Any former Android owners?

[dc9super80]

I used to be on Android as my daily driver (phone) now I use iOS, but I still have a Nexus 7 to scratch my android itch. Why do I prefer iOS now?

1. App quality (night and day and I don?t care what anyone says), iOS apps hands down look and function better. There are some apps like Prismatic that is yet to be on Android (I love that app) and other like Zite that are yet to be updated (the old version is unusable).

2. OS stability, my Nexus 7 still crashes while using some apps. And while that may happen on iOS it hardly ever happens to me. Granted alot of the blame lies on the dev, but I am the enduser, I just want it to work.

3. I don?t like widgets, they are usually quite ugly, use resources and I can?t get anything properly done on them, so I need them to just provide me with information. iOS notifications menu does that, it provides me with all the glance able information I need, with just a swipe. I don?t see why they don?t get kudos for that. Ok, they are not actionable, big deal, tap the notification and deal with it in its app, swipe down again to see what else is up. On Android sure I can click reply right there, but it still opens the app.

4. Default lock screen notifications. I work in a lab, se being able to double my finger and hit the home button with my knuckle (can?t use my fingertips) to see what has come in is a big deal.

5. I like the default lock screen controls for music etc.

6. I love the central hub to control all my notifications settings.

7. I am very invested in the ecosystem, and I have a MacBook Air, Apple TV, my wife has an iPad, having an iPhone is comfortable.

8. Most of my family uses iPhones, and there no price for FaceTime and iMessage it is pretty convenient.

These are my reason, and they are all subjective. If you are in the Google ecosystem, Android is a fantastic choice. I enjoy using my Nexus 7 very much. I think the days of iOS or Android being clearly the winner are behind us, they are both viable options and it depends what your particular needs are. I enjoyed my time on Android, but I am very comfortable on iOS now.

 

[Nodnerb]

I've had many androids, most recently coming to the iphone 5 from an htc one s. The two worst things about the switch for me is the lack of customization and widgets, and the more intrusive ads. I find apple apps tend to have a lot of pop ups for other apps etc. in their free apps while androids are typically far less intrusive and annoying. I find apple products just work smoother and more consistently.
Although, I love my iphone 5. Both android and ios have their bonuses and draw backs.

 

[mulasien]

Most of the other posters here covered the same stuff as I. TL;DR for me at the bottom:

I've worked in IT my whole adult life, and am no stranger to technology, nor learning new things.

I was a diehard Android fan, having gone from an older iPhone 3G to a Galaxy S2, I thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. To be honest, the jump from the 3G to the S2 in terms of the widgets and customization options on Android was a big draw for me.

I liked the platform so much, I even got me an Android tablet about a year later (Asus TF300). All this time, I was a pretty good as making fun of Apple products for their lack of customization and options available.

However, over time I started experiencing the perpetual 'death by a thousand cuts' that grew more and more aggravating. The glacial pace of updates for the S2 (to be fair, the TF300 was very well and timely updated), home screens crashing and having to re-draw on both platforms. Crippling bugs in updates on the S2 that rendered it almost unusable (Google 'AT&T S2 sleep of death 4.0.4' for an example), generally degraded performance over time, on the tablet- the shoddier app selection (yes it's getting better, but still a joke compared to iOS - how long has it been 'getting better?').

For all the strengths of being more 'customizable', I spent most of that customizing time just trying to make the phone and tablet work right, whether it was tracking down an app that was killing my battery or trying to figure out why my home screen crashed all the time. Such customizing is not an enjoyable experience for me. I spent more time trying to fix problems than actually using my devices. 'Great, what diagnostic app do I need to download now to deal with THIS issue?'

I was able to get the S2 much more stable and usable by installing CM 10.1, which was also the only way I'd see Jelly Bean on that phone. I enjoyed the phone again for a time and 'hated' it less than I did before.

However earlier this year I was issued an iPhone 5 by work to replace our blackberries. After using it for a week (remember, my last iOS experience was with my 3G), I was hooked based on just how...WELL it ran in every aspect. It did not have the widgets and toggles out the wazoo, but it WORKED much better than any of my Android devices. I didn't have to screw around with it, having to find the latest 'find your battery hog' app just to make the phone work decently. Soon, I got me an iPad 4 as well to complement the phone, and I went from an Apple hater to understanding why people like these products so much. They just WORK. You'll see me criticizing Apple Maps elsewhere in this forum, but hey there's Google Maps for that. Everything else is great. I now spend more time using and enjoying my Apple devices then trying to figure out why 'xxx' doesn't work right today.

It works even better when my spouse and family members also have iOS devices, and I can easily facetime and photo stream with them.

TL;DR - started off as Apple hater/Android lover, got sick of all the annoying crap to put up with in Android, got converted back to a much better working platform

 

[sanc333]

well i switched from android to iphone 4s and i was very much happy with iphone 4s. Its performance was way above my previous android phone ( Galaxy S plus). And after that i switched to Galaxy S3 and let me tell you i regret it. Since i was using a jailbroken iphone and with all the customisation and tweaks i was using in iphone 4s, i got a bad feeling after switching android.
just few days back i switched from Lumia 920 ( bad like very bad phone) to iphone 5 and i feel relived now! just waiting for the jailbreak to come for ios 6.1.4 which is quite unexpected i think. anyways there are number of ways through which you can just download the paid apps for free and the speed is really good. Even my galaxy s3 having quad core used to get stuck sometimes! but iphone 5 no chance, haven't experienced any lags yet and performance is lot better than any high end android phone.
iphone 5 is my 17 or 18th phone so far and i feel satisfied with its overall performance!

sometimes i tell android users that my iphone 5 doesn't lag and they call me an apple fanboy. seriously, neither they believe me nor they themselves go and try iphone 5 .
good to see some fair opinion by a former android user

 

[rjkgr]

yes come on over i had the s3 and now i have the iphone5 and i love the iphone5 compared to the s3 because its skinny and less lag

 

[rjkgr]

go with the iphone 5 its doesnt lag and skinny and also the battery life is about the same

 

[Davyo]

I like both Android and iOS,,,, and currently have, an ipad, Nexus 10, Galaxy Tab 3 (8" and 10") and my daily driver phone is the Galaxy S4,,,,,,,,, I do miss some things about the iphone as I was a hardcore iphone junkie from day one.

I've gone back and forth between the Note 2, Galaxy S4 and the iPhone 5 alot during the last year,,,,,, but in the end the large screen of the GS4 and all the features beat out the iPhone 5 for me.

Out of all my tablets my ipad is my favorite, ,,,,, but for a phone my GS4 is my favorite.

When Apple puts out a bigger than 4" screen and catchs up to Android as far as features I might come back to the iphone,,,,,, but for right now I'm sticking with my GS4.

That might change after September 10th,,,,, but then again I'm not to optimistic that the newest iphone just wont be a small incremental upgrade from the current iphone 5.

cheers
davyo

 

[dc9super80]

I like both Android and iOS,,,, and currently have, an ipad, Nexus 10, Galaxy Tab 3 (8" and 10") and my daily driver phone is the Galaxy S4,,,,,,,,, I do miss some things about the iphone as I was a hardcore iphone junkie from day one.

I've gone back and forth between the Note 2, Galaxy S4 and the iPhone 5 alot during the last year,,,,,, but in the end the large screen of the GS4 and all the features beat out the iPhone 5 for me.

Out of all my tablets my ipad is my favorite, ,,,,, but for a phone my GS4 is my favorite.

When Apple puts out a bigger than 4" screen and catchs up to Android as far as features I might come back to the iphone,,,,,, but for right now I'm sticking with my GS4.

That might change after September 10th,,,,, but then again I'm not to optimistic that the newest iphone just wont be a small incremental upgrade from the current iphone 5.

cheers
davyo

What features are you missing? I always hear about this missing feature set, but I use a Nexus 7 as my tablet, and while iOS is very different, it handles it?s own. The only "feature" I find missing is the inability to set default apps, but that has more to do with Apple?s philosophy than anything else. So what would you like to see on iOS?

 

[_X_]

My household has a mix bag of devices, we have and have uses Android devices, BlackBerry, and iOS. They all have features that are useful and missed when the device is not in use.

So while some of us have preferences Android and iOS the general consensus is Android phones provide the best experience for phones and iPads offer the best experience for tablets. The only time our transform(Android tablet) is uses is when one for my kids wants to write a paper.

One thing I do recommend is to do your homework look for what features are important for you and ask. Switching because you're board of iOS might not be a good reason. With iOS you get a consistent experience across devices. With Android your experience can vary based on the vendor.

For me I've settled on the note 2. It's been the form factor I've wanted since before iOS and Android even existed, back in the Palm, BlackBerry, Windows Phone days. So far it has met every expectation I had. Battery is great, very stable, very responsive, exceptional at multitasking, and excellent to read on. I don't think I'll upgrade for years to come.

 

[aggie]

I can't say I'm a former Android owner as I have a HTC One, Galaxy S4, and Nexus 4 in my gadget drawer right now as well as a Nexus 7 and Lumia 1020 but I was at the Apple store last week looking at buying a MacBook Air and instead I made an impulse buy and got an iPhone 5 32gb unlocked. I had the iPhone 5 on launch day and kept it a couple weeks before moving to the Note 2. I liked it but I've obviously been an Android guy at heart for a while now. I've always loved the iPhone hardware and build though and how well the OS is optimized for the hardware. This thing operates much more smoothly than any of the much higher spec'd devices I currently possess. And that is running a BETA version of the os (I currently have iOS beta 6 installed). Can only imagine how much smoother it will run with the final version.

Both platforms have their advantages. Even Windows Phone has its advantages. It's all about what's best for you. The older I get and having 2 kids now, one being a newborn, I have less time to tinker and play with my devices and prefer one that just works and is an all around solid performer. The iPhone 5 (with iOS 7) checks all of those boxes for me. Solid battery life, camera, ecosystem, hardware. The nexus 4 comes in a close second for me. I currently have deals in place to sell my HTC One and GS4. I'm now solidly back with iOS and keeping the iPhone 5 as my daily driver and the Lumia 1020 as my backup thanks to the camera and the Nexus 4 as my Android device due to always having the latest updates.

 

[Not Quite Right]

Long time iPhone user jumped ship to try something different. Got a Nexus 4 & GS 4 and proceeded to go back and forth between the two for the past 2-3 months. Let me tell you I've had the time of my life customizing the **** out those phones, and if I didn't have choice I'd be perfectly happy with either one of these. Fortunately I do, and as of yesterday I'm back to my old friend iOS, and the iPhone 5 with renewed appreciation for the seamless ness of hardware/software, lack of carrier branding & bloat ware, more and better working apps, and accessories like no other.

 

[Truwire]

I switched from Android to the iPhone and it is great; however, I bought an iPad and hated it. Apple phone & Android tablets for me.

 

[mpham2]

I had the first 3 iphones and then tried a Galaxy S3. That is sitting on my table and I am back using my 4 and waiting for the new 5s/6.

 

[Droidrage729]

I will say I have gone through a bunch if android phones and while I was happy to an extent i still felt there is work to do on androids part. I switched to the iphone 5 and I love it. Don't get me wrong I love apple products but I am not loyal to any particular brand . My point of view is make a better product and I'll buy it simple. I do t own apple or android stock I'm not on either team i just buy what works best for me now. Right now I need my battery to last a whole day without charging no android phone that wasn't a max would suffice. So here I am with an i5 and I love it ios 7 is also very nice. Give apple a shot and don't get caught up on android apple just buy what works for you.

 

[Songbirdy]

I owned an old Samsung Galaxy Captivate I liked it then I went to the HTC Aria but it was way too small! So I went back to the captivate the got an iPhone 4 for my birthday and I'm getting the 5S soon


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free

 

[mynameis]

I had android phones before I got my iPhone 4. Before, I loved Android but yet I hated it. It's cool that you can customize an android pretty much however you want. But with all that freedom, I didn't know what to do with the phone. When I got my iPhone 4 I swore I wasn't ever going back to android. But the LG Optimus G came out and I wanted it. So I got that and had it for about 3 months until I made a switch to the iPhone 5. I loved my 4, so I knew I was going to love the 5. That's the phone I have to this very day. Android is a good OS and they have the cool widgets and "fun" stuff. They work, they do work. Don't get me wrong. But there are little things that you, well I, saw after using Android for a while. One thing that was a big bummer for me is the updates don't all come out to every phone at the same time. It makes sense, there are different companies that have android phones. Samsung, HTC, etc. It's funny that tons of companies pretty much make the same phone. Android phones are nearly identical to the others that are around.

I love the my iPhone 5. It simply works for me. Maybe it's not the phone for you. But almost everyone that I know that has made the switch to the iPhone had loved it. You might, and probably won't be, any different.

 

[thatotherdude24]

What features are you missing? I always hear about this missing feature set, but I use a Nexus 7 as my tablet, and while iOS is very different, it handles it?s own. The only "feature" I find missing is the inability to set default apps, but that has more to do with Apple?s philosophy than anything else. So what would you like to see on iOS?

I can answer this question.....to me the biggest feature iOS is missing is the ability to attach documents from within the stock email app. Sure I can do it with Pages but I have to go to another app, create a new email thread and then send the attachment. With my Note 2 all I have to do is attach the document to the email from within the gmail app and I don't have to start a new thread. I don't use my phone for games....I am a productivity user for my phone and this is the biggest issue with iOS to me. Apple does do a very good job of making things work easier than other OS's but they need to make this happen quick, if they did I really think they would be even bigger in business.

Having to start a new thread to send attach a document may not seem like a big deal but its more to keep track of and it's a burden to have to keep switching threads.

I also think having some type of file system would be a help. Having a way to store documents on my phone and view them would be a huge help, it would eliminate the need for yet another app.

 

[dc9super80]

I can answer this question.....to me the biggest feature iOS is missing is the ability to attach documents from within the stock email app. Sure I can do it with Pages but I have to go to another app, create a new email thread and then send the attachment. With my Note 2 all I have to do is attach the document to the email from within the gmail app and I don't have to start a new thread. I don't use my phone for games....I am a productivity user for my phone and this is the biggest issue with iOS to me. Apple does do a very good job of making things work easier than other OS's but they need to make this happen quick, if they did I really think they would be even bigger in business.

Having to start a new thread to send attach a document may not seem like a big deal but its more to keep track of and it's a burden to have to keep switching threads.

I also think having some type of file system would be a help. Having a way to store documents on my phone and view them would be a huge help, it would eliminate the need for yet another app.

I understand the need for that, in fact when I first got my n iPhone I was quite taken aback by that. I have since gotten used to limited email functions, but I hope it gets better some day.

Tapatalking on the N7....

 

[thatotherdude24]

I understand the need for that, in fact when I first got my n iPhone I was quite taken aback by that. I have since gotten used to limited email functions, but I hope it gets better some day.

Tapatalking on the N7....

It's all about the little things. But the little things make the biggest difference. Another downfall for me being on Verizon is the lack of voice and data at the same time.

 

[dc9super80]

It's all about the little things. But the little things make the biggest difference. Another downfall for me being on Verizon is the lack of voice and data at the same time.

Haha yeh, the little things make a difference. I stick with iOS though, because there are some speciality apps I need. I also think the general app quality is better. Thing is I use Google apps, so talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place. I'll at stick with iOS until my next upgrade at least, and see what happens.

Tapatalking on the N7....