iPhone to Android...what features will I lose?
Discussion
Hi all,
My iPhone X 256gb is coming up to 16 months old now, and I can no longer get through a full day on a single charge. I've been an iPhone user since 2007, but I want to change this month and plan to give an Android phone a chance. In particular I'm considering the Huawei Mate 20 Pro and the Samsung Note 9.
Transferring my life (17,000 photos, 600 contacts, 120 notes, etc) looks to be a total pain, so I appreciate that's probably a day of my life gone. But there are some things that I currently use quite a bit, that I will miss if I can't find an Android alternative:
- Find a Friend. My wife (an iPhone user) and I use this quite a bit to make our days run more smoothly, work out when to start cooking, etc. Is there an Android alternative?
- Shared family drive. We use a shared Apple account for photos and calendar entries. Can Android do this?
- Apple Music. Again I have a family account, so my wife and I both have our own playlists. I believe there might by an Android app for Apple Music?
- Biometric passwords. At present my phone will automatically log me in to dozens of websites and accounts, including my primary bank account. Do Android phones have this facility?
I know that I can use Whatsapp instead of iMessage, and I have an iPad for FaceTime duties so I not worried about that.
Does anyone have any advice or information on the above features, and am I just being silly to even think of leaving the Apple ecosystem?
Many thanks in advance.
My iPhone X 256gb is coming up to 16 months old now, and I can no longer get through a full day on a single charge. I've been an iPhone user since 2007, but I want to change this month and plan to give an Android phone a chance. In particular I'm considering the Huawei Mate 20 Pro and the Samsung Note 9.
Transferring my life (17,000 photos, 600 contacts, 120 notes, etc) looks to be a total pain, so I appreciate that's probably a day of my life gone. But there are some things that I currently use quite a bit, that I will miss if I can't find an Android alternative:
- Find a Friend. My wife (an iPhone user) and I use this quite a bit to make our days run more smoothly, work out when to start cooking, etc. Is there an Android alternative?
- Shared family drive. We use a shared Apple account for photos and calendar entries. Can Android do this?
- Apple Music. Again I have a family account, so my wife and I both have our own playlists. I believe there might by an Android app for Apple Music?
- Biometric passwords. At present my phone will automatically log me in to dozens of websites and accounts, including my primary bank account. Do Android phones have this facility?
I know that I can use Whatsapp instead of iMessage, and I have an iPad for FaceTime duties so I not worried about that.
Does anyone have any advice or information on the above features, and am I just being silly to even think of leaving the Apple ecosystem?
Many thanks in advance.
frodo23 said:
Hi all,
My iPhone X 256gb is coming up to 16 months old now, and I can no longer get through a full day on a single charge. I've been an iPhone user since 2007, but I want to change this month and plan to give an Android phone a chance. In particular I'm considering the Huawei Mate 20 Pro and the Samsung Note 9.
Transferring my life (17,000 photos, 600 contacts, 120 notes, etc) looks to be a total pain, so I appreciate that's probably a day of my life gone. But there are some things that I currently use quite a bit, that I will miss if I can't find an Android alternative:
- Find a Friend. My wife (an iPhone user) and I use this quite a bit to make our days run more smoothly, work out when to start cooking, etc. Is there an Android alternative?
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fsp.android.friendlocator&hl=en_GBMy iPhone X 256gb is coming up to 16 months old now, and I can no longer get through a full day on a single charge. I've been an iPhone user since 2007, but I want to change this month and plan to give an Android phone a chance. In particular I'm considering the Huawei Mate 20 Pro and the Samsung Note 9.
Transferring my life (17,000 photos, 600 contacts, 120 notes, etc) looks to be a total pain, so I appreciate that's probably a day of my life gone. But there are some things that I currently use quite a bit, that I will miss if I can't find an Android alternative:
- Find a Friend. My wife (an iPhone user) and I use this quite a bit to make our days run more smoothly, work out when to start cooking, etc. Is there an Android alternative?
frodo23 said:
- Shared family drive. We use a shared Apple account for photos and calendar entries. Can Android do this?
Yes you can share a Google drive and Google calendar.frodo23 said:
- Apple Music. Again I have a family account, so my wife and I both have our own playlists. I believe there might by an Android app for Apple Music?
Yes there is.frodo23 said:
Biometric passwords. At present my phone will automatically log me in to dozens of websites and accounts, including my primary bank account. Do Android phones have this facility?
Plenty of password manager apps for Android. Not aware of one that supports Face ID type unlocking but I haven't looked recentlyplasticpig said:
frodo23 said:
frodo23 said:
Biometric passwords. At present my phone will automatically log me in to dozens of websites and accounts, including my primary bank account. Do Android phones have this facility?
Plenty of password manager apps for Android. Not aware of one that supports Face ID type unlocking but I haven't looked recentlyThanks for the replies so far.
I think more than anything I just fancy a change; I've played with an iPhone XS Max and it just felt exactly like a slightly bigger version of what I had, and £1,449 seems a lot to pay for a similar experience to the phone I've had for over a year now.
The battery is £65 to replace with Apple, but again it doesn't give me any improvement on the experience. The camera is so-so, and the screen is too small for what I'd like.
A recycling company has offered me £530 for my current handset provided the battery health is at 80% or greater...I'm currently at 83% so feel I have a window of opportunity.
I think more than anything I just fancy a change; I've played with an iPhone XS Max and it just felt exactly like a slightly bigger version of what I had, and £1,449 seems a lot to pay for a similar experience to the phone I've had for over a year now.
The battery is £65 to replace with Apple, but again it doesn't give me any improvement on the experience. The camera is so-so, and the screen is too small for what I'd like.
A recycling company has offered me £530 for my current handset provided the battery health is at 80% or greater...I'm currently at 83% so feel I have a window of opportunity.
frodo23 said:
Thanks for the replies so far.
I think more than anything I just fancy a change; I've played with an iPhone XS Max and it just felt exactly like a slightly bigger version of what I had, and £1,449 seems a lot to pay for a similar experience to the phone I've had for over a year now.
The battery is £65 to replace with Apple, but again it doesn't give me any improvement on the experience. The camera is so-so, and the screen is too small for what I'd like.
A recycling company has offered me £530 for my current handset provided the battery health is at 80% or greater...I'm currently at 83% so feel I have a window of opportunity.
Cue "I've swapped to Android and my Mrs now hates me" post I think more than anything I just fancy a change; I've played with an iPhone XS Max and it just felt exactly like a slightly bigger version of what I had, and £1,449 seems a lot to pay for a similar experience to the phone I've had for over a year now.
The battery is £65 to replace with Apple, but again it doesn't give me any improvement on the experience. The camera is so-so, and the screen is too small for what I'd like.
A recycling company has offered me £530 for my current handset provided the battery health is at 80% or greater...I'm currently at 83% so feel I have a window of opportunity.
frodo23 said:
am I just being silly to even think of leaving the Apple ecosystem?
It depends what you're looking to achieve. Is there something you cannot get or do on Apple that you can on other phones? Or is it just boredom / curiosity / saving a few quid? What you're planning isn't just some changes for you to make to how things work, but for your wife and others too. The Apple stuff works very nicely but migrating how things you use everyday is going to be painful. Not to mention anything you've paid for needing to be rebought - or, annoyingly, there's some apps that are paid and nice on iOS but only available free with ads on Android.
fwiw, the current iPhone XR delivers really good battery life, although it's not an upgrade in any other area to what you have. I'd get the battery changed and stick with what you have for now.
If it's a route for the future though you can try out alternatives now - google maps on both platforms does the location sharing, try out google calendar for shared diaries, try out lasspass or similar for your passwords.
frodo23 said:
Hi all,
My iPhone X 256gb is coming up to 16 months old now, and I can no longer get through a full day on a single charge. I've been an iPhone user since 2007, but I want to change this month and plan to give an Android phone a chance. In particular I'm considering the Huawei Mate 20 Pro and the Samsung Note 9.
Transferring my life (17,000 photos, 600 contacts, 120 notes, etc) looks to be a total pain, so I appreciate that's probably a day of my life gone. But there are some things that I currently use quite a bit, that I will miss if I can't find an Android alternative:
- Find a Friend. My wife (an iPhone user) and I use this quite a bit to make our days run more smoothly, work out when to start cooking, etc. Is there an Android alternative?
- Shared family drive. We use a shared Apple account for photos and calendar entries. Can Android do this?
- Apple Music. Again I have a family account, so my wife and I both have our own playlists. I believe there might by an Android app for Apple Music?
- Biometric passwords. At present my phone will automatically log me in to dozens of websites and accounts, including my primary bank account. Do Android phones have this facility?
I know that I can use Whatsapp instead of iMessage, and I have an iPad for FaceTime duties so I not worried about that.
Does anyone have any advice or information on the above features, and am I just being silly to even think of leaving the Apple ecosystem?
Many thanks in advance.
There is nothing really wrong with Android. But it does always seem to be more hard work to do most things with it.My iPhone X 256gb is coming up to 16 months old now, and I can no longer get through a full day on a single charge. I've been an iPhone user since 2007, but I want to change this month and plan to give an Android phone a chance. In particular I'm considering the Huawei Mate 20 Pro and the Samsung Note 9.
Transferring my life (17,000 photos, 600 contacts, 120 notes, etc) looks to be a total pain, so I appreciate that's probably a day of my life gone. But there are some things that I currently use quite a bit, that I will miss if I can't find an Android alternative:
- Find a Friend. My wife (an iPhone user) and I use this quite a bit to make our days run more smoothly, work out when to start cooking, etc. Is there an Android alternative?
- Shared family drive. We use a shared Apple account for photos and calendar entries. Can Android do this?
- Apple Music. Again I have a family account, so my wife and I both have our own playlists. I believe there might by an Android app for Apple Music?
- Biometric passwords. At present my phone will automatically log me in to dozens of websites and accounts, including my primary bank account. Do Android phones have this facility?
I know that I can use Whatsapp instead of iMessage, and I have an iPad for FaceTime duties so I not worried about that.
Does anyone have any advice or information on the above features, and am I just being silly to even think of leaving the Apple ecosystem?
Many thanks in advance.
One of the best things with iOS is it's usability.
I have an old Android phone and my girlfriend does. Most times when I need to do something I end up having to Google how to do it. Whereas on an iPhone I almost never need too Google it.
The only other real loss is a different type of usability. Apple products integrate lovely and will automatically backup and sync and do loads of things like share wifi credentials between your devices. And you quite literally have to do nothing to make this happen.
On an Android you can do some/many of these things, but they all require far more setup and tinkering.
If you want to play about with the OS, then Android generally offers more, although most of the phone makers do lock it down, so you'll have to "root" the phone and do loads of other things to really gain the differences. If you are into this, then great.
I've also never got on with the backup process for Android, or at least the Sony phones we have had, so maybe it is different for other brands. It works, but is far more clunky and time consuming to do than on an iPhone.
I'm a big Android fan, never really got on with Apple phones. My Mrs has an iPhone and I hate using it. It seems you've invested in the apple system, so I would probably just get the battery replaced, as it would be easier. I have a P20 Pro and so far it's been the best phone I've had, the camera is just amazing. My phone works with everything I have in my house very easily.
If you want something different, then that's a whole new situation and any of the flagship Android phones are excellent and in my eyes, so much better than the Apple stuff (Pixel 3 or P20 Pro would be my choice)
If you want something different, then that's a whole new situation and any of the flagship Android phones are excellent and in my eyes, so much better than the Apple stuff (Pixel 3 or P20 Pro would be my choice)
OP just get a new battery. I have tried to make the swap you have twice in the last 5 years and it always ends up in regret.
I do like android but point blank it is just not as slick as iOS. I even done some reading up on when android would be as slick as iOS and it never will, its down the basic infrastucture of how its built and run. For Android to run as slick as iOS it would need to be scratched and rebuild from the ground up.
Some might say they see no difference, some might say if feel it but doesn't bother them but if you are used to IOS for as long as you have it will bother you.
Transferring your photos and contacts, whatsapp is an utter pain in the back side. Its possible but get ready for a few days of pulling your hair out.
There are some android features I really enjoyed but not enough to keep me away from iOS.
I moved back to an iphone XS.
As you have alluded to you will be "seperate" from other iOS users and that in itself is a pain in the back side. imessage groups, face time etc etc
I do like android but point blank it is just not as slick as iOS. I even done some reading up on when android would be as slick as iOS and it never will, its down the basic infrastucture of how its built and run. For Android to run as slick as iOS it would need to be scratched and rebuild from the ground up.
Some might say they see no difference, some might say if feel it but doesn't bother them but if you are used to IOS for as long as you have it will bother you.
Transferring your photos and contacts, whatsapp is an utter pain in the back side. Its possible but get ready for a few days of pulling your hair out.
There are some android features I really enjoyed but not enough to keep me away from iOS.
I moved back to an iphone XS.
As you have alluded to you will be "seperate" from other iOS users and that in itself is a pain in the back side. imessage groups, face time etc etc
The OP could try an Android Moto for about £120 before a full changeover from Apple.
Google owns your Android phone. The frequent app updates, the siphoning off of emails, texts, location and all the rest of it.
It can be limited with firewalls like Netguard and disabling 'sucky' Google features, so you can customise an Android to be quiet, with three or four days of battery life.
For me, there are enough Microsoft apps on Android to be able to build a 'pocket' PC out of a £120 dual-sim Moto E4, plus a handful of essential banking, car and parking apps, so Android it is.
Google owns your Android phone. The frequent app updates, the siphoning off of emails, texts, location and all the rest of it.
It can be limited with firewalls like Netguard and disabling 'sucky' Google features, so you can customise an Android to be quiet, with three or four days of battery life.
For me, there are enough Microsoft apps on Android to be able to build a 'pocket' PC out of a £120 dual-sim Moto E4, plus a handful of essential banking, car and parking apps, so Android it is.
Edited by Slushbox on Tuesday 5th February 13:17
nikaiyo2 said:
The thing you will miss most is a phone that works without you having to f
k about with it to make it work.
I run an Android and an iPhone (work). But work in exactly the same way: with no hassle or fk about with it to make it work.king about.Turn on, enter account details, install apps, use phone. Install more apps later. Take photos. Make calls. Enjoy life knowing this decision made naff all difference.
So ignore the quote. It's not a reason for going one way or the other.
Slushbox said:
Google owns your Android phone. The frequent app updates, the siphoning off of emails, texts, location and all the rest of it.
I find Apple to be no different. Updated everything a few days ago, 10 app updates waiting... It also records my location (very handy for figuring out work mileage etc). Neither actually send your emails/texts etc anywhere. That's tin foil hat and misunderstanding technology/terminology territory.Gassing Station | Computers, Gadgets & Stuff | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff