Android owners - have you ever owned any iOS devices?

Sam Mac

Thought this would be an interesting thread to start! Do or have any of you guys owned iOS devices in the past, and if so, what made you switch?

What do you dislike about iOS compared to Android? Anything you liked on iOS devices that you would like to be included on your Android device?

what device are you currently using?

ThunbergsAreGo

Sam Mac wrote: »

Thought this would be an interesting thread to start! Do or have any of you guys owned iOS devices in the past, and if so, what made you switch?

What do you dislike about iOS compared to Android?

I had a 3GS so I am sure that alot of advances have been made since then.

For me I moved due to them being very expensive, lack of widgets (list of apps just makes everything very same-y) and I couldnt stand I-Tunes (no drag and drop for music and videos). I dont own any other Apple products so didnt gain anything the "ecosystem"

As I said alot of this has been changed I would assume and its a solid no-nonense phone but I would need a killer feature (not gimmick) before switching back.

If I was switching I would probably go Windows Phone over IOS.

mass_debater

Sam Mac wrote: »

Thought this would be an interesting thread to start! Do or have any of you guys owned iOS devices in the past, and if so, what made you switch?

What do you dislike about iOS compared to Android?

Not in the past, but I have an iPhone and iPad from work now and am a long time Android user, my other devices are a Nexus 5 and 7. I can't see the attraction of iOS, it's clunky, restrictive and horrible. Maybe some non tech types might like the simplified restrictive OS but that's going against everything I've loved about Android.

Saipanne

I never had one, but a lot of friends do.

A simple example of why I prefer android. If I want to install xbmc, I tick a box in settings, download xbmc and install. Easy.

With apple, you must jailbreak.

No thanks.

Manach

In this matter, I'm happily agnostic: using both types of devices in tablet and phone formats. Each have their excellent points with only minor issues serving to differentiate between the two.

writhen

Had an iPhone 3 & 4. They were good and worked as needed but terribly restrictive unless you jailbroke. Still have can iPad but now have a nexus 9 so I rarely use it now.

Tzardine

HAd android phones for ever. Changed to a 4S when it was released and liked it. Changed back to HTC one when it was upgrade time. Fantastic phone. Due another upgrade soon and will probably go for the 6 Plus.

I like to change around from IOS to android each upgrade. Makes me feel like I am really getting a new phone.

pah

I got the iPhone 4 when it was released. I'd had a couple of Nokia s60 devices previously. It was probably the most aesthetically pleasing phone I've owned giving the HTC one m7 a run for its money.

Even with the iPhone I was always jail breaking and modding it. When I changed to android I never looked back and I don't think I'd ever buy an iPhone again. Customisability is the key for me. Running a nexus 5 now on lollipop, loving it. Must update my SIG

Stormington

I had an iPhone 4s.

The back camera was brilliant, it was easy to use, there is no shortage of accessories (cases, screen protectors etc) or repair centres, it suffered less from lag than Droids I have had, the range & availability of apps (months ahead of Android or often exclusive: iapartheid) and it keeps its resale value.

The downsides were the small screen size, battery life, the need for a specific apple charger and not usb, the lack of sd cards, and the fact you have to pay for almost everything on the App store whereas Android will often be free/mium.

I will add the caveat that I was not heavily invested in the Apple ecosystem so switching platforms was not as painful as I have heard it can be.

Dord

I owned a 3GS way back when and had a 5 as a business phone for a year. The lack of USB standard connection, size, lack of customisations, battery life and fan-boyism were the things that annoyed me.

Luke92

Had an iPhone 4. anytime a new iOS update was out I had to trawl the net looking for a non tethered jailbreak for that update, realised that android had the joys of being jail broken plus a lot more! And its quite simple to root compared to jailbreak.

Would never go back to ios!

symbolic

I had an iPad for awhile just didn't suit my use case, definitely think iOS is one of the smoothest and most polished(?) OS's I've ever used.

Travelling is something I do a lot, and with the android device I have now I can pop in 128gb's of film/tv, bring an extended battery, watch a tv show whilst browsing the web/flick through twitter. These for me are essential And the lightning port thing is annoying too.

beno619

Got an IPhone 6 through work and its nothing more than a email machine.

IOS has come on with regards to sharing etc. Still too boring to use as a daily driver IMO.

TouchID is fantastic if you have use some sort of passcode. Trusted devices is a nice alternative in Lollipop though.

jester77

Picked up an iphone in the US just after the first jailbreak appeared. Was also using the Google g1 after it was out. The iPhone was leagues ahead if it. Stuck with iOS (iphones and ipads) until android went to 4.0. From there on i have been using android, it is far ahead of iOS now. Last iOS update is an awful eye sore, painful to use plus their market is too restrictive. Don't see myself changing any time soon.

CINCLANTFLT

At the moment I use a HTC phone and I had a series of Galaxy S phones before that... However...
I got a 2nd hand iPad 2 about 18 months ago and I do really like it for reading / browsing etc.

Between the two I do prefer Android... IOS works well but I prefer Android as it allows me copy my files straight onto my phone etc.

Fresh Pots

Owned 2 iPhone 4's. Liked the build and size of the phone but the os was too restrictive even when jailbroken. Much prefer android. The price also turns me off buying another when I can get a device with better specs for far less.

StaticNoise

I'm a total Android fan, and I love the availability, customisation opportunities, and the relative freedom of it, however I have an iPad 2. I won it, used it for a year or so, and then gave it to the mother.

I'd still prefer an Android tablet, however.

5uspect

I'm pretty agnostic when it comes to operating systems but I prefer OS X as my daily workhorse platform. I only use Windows nowadays for games and a few programs that occasionally I run in a VM.

I'm writing this on my iPad, which is a great general purpose device but I wouldn't (and couldn't) work with i beyond email and reading papers. I can't justify the cost of an iPhone when my Nexus4 cost just £200, also I think stock Android has done a great job of equalling iOS in recent releases - ignoring all the bloatware most devices come with.

The talk of restrictivness is interesting. I don't expect my devices to do everything, just a subset of overlapping tasks. Really I like the counterbalance that Android and iOS have struck. Apple set the bar and Android has grown dramatically as a result. It feels that iOS has lagged behind a bit while iOS 8 was mostly disappointing tweaks and bugs rather than something fresh like Lolipop has been.

However I worry that Android is in trouble as reflected in the cost of the Nexus6. Very few of the big players are making any money and something's got to give. In an ideal world we would just buy the hardware and select our own flavour of *nix. However I see people following Samsung and going their own way, the user experience suffering as a result.

Greenmachine

Have never owned any ios devices, but I have used them. I definitely prefer android, I like the higher level of customability, I dislike the controlled experience that apple insists on and think the premium placed on their products is unwarranted for most users. The only way I would use their devices on a regular basis is if I needed to for work.

beno619

5uspect wrote: »

However I worry that Android is in trouble as reflected in the cost of the Nexus6. Very few of the big players are making any money and something's got to give. In an ideal world we would just buy the hardware and select our own flavour of *nix. However I see people following Samsung and going their own way, the user experience suffering as a result.

Good post, dont really agree with the quoted bit though. So much has been made of the N6's price tag but compare it to the Note 4 and how much Samsung charge I really don't see an issue.

Digital Solitude

Had the very first iTouch for a couple of years, it was the first smart device I ever owned, and I was blown away. Got the original Vodafone Smart as a Christmas present, my first android device.

To compare them, the droid absolutely sucked, the iPod was superior in basically every way despite being a few years older, and I still gave it up in favour of android. The freedom and customisability were probably the defining things.

The iPod was jail broken, and the phone wasn't rooted, which shows the difference I think, the phone was still easier to change.

Never owned an iOS device since, and I won't own one again.

StereoSound

I had a 3gs back 2010, my first smart phone and blew me away knowing I could browse the net, use Skype etc without having to log into my laptop...I was absolutely delighted what it could do. Never thought I could sit in shopping centre and log onto a local WiFi connection or a 3G connection and do my emails without going home.
As Skype got heavier the phone couldn't handle it as well anymore so I looked into the iPhone 4 which was fierce expensive. My sister had a top of the line android at the time (HTC desire) which glided through Skype and emails etc so I went the android direction. Cheaper with more ram and bigger processors and screens and used the same apps I was use to.

5uspect

beno619 wrote: »

Good post, dont really agree with the quoted bit though. So much has been made of the N6's price tag but compare it to the Note 4 and how much Samsung charge I really don't see an issue.

Samsung are probably the only manufacturer, other than Apple, making any money. HTC are breaking even after turning around their fortunes somewhat; most people I know who had flagship Samsungs (I've never liked their phones personally) all have some version of the lovely HTC One. Now that Android have the market share the era of quality cheap smartphones is probably over. Google have sold Motorola to Lenovo so we possibly won't see the likes of the Moto G again.

Alternatively the silicon will mature enough that the basic entry level phones which have been so awful to date and negatively affect people's opinion of the platform, will be good enough.

Zipppy

Had an iPhone 3 GS for couple years...and free data roaming with it ....and have an ipad2 now for what feels like ever...will gets a Nexus9 shortly as replacement...
iTunes is a pain...

Inquitus

I had an iPhone 3, 3GS and an original iPad. The restrictive nature of the iPad and ever increasing difficulty jailbreaking iOS made me switch. I went on a one week business trip and uploaded a season of TV to the iPad to keep me busy, turned out it had 5.1 sound and the app I had loaded the video to didn't support it properly, it just played the rear speakers, despite having the video on the iPad and being able to dl vlc which would play it, the video was associated with the original app and couldn't be accessed by the new one and without a PC I could install itunes on (no admin rights on work laptop) I was stuck with no TV to watch. Thats just one of a number of things that tipped me over the edge and Android had begun to match and even surpass IOS at that juncture so I made the switch and have never looked back. Currently toting a Galaxy Note 4 for my phone needs and a Note Pro 12.2 LTE for my tabletting. The Note 4 is one of Samsung's better looking phones, but one thing I will give to Apple, especially on the phone front is they tend to make the more aesthetically pleasing devices.

Sonics2k

I've had an iPhone 3G, 4, 4S, 5S and a 6 for about a month and a half.

Each of them was a great phone, ran smoothly and was overall reliable. But my gods are they dull devices. Looking back over each one I've just seen so little change and terrible battery lives remain terrible.

Over that same period of time I've had numerous Android phones, from the S2, S3, HTC One X, Xperia T, S4, HTC One M7, Xperia Z2 and the latest Xperia Z3 Compact. Oh and my Nexus 5! I've had a few Android Tablets too, namely the Nexus 7 2012.

I prefer the app system and look of Android, the customization, even the small things like changeable keyboards, different launchers and even setting up a more minimal UI and folders. Also, iTunes pissed me off to no end from the day I installed that hunk of crap way back in 2008/9ish.

Ghost Train

Have had android phones but always had an iPod touch too.

Prefer the ipod for some mobile browsing, email and find it's keyboard easier to get on with even with third party keyboards on android. Android a bit more open with files, sd card options, dual sim options, easier to get video on it. I find iOS performance a bit more predictable, rarely slows up or delays with an action, app open quickly. Android sometime get memory issues, slow downs sometimes with too much stuff installed (but with better android hardware mightn't get these issues so much) Sometime find the camera on android a bit slow to start compared to iOS

I could get by with either, video and file management always a bit annoying on iOS. I'm a bit more comfortable with new iOS security, android versions on some Chinese phones I've seen don't include the option to encrypt the file system (with better brands that probably wouldn't be missing on android). Updated and security fixes bit more predictable on iOS, with android it depends what manufacturer you go with and what updates they decide to offer

5uspect

BTW if people are having difficulty getting video onto their iOS device, have a look at Handbrake. It's a nifty video converter with profiles for many mobile devices.

pajor

I've had an iTouch 4G for a few years now, of course all I can use it for now really is for music. Used to have all sorts of apps on it, a lot aren't supported now even for iOS 6, which is one of the big problems with iOS. I still really like the smooth integration of iTunes and iPod. I've never had issues with iTunes being slow or laggy, has always run fine on my computers.

Wanted an iPhone for ages over the past few years. Loads of mates in college had them, I might have been a bit jealous. :P But no way do I want an iPhone anymore. So far I think history might judge the 4S to be the best iPhone there has been. At least around then that's when the iPhone was at its most innovative.

Riesen_Meal

I have a Nexus 5 and a Macbook Pro, heathen I am.....


I never had an iPhone though, always had Android phones, and Nokia before that...