Why do we leave iOS?

[Just_Me_D]

One great thing about android is the ability to make your phone into a completely new experience whenever you want.

Take this site for example... Beautiful Android Themes, Wallpapers, and Homescreens

I'll be honest and say it's a little harder to get bored on Android then it is on iOS when you look at all the things that can be done on it. Regardless of that though I always end up missing my iPhone lol.

The flip side, at least from *my* experience is that I was never satisfied. Don't misunderstand me. I thoroughly enjoyed my Android devices as smartphones, but I was never satisfied with the setup. I customized my devices every way imaginable, and I did it to the point where I spent more time customizing and flashing new roms than I did actually using the device and being productive with it. When I got the iPhone 4S, it allowed me to be productive and content, and I made the decision to enjoy it without ever jailbreaking it, and I've kept that decision even though I now have an iPhone 5. Endless customizations lead to endless tinkering which also leads to never being satisfied.

 

[reeneebob]

One great thing about android is the ability to make your phone into a completely new experience whenever you want.

Take this site for example... Beautiful Android Themes, Wallpapers, and Homescreens

I'll be honest and say it's a little harder to get bored on Android then it is on iOS when you look at all the things that can be done on it. Regardless of that though I always end up missing my iPhone lol.

For me though it always started to feel like work to be changing the looks and tweaking the OS. Especially when flashing roms.


BB8130<BB8330<BB9530<Palm Pre<HTC Desire Z<Galaxy S i9000M<iPhone 4<Palm Pixi Plus<Lumia 720<BB 9900<SGS 3<BB Z10<iPhone 5

 

[dkhmwilliams]

I think for me, boredom occurs because my phone is my most cherished tangible asset. If it wasn't, I would simply use it for what it is designed to do. Text, place calls, search the web, take pics, use apps, etc. For me, the iphone takes all of those things and does them each exceptionally well...

...But when it does not stop there, and your phone becomes an obsession of sorts, you start looking for additional ways to set it apart from any other device. Or perhaps anyone 'else's' device as well. You begin to seek out ways to make it look different, work differently, perform unique tasks, etc. Those characteristics give you conversation points, bragging points, etc. It becomes more than your phone. It is your show pony. Your extension of you. And when that happens, for me, boredom can set in because once I have mastered my device in every way, and run out of ways to tinker with it......I am then left to simply 'use it'. For those who are content with simply 'using' their device...the iphone is to me, unmatched. Because it works so damn well in so many ways. But for those who are not, or cannot, be content at that point....they jump ship to fill those other needs.

Android gives some remedy to those needs with the countless customization opportunities and lets face it, a new device of some sort every 3 months. But, once the headaches begin to outweigh that quench of the boredom thirst, and we are left wanting to simply 'use' a solid device again....we come home.

Not sure if even an ounce of that makes sense as it is hard for me to describe lol

It makes perfect sense.


Sent from my iPhone 5 using iMore Forums mobile app

 

[kuczco]

I tried another OS because IOS is not the best out there on its own. But as soon as you leave it you realize the quality of the hardware and the app ecosystem doesn't compare. I tried the z10 and love bb10, but the phone quality sucked. It kept overheating and rebooting randomly - even after a warranty repair. The apps were trickling out - I couldn't even get an app for my banking and the android ports were clunky and choppy for performance.

 

[pr1nce]

I think for me, boredom occurs because my phone is my most cherished tangible asset. If it wasn't, I would simply use it for what it is designed to do. Text, place calls, search the web, take pics, use apps, etc. For me, the iphone takes all of those things and does them each exceptionally well...

...But when it does not stop there, and your phone becomes an obsession of sorts, you start looking for additional ways to set it apart from any other device. Or perhaps anyone 'else's' device as well. You begin to seek out ways to make it look different, work differently, perform unique tasks, etc. Those characteristics give you conversation points, bragging points, etc. It becomes more than your phone. It is your show pony. Your extension of you. And when that happens, for me, boredom can set in because once I have mastered my device in every way, and run out of ways to tinker with it......I am then left to simply 'use it'. For those who are content with simply 'using' their device...the iphone is to me, unmatched. Because it works so damn well in so many ways. But for those who are not, or cannot, be content at that point....they jump ship to fill those other needs.

Android gives some remedy to those needs with the countless customization opportunities and lets face it, a new device of some sort every 3 months. But, once the headaches begin to outweigh that quench of the boredom thirst, and we are left wanting to simply 'use' a solid device again....we come home.

Not sure if even an ounce of that makes sense as it is hard for me to describe lol

It made sense to me. I spent years tweaking and customizing my BlackBerry devices. Now I just want a device that does what I need and does it well.

 

[cardfan]

I think for me, boredom occurs because my phone is my most cherished tangible asset. If it wasn't, I would simply use it for what it is designed to do. Text, place calls, search the web, take pics, use apps, etc. For me, the iphone takes all of those things and does them each exceptionally well...

...But when it does not stop there, and your phone becomes an obsession of sorts, you start looking for additional ways to set it apart from any other device. Or perhaps anyone 'else's' device as well. You begin to seek out ways to make it look different, work differently, perform unique tasks, etc. Those characteristics give you conversation points, bragging points, etc. It becomes more than your phone. It is your show pony. Your extension of you. And when that happens, for me, boredom can set in because once I have mastered my device in every way, and run out of ways to tinker with it......I am then left to simply 'use it'. For those who are content with simply 'using' their device...the iphone is to me, unmatched. Because it works so damn well in so many ways. But for those who are not, or cannot, be content at that point....they jump ship to fill those other needs.

Android gives some remedy to those needs with the countless customization opportunities and lets face it, a new device of some sort every 3 months. But, once the headaches begin to outweigh that quench of the boredom thirst, and we are left wanting to simply 'use' a solid device again....we come home.

Not sure if even an ounce of that makes sense as it is hard for me to describe lol

That's as good an explanation I've seen on here for all the "bored" posts. Even with the tweaking (via jb), you'll get to that point too where that gets boring. I think the key point is in "using it" as you talked about. Some only do a few tasks so they quickly get bored when those tasks are done. The more you do with a smartphone, the less chance it becomes boring.

I know a guy that has every movie or video streaming app out there. CBS, netflix, hbo, etc. He commented to me he's probably never even watched more video than 5mins since he had his iphone. I honestly think he had more fun finding the apps and putting them in a folder rather than using them. On paper, it all sounded good. Let's get it nice and neat. And then not use it..lol Oops, that watchABC app not working? Let's get a jb tweak to fool location. That fixes it. But let's still not use it.

I'm like that too with some apps and I find myself deleting them after awhile after realizing I don't use them. I just got rid of all the angry birds ones that sit unused besides the initial one to two minutes. I don't know why I buy some that I do.

But in the end, I'm a huge ebook or articles reader and primarily use iphone to read them. It's hard to end up bored. I always have a game of chess or words with friends going as well.

 

[Trees]

BB10 is excellent! I've owned a Z10 and it's way more fun to use than iOS with its swiping setup. The keyboard trumps the iPhone keyboard.

I'm a phone addict as well. In two years I've owned: HTC Desire Z, Sony Xperia Play, Nokia Lumia 800, Nokia N9, Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Samsung Galaxy Note 2, BlackBerry Z10, iPhone 5, Nokia N9 again to compliment my iPhone 5.

What will the next one be? Not sure. Pretty happy with my setup now. iPhone 5 as the most evolved ecosystem. Nokia N9 is the phone that is most fun to use of all. Don't have any thought about a new phone yet.

Wow! Is that one phone approximately every 2.7 months? . Great that you could try so many different devices, OSs, and ecosystems.

 

[Trees]

The flip side, at least from *my* experience is that I was never satisfied. Don't misunderstand me. I thoroughly enjoyed my Android devices as smartphones, but I was never satisfied with the setup. I customized my devices every way imaginable, and I did it to the point where I spent more time customizing and flashing new roms than I did actually using the device and being productive with it. When I got the iPhone 4S, it allowed me to be productive and content, and I made the decision to enjoy it without ever jailbreaking it, and I've kept that decision even though I now have an iPhone 5. Endless customizations lead to endless tinkering which also leads to never being satisfied.

That's just about my experience with Android. Rooting/Custom ROMing are a great learning experience, but can be highly addictive. There's a super talented and dedicated development and user community to support and enable such a habit/hobby.

Main reason I left iOS was for a larger screen (this was before the 4" screen), as I was having a hard time seeing smaller things even with glasses. I came back per many of the reasons listed in this thread. Now with iOS 7, some of the flexibility and features I miss from Android will be available, along with seamless integration and interoperability with my primarily Mac based environment.

 

[jmr1015]

I've definitely had my urges to get me some mobile phone strange... I think it is just the old thinking "the grass is greener on the other side" as I personally get bored with most phones over time.

I've had a Blackberry Pearl, Curve, 8800, Bold, and Storm... I had the Moto Q9 Global Windows phone, a T-Mobile Sidekick, the original Droid, a Palm Treo, the original iPhone, the 3G, and the iPhone 4. I don't remember in exactly what order, but I jumped between all of those devices over the past 10 years or so.

But out of every phone I've had over the years, the iPhone 4 has been the one I've kept active the longest. It was my primary phone from just after launch, until just a month or so ago, when I tried out the Nexus 4... in under 2 weeks I was back to the iPhone 4. It has been a great phone. Indeed, it has kept me satisfied enough, where I haven't really cared to upgrade to the 4S or the iPhone 5.

 

[John Flud]

I never left. once I switched from windows mobile to the iphone 3G I never looked back. I came close to switching over the maps fiasco because I rely on google maps for transit directions, but stayed when I heard google was creating an app of their own, and I didn't want to deal with the hassle of switching or deal with the crapware, the lagging, fragmentation, and horrible security that is android, neither did I want to deal with windows gaudy tiles, or blackberry having practically none of my favorite apps.

at this point I don't see myself switching at all. I'd like samsungs big screen, nokia's camera and the blackberry Z10 keyboard, but none of this is enough to make me switch to any of the other platforms and deal with the trade offs.

 

[dannejanne]

Wow! Is that one phone approximately every 2.7 months? . Great that you could try so many different devices, OSs, and ecosystems.

Yeah I've been switching back and forth very often because I'm so curious. I have had this urge to try out every system and see what the positive and negative sides of all systems are for me. After these two years I'm familiar with most systems and I know what I want from a phone and what pleases me. It's been a lot of fun trying out all systems.

 

[Eileen89]

Yeah I've been switching back and forth very often because I'm so curious. I have had this urge to try out every system and see what the positive and negative sides of all systems are for me. After these two years I'm familiar with most systems and I know what I want from a phone and what pleases me. It's been a lot of fun trying out all systems.

That is awesome! I would love to go back to getting a new phone every 4 months, however, my husband would have a big problem with that. He likes that I'm now using an iPhones because that only comes out once a year.

 

[Just_Me_D]

I've definitely had my urges to get me some mobile phone strange... I think it is just the old thinking "the grass is greener on the other side" as I personally get bored with most phones over time.

I've had a Blackberry Pearl, Curve, 8800, Bold, and Storm... I had the Moto Q9 Global Windows phone, a T-Mobile Sidekick, the original Droid, a Palm Treo, the original iPhone, the 3G, and the iPhone 4. I don't remember in exactly what order, but I jumped between all of those devices over the past 10 years or so.

But out of every phone I've had over the years, the iPhone 4 has been the one I've kept active the longest. It was my primary phone from just after launch, until just a month or so ago, when I tried out the Nexus 4... in under 2 weeks I was back to the iPhone 4. It has been a great phone. Indeed, it has kept me satisfied enough, where I haven't really cared to upgrade to the 4S or the iPhone 5.

That is exactly how I felt about the 4S....

 

[tanknitrous]

I'm the same as everyone here....I've strayed numerous times, but always come back to what works perfectly. I've tried many, many Android phones but ALWAYS come back to the iPhone. My cell is my only phone and it must work, and quite simply, NOTHING works as well as the iPhone. I like not having to worry if it's going to send something, take a call, make a call, send a text, recieve a text etc. There's a lot to be said for that. My last stray was with the Droid Razr Maxx. Good phone, but was back to my iPhone 5 in less than 2 weeks. That's crazy. Something has changed though......I was very, very intrigued by the Moto X with the form factor and bigger screen and have spent a lot of time researching it. I'm proud to say that, as of yesterday, I've resigned to the fact that I'm not jumping this time. I will not fall into that trap again. My iPhone 5 is THE phone for me, and I'm good with that. Now....when the 5S comes out, now that, I may get. Lol

 

[GingerSnapsBack]

And some of us don?t leave...

I haven't. I still have the 4s but this is the first time since I got a smart phone that I haven't wanted to feed it to a passing donkey on my way home. I've had this phone going on two years now and I'm still as happy today as I was two years ago when the 4s was released.

​Within a week after getting my first BB, I needed a new one and the cycle kept repeating. I gladly paid the extra money to upgrade from one horrible BB to another.

 

[jorbjorb]

I can't tell you how many times I have abandoned my iPhone just to turn around and come back to it after a brief affair with other devices. I never leave my iPhone because of any particular issue. But for some reason, I periodically get the urge to stray and I soon regret it and come slumping back. I have noticed many others on the forum do the same. Any insights on why we do this to ourselves? Why do we leave when we know we will be coming back...soon?


Sent from my iPhone 5 using iMore Forums mobile app

I don't know i'm never leaving my iphone. the other phones bum me out hard.

 

[Ipheuria]

Ever since I bought the 1st gen iPhone I have never used another smartphone as my daily with the intention of anything other than trying out the platform. I love iOS it's just the perfect choice for me personally. I don't get bored with iOS so much as getting bored with the hardware but I've always tolorated it becasue I knew I'd be upgrading within a year by the time I get bored. I upgrade my iPhone every other model partly because I always buy them factory unlocked for full price and partly because I also upgrade my MBP and iPads. So as everyone knows Apple hardware is expensive which means that I have to stagger my upgrades in order to afford them. I have tried Android and Blackberry simply because I love tech and I like to experience other platforms and see how they work. I would use the device for anywhere from 1 week to a month before switching back to my daily.

As for others who leave I don't think it's a big deal. One of the great things is choice and it's good that there are so many devices on the different platforms that there is choice. I think it's a good thing for people who want to try the other platforms to do it because it makes them more experienced. I could never understand why users have this us vs others mentality. There is no one platform to rule them all. So just use what you want and be happy. Why people feel the need to put down another platform is a mystery to me but like anything else with billions of people on earth you're not going to escape it.

 

[Beacio_mo]

I have had every iPhone starting from the 2G to the 5. Since the iPhone 4 I became curious of the competition, trying Windows Phone 7 & 8 and Android. Currently I'm using a Nexus 4, but will definitely be coming back when the new iPhone is launched soon. I've come to miss many of the features I took for granted.

1. Stability. I know that the iPhone will occasionally reboot or kick you out of an app, but it really is the most stable platform to use. My Nexus 4 will reboot out of the blue after ending a call or I'll need to reboot to lower the volume before heading into a meeting. When I tried a Lumia 920 and a Lumia 520, they both randomly rebooted within the first week and both phones had issues with the speaker going out.

2. iMessage. There are some parts of my house that are dead zones. With any iOS device, I can still send a text to another iOS user using iMessage on wifi. With my Nexus, I can't send a text until I'm out of that random spot of my house. A minor nuisance, but still one that occurs more often than I'd like.

3. The camera. The Nexus 4 has one of the worst cameras I've used in a long time. Even compared to an iPhone 4, the iPhone 4 will take a better picture every time. The 4S and iPhone 5 might as well be high end point and shoots in comparison. I really miss having a great camera that requires very little fuss to take a great photo (my Nokia Lumia 920 took great photos, after making a ton of adjustments. Horrible for quick shots).

I can't wait to see the new iPhone release next week! I hope this time I won't swap out so quickly lol.

 

[dkhmwilliams]

Trying hard to be strong and not switch. There are some awesome Android devices that are releasing; G2, Note 3, Nexus 5 that are enticing.

 

[WhiteSpir1t]

It's like saying my wife is the iPhone, but my mistress is Samsung and or Blackberry.
After a quick fling, I'm now back home with my honey again. Bliss.


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