Experience Switching from iPhone (ecosystem)

[LP Slade]

I love Apple, but I also love lots of other companies. I’m also VERY deep into the Apple ecosystem. I’ve seen tons of videos and articles from iPhone users that have tried Android phones, but it seems like I’m more deeply in the ecosystem.

I have 3 HomePods, 2 Apple TVs, MacBook Air, Apple Watch, iPhone 12 Pro, lots of iCloud storage and I’m sure I’m missing something else.

I’ve tried different streaming boxes based on android TV and now Google TV and well as Google speakers. I have no desire to change any of these things (except maybe the watch), but for years I have had a nagging desire to try out a Pixel or a Galaxy phone (I have a Galaxy A50 as a backup phone).

Has anyone here that’s as deep in the ecosystem (or deeper) gone to an Android phone? How was/is it?

 

[Mr.Willie]

I went from BB (when they killed BB OS ) to an Android device. Didn’t care for it. When Apple came out with iPhone 6+, that was all she wrote. I already had an iPad. Now I have the Apple Watch, iPhone, and iPad Pro. Wife also now has iPhone and iPad. Almost forgot about the ATV. It’s all integrated and I see absolutely no reason to screw up my life flow and work flow by getting an Android device.

 

[Annie_M]

One thing that strikes me about switching from the Apple ecosystem to Android is that family members with Android miss out on family group texts on iMessage. This has caused much frustration... wedding planning, baby planning, birth announcements, family illnesses, and finally the pandemic. Two members of my extended family gave up on their Androids and came back to Apple because they had missed so many texts, etc.

 

[gnirkatto]

One thing that strikes me about switching from the Apple ecosystem to Android is that family members with Android miss out on family group texts on iMessage. This has caused much frustration... wedding planning, baby planning, birth announcements, family illnesses, and finally the pandemic. Two members of my extended family gave up on their Androids and came back to Apple because they had missed so many texts, etc.

I always wondered why so many people named iMessage as (one of the) main thing(s) they would miss when leaving the Apple ecosystem.
It's probably the easiest one to replace, there are so many other options (Signal, telegram, even whatsapp.....).
What I would miss most: the Watch (genius!), the common clipboard, handover.
I'm totally into the Apple ecosystem (Mac, iPhone, iPad, Watch, etc.) and enjoy many (not all!) features & services enormously. However, I still feel that I could migrate, with 'affordable' effort, and replace most services by others, if needed (but currently I don't feel the need).

 

[Annie_M]

I always wondered why so many people named iMessage as (one of the) main thing(s) they would miss when leaving the Apple ecosystem.
It's probably the easiest one to replace, there are so many other options (Signal, telegram, even whatsapp.....).
What I would miss most: the Watch (genius!), the common clipboard, handover.
I'm totally into the Apple ecosystem (Mac, iPhone, iPad, Watch, etc.) and enjoy many (not all!) features & services enormously. However, I still feel that I could migrate, with 'affordable' effort, and replace most services by others, if needed (but currently I don't feel the need).

Yes! The Apple Watch definitely is another reason not to leave Apple's ecosystem! And I realize that there are other options for texting, but I am a firm believer in the security of Apple's ecosystem!

 

[Just_Me_D]

Like some of the others, I was a die-hard BlackBerry fanatic. I went from my BB to an iPhone 3G and when it dropped in the ocean off the coast of South Carolina, I went and purchased a brand new BlackBerry Bold (9000) later that evening. After some time, I went to Android (Droid Incredible and HTC EVO 4G. I enjoyed them both, but was never quite satisfied with them so I opted for the iPhone 4S and have had almost every iPhone since then. It fits me and my smartphone needs so I’m not looking to change anytime soon.

With tat being said, go ahead and give the Google Pixel a try. There’s nothing wrong with that. I use one for work and it’s fast and well-built. The cellular portion is not active, however. Anyway, if you give it or another Android device a try, let us know your thoughts about it. In the meantime, have an awesome day and upcoming weekend.

 

[vimagreg]

I always wondered why so many people named iMessage as (one of the) main thing(s) they would miss when leaving the Apple ecosystem.
It's probably the easiest one to replace, there are so many other options (Signal, telegram, even whatsapp.....).
What I would miss most: the Watch (genius!), the common clipboard, handover.
I'm totally into the Apple ecosystem (Mac, iPhone, iPad, Watch, etc.) and enjoy many (not all!) features & services enormously. However, I still feel that I could migrate, with 'affordable' effort, and replace most services by others, if needed (but currently I don't feel the need).

Well I think I can say something about that one.

I was a die hard iPhone user for some years. Then, in 2019 I bought a Galaxy Note 10+ and just loved it (actually I still love). But, as my wife always had iPhones (now she has a 12 Mini) one of the main thing I always missed is iMessage. Why? Well that’s personal, but I hate WhatsApp and everything FB. Then I tried Telegram, and it’s just unreliable (some messages arrive late, actually too late in some cases). Tried Signal. Good. Reliable. But we missed stickers and all that stuff. Now I came back to iPhone, we are using iMessage again. Lots of stickers, reliability, speedy messages and we are talking a lot more by text again, now! Simple like that.

Oh, and I miss my  Watch a lot too. Unfortunately I sold my old Gen 4 some time ago, but as soon as I can buy the newest Gen 7, surely I will. Nowadays I use a Galaxy Watch 3 paired with my Note 10+ and I can guarantee it cannot be compared with an  Watch. And I’m taking about the best watch available on Android ecosystem…

So, yes, iMessage and  watch are important things TO ME.

 

[Wotchered]

I came late to gadgets,even mobile phones and struggled through a stiff learning experience to get even the limited distance I have with iOS, If you think I’m going to bother with Android … !!

 

[pr1nce]

I was a die hard BlackBerry fanatic for several years, from the Pearl, Curve, Tour and a couple of Bold devices. Then I decided to try the iPhone 4S when it was released and I haven’t looked back. Today, I’m into the Apple ecosystem. iPhone 12, Apple Watch Series 5, MacBook Air M1 and Airpods. I’m happy where I’m at and I’m not going anywhere.

 

[gnirkatto]

@Annie_M & @vimagreg
I think that the security level that Signal offers is at least equal to iMessage.
I also refuse to using Whatsapp and everything Facebook.
I use Signal as my main messenger, but also Telegram. I am a bit concerned of Telegrams owners 'promises' that it is sooo safe. A Russian who had to flee country for political reasons, but being wealthy enough to create and maintain a global messenger network, without advertising, free of charge, for honorary reasons only....hm. So I'm trying to get my contacts switch to Signal, but not all of them have done so yet.
Telegram is probably the most feature-rich messenger, with its true multiplatform support (no phone needs to be in reach unlike Signal), surveys, channels etc. However, for me Signal covers almost everything I need, with safety guaranteed (hopefully).
I agree iMessage is reliable, speedy and also very feature-rich, but due to its lack of support for non-Apple-platforms, I use it to communicate with other Apple users who don't use any of the other options only.
I think if iMessage would also support Android (and maybe Win ??????) I would try to convince all of my contacts to migrate. But I know Android is probably never going to happen, let alone Windows.

 

[Annie_M]

@Annie_M & @vimagreg
I think that the security level that Signal offers is at least equal to iMessage.
I also refuse to using Whatsapp and everything Facebook.
I use Signal as my main messenger, but also Telegram. I am a bit concerned of Telegrams owners 'promises' that it is sooo safe. A Russian who had to flee country for political reasons, but being wealthy enough to create and maintain a global messenger network, without advertising, free of charge, for honorary reasons only....hm. So I'm trying to get my contacts switch to Signal, but not all of them have done so yet.
Telegram is probably the most feature-rich messenger, with its true multiplatform support (no phone needs to be in reach unlike Signal), surveys, channels etc. However, for me Signal covers almost everything I need, with safety guaranteed (hopefully).
I agree iMessage is reliable, speedy and also very feature-rich, but due to its lack of support for non-Apple-platforms, I use it to communicate with other Apple users who don't use any of the other options only.
I think if iMessage would also support Android (and maybe Win ������) I would try to convince all of my contacts to migrate. But I know Android is probably never going to happen, let alone Windows.

Interesting...thank you for sharing! I know that iMessage is available on Android, so do you think the lack of support comes from Apple's end, or Android's... or perhaps, both?

 

[vimagreg]

@Annie_M & @vimagreg
I think that the security level that Signal offers is at least equal to iMessage.
I also refuse to using Whatsapp and everything Facebook.
I use Signal as my main messenger, but also Telegram. I am a bit concerned of Telegrams owners 'promises' that it is sooo safe. A Russian who had to flee country for political reasons, but being wealthy enough to create and maintain a global messenger network, without advertising, free of charge, for honorary reasons only....hm. So I'm trying to get my contacts switch to Signal, but not all of them have done so yet.
Telegram is probably the most feature-rich messenger, with its true multiplatform support (no phone needs to be in reach unlike Signal), surveys, channels etc. However, for me Signal covers almost everything I need, with safety guaranteed (hopefully).
I agree iMessage is reliable, speedy and also very feature-rich, but due to its lack of support for non-Apple-platforms, I use it to communicate with other Apple users who don't use any of the other options only.
I think if iMessage would also support Android (and maybe Win ������) I would try to convince all of my contacts to migrate. But I know Android is probably never going to happen, let alone Windows.

I agree with you. As I said, iMessage works very well for communication between my wife and me and... well... here in Brazil we have the most pricey iPhone in the world, so not much people actually owns one. Because of that, my iMessage contacts are very few, actually.

The problem with messaging is that we need the other end to use the same app as ours, and here WhatsApp is present in literally 99.9% of smartphones. Believe me, it was almost a war to stop using it, and I need to say some contacts were lost because of that. I would love to have everybody in my Telegram, but most people even don't know what it is. Signal? Is laughable how few people heard or read about. It's difficult. I was almost obligated to maintain WA active, but it is in an old phone that stays only in my desk, and I open the app only twice a day in workdays. And that's it. In my two actual phones I only use Telegram, iMessage and SMS.

And, yes, I would love to have iMessage on my Android as well.

 

[gnirkatto]

Interesting...thank you for sharing! I know that iMessage is available on Android, so do you think the lack of support comes from Apple's end, or Android's... or perhaps, both?

I think you wanted to say iMessage is NOT available on Android?
Quite some time ago, I read somewhere (here?) that there were ongoing discussions @ Apple of whether or not to make iMessage available on Android. It's really up to Apple to make this move, and I think Google would be more than happy to welcome iMessage in the PLay Store.
The decision was always made agains it eventually. Mainly for concerns over losing iPhone users, which I understand, to a degree.
However, and here we are back at the beginning of our discussion, iMessage would not be the reason FOR ME to stick to the iPhone, as it is an easy to replace element of the ecosystem imho.