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Switching from Android to 8 Plus

flyinion

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Sep 17, 2015
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Congrats, I made the switch two years ago after using Android since the OG Droid days and being totally into the Rooting and ROM'ing thing on a number of devices. From an Android perspective, iOS has definitely come a long way in integrating features that only Android used to have that I really enjoyed so it made it easy especially considering the fast OS updates and the polished & tuned hardware/software integration.
 

cwbcpa

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Mar 23, 2011
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I have been waffling back and forth. I had all the last models of the iPhone and then decided to go back and try the S8+. Although it was a very nice phone I couldn't look past all the bloatware, curved screen, bixby, and that aspect ratio to name a few.

I received my Silver 256GB on Friday after ordering it Wednesday and I love it. Everything just suits me so much better. I also ordered myself another Apple Watch. Cannot wait to get them and hopefully this 8+ will keep me from switching back again.

I can't seem to keep a phone longer than 6 months without trying something else. Tired of switching all the time. Hoping this one will do the trick!!!

I have been in the same boat. The 7 Plus is the first phone I kept for a full year. During that time I also tried the S8+ for about 2 weeks and the Note 8 for 10 days. Both were amazing phones, especially the Note 8. I have always been surrounded by family, friends and clients that use Apple products. The difference this year has been the addition of a MacBook Pro, Apple Watch and AirPods to my own life. I am in the ecosystem and I am very happy in it. I still appreciate the tech outside of Apple, but what I have right now is working better than any combo that I have used in the past 6-7 years.

I did upgrade from the 7 Plus as well and I love it. I was not going to, but then I got to spend time with the 8 Plus and it is more of an upgrade than all these reviewers are giving it credit for. I will be very happy holding onto it for a year while Apple refines what is now the iPhone X.
 

SquireSCA

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Apr 9, 2015
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I go back and forth between iOS and Android. Today, Android is much more polished, more functional, more customizations and you can do more with it, easily.

That said, the CPU muscle and camera, coupled with the Augmented Reality Gaming capabilities, tipped the scales and I decided that I could live with some of the nice features of Android, and give this one a whirl...

So far, it's good.

I hate dealing with iTunes. I hate that I can't just use my 256gb phone as a thumb drive on any computer, the way Android does. I don't like that I can't customize the desktop and only have icons and widgets that I need regularly... The iOS has made strides in some areas, but the basic desktop is a decade old and very antiquated and cluttered.

Google Assistant is much better than Siri, hands down.

CarPlay has gotten better. Android Auto still has an edge, but not by as much as it used to.

Overall, it seems like a solid phone so far. I gave up some stuff, to be sure, but I picked up a few things as a trade off.

The iPhone X, just doesn't impress me. Facial Recognition is a gimick. It's been done before, and most people prefer the finger print scanner. While the new display is the nicest Apple will have offered, it's a Samsung screen and it's a lower spec screen than what current Samsung phones already come with... The Notch at the top? Lazy. You know that if Jobs was still alive, he would have lost his mind when they presented that in a Product meeting. He would have told them to go and fix that s*&t and not come back till it was done... haha

Both platforms have benefits... Android has ease of use, functionality and features that are typically 2 years ahead of iOS... Apple has build quality, battery life and this time around, some serious processing power that lets you do some cool stuff.
 

TheLegoJoker

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Sep 3, 2016
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Mainly an iPhone user, currently on a Note 8, and strongly considering coming back. I love most of what the Note 8 does, but Google Assistant is killing a lot of the enjoyment for me. I find it interesting because it seems to be the opinion of many that Google Assistant is superior to Siri but for me it's just the opposite. When connected via Bluetooth to my car, Siri trounces Google Assistant. I can only get GA to wake up some of the time even though I set up the trusted voice function but Siri works every time. I guess your mileage may vary, but I'll take Siri over GA any day.
I use my phone a lot in the car to call and text and for the sake of safety I do so hands free and GA isn't allowing me to do that where Siri always did.
I think my mind is made up. I just have to decide if I want the 7 plus or the 8 plus.
 

TripleOne

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Oct 4, 2014
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Mainly an iPhone user, currently on a Note 8, and strongly considering coming back. I love most of what the Note 8 does, but Google Assistant is killing a lot of the enjoyment for me. I find it interesting because it seems to be the opinion of many that Google Assistant is superior to Siri but for me it's just the opposite. When connected via Bluetooth to my car, Siri trounces Google Assistant. I can only get GA to wake up some of the time even though I set up the trusted voice function but Siri works every time. I guess your mileage may vary, but I'll take Siri over GA any day.
I use my phone a lot in the car to call and text and for the sake of safety I do so hands free and GA isn't allowing me to do that where Siri always did.
I think my mind is made up. I just have to decide if I want the 7 plus or the 8 plus.

I’d say go for the 8 Plus or the X.
 

SquireSCA

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Apr 9, 2015
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Mainly an iPhone user, currently on a Note 8, and strongly considering coming back. I love most of what the Note 8 does, but Google Assistant is killing a lot of the enjoyment for me. I find it interesting because it seems to be the opinion of many that Google Assistant is superior to Siri but for me it's just the opposite. When connected via Bluetooth to my car, Siri trounces Google Assistant. I can only get GA to wake up some of the time even though I set up the trusted voice function but Siri works every time. I guess your mileage may vary, but I'll take Siri over GA any day.
I use my phone a lot in the car to call and text and for the sake of safety I do so hands free and GA isn't allowing me to do that where Siri always did.
I think my mind is made up. I just have to decide if I want the 7 plus or the 8 plus.

Yeah, I mean, a lot of it comes down to personal preference.

Little things I notice... Like in the car... With Android Auto, if I press my trucks screen while music is playing and hit the phone button, the music keeps playing and I can see my recent calls, favorites, keypad options, etc... If I decide to use voice commands, I hit the mic button on the screen or on my steering wheel. Then it cuts the music and asks me what I want.

On the iPhone, when I am listening to music and I hit the phone button, Siri automatically cuts the music and I have to click past that screen to go to Favorites or recents or whatever, at which points the music comes back on.

Little things like that annoy me. Not deal breakers, but sometimes in trying to make things so *****-proof, you go over a line and it becomes counter-productive...

And that's the biggest difference, I think, between the two platforms...

One side delivers their product like an appliance. Here it is, and here is the list of things that you are allowed to do, and how you must do them.

The other side is like, "Meh... you can do all that, plus whatever you want. It's up to you, including the ability to mess something up"...

A lot of people prefer the first, but power users tend to prefer the latter(Android).
 

Sherry_B

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Jan 15, 2016
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Welcome to iMore, and to Apple! The cookies are better on this side... they taste like apple fritters. ;)

Enjoy your new iPhone!
 

Doug B

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Jun 28, 2010
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Glad everything went well with your switch. I’ve went back and forth over the years with both systems. I always find myself coming back to iPhone though. Like you, my wife and kids all have iPhones. We also have iPads, a iMac and MacBook Pro. Safe to say we’re pretty well invested in the iOS ecosystem. Work issues me a Galaxy S6 so I still get my Android fix. I recently tried to switch back to the dark side with the Note 8. Great phone with an awesome display. However I took it back after 10 days. Mainly because it had issues connecting to the factory stereo in the car. Sure I could have used an Aux cable but I like to be able to keep my phone in a dock while driving and leave it connected by USB for steering wheel control due to the hands free laws in California. My iPhone has never had any problems.
 

Westiemom

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Sep 20, 2013
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Easy transition I switched awhile ago, download a few Google apps from app store sign in and you'll find all your stored info. The iPhone is a very good Google phone.

I agree I’ve had my iPhone a year now and always had Android before. I’m amazed that so many Google apps, including Gmail, work better on my iPhone. I’ve been very happy with it.
 

SquireSCA

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Apr 9, 2015
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I don't find them to work better on the iPhone, ever. Most of them work ok, but it's not as integrated and good as running them on an Android device. And some apps like Netflix, trying to stream to a chromecast device, are horribly buggy on my iPhone...
 

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