resent that my money went to a company like Apple When comparing Apple to a companies like LG, Motorola, and Xiaomi, what do you find to be worse about Apple? Genuine question.
- yCombLinks 3y ago
  Steve Jobs was one of America's greatest assholes
  - willio58 3y ago
    I’ve read a biography on him. He was definitely an asshole. But tbh he’s nothing comparable to someone like an Elon. Jobs fired people unceremoniously, but he didn’t buy a huge tech company and fire 2/3rds of staff and make them work weekends and holidays to get things working again. Jobs was shitty to his daughter, but if you learn about how he was disowned as a child it all starts to make sense. Not that what he did was excusable, but it’s not quite “americas greatest asshole”
- sb057 3y ago
  I'm not a fan of them either, but at least they aren't positioned in a way to abuse their status as much as Apple is.
unethical_ban 3y ago
Interesting you didn't name the two brands that are true, non-Chinese flagship Android: Pixel and Samsung. If you want true software freedom on a phone, there is GrapheneOS on Pixel. I think Samsung is the better UI of the two, but if my Samsung breaks I think I'll go pixel and go graphene.
meroes 3y ago
Yep I get way better service on iPhones. Even with wifi calling. I get 0-2 bars where I live. With my iPhone I don’t even have a tenth of the same reception problems.
perryizgr8 3y ago
> My previous three phones from LG, Motorola, and Xiaomi all had major software bugs I see this pattern with a lot of IPhone users. They tried the cheapest worst quality android phones and came away with a bad taste in the mouth. So iPhone is the only "decent cellphone in 2023". My dude you never tried the good android phones. Get a Samsung galaxy flagship. These are at par, if not better than the similarly priced iPhone model in all respects.
- chasd00 3y ago
  i think the point is all iphones are pretty solid. Androids range from "at par" to crap.
Izikiel43 3y ago
I remember a friend telling me why use iPhone instead of Android: "I already deal with problems at work, I don't want to deal with problems with my phone" Truer words never said, I also had several androids over the years which went crazy after some time, switched to iPhone, never an issue again.
- darksaints 3y ago
  I’ve used both, currently on an iPhone, and I can’t understand this sentiment at all. Both are shitty in different ways.
  - Izikiel43 3y ago
    Android gets shittier with time in my experience, phones get buggy and unsupported in like 2 years. iPhone software works consistently, and the phones are supported for like 5/6 years by Apple with software updates.
  - sfmike 3y ago
    agreed. And at least android tends to allow things with hacks, where apple if it can't be done, it can't be done, it's not possible from being done.
- okdood64 3y ago
  Yup, for something so critical in my life, I just want the damn thing to work. While I would love to tinker with an Android, I just don't have the energy for that (I did a decade ago) nor the time to troubleshoot problems that come up.
bobbylarrybobby 3y ago
Why do you resent that your money went to a company who put a good device in your hand? I'd resent giving money to a company who can't be bothered to make a device that makes me happy.
- AlotOfReading 3y ago
  I'm pretty sure you could fill a library with how much this topic has been discussed over the years, but iOS doesn't make everyone happy. It's entirely possible to enjoy the stability while also being frustrated by Apple's software design choices.
yodsanklai 3y ago
I've had both Pixels and iPhones (work phone). They're mostly the same to me, except that iphones are much more expensive for no good reason (besides branding). I like that they still make small phones though. Was super happy with my pixel 4a, but they don't make such small phones anymore unfortunately.
- TheAceOfHearts 3y ago
  Newest Pixel Fold is $1800. It seems like Google has become increasingly willing to compete in the high end market.
sfmike 3y ago
Me too. Love android UI more actually, the screens more, and the fast charging more, but a few things such as the photos/videos are what drew me to finally get a 13 pro max. I still use android on a wifi only phone and tablet and enjoy it but iphone is nice for daily driver and because the photos i can take and battery life post charge when full seems to be longer.

by sb057 3y ago

mgh2 3y ago

Curious, why do you "resent" your money going to Apple?

ok123456 3y ago
Because they're hostile to general purpose computing.
- Angostura 3y ago
  Well, they certainly view phones as appliances, rather than general purpose computers. Personally, I’m fine with that
  - MildRant 3y ago
    They absolutely view phones as general purpose computers. It's why iOS is slowly turning into OS X.
    - abenga 3y ago
      Isn't it going the other way?
      - Tagbert 3y ago
        Not really. They are bringing features out on all of their platforms at the same time, now, so where is more feature constancy. Some iOS UI treatments have been brought to MacOS and some MacOS UI elements have been brought to iPadOS. But MacOS is not getting locked down the way that a phone is.
  - meragrin_ 3y ago
    They view all of their products as appliances rather than general purpose computers.
- lockhouse 3y ago
  My UNIX workstation that I bought from them running a bunch of open source software installed with Home brew disagrees.
- kube-system 3y ago
  General purpose computing is a concept that computer scientists appreciate. The vast majority of consumers buy products based on their cost/benefit of their features and overall experience, not ideology of their technical construction. You won't see too many people who decide to hand wash their dishes because they can't find a dishwasher with an unlocked bootloader. It either satisfactorily washes the dishes or it doesn't. Most people buy phones the same way.
  - echelon 3y ago
    General purpose computing was the default from 1990 - 2010. Apple killed it by turning computers into "devices" and "platforms". And now Google is killing the web. Fuck these two companies. They're too big, too unilaterally powerful, and their greed to control knows no bounds.
    - kube-system 3y ago
      The disconnect is that you're thinking about computers for their ability to do computing. Most people don't care about whether their computers are good at computing, but are instead trying to accomplish some other task. In fact, the more that the 'computer' disappears, the better in their mind.
      - Aerroon 3y ago
        They don't care until they need to do something that they can't do because their platform doesn't allow them to do it. There's no reason why compilers couldn't run on phones. Modern phones are more powerful than computers were even 15 years ago. And yet you can't do the things on a modern phone that you could on that computer from 15 years ago. At least you can't do it nearly as easily because of artificial limitations.
        kube-system 3y ago
        > And yet you can't do the things on a modern phone that you could on that computer from 15 years ago. At least you can't do it nearly as easily because of artificial limitations. This may be a con for enthusiasts, but these artificial 'limitations' are exactly why Apple has been successful with the mass market. 15 years ago, computers were plagued by drive-by downloads, malvertising, and other crap. People in the early 00s spent millions of dollars paying repair technicians to uninstall toolbars, adware, and other junk software they were duped into installing.
- nerdbert 3y ago
  I don't understand what you mean. They make an awful lot of their money selling what I'd assume to be general purpose computing devices. I run mostly mostly open source software on mine. Almost everything made for the linux ecosystem is also available packaged for MacOS or can be trivially built on MacOS. What more are we talking about here?
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
sb057 3y ago
https://stallman.org/apple.html https://stallman.org/apple.html
lazide 3y ago
For me it's things like iCloud Photos having no API to access them and no reasonable way to pull them out or back them up. So very much a trap. Among other things.
- filoleg 3y ago
  There was a thread on HN in the past few days linking this[0] post about a tool that seems to solve just that problem. 0. https://eclecticlight.co/2023/07/17/how-does-icloud-work-plus-a-new-version-of-cirrus/ https://eclecticlight.co/2023/07/17/how-does-icloud-work-plu...
  - lazide 3y ago
    Thanks! I looked into it when that article got posted actually, and near as I can tell that isn't a solution to this problem - and that is fully intentional on Apple's part - because: 1) That article is for things in iCloud Drive, which is everything EXCEPT iCloud Photos. Though you can put photos in iCloud Drive (as files), they just won't be seen as photos, visible in iCloud Photos (or the Photos app), etc. without importing them on an Apple device manually into the Photos app. Where they'll then be synced into iCloud Photos. The photos that are imported/stored in the Photos App on Apple devices also are not visible in iCloud Drive after being imported into iCloud Photos. 2) It only works on Mac/Apple devices. And only locally. So you'd need to sync to a Mac device, then backup the mac device, then hope it all works. No direct backup is available. So even if it did allow syncing iCloud Photos, it is a really awkward and brittle way to back them up. 3) There ARE APIs for iCloud Drive. But not iCloud Photos. The web iCloud Photos interfaces also only does manual per-album level downloads (no Takeout or global download equivalent) of photos using the web interface), which stops working at scale VERY quickly. Notably, Google Photos stopped providing the Google Drive interface to Google Photos shortly after Apple made this their standard operating procedure. So it's a common theme. Though Google Photos does have APIs and Takeout, so it's lockin is less 'firm', and they're definitely less obnoxious about it. The Takeout data requires some significant massaging to get equivalent from what is visible in Google Photos though. This is the kind of sneaky trap I've learned to be wary of, as Apple does this a lot for lock-in purposes with their hardware too.

jerrygenser 3y ago

Funny, my last android was samsung which I had many of the issues you describe above, and in particular it felt very bloated. I've been getting older generation Pixel S and they are very good for the price. usually 1/4 the price of a comparable flagship iOS and I never have any issues.

hospitalJail 3y ago
Samsung is the Apple of android. Big marketing budget, mid performance at best.
- lockhouse 3y ago
  What’s mid performance about an iPhone?
  - lazide 3y ago
    Per dollar? Everything. If cost is not considered, nothing much really.
    - lockhouse 3y ago
      The Samsung Galaxy S23 and iPhone 14 both start at $799.
      - lazide 3y ago
        Which versions, exactly? Because each one of those has 3 (Samsung) or 4 (iPhone) major models with wildly different specs, and each of those specs has often times major differences in quality between the two lines. [https://www.pcmag.com/news/samsung-galaxy-s23-vs-apple-iphone-14 https://www.pcmag.com/news/samsung-galaxy-s23-vs-apple-iphon...] Samsungs adware and weird modifications being a major negative IMO too. Though that's a taste thing I guess.
        lockhouse 3y ago

tyfon 3y ago

I kind of went the other way, I have had androids since 2010ish, then tried an iphone at the beginning of corona since my old sony phone couldn't run teams properly. Had it for 2 years and hated it so much I went back to android. I couldn't even install a separate browser like firefox that was not just a skin and the ad-block on safari drove me crazy. It only prevented items from being displayed but not the network requests etc. Also, it was nagging me a lot, constantly asking for me to sign up to icloud and other things. Back on a pixel phone now and couldn't be more happy really.

OO000oo 3y ago
Yeah, I don't see how Apple can claim to prioritize privacy when they won't even allow real ad blocking.
- QuarterReptile 3y ago
  I think Apple's strong claim is security, not privacy.
  - 121789 3y ago
    they claim privacy very strongly. you can see billboards or commercials where privacy is their only selling point
    - QuarterReptile 3y ago
      Sorry, I don't really follow their advertising campaigns. I just mean that they can't make a valid claim for privacy, unless you agree to the idea of being private only when Apple likes...
  - howinteresting 3y ago
    ??? https://appleinsider.com/articles/19/03/14/privacy-thats-iphone-ad-campaign-launches-highlights-apples-stance-on-user-protection https://appleinsider.com/articles/19/03/14/privacy-thats-iph...

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

ke88y 3y ago

Same. My last two androids literally didn't work as cell phones -- calls dropped all the time, SMS messages consistently failed to send, etc. I guess now I'm an Apple person, but I didn't choose Apple per se... I just needed a phone that actually worked. And switching platforms is so painful, I'm not going to switch back unless Apple shits the bed as badly as Android did.

meroes 3y ago
Same. I had to make around 300 phone calls for a recent health ordeal by my rough estimates^. I went through 3 androids and settled on used iPhone after learning my lesson. I can’t tell you how frustrating it was to drop calls/not be heard/screen freeze/no ring. A cheap 3 year old iPhone worked so, so much better. ^if you’re on “Obamacare”, which is a godsend, finding a specialist on your own equates to being given an excel sheet with extremely uncurated or simply incorrect listings. Then finding a specialized occupational therapist after surgery, etc, etc.

wilsonnb3 3y ago

"there really is no alternative if you want a decent cell phone in 2023" is just plain wrong. I try to avoid lumping all of the android manufacturers together and treat them individually when comparing them to apple. LG, Motorola, and Xiaomi are not as good as apple but Samsung is. Decent argument to be made for OnePlus, Google, and Asus matching apple as well.

JohnFen 3y ago
> but Samsung is My current phone is a Samsung and I find it disappointing. Perhaps their good ones are limited to specific models?
- BossingAround 3y ago
  The Galaxy models compete with iPhones. I've got an old Galaxy S10 that I got like 4 years ago and it still works great, even the battery is holding up so far.
  - JohnFen 3y ago
    My last two phones have been Galaxies. The first one was pretty great. The one I have now is not. It's not about longevity, though. They all easily last 5+ years.
- rjh29 3y ago
  I also remember Samsung being bad in the past but I got a Fold 4 and the software is fantastic. Very little bloatware and many convenience/productivity features added over stock Android.
- Xeamek 3y ago
  >Perhaps their good ones are limited to specific models? I mean, that's kinda a given when samsung has offers ranging from the verry budget to the verry top (not to mention gimmicky ones like the folds)
SkyPuncher 3y ago
Having switched from Android to iPhone recently, it’s not even the quality of the phone. It’s the insane fragmentation, incomplete features, and random breaking features. I finally gave up when a pair of Bluetooth headphones couldn’t pair with my phone. I realized that there are simply too many variations of Android for device manufacturers to test. With an iPhone, you know that most accessories are going to be tested against your specific model. Now that I’m on an iPhone, the integration between various device is insane. Answer a call in your watch, transfer it to your phone, then move it to your laptop. Seamlessly, cast music to speakers/tv/bluetooth and it just works, every single time.

MisterBastahrd 3y ago

I've been using Google Fi as a wireless provider for years and have been using their phones as a result. I've only once ever had an issue with one of the phones from a software standpoint and it took me a while to figure out how to port over my contacts (I had to export them to an Apple format and then import them). I've stayed away from Apple products because (1) the Google products don't have a ton of corporate fluff like Samsung products, (2) Apple phones tend to do "magic" things that just annoy the hell out of me, and (3) Android Auto just works.

zvmaz 3y ago

I mainly used Samsung phones with KISS launcher and very few apps (not even Google Play); it has been more or less stable throughout the years.

nani8ot 3y ago
KISS launcher is one of the main reasons I gave my iPhone XS to my dad. On iOS I'm not even allowed to place app icons where I want to. The freedom to install any app I want is another main advantage. Most people just want their defaults to be good enough but there's no reason to limit those that want something that works better for them. Obviously iOS does some things incredibly well. E.g. gesture navigation on Android is objectively worse than on iOS.

idiotsecant 3y ago

As long as we are comparing anecdotes I've used a cheap one note Android for years and it's amazing

lynndotpy 3y ago

I'm part of this statistic too, in a different way. Android worked perfectly for me, but the OS was increasingly dumbed down and Androids consistently threw out features I loved. (Headphone jack, expandable storage, full rectangular screens). Androids threw away their market differentiation just to become bad iPhone clones. When I found myself needing a new phone, I had little reason not to consider an iPhone. I bought an SE, then bought a Pixel 4a because of iOS issues, but I am here again considering an iPhone as my 4a nears EOL. I share your resentment of giving money to Apple.

nashashmi 3y ago
I am also part of this statistic. I feel like android dumbed down the google assistant. Sometimes I am no longer sure what app is called on hey google. In comparison to Bixby, the tech became worse. I would have switched to SE if my wife did not get me a pro for my birthday (to communicate in iMessage). And now I am on this boring phone no longer passionate about phones anymore.
- freedomben 3y ago
  > And now I am on this boring phone no longer passionate about phones anymore. Oh man, I could not relate more to this. With how hard it has become to run rooted, for the first time in well over a decade I'm running stock Android with no root. It used to be so exciting! A computer in my pocket! But more and more Apple's (awful IMHO) vision of the phone as an "appliance" rather than a general purpose computer is becoming true, and it's depressing. I don't even really care about specs anymore, cause I can't do much with that horsepower anyway. I haven't gotten to the point of giving Apple any money yet, and probably won't as the Pixel A is affordable and does everything I need, but I miss the good old days so much. I've been hearing people say I should try GrapheneOS, maybe it's time to finally try it.
  - pomian 3y ago
    Graphene on a pixel is great. It's easy to install, with an online, real time(live) install and load.(Do not adb, a computer, USB drive, etc etc.) It does add a bit of 'let's install a MacOS on an Alienware' feel to computing without the pain. Then f droid and infinite other sources for apps.

phpisthebest 3y ago

>>really is no alternative if you want a decent cell phone in 2023. False, Pixel phone. Same deal as the manufacturer of the OS is making the hardware so you get tighter integration

sneak 3y ago
The best and tightest integration is when the ad network, phone OS, and hardware are all made by the same people.

stavros 3y ago

I've been thinking about switching to an iPhone because I'm tired of never upgrading my phone to avoid it breaking, but the fact that I can't install ReVanced or an adblocker stops me. I don't know if I'll ever change my mind on this, lack of good ad blocking really is a dealbreaker for me.

willio58 3y ago

> I resent that my money went to a company like Apple When comparing Apple to a companies like LG, Motorola, and Xiaomi, what do you find to be worse about Apple? Genuine question.

yCombLinks 3y ago
Steve Jobs was one of America's greatest assholes
- willio58 3y ago
  I’ve read a biography on him. He was definitely an asshole. But tbh he’s nothing comparable to someone like an Elon. Jobs fired people unceremoniously, but he didn’t buy a huge tech company and fire 2/3rds of staff and make them work weekends and holidays to get things working again. Jobs was shitty to his daughter, but if you learn about how he was disowned as a child it all starts to make sense. Not that what he did was excusable, but it’s not quite “americas greatest asshole”
sb057 3y ago
I'm not a fan of them either, but at least they aren't positioned in a way to abuse their status as much as Apple is.

unethical_ban 3y ago

Interesting you didn't name the two brands that are true, non-Chinese flagship Android: Pixel and Samsung. If you want true software freedom on a phone, there is GrapheneOS on Pixel. I think Samsung is the better UI of the two, but if my Samsung breaks I think I'll go pixel and go graphene.

meroes 3y ago

Yep I get way better service on iPhones. Even with wifi calling. I get 0-2 bars where I live. With my iPhone I don’t even have a tenth of the same reception problems.

perryizgr8 3y ago

> My previous three phones from LG, Motorola, and Xiaomi all had major software bugs I see this pattern with a lot of IPhone users. They tried the cheapest worst quality android phones and came away with a bad taste in the mouth. So iPhone is the only "decent cellphone in 2023". My dude you never tried the good android phones. Get a Samsung galaxy flagship. These are at par, if not better than the similarly priced iPhone model in all respects.

chasd00 3y ago
i think the point is all iphones are pretty solid. Androids range from "at par" to crap.

Izikiel43 3y ago

I remember a friend telling me why use iPhone instead of Android: "I already deal with problems at work, I don't want to deal with problems with my phone" Truer words never said, I also had several androids over the years which went crazy after some time, switched to iPhone, never an issue again.

darksaints 3y ago
I’ve used both, currently on an iPhone, and I can’t understand this sentiment at all. Both are shitty in different ways.
- Izikiel43 3y ago
  Android gets shittier with time in my experience, phones get buggy and unsupported in like 2 years. iPhone software works consistently, and the phones are supported for like 5/6 years by Apple with software updates.
- sfmike 3y ago
  agreed. And at least android tends to allow things with hacks, where apple if it can't be done, it can't be done, it's not possible from being done.
okdood64 3y ago
Yup, for something so critical in my life, I just want the damn thing to work. While I would love to tinker with an Android, I just don't have the energy for that (I did a decade ago) nor the time to troubleshoot problems that come up.

bobbylarrybobby 3y ago

Why do you resent that your money went to a company who put a good device in your hand? I'd resent giving money to a company who can't be bothered to make a device that makes me happy.

AlotOfReading 3y ago
I'm pretty sure you could fill a library with how much this topic has been discussed over the years, but iOS doesn't make everyone happy. It's entirely possible to enjoy the stability while also being frustrated by Apple's software design choices.

yodsanklai 3y ago

I've had both Pixels and iPhones (work phone). They're mostly the same to me, except that iphones are much more expensive for no good reason (besides branding). I like that they still make small phones though. Was super happy with my pixel 4a, but they don't make such small phones anymore unfortunately.

TheAceOfHearts 3y ago
Newest Pixel Fold is $1800. It seems like Google has become increasingly willing to compete in the high end market.

sfmike 3y ago

Me too. Love android UI more actually, the screens more, and the fast charging more, but a few things such as the photos/videos are what drew me to finally get a 13 pro max. I still use android on a wifi only phone and tablet and enjoy it but iphone is nice for daily driver and because the photos i can take and battery life post charge when full seems to be longer.