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iPhone vs. Android thread. Why do you prefer one over the other?

Maidenrules29

Maidenrules29

Death to all but METAL!!
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Who has one or the other and why do you prefer it? Who has had both and prefers one over the other and what are the reasons? Who has never tried the other and why?
 
Iron Maiden overrated
 
After years of only Android use I tried an iPhone about 4 years ago. Mainly due to a special DirecTV deal that AT&T was giving me for getting an iPhone. After about 2 months I gave it to my daughter. For me, the UI was horrible, keyboard horrible, trying to navigate the web on it was maddening. I'm not a "techie" nor do I take many photos or make movies or YT videos, which I hear is what many people get an iPhone for. My wife still has one and I refuse to touch it LOL.
 
Maidenrules29 said:
Who has one or the other and why do you prefer it? Who has had both and prefers one over the other and what are the reasons? Who has never tried the other and why?
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The main reason I've never had an iPhone was simply the price for the lowest entry model was far too high for what I want a mobile phone for. I browse / network / search on my Mac desktop or my Android tablet but my cellphone is primarily for phone calls and as a SatNav device in my car.
For that - a £500 iPhone is way overkill compared to a £200 Android device. I did get a Google Pixel most recently but that was because of an upgrade offer I couldn't walk past. (at the time)

I have been considering a top of the range iPhone however because of the built in LIDAR scanner - I work with 3D a lot and at work, I design training scenarios for firefighter commanders using a program called XVR. XVR comes with generic environments that could be anywhere in the world so I was interested in modelling real world environments that would help crews practice for real world locations.

You can build local environments so the crews can practice on mock ups of buildings they know and a LIDAR scanned environment would take hours to create compared to the weeks it currently does using Blender.

There currently isn't an Android that comes with Lidar or any similar technology.
 
TypicalRussian said:
For metal?? Black Sabbath
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I also love Black Sabbath. They are in my top 10 fir sure. Especially the DIO period. Not to get into an off-topic discussion, but why do you think Maiden is overrated? I will admit that their post-reunion period has been very spotty and meandering, but those first 7 albums are gold to me.
 
I started on Android at version 2.1 (Jellybean) with a Samsung, kept android all the way up to my Samsung S9, but when it stopped getting OS updates at Android 10 and it was time for a new phone, I thought I'd try an iPhone because of the long time the phones are supported with updates for. I was also over my tinkering phase where I'd customize everything and install custom roms, and required a headphone jack and an SD card slot on my phone. Got an iPhone 11 a couple years ago to see how they were, and like you, instantly hated the keyboard, so switched it to GBoard. Other than that everything has been fine, daily usage just like an Android, except everything was a lot smoother. Couple weeks ago it was time for a new phone, and I went for an iPhone 14, because I'd just switched ecosystems last phone and it was a bit of a pain, and it's super easy to switch from iPhone to iPhone. If it ain't broke don't fix it. The new iPhone is pretty much exactly like the old, except I've noticed an improvement in multitasking with the additional ram. Storage also went from 64GB to 128GB.
 
Faithful iPhone user here.

We have had them for years. iPhones, iPads, iWatch...everything seamlessly synchs up with one another and then backs up to the iCloud.

I love not having to do anything. Even updates automatically install when devices are sitting on their charging ports at night.
 
Android. Only Android. I don't like closed systems run by monopolist Nazis.

Not that Google is much better. "Do no evil - unless it's profitable". But Android is still open source and you can DL it and bend it to your will as desired.

My current phone is a Samsung Fold 4. I literally could not love it more. I used to tell people I would carry a tablet around if I could only fit it in my pocket. Now I can.

My wife and daughter are iPhone people. Somehow we make it work.
 
I have had and used both since their very earliest days - I mean that quite literally as I had the first iPhone and the first HTC dream. I continue to use both so that I have a good feel for their strengths and weaknesses.

Historically I have preferred the iOS for three reasons:
1. Attention to privacy from the very beginning
2. Frequency of updates esp. security and resultant longevity of the devices
3. I’ve long worked in tech, dealing with alph and beta incomplete and buggy devices. In the same way an engineer doesn’t want to use a flaky scope or multimeter when debugging flaky hardware and software, when I come home I don’t want to have to start debugging my own phone or my family’s. iPhone historically has been strong here.

Android devices have caught up in most of these areas though. Not enough to close the gap in my own personal opinion, but close.

I like the flexibility of Android devices. The multiplicity of HW plus open interfaces means there is often a way to turn them into something they weren’t originally meant for. This means that for example long after an iPhone of some vintage goes to the drawer, it’s similar era Android device might see use as an impromptu print server or light better or WiFi scanner. That’s why I like having them around, even the old ones.

Personally I love having the choice. I like the choice of having a walled garden, or the choice of an open system, each with their pros and cons.
 
I prefer Mac for my laptop. I have been choosing Android phones for more than a decade, and I haven't seen a reason to switch. I don't upgrade as often as other people, and the phones have lasted pretty well for me aside from a screen replacement here and there and the declining battery issues after four plus years or so. I have one now that I'm learning about. I want to configure the camera a little differently, but I'm very happy with it, and it is powerful in ways that I will probably never fully utilize.
 
BirdinHand said:
Faithful iPhone user here.

We have had them for years. iPhones, iPads, iWatch...everything seamlessly synchs up with one another and then backs up to the iCloud.

I love not having to do anything. Even updates automatically install when devices are sitting on their charging ports at night.
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I've never owned a smartwatch. Never saw the need. I'm not a big texter. So not needing an apple watch is just another reason to not prefer an iPhone.
 
Maidenrules29 said:
I've never owned a smartwatch. Never saw the need. I'm not a big texter. So not needing an apple watch is just another reason to not prefer an iPhone.
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I don't use mine to send messages/answer calls.

But it is convenient to see messages as they come in, see who is calling, track steps, track heart rate, etc. because when I'm out and about and doing things - I won't necessarily have my phone in my hand/easily accessible.

Mostly I use it for my daily step-tracking goals.
 
I’ve had both. I tend to look at my phones like I look at computers. I ran PCs with MS-DOS 5.0 back in the stone ages of 1992, then the various iterations of Windows, and even Linux for a bit. Then, when Windows became a slow memory hog that wasn’t as easily customizable as it used to be, I became disenfranchised with trying to manage those devices.

Same with Android. Now, my retired tech buddies all have Android devices and love them because that’s their background. Me? I just got old and lazy, and I didn’t like to manage my phone like my PCs. Android phones were just too quirky for me and required me to engage my brain too often.

My wife and daughter had iPhones while I slogged around with an Android Motorola, then I saw the light after watching them manage their iPhones. I custom ordered an iPhone 6S with 128GB of storage for my music. The iPhone 8 was already out but I wanted the headphone jack. I’ve since gotten an iPhone 15 which I love, and I’ve kept the 6S for strictly music as a pseudo iPod for home. Big fan of iTunes.

Now, I have an iPad and I relegated the slow HP Windows laptop to collecting dust in exchange for a MacBook Pro. I’m happy as a clam.
 
I've never owned an Apple product. Have never even used or looked at an Apple product. My PC's have all been Windows. Every phone I've owned has been Android. I have both Windows and Android tablets.

The reason I've never gone Apple is the same for my computers, laptops, tablets and phones: Price and lack of alternatives.

The first time I bought a brand named PC was back in the mid 90's. Since then I've built my own...something you cannot do with an Apple. Phones...there are lots of choices for every price and feature range desired...in the Android world. Next to none in the Apple world.

I've used cheap fitness bands. I really only need them for my walks. But I got a new medical insurance company who pays up to $300 a year for "wellness equipment". Smart watches are covered. So I bought a Pixel Watch 2 for $315. After the insurance sent me a check for $300, I ended up $15 out of pocket for the smart watch. Can't beat that deal. I love this smart watch, especially since my phone is a Pixel 6. it's only downside is short battery life. I have to recharge it every day.

Oh, and my hearing aids connect to my phone, my computer and my TV. I can listen to any audio and talk on the phone or online through them. That's pretty cool. I know that hearing aids used to work only with Apple devices, but that's changing with later Android versions and hearing aids.
 
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I have only ever used Android. I have an Android One Nokia phone now. The Android software is intuitive to me and I prefer the open nature of the software.
 
I have an iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android phone, Linux box and Windows pc.

I use my Android phone as my daily driver, and Windows PC as my main computer. Being a gamer, Windows is a must. Mac is used for computing on the go because of battery.

iPhone for me has always been too expensive for what you got and still is. Yes there are equally and more expensive Android phones, but in most cases that is more justified, but only barely. At least the Fold and Flip type phones are unique.

Secondly the iOS has always been limiting and I do not like being told what I can and can not do on a device I own. The "wall garden" is an excuse to make a crap ton of money and has nothing to do with privacy or security. If it did, the Apple would have been the first to adopt the RCS standard for SMS or/and put iMessage on Windows/Linux computers and Android devices...after all they say iMessage is more secure..

Finally... IOS is just so...messy. The grid system sucks, the settings menu makes no sense..why are settings for 3rd party apps in settings and not in the app..because some apps do have some settings in the app. Makes no sense. Or the back button being where it is..if it is there at all.. The list of minor issues for me is huge and while I can use an iPhone... I would rather not.

Ultimately it is price..even the cheapest iPhone (€550 iPhone SE) is too expensive when you can get a 200-300 euro Android that is technically better and faster and can do 99% of the things people need.
 
The last iPhone I had was the pre-4G iPhone 4, back in 2011. I've been a Samsung/Android guy since then, currently using a Galaxy S22+.

I'm too used to the Android interface to go back to an iPhone, but I hold no animosity towards them.
 
TheDoctorWasIn said:
I'm too used to the Android interface to go back to an iPhone, but I hold no animosity towards them.
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To be fair, the basic interface and functions are pretty much the same these days.. only difference is icons.

It is when you get into the guts of the different OS that you start to feel the differences. So unless you want to be a power user, then either system would be fine and it would come down to price.
 
I've gotten good deals on all the iPhones I've owned. I prefer iPhone just because I'm used to it and don't really need a whole bunch of customizations that android phones offer. My daughter switched from iPhone to Android and likes it better so pretty much to each their own.
 
Maidenrules29 said:
Who has one or the other and why do you prefer it? Who has had both and prefers one over the other and what are the reasons? Who has never tried the other and why?
Click to expand...
PCs are Windows, but our phones are iPhone. Wife wanted to get an Apple Watch so we switched our phones over. Overall been happy with them. For a while my work phone was an Android and it was slow and awful, so I switched it to an iPhone as well.
 
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