How does everyone feel about iPhones?

Surprise.

Bet you didn’t see this one coming.

This week’s post has been pretty late. I’m a bit troubled by yesterday’s thread on Apple. So, a foreword: It’s OK to prefer something over another, it’s not OK to say people who like different phones than you are somehow more childish or less intelligent than you. Again, we are going for casual, yet intensely helpful here, so please don’t call people names over petty reasons, we have rules here.

Previously on Lemmy:

Past Discussions:

In this post, it’s not about saying how bad iPhones are, but I’d just like to hear the perspective on iPhones from Android users. I, for one, had an old iPhone 4 for a long time (call it nostalgia, or laziness, or just being cheap), and it was my general frustration with the device that ultimately led to my preference for Androids, (It was quite a while back though).

  • It was absolutely painful to transfer files from the phone to my computer (Ugh, iTunes).
  • I got it pre-jailbroken and didn’t realize you can’t just update the system casually, so it was really fun trying to find ways to downgrade the system until I realized that I can’t and have to pray for the next jailbreak to get half my things working again.
  • The 40-pin cable wears out so fast, and always in the same spot on the strain relief. I swear I’ve gone through 3 of these cables in one year just from normal use.
  • All the browsers are somehow flavors of Safari. To do anything, I will have the choice of ad-filled websites, or ad-filled apps.

It always just seemed like I’m fighting against the system. Never did I have that “it just works” moment, until I’ve got my first Android, and realize I have the freedom to do whatever I want with it, and I can install what I want, and if there’s a problem, I can look things up and fix it myself.

(Having a back button is also a game changer.)

Of course, there is a lot that Android manufacturers can learn from Apple as well, one of the most obvious one is the time for software support: I think my old iPhone has gone through like 3 version updates over the years, whereas currently I’m lucky to get 2 out of any Android manufacturer.

But it seems that Android manufacturers are more content on copying things that works for iOS, but doesn’t work for Android, like removing the headphone jack. Or big notches. (It makes no sense to do that because of Android’s notification system uses the full length of the bar.) It’s gotten to the point that I don’t think people who makes Android phones actually uses Android but are content to copy superficial features from Apple without understanding why Apple do them.

Like a bunch of lemmings. (Heh)

Again, these are my personal preferences, I have nothing against people who prefers iPhones, nor do I think they are lesser for it, but it’s just not for me.

I’d use a one as a work phone/for iMessages though.

cyberwolfie,

Over the course of 14 years, I had five different iPhones: 3GS in 2009, iPhone 4S in 2011, iPhone 6 in 2014, an iPhone XS in 2018 and now a work-only phone owned by my company which I don’t know the model of - I barely use it. I also had a brief Android-spell from mid-2010 until the release of the 4S with an HTC Legend which was a truly awful experience, and turned me off from Android for a long time until I bought a Fairphone 4 for personal use end of last year and installed CalyxOS on it. No regrets making the switch.

But yeah, I liked iPhones for a while. My prejudice against Android was unfortunate, but HTC Legend was a truly awful phone that lost support for updates quickly after I got it, and was also not prioritized by the modding community. I was going to get an HTC Desire, but they were sold out at the time, and I was about to go into the military, so waiting was not an option. If I got the Desire, I think the experience would’ve been better, but instead I sat with the impression that you could not count on long-term support for Android-devices, and that the hardware was rubbish.

I adopted iPhones at the same time as I departed from my teenage more tech-oriented years in favor of more social stuff at high school and university, so avoiding spending time on customization through the whole “you get what exactly we want you to get”-vibe of Apple worked fine for me then. It is the same shit that eventually drove me mad and made me ditch both iOS and macOS last year in favor of Android and Linux.

The hardware itself is quite good. They lasted increasingly longer for my use, but battery performance was shit towards the end and I was not going to spend a fortune changing the battery. My new phone has an easily changeable battery. Other than repairability, new features of smartphones have not excited me for many years.

The Apple ecosystem never really worked for me. I had iCloud only because the price point was much better than Dropbox for my use when I made the change. Other than that I really didn’t use much of their stuff, which made the transition a lot easier than it could’ve been. Exporting iCloud-stuff from a non-Apple device was a chore though… But since I also did not use much of the ecosystem, that was also a big “why bother”-point. But my main grievance is the lack of openness and control over your own device. I also have an old iPad now that sits with no use cases, because I can’t get a recent enough iOS-version installed, and I can’t install another operating system as far as I know. It’s so wasteful.

eee,

There are things i like about ios and things I like about android. And to be fair, both companies have somewhat converged slightly over the years (and learnt from jailbreakers/rooters).

The main thing I still like about ios is that swipe up for control center works better, especially when screen sizes are now all >5".

Things I still like about android:

  • you can sideload apps without resorting to exploits
  • you can transfer files directly onto your phone without using itunes or some weird hack

Ultimately I usually end up on android because the sideload/file transfer thing becomes a deal breaker, but I like that ios provides Google and other phone manufacturers with a reason to continue innovating.

Texas_Hangover,

Apple products are for the technologically feeble.

IGameShit,

I see iPhones as remarkable feats of technology shrouded by greedy business practices and a cultish fan base that alienates everyone that doesn’t conform to the Apple way. If Apple had an execute shakeup and started becoming pro-consumer instead of pro-shareholder then the Apple ecosystem could be an amazing tool that everyone can use, not just iPhone fanatics. I’d love to bring a Macbook around with me because of the portability and reliability, but the cost and lack of support for anything non-apple makes me consider other options, like Framework, Samsung or Lenovo, which I’m fine with. They all build fantastic machines, but they’re limited by the instability of the operating systems I can choose from.

dsmk,

iOS is too restrictive for me. Not being able to access the file system, no sideloading, no background apps, limited app access to the hardware, etc. Apple has the best mobile SoCs, but then you can’t even run an app like Syncthing to keep some folders in sync (it can’t even access those folders) or use some app to re-encode a video in the background.

I like the UI consistency between apps and OS (Android is a bit more “messy”) but overall it’s a bit like ChromeOS. Good for basic stuff and sometimes the best for specific tasks, but try to do anything more advanced and you’ll quickly find a wall.

On my phone I have apps like Syncthing running in the background. Sometimes I run an app that gives me detailed info about battery usage, track/map the signal of mobile networks, contribute to Mozilla Location Service, can see to which bands my phone is connected to (and if rooted, even control which are used). If an app needs to use bluetooth to send a file or NFC, it can. On the other hand, Android still struggles to do fast file transfer well (at least it never works as well as Airdrop for me)… there are trade-offs.

Again, it’s a bit like ChromeOS/Chromebook vs Linux/Windows/macOS. Perfect for my parents, but not enough for me.

The hardware is fine. Things like the display (Samsung), modem (Qualcomm), cameras (Sony) can be found on Android devices (or at least similar hardware). Their SoC is the best there is, but then is restricted by software… a bit like buying a Ferrari to drive it in a city. Imagine a “gaming phone” with the latest A16?

Regarding software updates, Google and Samsung (at least on the more expensive devices) now have 5 years of software updates. Not as good, but not a problem for those buying a new phone today. Some brands are still bad though.

cordlesslamp,

It has been so long so I couldn’t remember the details. But when I got an Iphone 4 back in the day (1st ever iPhone, after many Androids). It got me so frustrated doing anything on it.

One of my biggest frustration was: There’s no “bulk selection” AT ALL! Want to delete pictures? One by one. Delete phone history? One by one. Delete Contacts? ONE! BY! ONE!.

I thought to myself “How could ANYONE use this thing?”

Get rid of it after 4 months and never looked back.

LaughingFox,
@LaughingFox@lemmy.world avatar

I worked at AT&T when iphones first were a thing. Everything was proprietary (still is) with them, and employees weren’t allowed to own phones for the first few years on employee accounts for some unknown reason. When I became a case manager for the executive response team, I finally got to have an iPhone. And… It was boring. I couldn’t customize it (granted this was the iPhone 3G in 2008) and it just really didn’t excite me. Then I got an Android phone on a whim, and fell in love. All the options!! The things you can do or choose not to do! Amazing! And still to this day whenever I play with an iPhone… It bores me to death.

Defaced,

Had an iphone11 and it was fine. I switched to a pixel 6a for multiple reasons though, mainly Google Fi. The iPhone would use data when it didn’t need to and I couldn’t control the data limits easily because the cellular settings would switch whenever the phone would get an update. I was hesitant but I’m glad I switched. Face id is the only thing I really miss.

MargotRobbie,
@MargotRobbie@lemmy.world avatar

Face id is the only thing I really miss.

Is that what your username is referring to? 🙂

Defaced,

Ha, not exactly but that’s a good catch!

root,

I borrowed an old iphone 4 (or was it iphone 5? Can’t tell the difference) about 7 years ago when i had to send my Sony Xperia Z3 Compact in for repair). Couldn’t get it to work thw way i wanted it to. There was no way to properly configure the notifications. I think i could not have the vibration on for messages but not calls or something silly.

I also don’t like being forced to install itunes just to copy music from my computer to phone. No idea if that is still the case nowadays.

There are people who like that convenience and that’s ok.

evidences,

I own an iPad and wanted to copy a gig worth of shit onto it, I think I ended having to resort to Google drive but I still have no clue how to get files onto that damn thing. I’m not sure why apple needs to lock down file transfers on iOS so hard.

root,

Best guess is they wanted a very well defined and controlled file structure, where there’s a place for each type of file, and the only way to do that is to lock it down and have their tool do all the work. Good for some people, but heck, I bloody well want to store my MP3s together with my photos, even if it means I can’t find it later. :D

glockenspiel,

I agree that this is needlessly nuanced, but it is possible. If you have a Mac you can transfer files between Mac and an iPad wirelessly or with a cable. iPads can also connect to external storage devices or Windows PCs if they are sharing the files. But it isn’t like Android where you can basically just plug it into a Windows or Linux machine and have direct instant access to its entire directory.

43dc92z0,

I have arch and I can also copy files. I use Documents as file manager on ipad.

UltraBlack,

IPhones are irrepairable, good looking, feature packed, reliable, android mocking, mostly great phones with intentional design flaws, from whose platform you can’t easily switch away, created by an unethical company trying to squeeze every penny out of you

node815,

I admit I didn’t read many replies due to time. But to add to them, the more I deal with my mother who is becoming more technologically challenged in her years, I constantly get to hear about how confusing her Android is sometimes, I sort of wish she’d switch to Apple for it’s simplicity! I used to have an iMac and was gladly part of the eco-system for a while and enjoyed how intuitive it was. With that said, when the time came for me to join the Smartphone world in '10 or so - I went Android and haven’t looked back.

We’ve looked at them in the past and while they make solid quality phones and easy to use phones, from what I understand, the battery life is somewhat to be desired? (as of a few years ago). The formula they use to make everything stay within their Eco-system seems to be working for them. After all, if you have an iPhone, then it seamlessly works with your Mac, or other Apple Devices. There’s more control over it.

For the best flexibility with our family, we use Android and will for the time being. Not to say though that the newer Linux based phones (PinePhone,Librephone etc) aren’t catching my attention because they are and I’m a die hard Linux user! :)

ProtonBadger,

I've been back and forth between Android and iOS several times, I'm happy with either these days.

I use services that work on both platforms like GMail/Cal/Contacts, Dropbox free (10GB)/oneDrive + Cryptomator, Bitwarden, 2FAS, Signal/WhatsApp, etc. There's no lock-in on either platform as far as I'm concerned and I can switch over in half an hour and keep going.

I charge my phones with an ancient 7W Qi pad, batteries usually last 3-4 years before any degradation is mildly noticeable, at which time getting a store to replace it is trivial or I sell the old phone and buy a new one - Apple/Samsung/Google, whatever takes my fancy.

applejacks,
@applejacks@lemmy.world avatar

They are many nice things about them.

  • great build quality
  • long software support
  • brick and mortar repair
  • cohesive ecosystem
  • products aren’t abandoned
  • devices hold their value

I really wish I could use them but there are simply a lot of things about Android that I find more important.

  • ironically, not being bound into an ecosystem
  • much more freedom of device choice\
  • can install whatever apps you want
  • i refuse to use a device without a headphone jack
  • far more customizable
Franzia,

Im using a motorola that’s ~3 years old and not top of the line. It has a headphone jack, and a stylus.

My opinion on the iPhone is that it is the industry leading phone. But it’s taking the industry in directions I just have no interest in.

I used to love the Iphone back when app devs followed strict design standards. And offered a good product for a few bucks up-front. So now I use launchers with icon-replacements, and I try to pay for FOSS apps that I use.

So nowadays, I’m looking forward to more counter-culture designs. I’m definitely looking for a phone with a physicaly keyboard or a way to attach a small bluetooth keyboard physically to the phone. But I digress.

IGameShit,

It’s only “industry leading” in the US. Everywhere else it gets trampled on. It’s a status symbol and nothing more.

glockenspiel,

A bit pedantic, but it is also industry leading in revenue/profit. Even in Europe and parts of Asia. A first glance it is a pretty “duh” statement. But companies, like Samsung, see Apple’s price action and then move in unison toward it. Sure, you can get plenty of phones for relatively cheap these days. Often times with huge drawbacks or a lot of additional spying built in (or “features” like advertisements in notifications). Or you pay for it in other ways, such as not receiving more than a year’s worth of updates.

TORFdot0,

I use both devices and to me I prefer the iPhone for its simplicity in UX of things such as audio handoff between devices with airpods, the ease of using their “Find My” network. And being able to use iMessage/FaceTime seamlessly with other apple users without them needing another account to use Wi-Fi calling/messaging. The camera/photos/iCloud integration is much better too.

Android is much better for various little apps. They are more permissive on the App Store and even if they weren’t you can easily side load. Things like emulators are way more convenient as well as various other self hostable projects that can extend the life of the device even when it’s no longer adequate for communications.

Personally I prefer the ubiquitousness and of the apple ecosystem and I prefer the smaller form factor for phones and so the iPhone 13 mini is my preferred device. If there isn’t another small form factor phone from apple when it’s time for me to upgrade then I’ll probably try to look into whatever the latest fairphone at the time is (if it’s still supported in the US)

If the manufacturers would stay out of Google’s way and let there be a unified android experience without manufacturer bloat then it’d probably be the best as pixels are fantastic phones with good support, they are just a bit too big for my liking

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