No way am I switching to iOS. I love android!
Me too. I’m no fan of iOS - even recent versions.
I can think of several reasons.
One is that I can have informational widgets on multiple home screens, so that as soon as I unlock my phone it shows real-time information about things that matter to me.
Another is that I have several still useful apps which are no longer maintained or in the Play Store, but which still provide functions other apps do not. Understanding the risks involved, I can choose to side load those apps onto any new phone that I get for as long as they work on the OS version involved.
A third is the lower cost of acceptable devices. I’m not so concerned about screen or camera quality, but do want long battery life. My current phone (Moto Z Play) cost me around £400 including a battery back that gives a total capacity of something over 5000 mAh. I bought a Moto G6 Play just to have a backup: it was £129 with a 4000 mAh battery. I’m well aware that the cost to change with an iPhone can be low because of the resale value, but the initial cost is still high, and if my phone is an uninsured total loss for any reason or requires major repairs, it’s still cheaper to replace it. Overall I think I’m spending less for more of the functionality I want.
The article’s purpose is really just to promote discussion. I’m a loyal android user and while there will be plenty of people wanting more out of this years Pixels, there are as many ios users who are fed up with everything apple. Innovation is slowing down on all of these devices so people switch because they simply want to try something new, but its an expensive pastime buying all of your apps again.
It is the best of a bad lot and there is no Windows Phone any more.
I don’t like Android, but at least it is flexible and I can disable most of the Google gunk. I used to use an iPhone, but it never seemed to progress, so I switched to Windows Phone, which was the best of a bad lot, but the apps never really came and those that did were poorly written (I’m looking at you, FitBit and WhatsApp). In the end, I went with a Nexus 5x, then the Huawei Mate 10 Pro.
The Hauwei gets the job done.
Just this Friday I switched from a Pixel2XL to an iPhone11. Still have my Pixel configured as a backup device. I was an Android user since pretty much the beginning but feel Google let it get stale. Not that iOS isn’t stale either, I just wanted to try something new. Frankly, I miss Windows phone.
My very first smartphone was a HTC Desire, running Froyo I think. It was pretty good in the beginning until I felt its limitations. Then I switched to Windows Phone, which I quite like, then got real tired of no good apps available. When I switched to the Samsung Galaxy S phone, there’s no looking back. Android for all it’s supposedly flaws, is still much more flexible and economical to use than iPhone.
Yes it is more flexible and can be more economical. I am trying a new platform because I am getting kind of tired of Android and I don’t customize like I used to. Back in the day I would use custom roms and everything. Now I tended to use it more vanilla. The Windows phone os was amazing but I ditched it after a while for lack of app support also.
Unlike a lot of you, my phone is not my constant companion. I still prefer to carry a standalone MP3 player with tactile buttons and until recently, wired headphones. I gave Verizon $800 for a Samsung S6 that spent most of its life on a Qi charger. I just replaced it with a $400 Pixel 3a.
I’m becoming an evangelist for ChromeOS, so having the Play Store on the handful of Chromebooks (most less than $200) lets me easily have apps on many devices economically.
Other than podcasts, I’m not a huge consumer of content on these devices, but I know a few folks that are “locked in” to Apple simply because of the libraries of music and movies they bought thru itunes.
I do not like Apple’s walled garden, I worked for AOL for a long time and I am still tired of walled gardens.
Simple. I have no issues with Android and massive issues with anything Apple.
Because it’s the lesser of two evils.
I can’t arrange my home screen the way I want.
I can’t set global default applications
I can’t turn WiFi off for longer than “until tomorrow.”
I can’t turn Bluetooth off completely.
If have to look for notifications instead of them coming to me, are they really notifications?
That’s enough for now.
I bought an 11 Pro and used it for about a day before I went back to my Pixel 3a. The Pixel 4 is such a disappointment with its ridiculously poor battery life that I won’t be getting it. I suppose I’ll see what the Galaxy S11 and Pixel 4a have to offer when the time comes.
@scottb is the Pixel 4 XL too large? Reviews suggest its battery life is OK for most people, significantly better than the 4.
Yes, I don’t like the large versions phones, I typically go with the smaller ones.
Customizable, and I like Google Services. The “walled garden” comment is spot on. I hate Apple’s philosophy of “This is the way we designed it and this is the only way to use it”. I want to make my device, MINE. I also love material design.
I have an iPhone for my work cellphone and I can’t stand it. I switch back and forth everyday and I just don’t like iOS. It’s restrictive and no fun to use. Although I love the vibration and haptic feedback on the iPhone.
My phone, my way. I have nothing in particular against iphones, infact, my parents use them on my advice. For myself and my wife I prefer android for the customisation and intercompatibility.
I’m on a pixel 3XL, my last phone was a Nexus 6P. It was a wonderful experience jumping 3 generations, It really felt like an upgrade. So, assuming nothing goes wrong with my 3XL, I expect my next device will be a Pixel 6XL, or possibly a Pixel 6aXL.
I do think that Google made a bad decision putting undersized batteries in the Pixel 4. It’s not the first time Google has made a bad decision, and it wont be the last.
I am pleased with my Samsung Galaxy 9 phone and I am likely to purchase a Samsung tablet in the near future. I have had no major problems and I just don’t want Apple.
I’m still holing out on the hope that the wireless chips will eventually just become a USRP module to do Bluetooth- BLE-GPS-WiFi-X at some point soon and that the OS will be able to be installed over existing devices using the usb-c port for the USRP module. Sick of having to replace phones every few months.
[edit] At some point i had a Nexus 5x and flashed LineageOS onto it. The OS was very nice and the only issue i had was not being able to use the fingerprint reader and the NFC because the OS wasn’t signed. So I’m looking forward to a fully Opensource Smart phone OS one day while making do with the Android-like OS.