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I use Android over iphone precisely because I'm free to install whatever apps I want. With this planned change my reasons to ditch Android and go to Apple incr

I use Android over iphone precisely because I'm free to install whatever apps I want. With this planned change my reasons to ditch Android and go to Apple increase dramatically. Why would i want half assed google walled garden when I could get the Apple one? Sucks for the people who can't afford an Apple device and honestly sucks for all of us who enjoyed installing all kinds of apps on our devices.

lordofgibbons 1y ago
Yeah, this is exactly my reasoning too. And with Google making it harder for OSes like GrapheneOS to run on Pixel devices, my next device will have to be an Apple one. There's nothing left in the Android ecosystem for me.
rs186 1y ago
Same. Combined with bad security practice from OEMs, preinstalled bloatware, app fragmentation (I love having Samsung "Phone" app and stock phone app at the same time) and customer service (try replacing your phone battery and compare the experience of ubreakifix and Apple store), I don't see a reason to go Android. (P.S. people who cannot afford the latest iPhone can always purchase a two year old used/"refurbished" phone. It's a solid choice and many people do that. The fact that you can now add Apple Care to 4 year old device makes this more viable.)
- darknavi 1y ago
  Apple also has great long term support. They just shipped security updates for the iPhone 6S which came out 10 years ago.
- homebrewer 1y ago
  Not "always", Apple doesn't provide official warranty in my country, and even replacing batteries carries significant risk. Forget about more involved types of servicing. There are lots of places like that.
  - microtonal 1y ago
    I feel sorry for you. I have experienced their support in both Germany and The Netherlands and it's stellar. You can call them, get someone on the line in a few minutes and they will genuinely try to help you. One time there was an issue with a transaction (amount subtracted twice), within a few minutes of calling I was in contact with someone from their finance department who not only solved the issue, they also called back a few days later to verify that I got the refund and to check if I was happy with their help. Another time my wife wanted Apple Care, but decided on the last day and the website didn't offer the option anymore. She called, they were really helpful and again called back a few days later to check everything is good on our end. They are a big-tech company, but actually being able to call someone and getting swift help is refreshing. Edit: I only now realize the accidental pun: you probably won't be getting 'Swift' help. :p
- StopDisinfo910 1y ago
  I must live in a parallel world because here it’s significantly easier to get an Android phone fixed than an iPhone. Plus you don’t have to pay Apple extortionate price for parts.
  - dpkirchner 1y ago
    It looks like Apple would charge $89 to replace a battery in my iPhone 13 Pro. I tried to find the price Samsung would charge for my wife's S21 but I had no luck (their site and SEO is a disaster). Is it much less than $89?
    - happymellon 1y ago
      I paid £85 to replace the battery in an iPhone Mini 3 weeks ago, and my S22 battery can be officially replaced for £80. Here Timpsons provide the service outlets for Samsung, although that probably does not help you. But it is basically the same price.
      - StopDisinfo910 1y ago
        You can get the S22 repaired with no loss of functionality for significantly less than that if you go to another repairer and even the official channel is cheaper despite the S22 having a bigger battery than the 13 Mini. And that’s for battery. Just take a look at screen repair if you want to cry.
        happymellon 1y ago
        > even the official channel is cheaper Samsung.com/uk says £79, so I don't agree with that.
    - eimrine 1y ago
      Is this freedom? Man you need to go into some lengths just to power up your piece of equipment. Next step is to be required to provide some biometry just to use a wall socket for the sake of protecting some children from electrocuting.
wccrawford 1y ago
Yup, same here. I've even talked family members into joining me. If this goes through and locks me out of installing things that aren't officially signed, I'll be done with Android. At least, the standard version. If Samsung or someone keeps it open, I'd probably move to that.
add-sub-mul-div 1y ago
I could never give Apple another dime, they're the ones responsible for enabling and normalizing this. And if Android's removal of rights lags 5-10 years behind Apple again in the future, that's a win.
tjpnz 1y ago
Same boat. Wouldn't be hard to switch either - Android and iOS are virtually indistinguishable on the UI side now. That was the last thing holding me back.
mulakosag 1y ago
I am out of the loop with the entire thing. I used to an android dev back then. Google's shenanigans is the reason why I left mobile dev. Does this mean I cannot even compile and install apps on my phone from android studio?
- EwanToo 1y ago
  No, they're not removing ADB install capabilities
  - Aachen 1y ago
    So I can just adb install any apk I want, no matter if it's a Google authenticated developer who signed the app? So f-droid would continue to work fine so long as they install via adb instead of the intent mechanism or whatever it currently is?
    - homebrewer 1y ago
      AFAIU your device will no longer pass their treacherous "Play Integrity", which means that many banking and government applications will no longer work. For me it's a complete deal breaker because that's 99% of why I own a smartphone at all. Apple is prohibitively expensive here, there's no official warranty and much difficulty with doing quality battery replacements, so I will probably have to own two phones.
      - malkia 1y ago
        I somehow wish both things we working - as in "sandboxed" / "isolate" one from another (if that makes any sense). So I can install my F-Droid on one of the partition, and actual personal stuff on the other. Bit like my Chromebook with Crostini.
        eclipxe 1y ago
        You can. Install a work profile on the device (You can use a third party app like Island) to do this. Then you can install apps into their own sandbox.
pjmlp 1y ago
For one, I get to use a pre-paid phone, and with the price of an iPhone I get one or two Androids, which always get used until they break down.
- t-writescode 1y ago
  For completeness, how long is that? iPhones tend to get security updates for, what, 7 years? Consistently?
  - Jtsummers 1y ago
    Since the 6s, iPhones get 6 or 7 versions of iOS (including their release version), which puts them at about 7-8 years of full support less whatever features (like Apple Intelligence) don't get support on some hardware. Before the 6s, it was lower but the hardware was also changing a lot faster (like going from 32-bit to 64-bit ARM). But for security updates they've pushed it up to 10 years. The 6s, 2015, got a security update this month. They're actively supporting (at least security updates) iOS 15, 16, 18, and now of course 26. 17 was skipped because no devices lost support with it, everything that could run 17 can run 18.
  - pjmlp 1y ago
    I have phones between Android 12 and Android 15, they still get the updates that are available from PlayStore. Everything else, it isn't like I am a public figure that has to have ultimate security devices.
    - deleted 1y ago
      [deleted]
bobajeff 1y ago
Well to be fair even if Android were completely open: In the US, your phone is still beholden to small number carriers. They get to decide what devices can connect to their network. This determines much of the hardware and software of the phones on their networks. So ultimately they own the devices that connect to them. That's why I've already stopped paying for phones and just get free ones when offered. If I do pay for one again it'll just be the cheapest Chinese one available.
lenkite 1y ago
Same. Going to go for the prettier jailed garden instead of the uglier one. Can pay the cost of ugly with freedom. But if you are gonna get jailed anyways, why not choose the one with better interior decoration ?
StopDisinfo910 1y ago
> Why would i want half assed google walled garden when I could get the Apple one? Can’t disagree more. Android has both better phones and better UX. Apple is usually lagging the Asian brands by years. I went from a Pixel 3A to an iPhone 13 and just switched back to a Pixel 10 Pro and gosh the iPhone was a complete wreck. It’s even worse with their new UI. Unless you are somehow stuck in the Apple ecosystem, I don’t understand why people pay more for it. The idea than the Android experience is somehow subpar when all Apple has done for the past five years is merely copying it is crazy to me.
- Our_Benefactors 1y ago
  > Android has both better phones and better UX. extreme, EXTREME minority opinion stated as fact > when all Apple has done for the past five years is merely copying it This is a popular refrain but never passes the sniff test. Android has nothing equivalent to AirPods, airdrop, find my, list goes on and on.
  - dvngnt_ 1y ago
    AirPods → Google Pixel Buds, Samsung Galaxy Buds, OnePlus Buds (and similar) AirDrop → Nearby Share (Google), Quick Share (Samsung) Find My → Find My Device (Google)
    - Our_Benefactors 1y ago
      Are all inferior products by a long shot, and also copies of Apple features…
      - wolvesechoes 1y ago
        The fact that you move the goalpost proves any discussion with fanboy is pointless, for you have made some brand part of your identity.
        Our_Benefactors 1y ago
samtheDamned 1y ago
I have an iphone and I feel a frequent nagging in the back of my head to switch to android despite the serious created by ecosystem lock-in and it's solely for the benefit of sideloading. Like you said, why would I leave apple's refined and increasingly customizable walled garden for google's half-assed one? Especially when Google is explicitly an ad company (I know apple isn't that much better).
xandrius 1y ago
Why go from a devil to another? Consider Ubuntu Touch it's actually pretty good and the dev community is really welcoming. Feel like the old school linux groups.
- jasonfrost 1y ago
  1.0 around the corner. Really hoping mobile and handheld Linux os take off
- jerojero 1y ago
  Well, for one I do a lot of Photography with my phone because I enjoy the flexibility and portability of it. I do have a good camera but when you're out and about its still too big for my liking. Most importantly, phones now a days come with a roughly 100mm equivalent and thats kind of my favorite lens for street photography (weird, I know, I enjoy taking close up photos of buildings, signs, cars). Another reason why i like phone photography is how quickly i can share my pictures with the people i care. I don't really care for posting my photos on social media that much I want to send good photos of my travel/life to my friends through chatrooms. So a good camera on a phone is essential to me. Particularly a good telephoto and a good main camera (so like 30-100mm). With that in mind my range of possible phones is drastically reduced. Of course, I enjoy side loading apps and so as of now I've been relatively happy with something like the pixel 8 pro that I've had for a while. But I recently compared it to the iphone 16 pro and that one is better when it comes to the casual photography/videography experience by a lot. So I was already wavering and with these changes it feels like the final nail in the coffin to me.
argomo 1y ago
I too am considering that. I give up many smartphone benefits in the name of privacy and control, but if open source Android withers, then I'm going to shift to choosing quality and service.

lordofgibbons 1y ago

Yeah, this is exactly my reasoning too. And with Google making it harder for OSes like GrapheneOS to run on Pixel devices, my next device will have to be an Apple one. There's nothing left in the Android ecosystem for me.

rs186 1y ago

Same. Combined with bad security practice from OEMs, preinstalled bloatware, app fragmentation (I love having Samsung "Phone" app and stock phone app at the same time) and customer service (try replacing your phone battery and compare the experience of ubreakifix and Apple store), I don't see a reason to go Android. (P.S. people who cannot afford the latest iPhone can always purchase a two year old used/"refurbished" phone. It's a solid choice and many people do that. The fact that you can now add Apple Care to 4 year old device makes this more viable.)

darknavi 1y ago
Apple also has great long term support. They just shipped security updates for the iPhone 6S which came out 10 years ago.
homebrewer 1y ago
Not "always", Apple doesn't provide official warranty in my country, and even replacing batteries carries significant risk. Forget about more involved types of servicing. There are lots of places like that.
- microtonal 1y ago
  I feel sorry for you. I have experienced their support in both Germany and The Netherlands and it's stellar. You can call them, get someone on the line in a few minutes and they will genuinely try to help you. One time there was an issue with a transaction (amount subtracted twice), within a few minutes of calling I was in contact with someone from their finance department who not only solved the issue, they also called back a few days later to verify that I got the refund and to check if I was happy with their help. Another time my wife wanted Apple Care, but decided on the last day and the website didn't offer the option anymore. She called, they were really helpful and again called back a few days later to check everything is good on our end. They are a big-tech company, but actually being able to call someone and getting swift help is refreshing. Edit: I only now realize the accidental pun: you probably won't be getting 'Swift' help. :p
StopDisinfo910 1y ago
I must live in a parallel world because here it’s significantly easier to get an Android phone fixed than an iPhone. Plus you don’t have to pay Apple extortionate price for parts.
- dpkirchner 1y ago
  It looks like Apple would charge $89 to replace a battery in my iPhone 13 Pro. I tried to find the price Samsung would charge for my wife's S21 but I had no luck (their site and SEO is a disaster). Is it much less than $89?
  - happymellon 1y ago
    I paid £85 to replace the battery in an iPhone Mini 3 weeks ago, and my S22 battery can be officially replaced for £80. Here Timpsons provide the service outlets for Samsung, although that probably does not help you. But it is basically the same price.
    - StopDisinfo910 1y ago
      You can get the S22 repaired with no loss of functionality for significantly less than that if you go to another repairer and even the official channel is cheaper despite the S22 having a bigger battery than the 13 Mini. And that’s for battery. Just take a look at screen repair if you want to cry.
      - happymellon 1y ago
        > even the official channel is cheaper Samsung.com/uk says £79, so I don't agree with that.
  - eimrine 1y ago
    Is this freedom? Man you need to go into some lengths just to power up your piece of equipment. Next step is to be required to provide some biometry just to use a wall socket for the sake of protecting some children from electrocuting.

wccrawford 1y ago

Yup, same here. I've even talked family members into joining me. If this goes through and locks me out of installing things that aren't officially signed, I'll be done with Android. At least, the standard version. If Samsung or someone keeps it open, I'd probably move to that.

add-sub-mul-div 1y ago

I could never give Apple another dime, they're the ones responsible for enabling and normalizing this. And if Android's removal of rights lags 5-10 years behind Apple again in the future, that's a win.

tjpnz 1y ago

Same boat. Wouldn't be hard to switch either - Android and iOS are virtually indistinguishable on the UI side now. That was the last thing holding me back.

mulakosag 1y ago

I am out of the loop with the entire thing. I used to an android dev back then. Google's shenanigans is the reason why I left mobile dev. Does this mean I cannot even compile and install apps on my phone from android studio?

EwanToo 1y ago
No, they're not removing ADB install capabilities
- Aachen 1y ago
  So I can just adb install any apk I want, no matter if it's a Google authenticated developer who signed the app? So f-droid would continue to work fine so long as they install via adb instead of the intent mechanism or whatever it currently is?
  - homebrewer 1y ago
    AFAIU your device will no longer pass their treacherous "Play Integrity", which means that many banking and government applications will no longer work. For me it's a complete deal breaker because that's 99% of why I own a smartphone at all. Apple is prohibitively expensive here, there's no official warranty and much difficulty with doing quality battery replacements, so I will probably have to own two phones.
    - malkia 1y ago
      I somehow wish both things we working - as in "sandboxed" / "isolate" one from another (if that makes any sense). So I can install my F-Droid on one of the partition, and actual personal stuff on the other. Bit like my Chromebook with Crostini.
      - eclipxe 1y ago
        You can. Install a work profile on the device (You can use a third party app like Island) to do this. Then you can install apps into their own sandbox.

pjmlp 1y ago

For one, I get to use a pre-paid phone, and with the price of an iPhone I get one or two Androids, which always get used until they break down.

t-writescode 1y ago
For completeness, how long is that? iPhones tend to get security updates for, what, 7 years? Consistently?
- Jtsummers 1y ago
  Since the 6s, iPhones get 6 or 7 versions of iOS (including their release version), which puts them at about 7-8 years of full support less whatever features (like Apple Intelligence) don't get support on some hardware. Before the 6s, it was lower but the hardware was also changing a lot faster (like going from 32-bit to 64-bit ARM). But for security updates they've pushed it up to 10 years. The 6s, 2015, got a security update this month. They're actively supporting (at least security updates) iOS 15, 16, 18, and now of course 26. 17 was skipped because no devices lost support with it, everything that could run 17 can run 18.
- pjmlp 1y ago
  I have phones between Android 12 and Android 15, they still get the updates that are available from PlayStore. Everything else, it isn't like I am a public figure that has to have ultimate security devices.
  - deleted 1y ago
    [deleted]

bobajeff 1y ago

Well to be fair even if Android were completely open: In the US, your phone is still beholden to small number carriers. They get to decide what devices can connect to their network. This determines much of the hardware and software of the phones on their networks. So ultimately they own the devices that connect to them. That's why I've already stopped paying for phones and just get free ones when offered. If I do pay for one again it'll just be the cheapest Chinese one available.

lenkite 1y ago

Same. Going to go for the prettier jailed garden instead of the uglier one. Can pay the cost of ugly with freedom. But if you are gonna get jailed anyways, why not choose the one with better interior decoration ?

StopDisinfo910 1y ago

> Why would i want half assed google walled garden when I could get the Apple one? Can’t disagree more. Android has both better phones and better UX. Apple is usually lagging the Asian brands by years. I went from a Pixel 3A to an iPhone 13 and just switched back to a Pixel 10 Pro and gosh the iPhone was a complete wreck. It’s even worse with their new UI. Unless you are somehow stuck in the Apple ecosystem, I don’t understand why people pay more for it. The idea than the Android experience is somehow subpar when all Apple has done for the past five years is merely copying it is crazy to me.

Our_Benefactors 1y ago
> Android has both better phones and better UX. extreme, EXTREME minority opinion stated as fact > when all Apple has done for the past five years is merely copying it This is a popular refrain but never passes the sniff test. Android has nothing equivalent to AirPods, airdrop, find my, list goes on and on.
- dvngnt_ 1y ago
  AirPods → Google Pixel Buds, Samsung Galaxy Buds, OnePlus Buds (and similar) AirDrop → Nearby Share (Google), Quick Share (Samsung) Find My → Find My Device (Google)
  - Our_Benefactors 1y ago
    Are all inferior products by a long shot, and also copies of Apple features…
    - wolvesechoes 1y ago
      The fact that you move the goalpost proves any discussion with fanboy is pointless, for you have made some brand part of your identity.
      - Our_Benefactors 1y ago

samtheDamned 1y ago

I have an iphone and I feel a frequent nagging in the back of my head to switch to android despite the serious created by ecosystem lock-in and it's solely for the benefit of sideloading. Like you said, why would I leave apple's refined and increasingly customizable walled garden for google's half-assed one? Especially when Google is explicitly an ad company (I know apple isn't that much better).

xandrius 1y ago

Why go from a devil to another? Consider Ubuntu Touch it's actually pretty good and the dev community is really welcoming. Feel like the old school linux groups.

jasonfrost 1y ago
1.0 around the corner. Really hoping mobile and handheld Linux os take off
jerojero 1y ago
Well, for one I do a lot of Photography with my phone because I enjoy the flexibility and portability of it. I do have a good camera but when you're out and about its still too big for my liking. Most importantly, phones now a days come with a roughly 100mm equivalent and thats kind of my favorite lens for street photography (weird, I know, I enjoy taking close up photos of buildings, signs, cars). Another reason why i like phone photography is how quickly i can share my pictures with the people i care. I don't really care for posting my photos on social media that much I want to send good photos of my travel/life to my friends through chatrooms. So a good camera on a phone is essential to me. Particularly a good telephoto and a good main camera (so like 30-100mm). With that in mind my range of possible phones is drastically reduced. Of course, I enjoy side loading apps and so as of now I've been relatively happy with something like the pixel 8 pro that I've had for a while. But I recently compared it to the iphone 16 pro and that one is better when it comes to the casual photography/videography experience by a lot. So I was already wavering and with these changes it feels like the final nail in the coffin to me.

argomo 1y ago

I too am considering that. I give up many smartphone benefits in the name of privacy and control, but if open source Android withers, then I'm going to shift to choosing quality and service.