Minor annoyances with Android caused me to covet yet another iPhone

[Jtshurtleff]

About a month back my wife and I, in our determination to save money, switched to Sprint and bought Galaxy S8's on Samsung's BOGO promotion. Sprint was running a promo for a free year of unlimited if you bring your own phone and so we thought it was a great opportunity. Since then it has taken everything in our power not to throw these pieces of junk out the window. Everything is a struggle on Android when compared to iOS. Want to send a quick text? Good luck unless you're precise on your typing because no matter which keyboard you choose you are likely to send something incoherent. Want to send a video? Well if you want it full res you'll have to download a different app and have the recipient do the same. Same with pictures. Speaking of taking pictures, half the time the camera opens it is laggy or simply stays black. Like that curve on the S8 screen? You won't after you've hit the Edge Screen button and swiped over by accident for the 25th time. Oh and speaking of accidentally hitting a button, the Bixby button is not only garbage but completely unsecure. I cannot tell you how many times I took my phone out of my pocket and saw Bixby open or even had my phone completely open to anyone who wanted to see it from hitting some unknown combination of buttons and swipes. I was driving the other day and a Facebook video started playing in my pocket. Not sure how that happened. Android is much better than it used to be, stuff looks better, some things function better, being open is awesome, but it still has no idea what to do when it comes to being more simple. For those of you who want your phone to work as intended, stay secure, update at good times and keep convenience as a priority do not buy an Android phone. I know this is a rant, and one I have made a few times, but someone who is considering the Note 8 over the new iPhone or an S8 over the iPhone 7 might want to know that this is still the case. I hate this phone. I have never hated a phone like the S8 has made me hate it. I regret trying to save a few dollars and have spent a $100 to get my iPhones back (while staying with Sprint and keeping my free service) but I feel it is worth it. Also, nothing beats the Apple Watch.

 

[Spencerdl]

Thanks for your opinion and welcome back to Apple (). ENJOY

 

[TripleOne]

Thank you for sharing your story.
Welcome back to Apple!!

 

[popkurn611]

About a month back my wife and I, in our determination to save money, switched to Sprint and bought Galaxy S8's on Samsung's BOGO promotion. Sprint was running a promo for a free year of unlimited if you bring your own phone and so we thought it was a great opportunity. Since then it has taken everything in our power not to throw these pieces of junk out the window. Everything is a struggle on Android when compared to iOS. Want to send a quick text? Good luck unless you're precise on your typing because no matter which keyboard you choose you are likely to send something incoherent. Want to send a video? Well if you want it full res you'll have to download a different app and have the recipient do the same. Same with pictures. Speaking of taking pictures, half the time the camera opens it is laggy or simply stays black. Like that curve on the S8 screen? You won't after you've hit the Edge Screen button and swiped over by accident for the 25th time. Oh and speaking of accidentally hitting a button, the Bixby button is not only garbage but completely unsecure. I cannot tell you how many times I took my phone out of my pocket and saw Bixby open or even had my phone completely open to anyone who wanted to see it from hitting some unknown combination of buttons and swipes. I was driving the other day and a Facebook video started playing in my pocket. Not sure how that happened. Android is much better than it used to be, stuff looks better, some things function better, being open is awesome, but it still has no idea what to do when it comes to being more simple. For those of you who want your phone to work as intended, stay secure, update at good times and keep convenience as a priority do not buy an Android phone. I know this is a rant, and one I have made a few times, but someone who is considering the Note 8 over the new iPhone or an S8 over the iPhone 7 might want to know that this is still the case. I hate this phone. I have never hated a phone like the S8 has made me hate it. I regret trying to save a few dollars and have spent a $100 to get my iPhones back (while staying with Sprint and keeping my free service) but I feel it is worth it. Also, nothing beats the Apple Watch.

I've gone back and forth following you in other forums...S7 edge and Pixel on AC. I've told myself that androids don't even exist anymore because I refuse to purchase one since buying my iphone 7 plus. Yeah it might be a slightly boring phone but it's the best phone I've ever used in my life. I've never had one issue with it. Android will never ever be as polished as iOS and apple knows that! Apple will never let android run iMessage. It is just so seamless. My husband still has his s7 active and he complains about it constantly. Battery management sucks on it and it has the best battery in it out of any Samsung device. He mainly uses it for the unbreakable housing since he beats his phones up with his job and all.

Apple watch might not be as nice as my gear s2 classic was but it works so well, understands everything I say and is reliable.

 

[rm05]

Interesting post. I can see from reading this that I would not have made a good choice had I have gone with that phone.

I have just gone back to iPhone myself with the 7+ after three Androids in as many years. I was never truly satisfied with their basic usability, by which I mean they all had fundamental issues which, although not faults as such, were characteristics I could not accept.

For instance the screen on my HTC M8 was so over-sensitive to touch that it actually registered touches just above the glass, resulting in frequent accidental double-presses. My Sony Xperia Ultra's screen was even more problematic and frustrating, erroneously registering touches and acting 'possessed', frequently opening apps and typing by itself simply because of minor dirt contamination on the screen. My HTC M9 was the best of the three Androids but even so I was driven mad by the position of the power key too low down on the edge of the phone just where your fingers naturally go when you pick it up (or have it in a car mount), resulting in powering on the screen every time. I can now also see the keyboards on those phones was never as accurate or as slick as the iPhone. Stuff like that gets annoying to me pretty quick since they are basics and should be engineered right.

It's clear to me the iPhone has just been designed better, hardware and software wise. It's apparent from the off. The basics just work right and I'm sure I'll be happier with this phone than I would with any Android. Nothing is perfect but I can't see me going back to Android.

 

[vpblaze]

I agree with the OP as well. Android is no where near as refined and polished.

I have recently switched over to iOS. The last time I had an iPhone was back in 2010. An iPhone 4.
After the 4, I went back to BBRY, and have bounced between BB10 and Android devices since. Always being excited to be on Android for a little bit, then after a while, getting frustrated with it. Always enjoying going back to BB10. Because like iOS, it just works! Its simple, polished, and soooo smooth. Exactly like iOS. The only thing BB10 was lacking was app support!
Now that I am on iOS again, I can actually relate quite a few things about it to BB10. Maybe thats why I am enjoying it so much.
Android has a lot to learn still. But it seems like it never will. Android gets a new feature or capability, and then leaves it at that. Doesnt update it, polish it, expand on it, etc. They just keep adding feature on feature, never truly embracing any of them!
Anyways...iOS is awesome!!!!!! And so are the phones it runs on!

 

[chezm]

Jumping to 7+ from a nexus 6P in May was the best decision I made, have yet to have one reason to regret coming over. Everything on iOS just works, all the time.

 

[Tarah Sorber]

I usually go back and forth between android and iPhone. But I always come back to iPhone. Ive stuck with my 7 plus for 7 months now. Had a s8+ but sold it.

 

[daniel.michael4724]

I recently came back to iOS from Android as well...............

Back in April 2015 I upgraded to an iPhone 6 Plus and was very impressed with how polished iOS had become. It worked great, no lags, and timely updates from Apple. My wife has always been die hard Android and towards the end of 2016 upgraded to the S7 Active, and it wasn't a bad looking phone & with the durability I decided to give it a try because with my job (public safety) I can be a bit rough on a device. I got an S7 Active back on January 2nd & while I enjoyed being able to customize icons and such without any hassle. But that convenience doesn't come without sacrifices such as lag between screens, apps randomly shutting down or not working, random reboots, etc. Two weeks ago I'd had enough and went to AT&T and paid what I needed to on our Next plan for my line to be able to trade it in and happily walked out with my matte black 7 Plus

Also, it was back at the beginning of May when I traded vehicles and got a new 2017 Hyundai Elantra Limited that had Android Auto & Apple Car Play integrated in the entertainment system. I was excited about this but I'm not sure if it was my phone or the fact that Android Auto just sucks in general but I think I only used it twice. The interface seemed clunky and had a lot of lag to it. The first time my daughter plugged her iPhone 7 into it and I saw how flawlessly it functioned it was just one more reason for me to come back to iOS.

 

[RHChan84]

Been an Android user since the beginning. Hated iOS. I was that Android person. But as time went on, I got frustrated with Android.
-iMessage-i can talk to anyone when I'm overseas. Everyone I know has iMessage. I can make FaceTime calls or audio calls with my number and such. Easy. No Facebook messenger, no 3rd party app, nothing. Use my phone like normal.
-the amount of reboots I need to do with Android. I would reboot at least once or twice a week. iOS, I reboot but I think the Android in me tells me I should reboot. But I have used my phone for 3 weeks without rebooting and it's still smooth.
-Apple Watch-much smoother interface and operation then the Huawei watch. Just an overall better experience. The only thing I miss was the customer watch faces for AndroidWear
-battery life. iOS blows Android away. Android does charge faster with fast charge but my iPhone last longer so why worry about charging. I'm in 12% and I have no problems type this post. And doing a few more things.
-ApplePay. I have bought so much stuff online since they take applepay. No need to input any info. Just select Apple pay, thumb print, boom. Done.

One thing I do miss is the file system. I liked being able to drag and drop files with just a USB cable and view them on Android. And no converting needed for videos. Any format works unlike iOS.

 

[TripleOne]

I'm really enjoying reading these posts! Keep it going fellas

 

[chezm]

I recently came back to iOS from Android as well...............

Back in April 2015 I upgraded to an iPhone 6 Plus and was very impressed with how polished iOS had become. It worked great, no lags, and timely updates from Apple. My wife has always been die hard Android and towards the end of 2016 upgraded to the S7 Active, and it wasn't a bad looking phone & with the durability I decided to give it a try because with my job (public safety) I can be a bit rough on a device. I got an S7 Active back on January 2nd & while I enjoyed being able to customize icons and such without any hassle. But that convenience doesn't come without sacrifices such as lag between screens, apps randomly shutting down or not working, random reboots, etc. Two weeks ago I'd had enough and went to AT&T and paid what I needed to on our Next plan for my line to be able to trade it in and happily walked out with my matte black 7 Plus

Also, it was back at the beginning of May when I traded vehicles and got a new 2017 Hyundai Elantra Limited that had Android Auto & Apple Car Play integrated in the entertainment system. I was excited about this but I'm not sure if it was my phone or the fact that Android Auto just sucks in general but I think I only used it twice. The interface seemed clunky and had a lot of lag to it. The first time my daughter plugged her iPhone 7 into it and I saw how flawlessly it functioned it was just one more reason for me to come back to iOS.

CarPlay is a much more seamless and lagfree experience compared to android auto for me as well

 

[John Yester]

Interesting to read the other side prospective. I was there about 4-5 years ago and would not go back...

Glad to have you here!

 

[Jtshurtleff]

Thanks for all of your replies guys and gals! I have a few more updates about my switch:

I got home yesterday and had put my S8's in their boxes and then went about my night, cooking dinner, cleaning up after the kids and so on and kept hearing a vibrating coming from the S8+ box. Finally it got to the point that my curiosity peaked and I popped the box open to find the phone in a boot loop. The day that I was due to get my iPhone my S8 kept prompting me to "reboot" since it had been 7 days. Never have I owned a phone that constantly prompted you about it's faults. It would tell me if it killed an app because it was open and not being used, tell me to clean the camera lense because it was dirty from it's asinine placement of the FPS, tell me to reboot because it was bogging down, switch to low power mode and not allow me to open the camera or use the flashlight and so much more. Having a phone that constantly reminds you of it's shortcomings is moronic. One major gripe with my iPhone so far though is that the guy or girl who sent it to me from eBay sent it with a major camera defect and so the camera does not focus properly. That has been a hassle but should be fixed by Apple next week at the latest. Keep the stories coming everyone, I would love to hear more experiences.

Oh and to the poster who said they miss the filing system, just wait for iOS11, it's coming.

 

[MizWylie]

I'm actually posting this from my Moto Z Force...I love iOS, but hadn't had the opportunity to try out Nougat. I like to at least try out the new OS releases as they come even though I'm a die-hard Apple girl. However, I didn't want a Samsung and I love the LG G6, just didn't want to pay for them. Currently trying out Nougat on the Z Force and am glad I did. I miss iOS pretty badly but I'm giving Android a fair shot.

I'm currently rocking an iPhone SE as my mainstay iOS device until the new iPhone comes out...or I find a 6S.

 

[crucial bbq]

My main beef with Android is that unless you have a flagship handset you have no way of knowing if the next version of Android will be made available to your handset, and, with the flagships you are only really guaranteed one update. Without turning this into a litany of pros and cons, I'll just say that I don't really like iOS, either, but it seems to be getting better with each version.

I almost got an iPhone 6S, then almost got an iPhone 7. I am now leaning towards an iPhone 8/7S but will have to wait and see. I likely won't get a new handset until next summer, anyways.

 

[popkurn611]

My main beef with Android is that unless you have a flagship handset you have no way of knowing if the next version of Android will be made available to your handset, and, with the flagships you are only really guaranteed one update. Without turning this into a litany of pros and cons, I'll just say that I don't really like iOS, either, but it seems to be getting better with each version.

I almost got an iPhone 6S, then almost got an iPhone 7. I am now leaning towards an iPhone 8/7S but will have to wait and see. I likely won't get a new handset until next summer, anyways.

Even if you do get android flagships you still never know when you will get the new OS. Depending on your carrier or if you have the unlocked version it always is up in the air. Samsung's get the updates very late compared to moto and pixel

 

[Jude526]

I was helping my friend with an issue on her S8+. She let a friend play with her phone. I told her don't do that. She out stuff on your phone u don't need I got it back to how she wanted it. Told her not to do THAT. I don't like the screen. She says she loves her phone but she has a lot of issues with it. I used to love Samsung. Not anymore

 

[TripleOne]

My main beef with Android is that unless you have a flagship handset you have no way of knowing if the next version of Android will be made available to your handset, and, with the flagships you are only really guaranteed one update. Without turning this into a litany of pros and cons, I'll just say that I don't really like iOS, either, but it seems to be getting better with each version.

I almost got an iPhone 6S, then almost got an iPhone 7. I am now leaning towards an iPhone 8/7S but will have to wait and see. I likely won't get a new handset until next summer, anyways.

Very true!
And it takes forever for Samsung to release it's latest software. My cousin finally deicded to get an iPhone after using Android for a long time, simply because iOS always get the latest software as soon as it is announced.

 

[vpblaze]

Very true!
And it takes forever for Samsung to release it's latest software. My cousin finally deicded to get an iPhone after using Android for a long time, simply because iOS always get the latest software as soon as it is announced.

It really is a reassurance knowing that your device will still be supported after 3 years!