Back to iOS after years of Android use

31 December 2021


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On Android I can

Get APKs for apps that are region locked
I get a great gaming emulation experience
Great file sharing experience with my PC etc...
A million smartphone options to chose from

I could never get used to IOS my needs aren't average Joe level

The funny thing is I find that the people with the privilege like on gsmarena that can change smartphones ever so regularly or those that can spend thousands of dollars to keep changing them... Are the ones that use their 1000 smartphone for just basic purposes.. the irony

    • ?
    • Anonymous
    • nmM
    • 31 Dec 2021

    Jaws2D, 31 Dec 2021Samsung's One UI also has a setting for automatically ... moreOh yeah, that's right! Noticed that on my work phone, which is a new-ish Samsung.

      Personally, between Android and iOS, Android is the one I pick. Android allows me to use a smartphone as a PC, thanks to the built-in Desktop Mode feature and other standalone solutions like Samsung DeX and Motorola Ready For to name just two. I seriously doubt if Apple will give such a feature to iOS despite their crazy powerful chipset. So even though I'm amazed by iOS's performance stability despite running the latest OS version as I have personally experienced with my youngest sister's 2015 iPhone 6s, I'll stick with Android.

        • k
        • klutch
        • IbG
        • 31 Dec 2021

        You're in need of the Stocard app to keep all of your loyalty cards handy and not take up room in your wallet or on your keychain. Been using it for a while and it's most convenient implementation is on my Ticwatch. You'll love it... if it comes in an IOS version...

          • C
          • Carnage
          • Hxf
          • 31 Dec 2021

          FarFan, 31 Dec 2021IMHO this article is only about how iphone pro is better th... moreVery well done.

            • Z
            • Z
            • spY
            • 31 Dec 2021

            By now everyone knows iOS is stuck in the past compared to Android. The question is, how do you actually convince people to no longer buy iphones and switch?

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              • Ironclad
              • pE7
              • 31 Dec 2021

              As if You took words out of my mouth! I am too a long time android user, having switched to iphone 13 pro. And I have the exact feelings about everything! Like the home screen, its so strange to not be able to see my favourite image and display it with pride for my friends. I still sometimes mistakingly mix notifications and control center screens when I slide down the screen. The little things. And that feeling of "elite". Yep, its all true.

                [deleted post]I don't know whether to laugh or cry at what you wrote. So you just classified and defined what a "grown man" looks and behaves by your standards. Let me tell you that only a child can define something he doesn't understand as a certainty from his point of view. I can assure you that I'm a full grown man with many responsibilities and guess what? I use the extend functionality of android in every department, bust mostly for productivity and work,things that the iOS can't do because of the limitations of its on OS. I have used iOS for a long period of time, and still have my iPhone as backup phone but can't compare it to android when functionality and ease of use are taking in consideration. So if you don't know how to use or maybe you don't have to use or you don't understand the true extention of android at least have the decency not to define what a grown man is.

                  I have been in exactly the same boat as you and can totally relate to this article. I'm not as privileged as you working at GSMarena but that hasn't stopped me from switching Android phones on a regular basis. The habit has gotten ridiculous to the point that it has become very farcical and financially costly.

                  I've been carrying around a S21 Ultra for most of the year but have briefly switched over to the Google 6 Pro but jumped back to the S21 Ultra due to connectivity issues and other bugs that have been plaguing the 6 Pro.

                  I even tried the Zenfone 8 but found that the Snapdragon 888 that powers the phone overheated it so much I literally had to tinker with the settings to keep the temperature down just enough so it wouldn't eat through the battery, the camera wasn't that great IMO coming from the S21 Ultra.

                  The S21 Ultra is a great phone don't get me wrong and OneUI 4.0 is IMO the best Android skin out there HOWEVER the phone is too big and heavy for me. I cycle a lot and the phone is impractical to carry around and was being placed in my rucksack.

                  I've been an Android user from the days of the T Mobile G1 I briefly tried iOS back with the iPhone 11 Pro Max but hated my experience and ran back to Android. However in my quest to find a phone that is not too small or too big and just works I too have bought an iPhone 13 Pro and this time around despite iOS quirks and issues I am getting on with it a lot better however there have been times that I have wanted to go back to my beloved S21 Ultra. I almost send the phone back to Apple but have decided to stick with it despite iOS quirks and am very slowly getting used to it.
                  I totally get where you are coming from and appreciate you taking the time out to write such a timely and accurate article. I am a month behind you however will just find a way to plough through the idiosyncrasies of iOS and get used to it.

                  Good luck Dude!

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                    • nickem
                    • B}L
                    • 31 Dec 2021

                    Praising iPhone features you've never used(and which work better for years) on Android.
                    Great article.

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                      • Anonymous
                      • mtq
                      • 31 Dec 2021

                      FarFan, 31 Dec 2021IMHO this article is only about how iphone pro is better th... moreAn ironically very egoistic view on a review

                        IMHO this article is only about how iphone pro is better than s21. Almost everything author likes about iphone I hate:
                        -Samsung that it doesn't strike my ego (I don't use phones for my ego)
                        -It's a heavy phone, there's no denying that. I'll say that it's a good thing (What a lie! You can buy heavy case for any light phone, but you can't make this brick lighter)
                        - steel on the iPhone Pros sets them apart from the masses (ego again, who cares that half market is using iphones, making you part of masses, and they use cases to hide steel)
                        - inspires an elitist feeling of superiority over phones of other makes (ego once again, no real evidence why there are any superiority)
                        - iPhone frees you from constantly thinking about upgrading or switching to a different model (agree, there are no real changes in this one since iphone X, no reason to upgrade indeed. I don't change my android phones frequently neither)
                        - Battery life (can't compare)
                        - I now live a better life, not knowing precisely how much battery I've got left, but not worried it won't be enough either ("I'd argue that having the option for it is better than not having it." argue yourself?)
                        - Display (can't notice differences in all flagman phones)
                        - FaceID (this is a joke, when we are forced to wear masks - use faceid. And additionally all first time app installations, payments, all people grimacing in front their iphones to recognize them)
                        - Magsafe wallet (I would like to have magsafe itself, but wallet I find useless)
                        - Airplay (great, but I don't have any other thing to play it, while with android my tv and speakers are easy to use)
                        - I have countless useless screenshots from my Android past just sitting on servers cluttering my Google Photos (one can turn off sync for screenshot folder in google photos)

                        As a conclusion I'm more convinced that iPhone is for ego only, than before this review.

                          Also, did you try the ZenFone 8? Its compact and premium.

                            Thanks for posting your journey. It was an interesting read on my quiet NYE evening at home.

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                              • Anonymous
                              • pwT
                              • 31 Dec 2021

                              What a rubbish review. I get it that it's a personal experience, but most of the points laid out are so superficial and subjective that it's pointless to read them.

                              What am I supposed to understand by "I like IPhone because I can say I have an IPhone"?

                              What I found particulary funny was "and it's that having the latest iPhone frees you from constantly thinking about upgrading or switching to a different model", because I am sure you wrote this only because you had an article to fill and didn't have enough content. This is not an argument and it's exclusively a you problem.

                                "January 2022 will seemingly be heavy on new phone announcements, but I don't see anything on the horizon that can potentially change my mind."

                                I feel the same about my Pixel 6 Pro. Enjoy your iPhone, though! Hope it will last a long time.

                                  • ?
                                  • Anonymous
                                  • Fv1
                                  • 31 Dec 2021

                                  Very interesting review, it's great to see a point of view of someone who hasn't used an iPhone for years, I'm the same - last one I has had was iPhone 4, and after reading your review I'm even more sure that iPhone is not for me - software is just too limited.

                                    • ?
                                    • Anonymous
                                    • pvZ
                                    • 31 Dec 2021

                                    Back to Android after years of iOS use

                                      Anonymous, 31 Dec 2021"Screenshots don't have to be saved - imagine tha... moreSamsung's One UI also has a setting for automatically deleting a screenshot after it's been shared.

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                                        • badboy
                                        • 7kn
                                        • 31 Dec 2021

                                        android dialer screen, you tap in few numbers...and call log will display all the matching entries....i really missed this on apple (very handy for people who get lot of calls, and most of them from unknown callers)
                                        plus, you cant send sms from the dialer app in iphone... so much annoying... !! i mean.. i tap in the number...then i change my mind to texting instead of calling...something i can do in android but not here

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