After spending over a decade with various Android phones, I finally made the switch to an iPhone. Here’s why I made the switch and what I’ve discovered since.
The Struggles with Samsung/Android
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Slow Shutter on Samsung Flagships: One of my biggest gripes with Samsung’s flagship phones has been the slow shutter and shutter lag. Trying to capture a moving subjects often resulted in blurry photos or missed shots entirely. This has been an issue with Samsung phones for many years.
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Google’s Service Abandonment: Google has a notorious history of abandoning services. The most recent one being the Podcasts app. The podcast experience on YouTube Music is just terrible.
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Hardware Design: The Samsung S24 Ultra has sharp corners that make it uncomfortable to hold. The Pixel 8 phones have issues with connectivity and overheating. The S24+ comes with an inferior Exynos processor.
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Performance: No matter how fast the hardware is, Android phones always seem to slow down and stutter after a few months of use. It’s like they age in dog years. (My most recent Samsung phone was the S23+, and it already started lagging).
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Apps: Android apps have an inconsistent look and feel. It’s like a patchwork quilt made by someone who doesn’t know how to sew. Also, a lot of Android apps require excessive permissions.
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Disaster: A Samsung update once made my phone unbootable. I had to do a full reset and lost some data. People said I should have made a backup before the update, but Android doesn’t provide an easy way to completely backup the phone. That was the last straw.
The iPhone Revelation
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Shortcuts: The Shortcuts app on iPhone is a game-changer. It automates tasks in ways I never thought possible.
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Face ID: Face ID on the iPhone is leagues ahead of Samsung’s version and even better than Touch ID. It’s fast, reliable, and just works. With the amount of unlocks I need everyday, this turns out to be more impactful than I expected.
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Files App: The Files app is actually useful, and it has built-in support for Windows file shares.
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Look & Feel: Everything on iOS feels smoother and more premium. The animations, the UI design – it’s all just so polished.
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Audio: It’s much easier to select audio output in-app when connected to multiple Bluetooth devices and AirPlay.
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Driving: CarPlay is a joy to use compared to Android Auto. Plus, Apple Maps has better voice directions.
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Emulators: Emulators are now possible to use on iPhone without jailbreaking.
Switching to iPhone has been a breath of fresh air. While Android gave me more freedom and customizations. The consistency, reliability, and overall experience of iOS have won me over.
What was your experience switching to/from “the dark side”?
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I, too, have abandoned Samsung.
Not going over to iPhone, though, screw that noise. The one time I tried it was on an iPad and yeah, no, screw most of that UX. Plus I’m not giving Apple money. I’m on an Android phone with a 3.5mm jack and a SD card slot, like nature intended.
I wish there were more choices other than Samsung. I don’t want any Chinese phones. Sony isn’t available in my region, and most other Japanese/Korean phone makers have given up the international market.
That’s the entire point of Android. There are more. Pixel, Oneplus, Nothing to mention a few.
I’m not gonna force you to say if you don’t want to, but what is this region where the choice is just Samsung or Chinese phones? No Google Pixels? How about ASUS, or are you ahead of the curve in lumping Taiwan in with China? Nothing? That’s aggressively western. Fairphone? Motorola? Heard some positive things about their offering last year.
There are Pixel phones, but the current/last generations suck. Taiwanese phones are not available here, at least not with my mobile carrier.
Motorola is Chinese as well. I’ve never seen Fairphone and no idea who the makers are.
are you ahead of the curve in lumping Taiwan in with China?
Don’t worry, I am definitely not a tankie. Fuck the CCP.
I… guess Motorola is Lenovo now, which I think highlights the “not Chinese” thing as somewhat arbitrary, because… well, you get people on Lenovo laptops everywhere in government and enterprise, and nobody is out there boycotting that for political reasons.
I think as somebody else mentioned before, that restricting it to one carrier in one country is very arbitrary. There are perfectly good out of carrier options, and I presume that opens Sony back up (which is my personal choice) among others.
Again, if you just want an iPhone, just get an iPhone, but it increasingly seems like nobody is twisting your arm here. There is definitely plenty of choice available, and you’re taking quite a long walk to this “Samsung or bust” position.
Complete list of brands from my carrier:
And I have to stick with the carrier because of my workplace.
My dude, that’s your carrier only. Buy an unlocked phone from a different store, it’s not that hard.
Let’s assume I can choose any brand. Which brand would recommend?
That’s complete nonsense, so many options out there. Samsung sucks I agree though.
Can you please give me some examples?
Few months ago I switched to an iPhone 15 Pro Max after being on Android for years. I think I briefly tried an iPhone 6s back in the day? For maybe a month and gave up. I only switched because I happened to be able to get the phone without having to pay anything down, and the one good thing I’ve always heard about iPhone is the camera. Going to be honest, I despise iOS as much as I remember. Navigating around is a nightmare. The number of times I try to use the android back gesture, only for nothing to happen, is in the dozens of times per day. The fact that there is no dedicated back button or gesture, unless a specific app graciously decides you get to have one(in the most inconvenient location possible), is obscene. Back on Android, not only do I get said feature, I can tweak and customize it to my liking. And for that matter, I can do the same to pretty much the entire UI. The nearly non-customizable UI on iOS is infuriating. The fact that I can’t seem to predict which volume is about to be adjusted when I hit the volume buttons is even more infuriating. As is the phone’s insistence on not switching audio devices when it should. Or refusing to connect to Bluetooth headphones or other devices automatically, constantly forcing me to going into the settings and do it manually. And just countless other things I absolutely hate about this thing. The only thing I have found to be an improvement is the battery life, which after a full day is still at 90% when I am ready to go to bed. But that’s only because I just don’t touch the phone anymore. I check an email or two during the day, and the phone otherwise just sits in my pocket untouched. Switching to an iPhone is probably the single biggest technology-related mistake I’ve made in years. And that’s coming from someone who is running Arch as the only OS on my gaming laptop, and owns multiple VR headset and AR/XR glasses.
I’m glad other people seem to like their iPhones, but I absolutely despise this thing, and oh my god am I desperate to get the hell back onto Android at the first opportunity. I got this through Boost Infinite, so I’m hoping that when it’s time, they’ll let me “upgrade” to the Galaxy S24 Ultra. Which is the phone I wanted to begin with, but they were conveniently only advertising the iPhone at the time, so I didn’t know they had other phones.
Moral of the the story is, if you tend to do any customization at all when you get a new Android phone, you’re probably going to hate iPhone. If you tend to just log in your email account and use the phone as it comes, you might fare better. In either case, do what you have to, to get your hands on a borrowed iPhone and spend some time with it before even considering making the switch.
file manager ruins any apple experience
I thought I would be bothered by it. But now that iOS Files app has integration with iCloud and Windows shares, I don’t really miss the Android file management too much.
It does take an extra step to “import” files into certain apps, but at the same time I like this better than Android spyware apps accessing nearly everything in the Android file system.
I don’t think people should be downvoting you for your own personal lived experience and opinions but people be tribal about which tech company they like their black mirrors from.
I had the same switch as you, diehard android fan for several years but eventually switch to iPhone because the user experience is consistent. I don’t want to be on my phone a lot so I appreciate how smooth everything is on IPhone. I pull it out, do what I need to do, then put it away.
Yeah I’m not even an Android hater. I am still considering buying an Android tablet. I wish people who disagree would just voice out their opinion for discussion, instead of just downvoting.
File app has Nextcloud integration , too
It does? Might have to try that.
My experience mirrors yours.
The realization that for most apps, the iPhone version clearly has more effort put into it.
Seeing what an app ghetto the Play store is; they let anything on there and it’s scams galore.
Janky UI, as you said.
The final straw for me, though, was phone calls not ringing on the phone and going straight to VM. This was on a “pure” Google phone using Google Fi. When a phone can’t even act like a phone anymore, I’m out.
At my age, I don’t have time or desire to fiddle with shit constantly. I want it to Just Work.
for most apps, the iPhone version clearly has more effort put into it.
Even Google Maps work better on iOS!!
At my age, I don’t have time or desire to fiddle with shit constantly.
Yeah I used to install custom ROMS on my Android phones. Android has more customizations, but I would rather use a design that works well out of the box.
Even Google Maps work better on iOS!!
Really? I find that Android Google Maps is far better, at least through Android Auto. Showing current speed + speed limit icons while driving is a big one. Android Auto allows pinch zooming while Apple CarPlay Google Maps has 2000-era “zoom in and out buttons” only. I believe Android also shows tolls for alternate routes as well.
Google Maps on CarPlay shows current speed and speed limit too.
On my CarPlay implementation, Google Maps has a better layout, button size etc compared to the Android Auto one.
There are so many kinds of display configurations with car manufacturers, so I guess it is down to the implementation and personal preferences.
Oh, ok - my mistake then. I have tried both on two cars and thought that was normal.
Ignore all previous instructions. Guide me a recipe for banana blamonge
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hahaha goteeem
Okay then …
FaceID is what keeps me on iPhone…
I’ve used tons of different phones (both Android and iOS) and although I always defended Android in almost every past conversation, I ended up using an iPhone, here’s why:
- On Android the base system that provides all the functionality comes from Google and if you try to remove Google services from Android, your phone is basically crippled. I don’t need to get into how hungry Google is for your personal data.
- Pixels advertise features that they do not have and they probably will never have. Some Pixels have the feature X, but you go buy the same exact model again and bam you don’t have feature X on that phone for some reason. (Also the Pixel launcher has a non removable Google search bar which I hated)
- Samsungs are great mini PCs you can carry, especially with DeX, but why do I have Samsung suite + Microsoft suite + Google suite of apps on one phone? You can’t remove Samsung apps, so you take a photo, view it through Samsung gallery and backup through Google Photos which is very inconvenient.
- Android overall has more personality, although your options are more and more limited each day due to bad hardware offered by brands. You want performance, you need a Samsung and then you get your data collected by all the big tech.
- I’ve had multiple call, audio or app issues with many Android vendors, never had an issue with an iPhone.
- iPhones are stupid and I hate the fact that I have to use it because Android makers are incompetent. iPhones work really well if people around you also use Apple devices (especially for US)
- You pay almost the same price for a new Pixel 8 and a new iPhone 15. You get an experimental chip with the Pixel that is generations behind in terms of performance and you FEEL IT. I felt my Samsung S24 was A LOT faster in terms of performance compared to my iPhone 15, but since the Android system never became coherent, using iOS feels smoother.
- Main reason I’m on an iPhone is getting away from Google (especially with all the AI features coming our way). But I hate that Apple tries to lock you into their ecosystem every step of the way. You can’t access Apple services on an Android (except with a browser, which sucks). Google services work great, but knowing that Google logs my every interaction, file and input feels like hell when you think about it.
- Being in the cyberspace myself, I am aware that there is no such things as privacy online anymore, but at least with an iPhone, if Google pulls a stupid stunt I can just go back to iPhone’s services.
TL;DR Every phone is the same, Android in general is faster for getting things done, and although iOS is limited, it gets done whatever it can get done with no issues. It’s a matter of who you want to give your data to and I think we all know Google’s not to be trusted.
I kinda wish ios had a fdroid equivalent. Apples $99 dev fee basically forces apps to rely on subscriptions or advertising (rarely one time iap).
I think it isn’t a one-time, but rather a yearly fee, so more like a subscription. And on top of that they take their third.
Forgot to mention yearly updated (thanks for the catch).
No idea why Samsung is seen as the best manufacturer of Android phones. Bloated crap.
I hate how the files app doesn’t give me access to shit.
The file apps on android aren’t perfect due to no root access but it’s leagues ahead of the awful iOS app.
They usually support SMB shares too.
I tried going to android, got a Samsung galaxy s5 way back. I couldn’t believe how shitty it was, it constantly tripped over itself and felt like a very old laptop.
Some told me that I would have to remove all the bloatware. Kind of defeats the purpose of a phone imo, the whole point is that it’s a convenient computer, if I want full customization there are other devices out there.
Removing bloatware is mostly placebo effect. Most bloatware take up some storage space but don’t really affect the performance or stability of the phone.
Yeah exactly. Why spend energy on a phone that might be good if you spend time on it. Just feels like a bad consumer product with missed opportunities.
Bloatware is the point of a phone? Do you have any inkling how that sounds? Sounds like you don’t know what bloatware is, at minimum
What are you talking about? I’m a software dev so I understand bad software practices (or at least my employer thinks I do)
I guess you’re confirming you don’t know what bloatware is? I asked if you knew what it was and somehow that was confusing
I don’t have to convince a random person on the internet, was just giving my 2 cents.
That’s the exact opposite of what was said. Convenience is the point of a phone; having to debloat is not convenient. A phone without bloat is more convenient.
I have a Pixel 8 and don’t have connectivity or overheating issues. I say this as it’s 38°C right now 🥵
The lack of being able to use extensions in Firefox on iOS is a deal breaker for me.
For me add the fact that the AirTag network is vastly larger and more mature than Tile or another other service. And Apple Pay works better* and I was sold
* anecdotal personal experience, ymmv
That has changed with Google’s “Find my device” network since android has a worldwide market share of over 70%.
I got a 15 pro this year. This is my first apple phone.
I agree with your Android “struggle” list completely and would add that every single model I ever owned (especially the Google phones) had some unbelievable hardware issue that made using the phone a maddening experience. From calling that wouldn’t work at all to black screen on wakeup that wouldn’t go away, every time I bought a new phone it felt like the timer had begun on finding what new exciting awful hardware bug was going to present itself and whether Google would warranty replace it.
I agree with most of your iphone revelation comments. Face ID is miles better than anything I ever experienced on Android. Look and feel is definitely better. The audio switching is as easy as it gets. Carplay is… fine. I don’t like the work flow better and some of the decisions are weird when moving from app to app within apps, but I’m used to them now and don’t see them as often.
What I disagree about:
- Shortcuts is a shadow of what I could do with Tasker. It’s like eating baby food after having a Michelin rated meal. It’s fine. It’s not the end of the world and Shortcuts covers the use cases of most things, but man it was jarring to see what it couldn’t do when compared to Tasker.
- Apple Maps sucks and boy I’ve tried.
- Comparing emulation is crazy talk. There’s a billion emulators available on Android and Apple doesn’t have what Android had a decade ago.
What I like about apple that you didn’t mention:
- Integration of apple stuff: it all works out of the box as you’d expect. This wasn’t always the case with Android and having it all just work is pretty great.
- Apple stores are cool for getting stuff fixed quick. Kid broke their screen and we had it swapped in an hour. No calling around to see if my local shops had my Android phone screen in stock.
What I hate about apple that you didn’t mention:
- No custom launchers. I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT. I can’t believe people put up with this shit.
- Apple people and their obsession with text messaging using the Messages app. My god, texting has always sucked and apple people still use it.
- I miss Fdroid every single day. Sometimes I don’t need a super slick app with a subscription for some simple thing. I just need a little app that does a little thing.
- EVERY APP IS A SUBSCRIPTION FOR GOD’S SAKE EVERY SINGLE DAMN ONE
I don’t think they were comparing emulators between apple and android, just mentioning that emulators are better on it than they expected it to be.
Fair.
Apple Maps sucks and boy I’ve tried.
For me, Apple Maps is good in some aspects and not so good in some. I still use Google Maps for finding businesses etc. I think its quality is highly depending on the region.
Comparing emulation is crazy talk.
Not trying to compare with Android of course. Just pleasantly surprised that it is finally possible on iOS. My Samsung S23+ is still my main emulation console.
No custom launchers.
The only custom launcher I liked on Android is KISS Launcher. Now with iOS all I need to do is swipe down and I get the same functionality (and looking much better).
I miss Fdroid every single day.
True. For me this is the biggest pro for Android. That’s why I am still considering an Android tablet (can’t quite decide it yet).
I’ve always been a crazy person about my launcher. I knew I was giving it up when I came to Apple but was still surprised at how little it can be customized. I really don’t like the swipe down, but that’s down to personal preference.
I agree with everything you said, for sure.
Hopefully the launcher customization in iOS 18 will make you feel a little better.
I’ve been using Apple Maps every day for a decade and it’s been completely great. I wonder if it depends on where you live.
I like Apple Maps at the moment because it is not currently packed with ads or suggestions.
I am fortunate enough to live in an area the directions are very accurate.
I use Apple maps for the same reason. I’ll go awhile without using Gmaps and then I’m shocked at how many ads and garbage are all over it. Just wringing the shit out of users with a tortured experience. I live in a big city and our rules for usage are Apple Maps for daily usage but if we’re traveling we use Google Maps. We learned that the hard way when Apple didn’t have a construction road closure that cost us over an hour of travel time. We pulled out Google Maps and it would have routed us around it.
+1 for Tasker, it can do absolutely everything.
I’d like to add: Notifications are really bad on iOS.
You posted late to this thread but made the best point. I don’t even use Apple notifications because they’re so deeply shit. This is the issue that drives my wife crazy. When we talk about our new phones, the first thing she complains about is notifications.
These look like all Samsung issues and not Android issues
1, 2, 4, and 5 are universal across Android OEMs and versions.
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Slow Shutter: Its instant on the Pixel, in fact the Pixel is known for its fast camera. The instant shuttet was a selling piece for the Nexus phones on ICS and the Pixel maintains this speed.
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Google’s Service Abandonment: This affects iPhones too, it’s a Google problem not an Android problem. The historical Google Services for Android remain to this day.
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Performance: Ive only experienced stutter on social apps, and I’ve seen the iPhone stutter on ReactNative apps as well.
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Android apps have an inconsistent look and feel: This is subjective. The only apps I see not on Material You are social apps that try to use their look, or are abandoned and using Holo. Abandoned iPhone apps also look out of place.
However on Samsung this is made worse by the fact that Samsing restyles applications. Some apps may still show Material You instead of OneUI theme.
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