Interesting to indeed. My contact is up in Jan and I have been considering moving back to iOS. One thing I seem to do a lot of these days is download files and copy them to my server while I'm on my WiFi at home. Does iOS let you do that easy enough these days. Been around 3 years since my last iPhone.
Moved from Android to iPhone 11 - Think I made a big mistake?
- Thread starter glenimp617
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Any particular reason for the potential move back?
I think this is one of the most fascinating threads in a long time. Amazing what a bigger battery and a camera can do to people!
the battery life is a big appeal but also whether silly or not, the apple watch. i had one previously and its without a doubt the best smart watch available.
the battery life on my pixel isnt bad and the charging is quite fast.
its a great discussion thread. its not android folk bashing the apple users and not apple fans bashing android. which makes a change.
i like both ecosystems and have no real ties to either. i use a lot of the google suite but have done for a long time even when i had iphones previously.
i dont pay for a lot of apps (i use the google rewards jobby to pay for my google one storage but thats only like 2 quid a month or something.)
i think it mainly boils down to wanting something new and shiney.
was 3 years ago that i had the iphone, 2 years ago i switched to the pixel.
never done this before but just connected to my server running freenas with no issue and transferred a file to a folder set up using the phone...
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They nearly had me with the battery and camera.
Then I used the XR for a bit while I was waiting for my Pixel 2 XL to be fixed. Initially I liked it (grass is always greener and all that), but after a few weeks I couldn't wait to give it back.
This surprised me as an iPad Pro user; although I have to admit I'm not sure I would buy another iPad; although its trying to do the whole laptop thing, I find the whole thing rather restrictive, somewhat unintuitive at times, and seems to require daft workarounds to do things that would be really easy on a laptop. Even basic stuff like split screen is not overly intuitive, and their current take on multiple app windows is so confusing many wont even bother trying. It has a really steep learning curve for something touted as being for "non-techies". The only reason I haven't switched is because the iPad is really just a toy, it plays Youtube and Netflix, it browses forums, it's used for reading Kindle or Readly. It does all of these things just as well as a laptop would, but the second I try to do anything remotely "serious" on it, its a pain in the bumhole.
When I had the XR I also appreciated some of the ecosystem benefits, but found that was not a big deal really. Yes it was occasionally useful to be able to open a tab from my phone on the iPad or vice versa, but Chrome does this already. I don't use iMessage so that was of no benefit. Yes I liked that when I went away and I got my iPad out, it asked if I wanted to use my phone as a hotspot, however, once the iPad is paired to a wifi network, all you really need to do is turn on the hotspot anyway.
I'm also really not a fan of the UI - purely personal preference but it's somewhat childish looking with its cartoon like icons, and stuff like unicorns on the keyboard that regularly kept coming back despite me hiding them was really annoying. Yes I could change the keyboard, but the way that worked was clunky too. The final decider was price. Yes, the iPhone is a great piece of hardware, but in the end, Android just feels better for me. It feels much more powerful, less restricted and the Pixel UI is for me more pleasing and mature.
They do a lot of things pretty well, if you're prepared to go all in with Apple, but otherwise, at best it was no better, and at worst, it was a pain.
I've got an S3 AW. Love it. Absolute game changer for me in relation to fitness so would probably be the hardest thing to lose. But this is my main issue I have and have been asking myself: should I stay with Apple/an iPhone purely because of a watch? As mentioned, I'm into my fitness now but now I'm more aware of my distances covered/travelled and what I'm doing, do I need to tie myself to (while a great piece of tech) a smart watch...?
I mean my contract isn't up until October next year so this isn't a thing for me yet, but it's definitely something I've given a lot of thought over recently.
I think the iPad is the only place where I couldn't go over to Android. Everything else at this point is fair game.
Thats the thing. i purely only use it for notifications and to tell the time. but the apple watch is so polished. had a huawei watch and a amazfit bip but they we're just not the same. didnt have the feel or refinement as the apple watch.
the thing is at the moment the only phone that really interests me is the Xiaomi Mi 9T everything else just seems a bit meh.
i might just re-do my sim only for a while longer, just wish EE did 1 month contracts.
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Slightly OT but I hung onto my 2XL and I went with giffgaff, its on O2 granted, but I'm getting excellent performance, and you can do that on a month by month basis, it was an absolute doddle to activate and port my number over. I was paying £12 for 10Gb but decided to up that to £20 for 40Gb as I ran out last month!
Soldato
My Series 4 Apple Watch is enough to keep me on iOS. Absolutely hammers any android watch experience as well as my favourite S3 Frontier that was Tizen based anyway - I always found it a tad uncomfortable to wear with the sensor digging into my wrist a bit too much. Half the time I forget the AW is there...as ugly as it is, but it grows on you.
Like the Frontier, the AW fame with most of the apps I required out of the box.
Like the Frontier, the AW fame with most of the apps I required out of the box.
That has to be bad though right? I mean I get it as I own one myself, but for a watch to keep you in an ecosystem? Even as big a fan of Apple I’d say I’ve been (and still am), even I have to have a word with myself and think that shouldn’t be a thing.
Soldato
Depends on ones point of view. I always wanted a smartwatch to go with my watch collection and had zero faith on Google to deliver anything on their platform. Samsung had a great bunch of watches but being Tizen based gave them both advantage and disadvantages sadly.
Then I recalled visiting the docs with my wife earlier in the year and noticed he had an AW. On the way out I spoke to him about the 'ECG gimmick' as I called it and he said it was quite useful, rather accurate and useful for older folks as folks had come to him with 'satisfactory results tests' - I remember this well but obviously didn't know what he meant at the time until now. I guess he referred to the reports that the watch creates. It just made me think given I'm in my 40's and I've lately been mindful of my health at this point. In addition my new workplace has custom apps that are only available on iOS only thus far.
Apple sadly have it on the ball with every device that I use. Google, well google just google. I am by far Apple's biggest fan being on Android since the Galaxy S2 days but sometimes you need to take a step back and look at what fits with your lifestyle. I haven't the time to tinker around anymore or mess around in Settings just to find various controls etc.
Do many people tinker with their Android phones these days though? I mean most seem happy with the Samsung and Pixel experiences these days (bar the usual complaints), same with OxygenOS.
I don't disagree with anything you've said fwiw, but I guess as I'm getting older I want things/experiences to be a bit more accessible/open to me. The AW as it stands is the major hurdle stopping that.
Soldato
Most interesting.
I’m in my early 40’s and still tinkered with my android devices (still have a Samsung Tab S8.4 running Lineage) loads or getting home screen gestures just right via Nova Launcher and ensuring that I’ve got a good calendar widget on the home screen to track all my work junk. I find myself the opposite now, just want stuff to work lol
I’m in my early 40’s and still tinkered with my android devices (still have a Samsung Tab S8.4 running Lineage) loads or getting home screen gestures just right via Nova Launcher and ensuring that I’ve got a good calendar widget on the home screen to track all my work junk. I find myself the opposite now, just want stuff to work lol
I moved from iOS to Android and my home screen looks almost identical to how it was on my iPhone, being a grid of icons and no widgets. Aside from the fact that Android is higher maintenance when it comes to notifications and some other bits and pieces, I can't see much qualitative difference between the two operating systems. And no I don't do much tinkering.
Soldato
My SIM only contract with EE finished over a year ago and I'm still paying the same each month for my discounted deal
My SIM only contract with EE finished over a year ago and I'm still paying the same each month for my discounted deal
result, thats good to know. i did wonder what would happen. ive always upgraded or switched deals the month before. am tied to EE too which is a shame as i family share my data with the wife who has a low 4gb limit.
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I used to but not so much now.
That said the iPhone home screen STILL infuriates me. It's frustratingly clunky to organise, you can have a clean home screen if you have everything in folders but it doesn't feel like it wants to be like that, and why oh why do the icons start at the top of the screen when my fingers are at the bottom?! Why can I only see 9 items in a folder? It's the one aspect of the iPhone that seems really dated to me, it just assumes everyone wants a grid of icons, and tough tatties if you want to have it any other way. Even if I don't tinker much on my android, I still have icons at the bottom instead of the top. I also still use widgets, not many, but I do use them.
Having choice is a good thing. Apple kind of robs you of that choice. IMO of course. People keep saying they just want it to work, but it does just work on Android, if that's what you want. However, if you want to make your homescreen a work of art, you can do that too. Shallow possibly but when you own an iPhone it looks the same as everyone elses, that's what I like about the Pixel actually, it's different to all the others, a lot of Android phones sadly just try to ape iOS' interface!
Did I mention i ****ing hate having bloody unicorns on my keyboard. Its pathetically childish. Yes, first world problems, but it irritated the hell out of me.
Soldato
Totally agree on the iOS home screen management. I am expecting major changes to the way app icons are organised in iOS 14 because it hasn’t changed since the iPhone 4 days really.
Upon getting my Xs I was disgusted that you were allowed 4 icons in the dock - my jail broken iPhone 4 back in the day has more and my iPad Pro manages tons. There is space for two more icons easily. Yes folders containing can be added there but it isn’t enough on the phone.
Unicorns on the keyboard??
Upon getting my Xs I was disgusted that you were allowed 4 icons in the dock - my jail broken iPhone 4 back in the day has more and my iPad Pro manages tons. There is space for two more icons easily. Yes folders containing can be added there but it isn’t enough on the phone.
Unicorns on the keyboard??
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It’s there on the iPad too! Do you use the smart keyboard? I do so that’s why I rarely see them. Yes you can hide them by scrolling across but somehow they always seem to make their way back on
I probably should have clarified, the emoji part of the keyboard.
