Android vs Apple

[jrs1871]

I know this is like asking which is better a Chevy or Ford. But my android phone is on its last legs. I have had android phones since the beginning and they have served me well. But my kids think I should change to an apple phone. I will admit I do like the facetime feature. But I don't think that by itself justifies switching.
I don't stream movies. Photo capability is nice but I have been able to work with what I have. I live in a fringe area so strength of signal is important. So my question is, for those of you who have had both, what are pros and cons for switching from android to apple.

[wiskeyVI]

I prefer the simplicity of Android.
I've tried Apple and Android.
Apple always seemed to need a step or to more to accomplish the same task as it would on an Android.....That being said, the latest Android update has seemed to add extra steps now, to a few processes. Just enough to annoy me and reminded why I went android.
If my iPhone 8 wasn't so glitchy with disconnecting the hotspot, and the lack of tether for service to another device, it would almost be worth going back.

[Bumpyroad]

when my daughter insisted that my wife and I get "smart" phones I got a phone call from daughter who was also looking and asked if I wanted apple or android. the equivalent apple phone came with a second phone of lesser power/stuff and was $100 more than android.
so I could spend $100 more and get less. :S
bumpy

[wa8yxm]

RCMAN46 wrote:
For the older generation which many of us qualify I would recommend the Iphone.

It has one feature I think is very valuable for the older crowd that allows their children to keep track of them.

That feature is find my phone.

Recently I had a good friend that was involved in a serious traffic

I have 4 different ways to "Find my phone" (Android) though one of 'em are restricted to "Folks like me" Google, Samsung and one app I installed all have find my phone apps (I use the latter one) and though it may be set to approximate there is another app that is constantly reporting my position to a server for which I can give the URL if folks need to know where to find me.. NOTICE the lack of a URL in this post.

So that's not a Unique feature by any means Google and Samsung are native to the phone.. The two apps (one tracks me by number and one by license) I had to install. they are also free.

The Security app can also make the phone kind of loud, I've had to use it a few times when I misplaced the thing.

[pianotuna]

Support for a "few years"? Don't try to connect the i6. It no longer works. Until last year I had an Android s4. It still worked like a charm.

[wildtoad]

I had Android and other phone os’s and they did a decent job. While IOS does have some issues, the products just work day in day out, upgrades are usually easy to install and models are supported for a few years. As I remember Android allows different manufacturers to customize the OS which can and has created some upgrade issues. When I was a software developer many years ago I appreciated the openness of some software. Now I don’t really care and just want it to power on and do what it’s supposed to do. Apple allows me to see and update all my stuff on all my devices - iPhone, iPad, and when I blow off the cobwebs my PC.

[valhalla360]

FlatBroke wrote:
Apple. It simply works.

And only 5 times the price of an equivalent Android phone...plus they lock you into the apple ecosystem (such as face time is only available for ios...of course there are several other apps that do the same function).

9 out of 10 times when you hear people complain about android they bought the cheapest phone (just picked one up for $20 to act solely as a hot spot, so they can be very cheap)...then compare it to a $900 apple phone and wonder why android is so bad.

If you compare like for like, android is not quirky and can match or beat the equivalent iphone.

So unless you are dead set on using face time or other apple only apps...much easier to go android.

Other stuff like "find my phone" can be found on either.

[Lwiddis]

I’m an Apple guy but stick with what YOU like. Android.

[magicbus]

Long time Android user here. When my job gave me a free phone it was an iPhone. My wife loves her iPhone so it has made supporting her easier, but when work ends I’ll go back to Android. If you do go iPhone make sure you go to Settings->Messaging and turn on SMS or you won’t be able to text with your non-iPhone friends. Apple likes to turn SMS off for some reason.

Dave

[pianotuna]

Android.

And add what'sapp for voice, video, voice messaging, and real time video calling (free).

[RobWNY]

bob_nestor wrote:
I've always done pre-paid, no contract service plans and bring my own phone so being able to switch service provides was a big plus for me.

This is the only way to do it in my opinion. People who have contracts with any of the carriers with phones that only work on their network are getting taken advantage of. We don't stream with our phones so unlimited data isn't a need for us. I won't get into which carrier is better but I have Verizon. We have two brand new unlocked Android phones capable of using any of the big carriers. I paid $175 for each of them plus two .99 cent SIM cards, plus tax. All in was less than $400. They have Large screens and great cameras. I have a Pay as you go plan on each phone. We each get 6gb of data to use each month, unused data gets carried over to the next month and if we exceed the 6gb I can buy more data at a reasonable price or I can use 3g until the month ends. No contracts, no paying for extra data we don't use. All in for both phones, both plans....$66.00 a month total. $33 a month per phone is fantastic. You can't ask for more than that! Best deal I've ever had and I've had plenty over the years. People that walk into a cell phone store and pay $700-$1000 for the latest greatest phones and then pay $150 or more per month for unlimited data and only use a portion of the allotment might as well just take money out of their wallets and throw it in the trash because that's essentially what they're doing.

[Bumpyroad]

RCMAN46 wrote:

It has one feature I think is very valuable for the older crowd that allows their children to keep track of them.

That feature is find my phone. .

a good reason to get android.
bumpy

[Bionic_Man]

I think if you have been Android for that long, unless you are tech savvy, you will have a learning curve if you go to iOS. For that reason alone, I probably would stick with Android.

That said, I am a big Apple fan, for both computers and phones. They just work. No virus issues. Their support is second to none.

A few years ago, I had to carry a Samsung Galaxy for work. I could use it for personal use, but never did. Despite flying over 120 segments/year, I preferred carrying an iPad for my personal use.

If you do go Apple, sign up for a couple of their classes at the Apple store (once the world starts turning again). It will shorten the learning curve.

[bob_nestor]

Although I'm a long time Apple user, for cell phones I've always gone with Android until recently. I switched to the iPhone SE 2020 version. There are differences between Android and IOS, but I've managed to find all the apps I want and I'm getting used to the iPhone user interface.

One of the reasons I think Android phones are cheaper is that they're typically engineered for optimal use on a single provider's network. You can move some phones between say AT&T and T-Mobile, but when you dig into the details you typically find that your limited to only certain features, bands and frequencies. And over time the carriers drop some of the less used features and/or reuse some of their bands and frequencies for newer technologies making your older phone less and less capable.

The selling points for me on the new iPhone is that it basically covers all the carriers in a single model, something even Apple wasn't doing in the past. So since I bought it outright and it's unlocked, I can switch to any carrier I want to whenever I want. The other feature is that it is a dual-SIM phone, so I can have two phone numbers on two different carriers - nice for traveling especially outside of the Continental US or for trying out different service providers. Sometimes the roaming partner for your carrier doesn't have the best coverage in place you might be, so being able to get an in-country service plan for a short period of time is a nice option.

The only downside that I saw with the iPhone SE is that it doesn't support the upcoming 5G capabilities, but I figure it will take a few years before that's built out enough to really be useful outside of major metro areas. (Side note, the three cell tower companies are trying to build out the necessary towers for 5G and their stock prices are showing it too.) Plus the older 4G LTE will be supported for quite some time into the future.

But $400 for a cell phone was a big pill to swallow as I generally don't go over about $150 and keep it for two years. I've always done pre-paid, no contract service plans and bring my own phone so being able to switch service provides was a big plus for me. There are some deals one can find on the new iPhone SE and it may be possible to get one for about $200 on a contract that can be terminated after a few months though.

[Second_Chance]

We have two Samsung Galaxy S-series phones and they are excellent. We've never had issues with the operating system nor reliability. Our kids all have iPhones and they are also excellent. We have Windows 10 laptops and I have no issues with those (full disclosure... I made my living on computers in my second career and they were all Windows with access to the mainframe or servers). I recently set up a new iPad for my 89 y.o. mother-in-law. It was easy and straightforward - a very nice device. I would say, considering today's technology in both camps, buy a product that suits your needs and budget but make sure it gets good reviews first.

Rob

[crcr]

Both are good platforms but I much prefer Android. Costs less, more options, including for personalization with Android, and more free apps than iphone. The new Android phones are awesome with incredible battery life, and they last for many years.

But bottom line, buy what you like.