Andy Jarrett // Code. Develop. Create.

Why I've jumped back to iOS from Android

Yes its one of those posts. Personally I liked reading them when I thinking about the jump back 6 months ago so this is for the next person toying with the idea.

For the record I jumped from a Nexus 5 32GB to an iPhone 6 64GB

Why I moved to iOS:

  • Battery drain. Android (not so much with Lollipop) seems to have massive battery drain apps in the background.
  • The Camera - You can't beat an iPhone camera in terms of speed of focus and taking the photo.
  • The camera .... Worth mentioning twice due to the amount of photo opportunity of my kids that I missed.
  • Unread badge count
  • You know that new app/case/gadget its for iPhone only, if you're lucky Android "coming soon"
  • You know that kickstarter campaign for that shinny new gadget/toy you want to play with it's for iPhone/iOS only e.g. Nikola Labs Launches iPhone 6 Case Which Harvests Electricity From The Air
  • Picasa import works better with iPhone
  • If you don't go for a Nexus but choose Samsung, HTC, LG, or even Sony then you’re most likely getting outdated software with no assurance that you will ever receive an update in the future.
  • They removed the Gallery app which worked better than the current photos app.
  • Google+ why do they integrate those contacts in o every facet of the system.
  • A lot of bad reviews for an app are simply "it won't run in my old/in updatable/not supported device.
  • Visual voicemail. How this just isn't a common thing across all smartphones I don't know.

The grass isn't always greener though. What I do miss:

  • Google keep - best notes system around!
  • Reddit apps - WHY OH WHY can't iOS devs not get this right. Give me Relay for Reddit on iOS and I'd happy to pay again for it. Reddit apps on iOS just don't do gestures and feel clunky
  • Gestures and app navigation. Android apps, especially with Material handle all of this so well, iOS seems to be playing catch-up. One real big annoance is having a back button in the top left of the screen making one hand operation hard.
  • Android intents. iOS is getting there now but Android is leading the way
  • Wireless charging
  • User accounts. My 3 year old boy has his own account on the N5 and N7 which keeps him well away from liking that cat post by that random friend on Facebook.

Regardless of what I said there isn't much in it nowadays and pretty much all smartphones share the same core apps, games and functionality. What it really comes down to for me (and should for most) is what fits better with your lifestyle. I needed a better camera, iPhone wins there, my whole family are on iOS, makes sharing/connecting easier.

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