Honest Opinions from people who switched from Android to iOS

kidstechno

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I've been a longtime Android fan, swearing off everything Apple except the original iPods and an iPod touch that was gifted to me awhile back.

I currently have a Note 5 and after the 6.0 update, my phone just bleeds battery life like crazy with Bluetooth on and a Samsung Gear S2 smart watch.

Another frustration is that the Gear S2 tracks my steps, which is tied to S Health. I use MyFitnessPro to track my calories/activity - but it doesn't sync with S Health because they obviously want you to use partner apps/companies that pay them. So I have to have constant workarounds for things I want to have sync on my phone/watch and it's just getting to a point where I just want everything to work.

Not really looking to start a flame war, just honest opinions about people who have been Android and ended up switching to iOS/iPhones and what they liked/disliked. I use Google Music and Books mostly, but other than that I'm not really "tied" to their system and understand most of their services are available on the iPhone itself. I might move over depending on the new iPhone 7 announcement/features, if not I might try to go the way of "pure Google" via the Nexus devices or rumors are now Google is making their own phone. Wondering how the "pure" experience is vs. carrier bloat.

I know Android has a lot of options, which is great and pushes tech forward but sometimes I feel the segmentation just leads to varying performance and minor bugs and issues that just become annoying after awhile. And while iOS is more of a "closed" system, I feel like sometimes that gives them an advantage in the way of application management and updates.
 

mumfoau

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I took inventory of what I use a device for and iOS was up to the challenge.

To keep it short and sweet, I think that both platforms have something to offer depending on what you want out of a device. If you must have customization out to wazoo you may not like iOS but if you want a rock solid performer with no bloat and day one software support for years to come, iOS it is. It comes down to what you do with your phone and if you can accomplish that on an iPhone. I personally message, check social media, watch YouTube, browse the web, talk, navigate and listen to music. iOS and iPhone have performed exceptionally well in getting those tasks done for me.
 
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Honey Beagle

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I had an android phone from Best Buy. Real great price. But found the use of the phone complicated. Took phone back. Using all Apple devices now.
 

metllicamilitia

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Well, first off, good news everyone! Your Google Play Music and Google Play Books will be accessible on iPhone. I've actually seen numerous threads around online of Android users complaining that the Google iOS apps are better than the Android variants. Bad news though, iOS subscriptions are generally a little more expensive. YouTube Red on Android is $9.99/mo, and $12.99/mo on iOS.

To the point. I started my smartphone journey with Blackberry back in '09. Then the HTC G2 came out, I bought one. Android was terrible back then. Spent a lot of time switching between Android and Blackberry before settling on an iPhone 4 I bought after Jobs died. Since then, I have bought every new flagship iPhone since the 5. During that time I have even still bought and used various Android phones.

I love the customization of Android. And that's about where it ends for me. I don't care to get into rooting and really play with the device. The keyboards on Android just aren't accurate enough. It even takes SwiftKey a good while to get used to my finger strokes. Changing themes, and home screen widgets, I love all that. However iOS is more my speed.

iOS is just a consistent OS. Apple's virtual keyboard is hands down the best virtual keyboard that exists. Even with iOS 9 allowing third party keyboards, they lag. The average user isn't going to notice the lag. However I type on my phone at a rate of probably 90+ words per minute. I notice the lag. Apple's keyboard is the only virtual keyboard that can keep up with my pace. Overall, I wish iOS had customization options. Not a big deal though. The apps are generally more responsive and less buggy. I rarely have any issues with iOS at all. It will always be my go to OS.
 

Spencerdl

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I sorta took the long road to iOS (Apple). I was a diehard Blackberry fan and I remember saying that you would have pry a Blackberry from my cold dead hands before I would switch to another device...LOL.
Well, I walked into my carrier store one day and picked up an SG3 and was awed by the screen size and the way it felt in my hands so I purchased one. I was amazed at the customization and how I was able to pretty much do anything to my screen that I wanted too even though my SG3 froze constantly and ate up battery life for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner...LOL.
I decided to upgrade hoping that my short Android life would become better. I purchased the Note3 and once again enjoyed the customization immensely, but the problems of Android still existed. Fast forward...
I saw that iPhone 5s Gold commercial and the rest is history. The Apple iPhone with the exception of customization is everything I want/need in a smartphone. "It just works"....it took me long enough to get here and I haven't looked back.
 

Pcmx

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I had one Android phone and while not my first choice in os, gotta say I do miss it.

I chose iOS over android and blackberry for work because I wanted something to just work for a couple years but unfortunately iOS has been a letdown.

I like the look/feel of the hardware and battery life but apps built into and the os itself fail me all the time in many ways which is not good for work when attachments fail to show in email, goes straight to voicemail when answering it, and iMessages getting stuck sending with full service and wifi. My iPhone is just not working ideally as a communications tool.

I may have got a lemon but my iPod doesn't work often at times just the same.

I had and still have many good experiences with Apple products but find increasingly more problems with their newer software for me, Mac included :(
 

nikkisharif

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I had one Android phone and while not my first choice in os, gotta say I do miss it.

I chose iOS over android and blackberry for work because I wanted something to just work for a couple years but unfortunately iOS has been a letdown.

I like the look/feel of the hardware and battery life but apps built into and the os itself fail me all the time in many ways which is not good for work when attachments fail to show in email, goes straight to voicemail when answering it, and iMessages getting stuck sending with full service and wifi. My iPhone is just not working ideally as a communications tool.

I may have got a lemon but my iPod doesn't work often at times just the same.

I had and still have many good experiences with Apple products but find increasingly more problems with their newer software for me, Mac included :(

It's definitely possible that Apple just isn't for you and that's perfectly fine but the issues you pointed out with your phone sound like service issues to me. Attachments & iMessage hanging, going straight to voicemail. My daughter has t-mobile & she has the same issues sometimes. In our area that carrier isn't the best and her iPhone will often show full bars but the connection is extremely slow. Just something you may want to look into. Hope it gets better for you.
 

lightning8888

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Well, first off, good news everyone! Your Google Play Music and Google Play Books will be accessible on iPhone. I've actually seen numerous threads around online of Android users complaining that the Google iOS apps are better than the Android variants. Bad news though, iOS subscriptions are generally a little more expensive. YouTube Red on Android is $9.99/mo, and $12.99/mo on iOS.

To the point. I started my smartphone journey with Blackberry back in '09. Then the HTC G2 came out, I bought one. Android was terrible back then. Spent a lot of time switching between Android and Blackberry before settling on an iPhone 4 I bought after Jobs died. Since then, I have bought every new flagship iPhone since the 5. During that time I have even still bought and used various Android phones.

I love the customization of Android. And that's about where it ends for me. I don't care to get into rooting and really play with the device. The keyboards on Android just aren't accurate enough. It even takes SwiftKey a good while to get used to my finger strokes. Changing themes, and home screen widgets, I love all that. However iOS is more my speed.

iOS is just a consistent OS. Apple's virtual keyboard is hands down the best virtual keyboard that exists. Even with iOS 9 allowing third party keyboards, they lag. The average user isn't going to notice the lag. However I type on my phone at a rate of probably 90+ words per minute. I notice the lag. Apple's keyboard is the only virtual keyboard that can keep up with my pace. Overall, I wish iOS had customization options. Not a big deal though. The apps are generally more responsive and less buggy. I rarely have any issues with iOS at all. It will always be my go to OS.

I guess that 12.99 is for Apple's 30% of the pie.
 

Foggy45

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I have been die hard android since my Droid Incredible (lol)
Over the years it has served me well. My biggest reason for not going to Apple? It just couldn't integrate with the things I needed, which was with Microsoft. I work in surgery and Apple is pretty deep in there, but I am also a college professor and the school was heavily Microsoft.
Well, Thank you to Apple for the iPad Pro! As I write this, my Surface Pro 2 is sitting in my bag and generally is just for my kids to play now lol
I can do all my Microsoft work on here, read my magazines subscriptions from Play Newsstand, and teach with 3D4 Medical Complete Anatomy ALL from the same lightweight platform! I think I've also been annoying the local iGenious with all my questions as I know I'm not using the Pro to the best of its abilities lol
The "Transfer from Android" app was amazingly simple and got everything I needed transferred from my current Droid Turbo 2.
Watching the Developer Keynote address for what's coming in iOS 10, I am anxious to see if the iPhone 7 pro will be a reality. (I have the Apple Pencil for a reason! Lol)

I am glad that Apple has opened up its walled garden just a little bit over the years recently to allow a less painful "All-or-nothing" jump across platforms.
Still have my iPod nano 3rd gen and a 7th gen iPod classic that I use all the time!
 

Pcmx

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It's definitely possible that Apple just isn't for you and that's perfectly fine but the issues you pointed out with your phone sound like service issues to me. Attachments & iMessage hanging, going straight to voicemail. My daughter has t-mobile & she has the same issues sometimes. In our area that carrier isn't the best and her iPhone will often show full bars but the connection is extremely slow. Just something you may want to look into. Hope it gets better for you.

I think you're right. Though email and iMessage can work over wifi. Whatever I do brings out bugs, those were just some small examples. I know other people who run a business from an iPhone otoh just fine and swear by it but it doesn't just work for me.
 

comiken205

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I was an Android user since the S2 and recently came to iOS in December of 2015.

Things that I miss about Android: Swiftkey's layout is better. A lot better than iOS, changeable battery (however on my 6S+ I don't need that so it could be a -1 for Android), expandable memory.

Things about iOS that I don't like: KB. iOS KB I don't use. As a matter of fact I used it to setup my device and download Swiftkey. However Swiftkey is better on Android. I use GBoard now. And I will say Gboard with swipe is hands down best for me.

Lag: iOS does not know the definition of the word. I am amazed at the lack of lag on iOS. Example: I had my son download War of Nations on his S6 and I on my iOS. His phone lag a lot trying to push that game. iOS, didn't even blink!


Uhm, pretty much it. LOL. I will not be going back to Android. However, there are things about each OS that people will like. You want a secure stable OS that is ready to use out of the box? No customizations, no "TouchWiz" to bog down your device? Or a device you can tinker, change, move, add apps that let you stream free stuff (Kodi)?

That's pretty much it. Like I said, the KB was the biggest let down for me even while using SwiftKey on iOS. But that is just my opinion as everyone is different.
 

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