Gotchas - moving from iphone to android

[Doozer]

I know everyone has their opinions, and it's not much different than a Ford vs Chev debate.

But me and the wife have had iPhones for years and years, and I'm thinking about making the switch to a Samsung S9. Bang for the buck just seems to be way better with the Androids these days.

So this isn't a debate about which is better. I'm still not 100% sure that I'm going to switch. But I'm trying to figure out any "gotchas" going from long-term iPhone use to Android. I'm more techy than she is so I'm not worried about myself figuring things out, but I need to know what I'm getting into as far as making sure SHE'S happy!

So far, I've got the list below:

- She'd need to have a google account to access the Play store
- No straight restore from an iPhone backup, so all apps will have to be downloaded and configured from scratch again
- Any apps that aren't connected through Facebook probably won't be able to port over progress. This would mostly be an issue for the games on the phones that our kids play.
- BIG ONE - we have our iPhone calendars synced to be able to see all appointments for the family, and we'd need to do this again on the android phones. So I'm assuming we'd have to switch to Google Calendar or something? This allows synced calendars? Anyone know if it allows an import of an Apple calendar or would we have to enter everything again?
- Just getting used to the small differences in navigation - settings, etc.

Anyone think of any other major changes I'd need to plan for before making the switch?

[Brent.ff]

biggest thing for me was imessage. We have a 10 person group chat with my family (my mom only uses an Ipad for her access to it). That's my Gotcha on it..

[jwslam]

-Google Pay has a lot more limitations than Apple Pay i.e. you won't get boarding passes, some banks you'll need the bank app
-Purchased / premium apps will need to be purchased again
-Apple music subscriber?
-Cloud storage for photos? iCloud vs Google.
-Cable chargers? for work, for car, etc.
-Cross platform use at home; i.e. do you have AppleTV / iPads

Other considerations:
https://www.androidcentral.com/switching-iphone-android

[mzdspd]

When you say better bang for your buck with android.. One thing to think about..

iPhones are extremely easy to sell and they hold value very well. I have sold probably 5 iphones in the last 5 years and they have all sold on kijiji with 6 hours of posting and all for great prices. For instance, wife got her 6 stolen (back in 2015), the police found it and it was returned. At that point, she had already purchased a brand new one 6.. We sold her old for 80% of what she had paid for the new one.

Last year I sold her almost 3 year old 6 for 400$.. So 50% of what it was new after the phone being 3 years old..

Right now I am trying to sell a 11 month old Pixel XL for 400$.. This phone was over 1000$ a year ago.. I haven't got a single reply or interested buyer on it.

[civicHB]

biggest thing for me was imessage. We have a 10 person group chat with my family (my mom only uses an Ipad for her access to it). That's my Gotcha on it..

WhatsApp can easily handle this for you on any devise.

[rage2]

WhatsApp can easily handle this for you on any devise.
Except his mom is on an iPad. There is no WhatsApp on an iPad, nor does the device have a phone # to link to the WhatsApp account.

iMessage is a big one, you will unintentionally lose some friends in real life.

[Doozer]

biggest thing for me was imessage. We have a 10 person group chat with my family (my mom only uses an Ipad for her access to it). That's my Gotcha on it..
Good call here. We use iMessage, but I don't think I have any multi-person message threads going so it's not a deal-breaker, but good to know.


-Google Pay has a lot more limitations than Apple Pay i.e. you won't get boarding passes, some banks you'll need the bank app
-Purchased / premium apps will need to be purchased again
-Apple music subscriber?
-Cloud storage for photos? iCloud vs Google.
-Cable chargers? for work, for car, etc.
-Cross platform use at home; i.e. do you have AppleTV / iPads

Other considerations:
https://www.androidcentral.com/switching-iphone-android
Good stuff here, that link is great too. I don't bank on my phone (call me an old fart, but I prefer to do it on a wired device), although my wife does. We also don't use ApplePay for anything, except for the first time this month we used it for boarding passes for a trip we took. Cable chargers is a good one too, although I'd probably just go to monoprice and order a dozen new ones - that's what I did for the iPhones when they switched to the lightning adapter.


When you say better bang for your buck with android.. One thing to think about..

iPhones are extremely easy to sell and they hold value very well. I have sold probably 5 iphones in the last 5 years and they have all sold on kijiji with 6 hours of posting and all for great prices. For instance, wife got her 6 stolen (back in 2015), the police found it and it was returned. At that point, she had already purchased a brand new one 6.. We sold her old for 80% of what she had paid for the new one.

That's interesting - I've never sold an old phone in my life. Either the kids play with it, or I've just used them long enough that I wouldn't feel right dumping my old crap on someone else. For example the 6+ phones that my wife and I have are both struggling with battery life I'm on my 3rd replacement) and I wouldn't even think about trying to sell them.


Except his mom is on an iPad. There is no WhatsApp on an iPad, nor does the device have a phone # to link to the WhatsApp account.

iMessage is a big one, you will unintentionally lose some friends in real life.
Haha, in my 40s, I'm probably not losing any friends over a texting app, and if I do, good riddance to them! (also of note, we could still use WhatsApp with our friends since there's no one I can think of other than my kids who use an iPad without cellular to communicate)

[Doozer]

Good stuff guys, keep it coming. Another one I just thought of was a balance on my iTunes account. Still have $20 sitting on there that's probably not going to be used up very quickly if/when I'm on Android.

[Doozer]

I guess it didn't matter ... Best Buy has a good sale this weekend with the iPhoneX for $99 with a plan, so wife and I are sticking with iPhones for a couple more years anyway...

[firebane]

Man let me tell you... My work just gave me an iphone and being an Android person... the phone makes my head hurt with the lack of customization and things like a damn BACK button.

Its crazy how much stuff Android does that makes using a phone so much more friendlier and things are common sense.

[Buster]

Apple has quite the ecosystem :

- itunes
- icloud
- apple pay
- all of your friends

[rage2]

Apple has quite the ecosystem :

- itunes
- icloud
- apple pay
- all of your friends
Sums it up. We'd hang out more if it wasn't for the unreliability of the green bubbles.

[firebane]

Apple has quite the ecosystem :

- itunes
- icloud
- apple pay
- all of your friends

Google Music
Google Drive/Photos
Android Pay
Some of your friends

[cam_wmh]

Man let me tell you... My work just gave me an iphone and being an Android person... the phone makes my head hurt with the lack of customization and things like a damn BACK button.

Its crazy how much stuff Android does that makes using a phone so much more friendlier and things are common sense.

Please share those custom changes that you do on Android, to make the phone easier to use.

[dirtsniffer]

Nvn

[Kavy]

I have about 5 friends who are hold outs with android phones and just like rage said they are excluded from a lot of group messages, gif jokes, links etc all through iMessage.

I get there is messaging apps but then I need to have everyone install those message apps. Then convince them using that and text is a good idea. Friends come over and unlock their iPhone....boom I get a prompt to share my wifi info with them, I can text them my location when I’m downtown if they are lost.....right from the iMessage no extra apps needed.

Let be honest here there is nothing easier about Android it’s just that your used to the ecosystem and OS so everything else is foreign to you. It’s just like if an iPhone user switched to android they would be flustered. I have thought about switching a few times over but my daughter, mom, mother in law, and countless others have iPhones and iMessage is serious sticking point.

[firebane]

I have about 5 friends who are hold outs with android phones and just like rage said they are excluded from a lot of group messages, gif jokes, links etc all through iMessage.

I get there is messaging apps but then I need to have everyone install those message apps. Then convince them using that and text is a good idea. Friends come over and unlock their iPhone....boom I get a prompt to share my wifi info with them, I can text them my location when I’m downtown if they are lost.....right from the iMessage no extra apps needed.

Let be honest here there is nothing easier about Android it’s just that your used to the ecosystem and OS so everything else is foreign to you. It’s just like if an iPhone user switched to android they would be flustered. I have thought about switching a few times over but my daughter, mom, mother in law, and countless others have iPhones and iMessage is serious sticking point.

Wrong... everything is easier with Android. I have given my work phone a good chance and the fact its so locked down is annoying.

Android I can remove and delete home screens as I wish
I can remove shortcuts from the home screen without deleting the actual app
Shade pull down option in Android is so damn nice, clean and convenient
Having the ability in Android to reduce or turn off animations is another

I could keep going.

[Buster]

Every time I pick up an iPhone, I feel like I'm using My First Smartphone.

Then I go back to my Pixel2, and think...ahh...back to Power User Land. Integrated google shit works so much better, I have side-loaded APKs for a couple of things, Google Maps integrated into a google phone is way better.

But I can't send GIFs to all of my buddies on iPhones! oh noz!

[dirtsniffer]

Expendable storage? The fuck?

[Kavy]

Wrong... everything is easier with Android. I have given my work phone a good chance and the fact its so locked down is annoying.

Android I can remove and delete home screens as I wish
I can remove shortcuts from the home screen without deleting the actual app
Shade pull down option in Android is so damn nice, clean and convenient
Having the ability in Android to reduce or turn off animations is another

I could keep going.

Fanboys be fanboys
I like something different. It’s easier for me, it’s not easier for you because it’s a different ecosystem and you’re not used to it. I’m not saying Android is worse or that it’s garbage I’m just saying it’s not for me.

Relax.

[duaner]

I know everyone has their opinions, and it's not much different than a Ford vs Chev debate.

But me and the wife have had iPhones for years and years, and I'm thinking about making the switch to a Samsung S9. Bang for the buck just seems to be way better with the Androids these days.

So this isn't a debate about which is better. I'm still not 100% sure that I'm going to switch. But I'm trying to figure out any "gotchas" going from long-term iPhone use to Android. I'm more techy than she is so I'm not worried about myself figuring things out, but I need to know what I'm getting into as far as making sure SHE'S happy!

So far, I've got the list below:

- She'd need to have a google account to access the Play store
- No straight restore from an iPhone backup, so all apps will have to be downloaded and configured from scratch again
- Any apps that aren't connected through Facebook probably won't be able to port over progress. This would mostly be an issue for the games on the phones that our kids play.
- BIG ONE - we have our iPhone calendars synced to be able to see all appointments for the family, and we'd need to do this again on the android phones. So I'm assuming we'd have to switch to Google Calendar or something? This allows synced calendars? Anyone know if it allows an import of an Apple calendar or would we have to enter everything again?
- Just getting used to the small differences in navigation - settings, etc.

Anyone think of any other major changes I'd need to plan for before making the switch?

I just about switched to an S9 last fall when the contract was up but decided on an iPhone 7. I have regretted it ever since. I absolutely hate not having a headphone jack; removing it was the dumbest of the dumb things that Apple has done. The stupid little adapter they give does funky things to the music once in a while, and then I'm always having to make sure I have it with me when I'm at school. And you also have to buy a third-party adapter to be able to listen and charge at the same time. I would go back to my 6S but then I would be going from 256GB to 64GB and having to constantly manage the memory.

I've had Android in the past but didn't get much out of it. Some things the OS does better, some things iOS does better, some things they just do differently.

[firebane]

Fanboys be fanboys
I like something different. It’s easier for me, it’s not easier for you because it’s a different ecosystem and you’re not used to it. I’m not saying Android is worse or that it’s garbage I’m just saying it’s not for me.

Relax.

I'm not a "fanboy" by any means. Being in the tech world and working in a corporate environment heavily dependent on Apple phones I need to be open minded and have an understanding to help people out.

On the other hand as an experienced tech user the general feeling of using an Apple phone over Android really leaves a lot to be desired in regards to functionality which the Apple phone does not do at all.

[rage2]

I just about switched to an S9 last fall when the contract was up but decided on an iPhone 7. I have regretted it ever since. I absolutely hate not having a headphone jack; removing it was the dumbest of the dumb things that Apple has done. The stupid little adapter they give does funky things to the music once in a while, and then I'm always having to make sure I have it with me when I'm at school. And you also have to buy a third-party adapter to be able to listen and charge at the same time. I would go back to my 6S but then I would be going from 256GB to 64GB and having to constantly manage the memory.

I've had Android in the past but didn't get much out of it. Some things the OS does better, some things iOS does better, some things they just do differently.
I was hesitant to switch to wireless because of shitty Bluetooth issues over the years but the Airpods changed my tune pretty quickly. Added a pair of Beats Studio 3s for flights and I’m fully covered for all use cases. Apple’s W1 chip makes Bluetooth rock solid. Will never deal with wires again. So much more freedom of movement when doing outdoor activities.

I dunno why standard Bluetooth is so crappy especially in crowds with other BT users, whatever Apple did with W1 Bluetooth needs to copy and standardize. Connection stability and range just blows standard Bluetooth away.

[Boosted131]

biggest thing for me was imessage. We have a 10 person group chat with my family (my mom only uses an Ipad for her access to it). That's my Gotcha on it..

For the people without imessage , I use facebook messenger. I do send alot more different things to people with iMessage, than to those without it. At least if you send a video over imessage it won't turn to potato quality , like a video text does...

[Bladeh]

I know the wifey uses Google plus app on the iPhone with group chat, as the kids and grandkids have android phones.

[ExtraSlow]

It's my firm opinion that you should pick an "ecosystem" and stick with it. if you are going to be an apple person, have an ipad, mac, and iphone, use itunes for music etc. If you are going to be a google person, use chrome as yoru browser, use a gmail email address, google g-suite if you run a small business, google play music etc.

Doing a little of each is a path to madness.

I'm firmly in the android camp, and I haven't found anything that I can't accomplish, and it integrates well with my two different small business accounts running through g-suite. It works well on my laptop, my phone and anywhere. I really enjoy the collaboration tools built into g-suite as well, wither collaborative editing documents, or google hangouts video chat or whatever. It's all pretty seamless. I've heard the apple stuff works for that too, but like I said, I'm firmly android.

[Doozer]

I just about switched to an S9 last fall when the contract was up but decided on an iPhone 7. I have regretted it ever since. I absolutely hate not having a headphone jack; removing it was the dumbest of the dumb things that Apple has done. The stupid little adapter they give does funky things to the music once in a while, and then I'm always having to make sure I have it with me when I'm at school. And you also have to buy a third-party adapter to be able to listen and charge at the same time. I would go back to my 6S but then I would be going from 256GB to 64GB and having to constantly manage the memory.

I've had Android in the past but didn't get much out of it. Some things the OS does better, some things iOS does better, some things they just do differently.

duaner, nice to see you again! It's only been a week or so, but so far I'm happy with X. I haven't had much cause to complain about the (lack of) headphone jack, because I realized I just don't use it often. Sure, for a flight or something I'd need it, but I'm not one of those kids that walks around campus with headphones in all the time or whatever. I don't take transit (although I wish I could), so it's CarPlay through the car and I use headphones on my laptop or speakers in the office.

Gotta change a few habits since the X has no home button, but it's coming around. We'll see over the coming weeks how things go.

[Mitsu3000gt]

I know everyone has their opinions, and it's not much different than a Ford vs Chev debate.

But me and the wife have had iPhones for years and years, and I'm thinking about making the switch to a Samsung S9. Bang for the buck just seems to be way better with the Androids these days.

So this isn't a debate about which is better. I'm still not 100% sure that I'm going to switch. But I'm trying to figure out any "gotchas" going from long-term iPhone use to Android. I'm more techy than she is so I'm not worried about myself figuring things out, but I need to know what I'm getting into as far as making sure SHE'S happy!

So far, I've got the list below:

- She'd need to have a google account to access the Play store
- No straight restore from an iPhone backup, so all apps will have to be downloaded and configured from scratch again
- Any apps that aren't connected through Facebook probably won't be able to port over progress. This would mostly be an issue for the games on the phones that our kids play.
- BIG ONE - we have our iPhone calendars synced to be able to see all appointments for the family, and we'd need to do this again on the android phones. So I'm assuming we'd have to switch to Google Calendar or something? This allows synced calendars? Anyone know if it allows an import of an Apple calendar or would we have to enter everything again?
- Just getting used to the small differences in navigation - settings, etc.

Anyone think of any other major changes I'd need to plan for before making the switch?

I've been a dual system Android/iOS user since the iPhone 3GS

My take on your points:

- Yes she would need a google account. Most people use Gmail anyway, and it integrates better on android than Gmail for iOS.
- You would only need to do a restore when you get another new phone, the apps do download again, but they do so automatically and it does keep your app settings
- Not sure about Facebook games - never played them. If you signed into something on Facebook though, it shouldn't matter what device you're on
- You can sync google calendar and iCalendar - shouldn't be much of a problem there
- Android is way more intuitive than iOS in my opinion. iOS has a bunch of weird quirks and menu options are never where you expect them to be. You have to access most iOS settings from the iOS menu rather than directly from the app, and you can't customize privacy and notifications nearly to the same degree. Android notifications are much better too. Some of that is subjective.
- Battery life is much better than any iPhone I have ever had, for my usage

Some others:
- You can sync Apple Music to your Google Music. Google music is also $15/mo for up to 4 people.
- Android auto is WAY better than Apple Car Play
- Google maps integrates better on Android and is vastly superior to Apple Maps
- The cameras on the best Android phones are objectively better
- Charging is way faster without spending another $80
- About half my friends have iPhones and they still use WhatsApp not only because it's cross platform but because it's just a better platform. Even iPhone to iPhone they use WhatsApp. You're SOL on an iPad though.
- Headphone jacks and expandable memory are awesome, but not every Android phone has it. I have tired a half dozen wireless earphones now at various price points and NONE of them come even close to the quality an average pair of wired earphones. Plus charging headphones is super annoying when battery life is only a few hours, and having to maintain a tiny Lithium battery over time so it doesn't deteriorate is super annoying.
- Google Pay is pretty limited
- Google Drive is much better than iCould, in my opinion and for my usage. Both are a giant rip off if you need large amounts of storage.

Basically I am at the point now where I use an Android phone and Apple for my tablet (iPad Pro). For me that is the perfect mix of the two. The Apple tablet environment is better suppported than Android, and there have been no high end Android tablets on the market for years now.

Regarding resale, I sold a mint, virtually unused iPhone 8 in the spring and it did NOT hold it's value well at all. $~1000 phone and I could barely get $600 for it after 2-3 weeks of dealing with the usual Kijiji idiots. Finally I let it go cheap and it sold. Lots of people wanted top dollar for their iPhones but it didn't seem like many people were getting it. No different than the Android flagships I've sold. I'll be selling my iPad Pro 10.5" 256GB very soon in the same condition, so we'll see what kind of resale there is on that.

At the end of the day both are good enough that it doesn't REALLY matter, so you are mostly just buying into your preferred ecosystem.

- - - Updated - - -




Right now I am trying to sell a 11 month old Pixel XL for 400$.. This phone was over 1000$ a year ago.. I haven't got a single reply or interested buyer on it.

A Pixel XL is 23 months old and will be 3 full generations old next month.

[Buster]

Wait...are people making a depreciation comparison?

[rage2]

- Yes she would need a google account. Most people use Gmail anyway, and it integrates better on android than Gmail for iOS.
- You can sync Apple Music to your Google Music. Google music is also $15/mo for up to 4 people.
- Android auto is WAY better than Apple Car Play
- Google maps integrates better on Android and is vastly superior to Apple Maps
- Headphone jacks and expandable memory are awesome, but not every Android phone has it. I have tired a half dozen wireless earphones now at various price points and NONE of them come even close to the quality an average pair of wired earphones. Plus charging headphones is super annoying when battery life is only a few hours, and having to maintain a tiny Lithium battery over time so it doesn't deteriorate is super annoying.
- Google Drive is much better than iCould, in my opinion and for my usage. Both are a giant rip off if you need large amounts of storage.

- Google (free) accounts are terrible for iOS integration. It's a tight/solid integration if you have a Google Business account.

- Apple music has $15/month for 6 people in a family.

- I was demo'ing Carplay vs Android Auto in India in a Hyundai i20 to my team on my last trip. One of the guys picked up a new i20, had both AA and CP, so we tested it side by side. AA menus are terrible and you have to do everything by voice. There were also enough glitching to cause it to disconnect. It also took us 10 mins to connect to get going but was fine after initial setup. CP on the other hand was easy and intuitive right off the bat, even the Android folks (which is almost everyone in India) were able to figure it out in seconds. Google Maps is the big advantage with AA but CP is getting it in the next month. You can do a lot of things with CP through touch (exception is messages), and Siri does the rest. Both OK Google and Siri needed solid internet to work properly, so driving in India, CP with touch interface was more usable, while AA relying on voice control was broken half the time. Doubt that would be a problem here unless you're driving through the mountains with shitty coverage.

- Apple Maps isn't as bad as it was at launch, but you're right, Google Maps is still much better.

- You need to try a set of W1 wireless headphones on an Apple device. 40 hours on a single charge for over the ear Beats. Airpods on the other hand isn't that great at 1 hour of talk time/3 hours of listening time, but it does recharge fully in 10 mins.

- Google drive unfortunately isn't an option on iOS devices for backups, photos, etc. You *have* to use iCloud storage, which yea, is expensive as hell. Google Drive (corp) accounts gets unlimited storage which is nice, and integrates into iOS well aside from said backups and other cloud stuff.

[msommers]

I haven’t moved to iPhone for one simple reason: texting on it is a pain in the ass compared to my Google phone. Otherwise comparing my iPad to an Android tablet, the apple product is much smoother to use.

[Mitsu3000gt]

- Google (free) accounts are terrible for iOS integration. It's a tight/solid integration if you have a Google Business account.

- Apple music has $15/month for 6 people in a family.

- I was demo'ing Carplay vs Android Auto in India in a Hyundai i20 to my team on my last trip. One of the guys picked up a new i20, had both AA and CP, so we tested it side by side. AA menus are terrible and you have to do everything by voice. There were also enough glitching to cause it to disconnect. It also took us 10 mins to connect to get going but was fine after initial setup. CP on the other hand was easy and intuitive right off the bat, even the Android folks (which is almost everyone in India) were able to figure it out in seconds. Google Maps is the big advantage with AA but CP is getting it in the next month. You can do a lot of things with CP through touch (exception is messages), and Siri does the rest. Both OK Google and Siri needed solid internet to work properly, so driving in India, CP with touch interface was more usable, while AA relying on voice control was broken half the time. Doubt that would be a problem here unless you're driving through the mountains with shitty coverage.

- Apple Maps isn't as bad as it was at launch, but you're right, Google Maps is still much better.

- You need to try a set of W1 wireless headphones on an Apple device. 40 hours on a single charge for over the ear Beats. Airpods on the other hand isn't that great at 1 hour of talk time/3 hours of listening time, but it does recharge fully in 10 mins.

- Google drive unfortunately isn't an option on iOS devices for backups, photos, etc. You *have* to use iCloud storage, which yea, is expensive as hell. Google Drive (corp) accounts gets unlimited storage which is nice, and integrates into iOS well aside from said backups and other cloud stuff.

I can't speak for the i20 in India but been using Android Auto every day since February 2017 and have never had a single glitch, lag, or disconnect. It's literally been flawless across two different phones. I also rarely use voice, and always use the touch screen on my car which is easy-access and could not be simpler to use (any time someone gets in my car they play with it - even my grandma was navigating it and changing songs haha). When I do need voice, holding a button on the steering wheel brings me right to Google Assistant which is awesome for initiating a phone call, sending texts (it even can text through WhatsApp group chats), pulling up a song without digging through a playlist, or entering an address. My car even shows me my google map directions on the LCD screen below my speedo (with distance countdown), and my songs/podcasts in the same place - the integration is as good as the factory audio and Honda's own GPS if not better. It also natively supports apps like Pocketcast which is fantastic. Maybe the experience varies from car to car? I haven't tried it on much else to comment. The only complaint I have with it is in Google Play Music, when you are at the start of a playlist, pressing the back button on the steering wheel doesn't go to the end of the list, you need to scroll all through. Also after 5-6 inputs if you're driving, it locks you out for 'safety', but I think that is a Honda thing - not sure.

Google maps with the constantly updating live traffic, delay re-routes, ETA updates, etc. on the car's screen are the best thing ever. Now that I've had it in my car I could never go back to anything else.

I have tried Jaybird X3's (which the Wirecutter likes) and most similar/competing earphones in that general category both cheaper and more expensive - they all have garbage quality and completely lack bass (IMO). What W1's do you recommend? It looks like it's an entire lineup. Since I use a Pixel 2XL I am still at the mercy of a dongle or bluetooth but I've been reluctantly using the dongle lately because I can't find a pair of bluetooth earphones that sound good and can take gym abuse. And now I might have to deal with a god damn notch on the XL3 :facepalm: I might just buy the normal Pixel 3 to avoid that.

I use Google Drive a lot on my iPad to back up scans (I scan every receipt, pictures of serial numbers on electronics, etc.), files, some photo/videos, drone footage, surveillance camera footage, etc. but I don't think it can back up the entire iPad for restore purposes. I even have apps that auto-backup stuff on my iPad to a specific Google Drive folder, it works pretty seamlessly and is even integrated into Apple's 'file' system. I find Drive and iCould extra storage both to be very expensive for a really useful amount compared to other cloud services so I don't bother with either beyond the base amount. Most of the Google Apps actually work really well on the iOS, I have very few complaints there - that helps me out a lot using both ecosystems.

It still kills me that I can't delete the messages app on my WiFi only iPad. If there is a way, I don't know what it is. Having to dump those apps/icons on the last page just to keep them hidden is pretty pathetic.

Looks like I was wrong, Google music is 5 people not 4 for the family plan, but still not as many as Apple Music if that is 6.

[Buster]

I haven't used CP yet... But I'm a constant android auto user. It's amazing and I basically use voice with it 100% of the time. I'd be shocked if Google maps on CP works as well as on Android auto.

[kenny]

Looks like I was wrong, Google music is 5 people not 4 for the family plan, but still not as many as Apple Music if that is 6.

Google Music family plan is 6 people, but going the YouTube Music Premium route is better since it includes Ad-free experience on YouTube for an extra $3/month.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Google Music family plan is 6 people, but going the YouTube Music Premium route is better since it includes Ad-free experience on YouTube for an extra $3/month.

WTF was I looking at, I thought it was only 5. Oh well, thanks for the correction!

[kenny]

WTF was I looking at, I thought it was only 5. Oh well, thanks for the correction!

"When you subscribe to the Google Play Music family plan, you and up to 5 family members can stream millions of songs for a monthly fee."

Terrible wording, so looks like 5 people at a glance.

[Buster]

Isn't spotify better than either?

[schocker]

Isn't spotify better than either?
Of course, but the ad-free youtube is quite nice if you watch enough stuff. I have both for some reason.

[cam_wmh]

I've been a dual system Android/iOS user since the iPhone 3GS

My take on your points:

- Yes she would need a google account. Most people use Gmail anyway, and it integrates better on android than Gmail for iOS.
- You would only need to do a restore when you get another new phone, the apps do download again, but they do so automatically and it does keep your app settings
- Not sure about Facebook games - never played them. If you signed into something on Facebook though, it shouldn't matter what device you're on
- You can sync google calendar and iCalendar - shouldn't be much of a problem there
- Android is way more intuitive than iOS in my opinion. iOS has a bunch of weird quirks and menu options are never where you expect them to be. You have to access most iOS settings from the iOS menu rather than directly from the app, and you can't customize privacy and notifications nearly to the same degree. Android notifications are much better too. Some of that is subjective.
- Battery life is much better than any iPhone I have ever had, for my usage

Some others:
- You can sync Apple Music to your Google Music. Google music is also $15/mo for up to 4 people.
- Android auto is WAY better than Apple Car Play
- Google maps integrates better on Android and is vastly superior to Apple Maps
- The cameras on the best Android phones are objectively better
- Charging is way faster without spending another $80
- About half my friends have iPhones and they still use WhatsApp not only because it's cross platform but because it's just a better platform. Even iPhone to iPhone they use WhatsApp. You're SOL on an iPad though.
- Headphone jacks and expandable memory are awesome, but not every Android phone has it. I have tired a half dozen wireless earphones now at various price points and NONE of them come even close to the quality an average pair of wired earphones. Plus charging headphones is super annoying when battery life is only a few hours, and having to maintain a tiny Lithium battery over time so it doesn't deteriorate is super annoying.
- Google Pay is pretty limited
- Google Drive is much better than iCould, in my opinion and for my usage. Both are a giant rip off if you need large amounts of storage.

Basically I am at the point now where I use an Android phone and Apple for my tablet (iPad Pro). For me that is the perfect mix of the two. The Apple tablet environment is better suppported than Android, and there have been no high end Android tablets on the market for years now.

Regarding resale, I sold a mint, virtually unused iPhone 8 in the spring and it did NOT hold it's value well at all. $~1000 phone and I could barely get $600 for it after 2-3 weeks of dealing with the usual Kijiji idiots. Finally I let it go cheap and it sold. Lots of people wanted top dollar for their iPhones but it didn't seem like many people were getting it. No different than the Android flagships I've sold. I'll be selling my iPad Pro 10.5" 256GB very soon in the same condition, so we'll see what kind of resale there is on that.

At the end of the day both are good enough that it doesn't REALLY matter, so you are mostly just buying into your preferred ecosystem.

- - - Updated - - -



A Pixel XL is 23 months old and will be 3 full generations old next month.

Appreciate this, but the reselling piece I contest.

I sold my iPhone 7 -256gb for $500 a couple months ago. Should've got at least $700 for the same sized 8.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Appreciate this, but the reselling piece I contest.

I sold my iPhone 7 -256gb for $500 a couple months ago. Should've got at least $700 for the same sized 8.

Maybe the Plus phones or higher storage variants are in more demand. Nobody would buy my iPhone 8 64GB (literally as-new) until I dropped it to $600. Got tons of $5XX offers that I turned down thinking they were the usual low-ballers but the market ended up being not much higher than that. It lost ~40% value in around 6 months. Maybe if I held out longer than 2-3 weeks I could have got a bit more but I re-posted that ad every single day for maximum traffic and nobody would pay me anywhere near $700. Got tons of replies. That was just my experience. My sample size is small but I definitely did not experience anything special for resale even with a pristine sample of the latest generation model. Before that I sold a 2 year old iPhone 4S and I am pretty sure I had to let that go for $280.

EDIT: Just noticed yours was the 7 not the 7+. Still that was a $1200 phone and less than 50% for only being 1 generation old doesn't sound that great for resale. Basically identical to my last Pixel.

[eblend]

Was an Iphone user back in the day, then did a stint with Windows Phone and have been Android since. There is no way in fucking hell would I ever go back to an IPHONE. I have to carry an iphone once every 6 weeks or so for work support, I can't believe how fucking frustrating that thing is to use. I would never. I have no commitment to any ecosystem, I don't buy music or apps really, but just the lack of a back button on an iphone is enough for me. It seems like with an iphone you can place the back button anywhere one pleases, there is no consistency.

Anyways, no thanks, would never go back.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Was an Iphone user back in the day, then did a stint with Windows Phone and have been Android since. There is no way in fucking hell would I ever go back to an IPHONE. I have to carry an iphone once every 6 weeks or so for work support, I can't believe how fucking frustrating that thing is to use. I would never. I have no commitment to any ecosystem, I don't buy music or apps really, but just the lack of a back button on an iphone is enough for me. It seems like with an iphone you can place the back button anywhere one pleases, there is no consistency.

Anyways, no thanks, would never go back.

That is one of my #1 complaints as well and since I use both I am always expecting it to be there when it isn't - dedicated back buttons are WAY better for general navigation. I'm not sure about the iPhone but at least on the iPad you can sometimes swipe from the side to go back, but it doesn't work on every screen like the android back button does. A lot of screens require you to tap the top left, and then it goes WAY back, not to the previous screen - I can't even tell you how many shopping carts and other similar sessions I've had to re-do because of that haha. Having to tap the top left corner to go "back" is not ideal. I am not sure how they do it on the X, it might be better.

[Buster]

The entire way to navigate through an iPhone is far less sophisticated than on Android. I can't believe people stand for it. Just look at how long that company refused to acknowledge that right mouse buttons existed. It's a fucking Duplo OS.

Prediction for 2019: Apple announces iOS 14 or whatever, and the big feature is a back button. Then they will have a TV ad campaign with funky music and an iPhone floating in the air, and someone will press the back button and the iPhone people will go crazy. Then I'll have to hear my buddies when I'm out for beers talking about the awesome new back button feature on their new iPhone. "Look at this man...it goes BACK TO THE LAST THING YOU JUST DID!!!"

[rage2]

Basically, it boils down to what you're used to. Android back button vs iPhone swipe right gesture. I don't have a home button anymore either, that would drive you guys insane haha.


Prediction for 2019: Apple announces iOS 14 or whatever, and the big feature is a back button. Then they will have a TV ad campaign with funky music and an iPhone floating in the air, and someone will press the back button and the iPhone people will go crazy. Then I'll have to hear my buddies when I'm out for beers talking about the awesome new back button feature on their new iPhone. "Look at this man...it goes BACK TO THE LAST THING YOU JUST DID!!!"
I'll bet you a lunch that's not gonna happen.

[Buster]

Basically, it boils down to what you're used to. Android back button vs iPhone swipe right gesture. I don't have a home button anymore either, that would drive you guys insane haha.


I'll bet you a lunch that's not gonna happen.

ARe you holding me to the 2019 year? lol

[rage2]

ARe you holding me to the 2019 year? lol
I ain't waiting 2 years for a free lunch. :rofl:

[cam_wmh]

Maybe the Plus phones or higher storage variants are in more demand. Nobody would buy my iPhone 8 64GB (literally as-new) until I dropped it to $600. Got tons of $5XX offers that I turned down thinking they were the usual low-ballers but the market ended up being not much higher than that. It lost ~40% value in around 6 months. Maybe if I held out longer than 2-3 weeks I could have got a bit more but I re-posted that ad every single day for maximum traffic and nobody would pay me anywhere near $700. Got tons of replies. That was just my experience. My sample size is small but I definitely did not experience anything special for resale even with a pristine sample of the latest generation model. Before that I sold a 2 year old iPhone 4S and I am pretty sure I had to let that go for $280.

EDIT: Just noticed yours was the 7 not the 7+. Still that was a $1200 phone and less than 50% for only being 1 generation old doesn't sound that great for resale. Basically identical to my last Pixel.

Ahh, smaller size variants are usually tough sells. Where possible, always go max storage.


I ain't waiting 2 years for a free lunch. :rofl:

I'll take that bet if you don't (or just an easy $100).

My favourite rumours of the past many years, were "analysts" anticipating Apple releasing iMessage for other platforms. idiots.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Ahh, smaller size variants are usually tough sells. Where possible, always go max storage.


Yeah that was probably a factor - especially when used, if people can grab the higher GB variants for pennies on the dollar compared to buying new that is probably very attractive. My work would only buy me the poor mans version :rofl:

[cam_wmh]

Yeah that was probably a factor - especially when used, if people can grab the higher GB variants for pennies on the dollar compared to buying new that is probably very attractive. My work would only buy me the poor mans version :rofl:

Your employer wouldn't let you top up the difference? I usually sell mine within a week or less of posting for %60 of MSRP, about 15-18 months after launch.

[Buster]

I ain't waiting 2 years for a free lunch. :rofl:

I can just buy you the free lunch, and you can have a contingent liability.

- - - Updated - - -


Ahh, smaller size variants are usually tough sells. Where possible, always go max storage.



I'll take that bet if you don't (or just an easy $100).

My favourite rumours of the past many years, were "analysts" anticipating Apple releasing iMessage for other platforms. idiots.

a back button ain't an ecosystem.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Your employer wouldn't let you top up the difference? I usually sell mine within a week or less of posting for %60 of MSRP, about 15-18 months after launch.

I already had to pay $200 out of pocket for the base model 8 - I wasn't willing to do more than that. I could have got any model I wanted, but after a certain threshold it was all my money. Also, I have no need whatsoever for more than 64GB. Thanks to seamless cloud services I am not even using half of my current 64GB. On the iPad though I went 256GB because I use it to edit drone footage and as a backup while traveling. The only PITA is getting the data off afterwards, there is no plug and play drag & drop in Apple's world.

[D'z Nutz]

I'll take that bet if you don't (or just an easy $100).

Is this not including any drinks or something? Are you guys all students on a budget or something?


My favourite rumours of the past many years, were "analysts" anticipating Apple releasing iMessage for other platforms. idiots.

I still remember when Apple "insiders" said that Apple would be coming out with a netbook (before the first iPad came out), a TV with Apple TV integrated, and most recently the iPhone SE2 that was supposed to come out at the start of the year (then the second quarter, then the third, now the fourth). A lot of analysts rarely get anything right unless it's something blatantly obvious like a processor/memory upgrade.

I disagree with ExtraSlow's comment about picking an ecosystem and sticking with it. Yeah, you lose out on some nice integrations, but I mix and match across different platforms/devices and have no issues at all. It's just about finding what works for you:

- I still use an old iPhone for music when biking/working out just cause I prefer the interface, but if I had to use it as an everyday phone, I'd get annoyed with it really quickly even though I started with the original iPhone 2G. I hate Safari, so I use Chrome on it when I want to read the news or look up something quickly and I have Google Photos to sync pics to my Google account when I want to access it on my Android phone(s). I even installed the Google Keyboard on it for the swipe typing.

- Even though I've been an Android phone user since 2011, I just can't get used to Android tablets for whatever reason so I have an iPad. I'm still not a fan of iOS but for me, I prefer it over any Android tablet. Again, I have whatever Google apps installed on it so I can easily transfer stuff between the two.

- Some apps just work better/have a better interface on one system over the other. In some cases apps may not even be available on one or the other.

- I really like macOS/OSX and have been a user since the G3 days so my work and home laptops are Apples, but I keep a Chromebook around for traveling and have a Windows desktop for photo editing.

- I'm still using an iPod Classic that I manage on both my Windows and Apple machines.

[cam_wmh]

a back button ain't an ecosystem.
? misquote?


Is this not including any drinks or something? Are you guys all students on a budget or something?
I'm pretty easy. ;)





I still remember when Apple "insiders" said that Apple would be coming out with a netbook (before the first iPad came out), a TV with Apple TV integrated, and most recently the iPhone SE2 that was supposed to come out at the start of the year (then the second quarter, then the third, now the fourth). A lot of analysts rarely get anything right unless it's something blatantly obvious like a processor/memory upgrade.

I disagree with ExtraSlow's comment about picking an ecosystem and sticking with it. Yeah, you lose out on some nice integrations, but I mix and match across different platforms/devices and have no issues at all. It's just about finding what works for you:

- I still use an old iPhone for music when biking/working out just cause I prefer the interface, but if I had to use it as an everyday phone, I'd get annoyed with it really quickly even though I started with the original iPhone 2G. I hate Safari, so I use Chrome on it when I want to read the news or look up something quickly and I have Google Photos to sync pics to my Google account when I want to access it on my Android phone(s). I even installed the Google Keyboard on it for the swipe typing.

- Even though I've been an Android phone user since 2011, I just can't get used to Android tablets for whatever reason so I have an iPad. I'm still not a fan of iOS but for me, I prefer it over any Android tablet. Again, I have whatever Google apps installed on it so I can easily transfer stuff between the two.

- Some apps just work better/have a better interface on one system over the other. In some cases apps may not even be available on one or the other.

- I really like macOS/OSX and have been a user since the G3 days so my work and home laptops are Apples, but I keep a Chromebook around for traveling and have a Windows desktop for photo editing.

- I'm still using an iPod Classic that I manage on both my Windows and Apple machines.

lol jesus, you lead an overly complicated device life.

[rage2]

I'm a mix and matcher too. iPhone/iPad/Apple TV for mobile and entertainment, Surface Pro for work, Google for productivity/collaboration/email/drive/cloud stuff. I tried converting to Mac but nope, couldn't do it. I'm too old to switch I think.

[Buster]

? misquote?



No, I just was thinking the comparison wasn't apt. iMessage is a critical part of the ecosystem, and can't really be touched. A back button is not the same. Probably a better comparison was how stubborn and silly Apple was about cut and paste.

[cam_wmh]

I'm a mix and matcher too. iPhone/iPad/Apple TV for mobile and entertainment, Surface Pro for work, Google for productivity/collaboration/email/drive/cloud stuff. I tried converting to Mac but nope, couldn't do it. I'm too old to switch I think.

I do similar. No old devices, over-complicating my life. iPhone/iPad/AppleTV.
Work laptop is boring. but easy Win10/M$Office/O365



No, I just was thinking the comparison wasn't apt. iMessage is a critical part of the ecosystem, and can't really be touched. A back button is not the same. Probably a better comparison was how stubborn and silly Apple was about cut and paste.

Bit of a leap in the convo -- but gotcha.

[Buster]

ya, I Was unclear on what I was trying to say.

[SCHIDER23]

I was an iPhone user since the 3g till iPhone 6s till it died in the middle of a field, lost reception and never came back. Anyways my brother hooked me up with an S7 edge, I was rocking the Axon 7 before that one amazing stereo sound but it is glitchy as hell, so he gave me this s7. The feature or app that left a big hole was iMessage, I been called names cause of the green blobs instead of blue lol.

WhatsApp is not the same as iMessage it doesn't even come closed since it down samples everything, from videos to photos something iMessage doesn't do, and about the customization Bs well everything in android needs an "app", I don't want to download million apps just to get Flash notification , or the copy paste garbage of holding screen to paste, not like iPhone with one tap and paste indicator shows up, but battery life on Android is more impressive than iPhone, and colors are really saturated as well on screen, I'm still holding off buying a new phone waiting to see what Apple comes out with this year, but the S9+ is a big contender this year. Oh almost forgot most of my home smart stuff doesn't work with android like it does with Siri anymore so that was a disappointment .

[firebane]

I was an iPhone user since the 3g till iPhone 6s till it died in the middle of a field, lost reception and never came back. Anyways my brother hooked me up with an S7 edge, I was rocking the Axon 7 before that one amazing stereo sound but it is glitchy as hell, so he gave me this s7. The feature or app that left a big hole was iMessage, I been called names cause of the green blobs instead of blue lol.

WhatsApp is not the same as iMessage it doesn't even come closed since it down samples everything, from videos to photos something iMessage doesn't do, and about the customization Bs well everything in android needs an "app", I don't want to download million apps just to get Flash notification , or the copy paste garbage of holding screen to paste, not like iPhone with one tap and paste indicator shows up, but battery life on Android is more impressive than iPhone, and colors are really saturated as well on screen, I'm still holding off buying a new phone waiting to see what Apple comes out with this year, but the S9+ is a big contender this year. Oh almost forgot most of my home smart stuff doesn't work with android like it does with Siri anymore so that was a disappointment .

Everything in Android does not need an app as you can quite easily get away with using core apps like Gmail, Hangouts, Messages etc.

The reason so many people love the Android ecosystem is because of the freedom that if you don't like the stock Messages app you can download another that gives you more flexibility and freedom.

The sharing between apps in Android is 100x better and so much faster and I do agree that the copy/paste function in Android is a bit of a nuisance but it works well for what it needs to do.

The reason why home automation stuff works so much better for Apple over Android is because developers don't give Android as much of a chance and when things are to be developed in the IOS/Android world they always choose IOS first.

[SCHIDER23]

I did not say anything about email apps, because they are the same in both OS , I am using hangouts for one contact and it is also really glitchy it crashes randomly with phone calls, and other messaging apps is the same thing I stated " downloading another app" I just want to be able to use the phone without having to download a 3rd party app, just to get a decent experience thats all, I'm not dissing android but it has is drawbacks same as IOS not perfect either, but it has improvements that android has not achieved yet.

The freedom of customizing sounds great but I noticed the cool looking backgrounds or themes tend to impact battery quite a bit, I'm not sure if sacrificing battery just so you can see a pretty background moving is worth it, or color shifting themes but whatever...

[Doozer]

So this isn't a debate about which is better... But I'm trying to figure out any "gotchas" going from long-term iPhone use to Android.

Insert some well-thought out responses, and then have others ignore and add arguments about which phone is better anyway.


I guess it didn't matter ... Best Buy has a good sale this weekend with the iPhoneX for $99 with a plan, so wife and I are sticking with iPhones for a couple more years anyway...

Ignore this too, and continue more arguments about which type of phone is better.

Love it. Beyond gonna Beyond.

[lasimmon]

Had and S5, S6, then S7 for work as well as a personal iPhone.

Finally got rid of the work android and just have the iPhone. Can't believe people enjoy using those phones.

[Mitsu3000gt]

I don't know what some of you guys are doing with your phones to experience glitches, app crashes, etc. haha. I can't even remember the last time I have seen so much as a stutter in the 'modern' Android experience (Pixel phones in particular), and I can customize my transition animation time so the phone is even snappier, which actually made a very noticeable difference. The only third party app I use for communication is WhatsApp. Every native app I've ever used has been flawless.

I've used both systems side-by-side for many years now and other than minor hardware differences, honestly they are pretty well the same these days - you pick your OS and that's about it. Both have their own unique features and specialties. Stability in general is not a problem with either. If anything, initial iOS releases are worse for stability in my experience, but both companies fix things quite quickly so it's largely a non-issue.

[rage2]

The reason why home automation stuff works so much better for Apple over Android is because developers don't give Android as much of a chance and when things are to be developed in the IOS/Android world they always choose IOS first.
Funny, but I found it harder to find home automation stuff for Homekit initially. It's better now, but I still see things I want that only have basic integration to Amazon and Google and not Apple Homekit.


Insert some well-thought out responses, and then have others ignore and add arguments about which phone is better anyway.

Ignore this too, and continue more arguments about which type of phone is better.

Love it. Beyond gonna Beyond.
Fully derailed into an interesting topic. This thread is officially bigger than you now haha.


I don't know what some of you guys are doing with your phones to experience glitches, app crashes, etc. haha. I can't even remember the last time I have seen so much as a stutter in the 'modern' Android experience (Pixel phones in particular), and I can customize my transition animation time so the phone is even snappier, which actually made a very noticeable difference. The only third party app I use for communication is WhatsApp. Every native app I've ever used has been flawless.
Sometimes I feel you're just trolling us a little.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Sometimes I feel you're just trolling us a little.

I dunno, if you look at a Pixel 2XL and an iPhone X - both the premier experiences from either camp, and use them, there isn't a lot separating them except minor hardware differences. Both have well integrated native apps, complete ecosystems, stable operating systems, extremely snappy performance, options to use third party apps (to a degree), etc. If you're an Android fan you will love the Pixel, if you're an iOS fan you will love the iPhone X. The notion that one or the other is glitchy, laggy, etc. while the other one is amazing is very inaccurate IMO and from my experience. I have my complaints with both - the next of which is very likely to be the notch on the Pixel 3XL haha. I will never forgive the Essential Phone for starting that awful trend.

[HiTempguy1]

Sometimes I feel you're just trolling us a little.

I completely agree with him. My one problem I had was (I think) with my 5x that it started doing a no-boot thing right outside warranty, which was a known hardware issue. But my S3, 5, and oneplus 5 have all been great (well, the S3 was a garbagy piece of crap, but that was due to specs and bloated samsung software, not anything to do with the actual experience itself, it worked as I liked the ecosystem to work, just slowly).

[rage2]

I completely agree with him. My one problem I had was (I think) with my 5x that it started doing a no-boot thing right outside warranty, which was a known hardware issue. But my S3, 5, and oneplus 5 have all been great (well, the S3 was a garbagy piece of crap, but that was due to specs and bloated samsung software, not anything to do with the actual experience itself, it worked as I liked the ecosystem to work, just slowly).
I didn't mean he's trolling because of his Android experience. I mean he's trolling because everything he touches Apple is completely fucked up haha.

[Mitsu3000gt]

I didn't mean he's trolling because of his Android experience. I mean he's trolling because everything he touches Apple is completely fucked up haha.

It's true that I have not had good luck with them. Mostly quality/hardware issues. I continue to use the iPad Pro because it's very good, and a high end Android tablet doesn't even exist anyway. Pixel for phone + iPad Pro for tablet is a pretty great combo IMO. I'm also genuinely interested in both ecosystems so it keeps a foot in the door at both.