OS Change: From iOS to Android or Android to iOS

[pc747]

Over the years we form an allegiance to one operating system or another, whether it be iOS, Android, Windows, or something else. But as we continue to evolve we find ourselves switching and thinking "hmmm it's not so bad over here after all". I have done this with Mac and there are some of you who have done this with iOS or swapped from iOS to Android. So those of you who have switched operating systems what led you to the change?

How are things on the other side?

What do you like about the new os and what do you miss about the old os?

By the way if you are asking why this is in OT, well though this is an android topic it is really meant to be an all OS topic equally so this fits in both android, non android smartphones, and other topics (Windows/Mac, Android/iOS, Playstation/Xbox).

Also please refrain from just bashing one os just because. It is ok to talk about pros and cons but let's avoid the "sheeple comments. Thanks.

For those that made the change share some tips, apps, programs, etc that will make it easier for someone looking to make the switch.

 

[leeshor]

I personally don't have any plans to switched away from Android but I have been on many other phone operating systems even the original Windows CE. I had a newer Windows phone before I went to Android, (for good), and an Android phone just before that. My first Android experience wasn't so hot, things change.

One of my sisters has been on iOS I think since it's start. I convinced her to make the switch and she now has a Galaxy S5. She loves the S5 absolutely to death. In her defense she was unaware of some of the things she could have done with iOS but none of the other people she knows (who were on an iPhone), were aware either so she didn't know what she didn't know. Now that she's on Android I don't think you could talk her into going back, not even if the phone was free, She has come really close to talking my other iOS bound sister into making the switch.


I have a number of associates who have iPhones only because they are company phones and they wish they could be Android instead but can't talk the business owners into it.

I will say that making the switch is a shock some people can't handle well.

 

[Jeffrey]

I have both Android and an iPhone. When it comes to data downloads, nothing beats the speeds you can get from many current Android devices.

When it comes to reception, I have not had an Android device that can compete with the iPhone 6s+ world radio.
Where my Android phone seems to struggle, my iPhone has reception.
From a hardware perspective, I have not had an Android device that I can say outshines the iPhone.
From a tweaking/custom perspective. nothing beats an Android device.

 

[Jonny Kansas]

I attempted to make the switch a number of years ago. Anyone familiar with my Android history will know that I've been using it since the OG Android phone, the G1.

I tried switching from my Bionic, I think. iPhone 4 or 4S. One of them had just come out. I went and picked one up, set it up, downloaded some apps, even paid for some apps. But, I missed my widgets and customization. It still throws me off to help an iOS user adjust settings, because it seems like ALL of their settings are in one place, rather than, "Oh. I want to change a setting for this app. I'll just launch the app and dive into the menu" like you get on android.

I can't say that the fact that I was starting to have to pay for iOS apps that I had already paid for on Android didn't affect my decision to return the iPhone. I'm sure it did. While I like to support devs, it hurt to have to pay a few buck again for apps that I was used to using and had already made a small contribution towards.

I didn't quite keep the iPhone for a week. I'm heavily invested in Android and firmly believe something revolutionary elsewhere or something inexcusably bad within Android are all that could make me switch away now.

On the polar opposite side, I have a buddy who spent some time working in IT, so I figured we were like-minded when it comes to tech. A few years ago, I went home to visit and he and his wife are both using iPhone. No big deal. To each their own. Then, a year or two later, I bring my (now) wife down for a visit and he asks me when I'm going to switch to iPhone. My wife laughed.

Most recently, I was home again for Thanksgiving and he brought up the subject again, but this time, he was thinking he should give Android another shot. It was YEARS ago that he used it and had more of a discount phone, so I can understand where he had issues. I get the feeling he's stuck in the iPhone world though.

I have another friend back home that, every other time I talk to him, he's switched from iOS to Android or vice versa. My hat's off to him. I don't think I could bounce back and forth. Just when you get used to how things work on one, you switch. Although, he's been doing it so long, maybe he doesn't need the adjustment period.

 

[bkdodger]

I found the switch easier than I thought from Android to IOS ....I agree with @Jeffrey I feel the radios are top notch on IPhone..as I stated in the back discussion the latest A9 chip makes it a great experience when running tasks ...never a stutter or lag ...widgets and 3rd party launcher is what I miss the most from Android ...also you need to go extra steps to make a ringtone or notifications..little stuff like settings within the app you don't get like Android which is easier to manage ..I can say both are solid options and I can see why peeps like each over the other ...I can also see myself switching back and forth easily ..I have all my essential Google apps ...didn't skip a beat with my daily usage ...I also notice how battery just sips so nicely on IOS for me ..I thought that would be a problem since I was always bothering my friends not to be wall huggers...lol but it's actually excellent and beats my standby and usage times on Nexus ..overall it's great to have options and more and more peeps are trying both platforms ...so it's good to have choices which is something we all love about Android ...


6s Plus

 

[pc747]

JK, I would think your IT friend may stay iPhone because of it being a breeze for the IT department making it a work phone.

Yeah it is nice to have choices and it is also nice that we could have this discussion without closing threads to clean because people were mad that someone said something nice or was using an iPhone. I hesitated to make this thread because of the nightmare threads like this have been for us before. But our community have matured a lot.

I think part of what drove the fears were the fact that android was so new and people feared the iPhone would come to all carriers and android would die off. Here we are with iPhones on almost every carrier including non-contract and yet Android not only is standing strong, but is winning in some categories. Back during the Droid days or even the Galaxy Nexus days I could not imagine a time where we would have android device go toe to toe and even beat an iPhone in some categories. Android has proven itself to be a true contender that will be around awhile, ask Blackberry.

Now those fears are gone people seem to chill. By the nature of the beast there are things that Apple will continue to do better than android because they have complete control of their device. But complete control means Apple calls the shots and that can be good or bad depending on how you use your phone. But if you notice Google is taking more and more control.

Google Android will always be more customizable than apple because of the nature of different companies are allowed to create their vision of android (within the walls of Android) as well as developers. The flip side is that you will always have fragmentation.

At the end of the day it is good we can have people say they chose to adopt the fruit and not have an uproar. @cereal killer can breathe easier now as he found himself putting in many long hour days cleaning up iPhone related threads in the past. Especially the "rumor of a Verizon iPhone" thread. "The fever, the rage, the feeling of powerlessness that turned good android fans.....cruel".

 

[Jonny Kansas]

JK, I would think your IT friend may stay iPhone because of it being a breeze for the IT department making it a work phone.

He's not in IT anymore. His complaint was about things not quite working on android. His claim was that the iPhone just worked. Which, in some cases was very true. As you said, Android has closed, eliminated, and even expanded that gap in the other direction over the years.

I get where he was coming from when he made the switch, but I doubt he'd even recognize Android these days, especially if he got a true flagship phone instead of the cheap phone he had back in the day.

It's all good though. The iPhone has worked well for him and his wife for years now.

 

[pc747]

His complaint was about things not quite working on android. His claim was that the iPhone just worked.

That was the complaint many of us Android fans had a few years ago. So yeah I wouldn't blame him. And sadly if he grab some of the lower name products he may experience the same. But devices like the newer galaxies (Note 5 and S6), Moto X Pure, and LG are changing that because they are getting to the point that it "just work" now. Unfortunately android still is behind iOS in the app department. Yeah we have widgets but we still lack the quality apps that you find on iOS. Partly because developers know that the app they make will work on all iPhones where an app they make could work great on a nexus and crash a galaxy.

 

[Jonny Kansas]

I guess I'm just not interested in the right apps or something. As time goes on, there are fewer and fewer apps that I see an ad or article about that are only on iOS that I wish I could get on my Android devices.

 

[UrbanBounca]

I've used both. I used the 4S for about a week, and traded that garbage in. I'm an Android fanboy. The iPhone does some things better, but Android just does more.

 

[Ollie]

It won't be much longer and both OSes will be fairly similar. I think it's almost to that point already.

iOS is pretty solid. Other than me being able to nit-pick at it I can say it usually just works for what it is designed to do.

With that being said I would love to see them open up the Bluetooth stack. It's too locked down for my needs.

As far as radios go I experience the exact opposite...the iPhone radios are much much poorer than any Android device in our family which include an S5, S6, V10, Note 4, Note 4 Edge, and a Maxx. From cellular to bluetooth to wifi the iPhone doesn't hold a candle to any of the Android radios.

I can't mirror my iPhone to my television either without buying proprietary hardware. This includes the iPad as well. I get that Apple wants to push more devices through their sales numbers, but it would be great if they would finally bring this to iOS.

Customization without jailbreaking is my largest beef though. iOS is pretty ugly (as is Google's Material Design) so having to hope for a jailbreak on a newer firmware kinda sucks. It takes away from the entire experience.

One thing I can say that is better on my iPhone is the battery life. Granted, it's not processing the same load as what I put my Edge through, but in the end it smokes my Edge by a long shot.

Overall I am ok with iOS after having left it behind with the GS2, but I am always left with the feeling of wanting more out of it.

 

[cereal killer]

For me I don't miss anything about Android @pc747. In reality (mine) it's pretty much the same as iOS albeit it looks different and does some things different. I don't think one is better than the other. I do however prefer iOS over Android for a couple of reasons

#1. I no longer have to think about OS updates. If there is a new update there is no waiting to get it. I can read on the net thats its been released and grab that very second. No waiting. I also don't have to read that the update is only being released on T-Mobile and only the 6s...for now. No, we all get it...period. So instant updates are a giant plus.

#2. I'll always have the best hardware. When the iPhone 7 is out all I need to do is turn in my 6s Plus and away I go. I don't have to "worry" about the iPhone 7S Plus Alpha Dog being released a month or two later. Nope my handset will be the manufacturers best hardware for the year and did I mention if new features/OS's are released I'll get those on day ONE.

Its like owning the best Android handset on the market for the whole year and with instant updates. I can't keep track of all the android handsets and just when I settle on one and buy it, something better comes out.

Monday: Wow!! Look at my Droid Excalibur!! It's got a Double Wiz 4.5 Processor with 2 gigs of memory and High Velocity Drexel Autonomous screen!!!!!!!!! This thing is awesome!!

Wednesday: Damnit! What the hell?!! LG just released a beast that makes my Excalibur look like table scraps!!!

Thursday: That damn LG handset is taking advantage of Googles new OS feature that opens apps when I think to myself "open_insert app here_!!!!"

Friday: Can't believe this!!! Moto said the Droid Excalibur won't support that feature because of hardware limitations!!!!! This thing sucks!!

 

[Miller6386]

I hate to say it but now that Androids are coming so locked down if Apple ever creates something S Pen like I will jump on it. Also would like launchers and icons..... But the pen feature would make for a pretty hard case for me. I use the screen write/crop feature every day.

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[bkdodger]

@cereal killer HVDA I think I have that on my Panasonic TV too ...I've not had any issues with it and I think maybe trade it in for the SHVDA super slick and super slim ...oh did I mention sexy screen ...hmmm or is that SSHDVDA ?


6s Plus

 

[Miller6386]

@cereal killer HVDA I think I have that on my Panasonic TV too ...I've not had any issues with it and I think maybe trade it in for the SHVDA super slick and super slim ...oh did I mention sexy screen ...hmmm or is that SSHDVDA ?


6s Plus

How is the screen brightness in bright sun compared to Note 4? If I recall you had that also

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