4 ms·

I'm on this path too. Waiting a few more months to see what happens. If they indeed block my 4 apps on my phone (which aren't published anywhere), I will simply

I'm on this path too. Waiting a few more months to see what happens. If they indeed block my 4 apps on my phone (which aren't published anywhere), I will simply move to Apple.

catlikesshrimp 6mo ago
Will your 4 unpublished apps be in your android-alternative apple device? Android will still have the ability to install non-google-distributed programs. The problem is the ominous momentum, but it is still more open than the apple alternative
- i_am_jl 6mo ago
  I'm not the commenter you replied to, but I'm doing the same math they are and coming up with the same answer. From my perspective iOS is better than Android in a number of ways but Android always won out overall for me, in large part because of the freedom regarding software. Remove that freedom from the equation, I think the balance tips towards iOS.
  - seszett 6mo ago
    I always wonder what these unspecified ways that iOS is better than Android actually are. These posts always have a few comments like that, but they never actually say what they find to be better on iOS.
    - lynndotpy 6mo ago
      I'll bite. For me, Google services are not an option, so my Android experience is sans-Google. Until September 2025, I'd say iOS had actually gotten better than Android. CalDAV, CardDAV, and SMB are baked into iOS, whereas these are onerous to set up on Android. These are very very nice protocols, and I use them all daily. (Contacts, Calendars, Notes, Reminders, and Files.) Apple's developer ecosystem lacks the FOSS devs that make F-Droid so good, but they do have a number of devs who release paid apps with zero tracking, which is very nice. It's often the case an app exists on iOS as a $5 one-time fee with a two-paragraph privacy policy for which one does not exist on Fdroid. Shortcuts work well enough, homescreen customization is good enough, etc. that a number of the original Android draws are gone. There are a number of points where iOS and Android are equals now. iCloud's E2EE photo backup is something I reluctantly started using and found to be very nice, after having had de-Googled in 2018. I miss having my photos auto-upload and be available on other devices, and Apple has had iCloud Web for awhile. This is nicer than the options I have on Android. And while Android's notification-panel tiles have gotten worse over the years (down from six to two controls on the first swipe, this was what alienated me and got me to try iOS), iOS now has a much denser "control center". The big caveat is the gigantic regression that is iOS 26. The phone is slower, it kills battery, the native apps are constantly crashing, the lockscreen and homescreen often have broken navigation flows, etc. It's a travesty that never should have been released and iOS is easily worse than Android right now. If someone needed a phone today, I couldn't recommend an iPhone, but that might change with iOS 27.
      - seniorThrowaway 6mo ago
        >CalDAV, CardDAV, and SMB are baked into iOS, whereas these are onerous to set up on Android I can only speak to SMB but it is not hard on Android. I use a longtime third party app so not sure what the state of native support is but it works just fine for me, including over VPN
        hn_acc1 6mo ago
        Which app?
        xigoi 6mo ago
        I would guess DAVx⁵.
      - davsti4 6mo ago
        Sounds like you're Apple now, but would love to hear what you're actually using for DAV on Android if at all?
        jraph 6mo ago
        DAVx5
        lynndotpy 6mo ago
        Yep, AFAIK this is the only working choice on Android. (I could be wrong!)
  - firebot 6mo ago
    Install anyapk. It uses a wireless ADB bridge to install whatever you want.
- BatteryMountain 6mo ago
  Its more about the principle for me.I know I can jump through hoops for google but I prefer to say no-thank-you. The long term fear/plan for google is that they know they days of SAAS and Apps are obsolete. People will just write their own platforms, apps, websites all from scratch using AI, which means the app stores becomes obsolete, which means no more ad revenue from shitty ads and no more control and unfettered tracking of your behaviour. AI will make these guys obsolete, they know it, this is them fighting back.
Cider9986 6mo ago
You should switch to GrapheneOS instead.
- vfclists 6mo ago
  You mean buy a Google Pixel? How many people can afford one?
  - bpev 6mo ago
    Motorola + Graphene coming 2027. I'm at least waiting to see what comes of that before making any decisions on my next phone.
    - Cider9986 6mo ago
      I am hyped for that partnership—they should have a flip phone supported(don't quote me), among other cool devices. Not going to be cheaper than Pixels. The chips they need for the hardware security are the flagship Snapdragon chips iirc. I love my Pixel now, I would have to see where Motorola is better than the Pixels other than the more computing power.
    - sterlind 6mo ago
      hell yes. I'm glad they found an OEM to work with them.
  - bloppe 6mo ago
    If you're considering buying an iPhone, you can definitely afford a Pixel
    - BatteryMountain 6mo ago
      Yes, but no pixels in my country.
      - greenavocado 6mo ago
        eBay International exists and I've shipped my laptops from the US to Bolivia, Guam, Sweden, and before the war, Russia. You can definitely get a Pixel unless maybe you live in the DRC or the PRK

I'm on this path too. Waiting a few more months to see what happens. If they indeed block my 4 apps on my phone (which aren't published anywhere), I will simply move to Apple.

catlikesshrimp 6mo ago

Will your 4 unpublished apps be in your android-alternative apple device? Android will still have the ability to install non-google-distributed programs. The problem is the ominous momentum, but it is still more open than the apple alternative

i_am_jl 6mo ago
I'm not the commenter you replied to, but I'm doing the same math they are and coming up with the same answer. From my perspective iOS is better than Android in a number of ways but Android always won out overall for me, in large part because of the freedom regarding software. Remove that freedom from the equation, I think the balance tips towards iOS.
- seszett 6mo ago
  I always wonder what these unspecified ways that iOS is better than Android actually are. These posts always have a few comments like that, but they never actually say what they find to be better on iOS.
  - lynndotpy 6mo ago
    I'll bite. For me, Google services are not an option, so my Android experience is sans-Google. Until September 2025, I'd say iOS had actually gotten better than Android. CalDAV, CardDAV, and SMB are baked into iOS, whereas these are onerous to set up on Android. These are very very nice protocols, and I use them all daily. (Contacts, Calendars, Notes, Reminders, and Files.) Apple's developer ecosystem lacks the FOSS devs that make F-Droid so good, but they do have a number of devs who release paid apps with zero tracking, which is very nice. It's often the case an app exists on iOS as a $5 one-time fee with a two-paragraph privacy policy for which one does not exist on Fdroid. Shortcuts work well enough, homescreen customization is good enough, etc. that a number of the original Android draws are gone. There are a number of points where iOS and Android are equals now. iCloud's E2EE photo backup is something I reluctantly started using and found to be very nice, after having had de-Googled in 2018. I miss having my photos auto-upload and be available on other devices, and Apple has had iCloud Web for awhile. This is nicer than the options I have on Android. And while Android's notification-panel tiles have gotten worse over the years (down from six to two controls on the first swipe, this was what alienated me and got me to try iOS), iOS now has a much denser "control center". The big caveat is the gigantic regression that is iOS 26. The phone is slower, it kills battery, the native apps are constantly crashing, the lockscreen and homescreen often have broken navigation flows, etc. It's a travesty that never should have been released and iOS is easily worse than Android right now. If someone needed a phone today, I couldn't recommend an iPhone, but that might change with iOS 27.
    - seniorThrowaway 6mo ago
      >CalDAV, CardDAV, and SMB are baked into iOS, whereas these are onerous to set up on Android I can only speak to SMB but it is not hard on Android. I use a longtime third party app so not sure what the state of native support is but it works just fine for me, including over VPN
      - hn_acc1 6mo ago
        Which app?
        xigoi 6mo ago
        I would guess DAVx⁵.
    - davsti4 6mo ago
      Sounds like you're Apple now, but would love to hear what you're actually using for DAV on Android if at all?
      - jraph 6mo ago
        DAVx5
        lynndotpy 6mo ago
        Yep, AFAIK this is the only working choice on Android. (I could be wrong!)
- firebot 6mo ago
  Install anyapk. It uses a wireless ADB bridge to install whatever you want.
BatteryMountain 6mo ago
Its more about the principle for me.I know I can jump through hoops for google but I prefer to say no-thank-you. The long term fear/plan for google is that they know they days of SAAS and Apps are obsolete. People will just write their own platforms, apps, websites all from scratch using AI, which means the app stores becomes obsolete, which means no more ad revenue from shitty ads and no more control and unfettered tracking of your behaviour. AI will make these guys obsolete, they know it, this is them fighting back.

Cider9986 6mo ago

You should switch to GrapheneOS instead.

vfclists 6mo ago
You mean buy a Google Pixel? How many people can afford one?
- bpev 6mo ago
  Motorola + Graphene coming 2027. I'm at least waiting to see what comes of that before making any decisions on my next phone.
  - Cider9986 6mo ago
    I am hyped for that partnership—they should have a flip phone supported(don't quote me), among other cool devices. Not going to be cheaper than Pixels. The chips they need for the hardware security are the flagship Snapdragon chips iirc. I love my Pixel now, I would have to see where Motorola is better than the Pixels other than the more computing power.
  - sterlind 6mo ago
    hell yes. I'm glad they found an OEM to work with them.
- bloppe 6mo ago
  If you're considering buying an iPhone, you can definitely afford a Pixel
  - BatteryMountain 6mo ago
    Yes, but no pixels in my country.
    - greenavocado 6mo ago
      eBay International exists and I've shipped my laptops from the US to Bolivia, Guam, Sweden, and before the war, Russia. You can definitely get a Pixel unless maybe you live in the DRC or the PRK