The US market is such a weird one. Apple owns more than 80% of all teens over there and Android might struggle to expand there in the future. However, outside the US, Android is still prevalent in many markets (and will grow in many third world countries), iMessage isn’t that used, and blue/green bubble argument does not exist.
Europe is a pretty similar situation with WhatsApp, where everyone is kind of forced to use that same platform, just luckily WhatsApp is available on iOS and Android.
Or Facebook Messenger, which I kind of have to use to talk to my relatives and some friends around the world.
Doesn’t have the same weird pressure to use one device manufacturer like in the US though, but trying to get someone (let alone everyone) to add you on Telegram or Signal can be a similar struggle, if they don’t see a value in the effort required to switch apps just for you.
Fair enough, but then it’s the same issue to try and convince them to add you on WhatsApp (or iMessage) if they use Telegram. The point is that these are all platforms that we similarly end up stuck on, depending on what most people in our community landed on. In that way it’s not so different to the situation in the US.
People only want to use one messaging client for all their contacts, and as long as the clients remain closed platforms, we are prevented from just using whichever client we individually prefer, we have to use the platform decided on by the community, or fight an uphill battle to get everyone to reluctantly install a second messaging app just for us.
I don’t want to call the kids stupid. It’s the Network Affect. Apple has a sleek design and like two phones. Android it really uneven in quality and capabilities between mid range end high end. I’ve been on Androids since 2012 and love them. I can however understand why iPhone caught on and then you’re friends are on they’re and you want to be. Social pressure doesn’t make kids stupid just human.
It’s not just the message color thing. It seems like more kids these days just can’t solve anything themselves. Like ok, they want to live their entire lives on their cell phone, but they have no knowledge of how the phones work or what any of the hardware inside does. Any problems with anything and it’s just “broke” and they have nearly unlimited information at their fingertips, but don’t know how to look anything up to try and actually solve a problem.
I’m convinced that it’s purposeful sabotage on Apple’s part because if there’s one Android user in a group chat iMessage fucks up images/videos/effects for all recipients. So being the lone Android holdout gets you pressured to switch
It’s more than that. Apps used to take screenshots of the screen instead of trying to work their way through the camera apis in Snapchat for example, at least in the past. There’s also just bad camera out there. My Pixel 6 Pro is terrible for document scanning given its sensor size. The edges are always blurry.
'Murican Android user here. I’ve never gotten any shit pertaining to iMessage compatibility or this chat bubble color thing. I think what we’re hearing about is just a few toxic circles being presented as the norm for everyone here.
That’s alright, you tried. Looks like people understood the intent and had a good laugh. One of my dyslexic wife’s better misspeaks was taking a guess at “Jormungandr”, and she went with “Juggernaut”. Gorilla warfare certainly is a more fun image to picture.
I used to think the same, until it happened to me twice…
I got playful groans both times for being the only person in a class group with an Android. I have an iPad so it ended up being a non-issue.
Heck, I was talking to a guy with a Pixel 7 who said the woman he was dating thought it was a red flag. She’s 28.
I’m not saying it should exist, but stuff like this very much affects people whether we like it or not and pretending like it’s a non-issue doesn’t help them.
I’m just pissed that apples dominance has neutered good competitive Android phones in the US. There’s only a few higher end Android phones to pick from and none have even a microsd card slot anymore. Let alone a headphone jack or replaceable battery. I have the ability to replace my note 20 ultra battery (current phone and last high end Samsung with a microsd card slot) but Samsung won’t sell the batteries and the aftermarket ones are hot garbage. I may have another tear or so before I’m forced to get a new phone just because of that.
Yeah. I don’t really want the Chinese backdoor secret data sending phones. It’s bad enough our own government is probably doing it to us. I really liked my LG V40. Wish LG stayed in the market.
Crazy this is like needing Whatsapp on steroids. Literally needing such a crap locked down tracking device just because the US doesnt have the balls to force apple to open up
Mate, I’ve never once been pressured to use an iPhone in the states. Not sure what any of that has to do with international travel where chat platforms are phone-agnostic. No one using whatsapp cares about my Pixel.
It’s not international travel. I live with my wife in her country. International calling and texting is expensive.
So I can just get a use an iPhone with iMessage or convince my immediate and extended family and professional contacts to use a different chatting app.
But imessenger works over the internet. It’s not an SMS service so the carrier has nothing to do with it. im in tons of groupchats with imessenger recipients. never had a problem except with apple purposefully downgrading all media. my phone has wifi calling so I can receive my sms messages anywhere I can get service.
It very clearly does. If they can’t get all their contacts on other chat apps because they’re on iPhones then how could you possibly say it has nothing to do with iPhones?
or convince my immediate and extended family and professional contacts to use a different chatting app.
I’m sure at least your family will happily just install Signal, WhatsApp or so in order to avoid excessive monetary cost to you. What kind of family wouldn’t?
My gf got an iPhone last year to try and experience it. I’ve thing she uses her phone a lot fit is movie consumption. Iphone doesn’t let you transfer files from a pc to it by just plugging in the USB and using the file manager let me tell you. She is pissed.
i got an iphone in november to try it out and play with lidar etc. I had buyers remorse pretty quickly and now months later have had enough of the rigidity and am returning it for an android phone. I don’t understand the hype to be honest
Yeah it’s awful, trying to do anything at all outside using basic apps in iOS is headache inducing.
Just something as simple as getting an SSH key into an SSH app took way too much time to figure out, as you can’t just copy the key file over like you can on Android.
The way Apple wants you to transfer files is to install iTunes from the Microsoft store. I do not envy the fact that you have to use an app that hasn’t changed much since 2014. Or the Finder on macOS.
Honestly, being in the US surrounded by iPhones really pisses me off. To make matters worse, I am in the age range of the teens who love their iPhones. I really, really, really hate the iPhone and the iSheep that somehow use it. I feel like brain surgery is required to become an iSheep that can actually use an iPhone.
Honestly, I also hate Android too. I am going to quit using cell phones entirely because they piss me off.
Also, is there an exhaustive list of every single thing normies do on their phones? Normies as in US Gen Z normies. I already know advertisers figured this out.
My guess is that the increased price of phone have led more adults to find a mid-range android coupled with the increased support for OS updates from Google and others.
I tried to switch to iOS when my pixel 3xl died. I gave up after 24hrs and bought a Pixel 6Pro.
Every time I tried to do something on the iPhone, or find a comparable app, it either couldn’t be done, or needed an app with an ongoing paid subscription. It was infuriating. Paying one time for an app is one thing. I don’t need to be spending 10s of dollars or a month in perpetuity just to use some apps on my phone when I can get the same functionality free, or for a smaller one time payment elsewhere.
My experience is directly the opposite. Bought an iPhone 12 Mini after Pixel 3XL died. Granted, I was already using a Macbook for a long time. Lotta things I’d been trying to get working, using things like KDE Connect instantly became automatic.
I’ve seen people actually get job done on phones, but that’s never been the case to me. To me the phone should ideally be an extension of my desktop. I’d been doing that with Chrome+Pixel for a while. But iPhone unlocked much more of macOS for me
When I think of photo sync, automatic is part of it. What use is having to manually start a sync process? Even worse, you have to manually choose which photos to sync on iOS - it won’t given you access to “all photos” as a default.
On android, I can configure all sorts of automatic sync.
For example, all photos I take are instantly synced to my home server, instantly.
Videos wait until I’m on WiFi.
Photos taken with a different camera app wait until WiFi.
Other photos, videos, downloads, etc, wait until WiFi.
With iOS, I can’t even auto sync ANY of them.
iOS doesn’t permit any app direct access to all photos because of how it stores images.
I switched from Android to iPhone a month ago and the Nextcloud app can definitely access & sync all photos & videos just fine.
So far I have not noticed any problems with background sync but I do also open the Nextcloud app frequently so that might have something to do with it. I guess a workaround could be to set up a shortcut which opens Nextcloud whenever the phone is connected to a charger during the night, for example.
Lastly I just want to add that it isn’t all sunshine and rainbows on Android either. From my own experience photo sync never worked reliably on whichever phone I was using (Huawei, LG, Samsung, Google, Microsoft, …). And let’s not forget that each manufacturer is also trying to push their own gallery & backup solution to lock you in. Even worse, some manufacturers like Microsoft have this mishmash where you have OneDrive for photo sync but then also Google Photos which you can’t uninstall and keeps begging you to please back up all your stuff and then pay for more storage. It’s the same BS as Apple with their iCloud tbh.
As someone who switched from android to iPhone after using android exclusively (only because I’m sick to shit of my devices breaking themselves at about the 2 year mark - and I don’t mean software):
Apple is a fucking nightmare to swap to if you use your device for anything beyond the absolute basics. I’m honestly probably going to swap off it sooner rather than later.
It’s a miserable experience to go from being able to do basically whatever you want… to not even being able to change to a specific ringtone without paying for it or going through some ridiculous process on Mac to convert. (And before some random asshole pipes up -again- and says “there’s tons of ways” without telling me what they are, I’ve looked and found nothing so either tell me the ways or don’t bother replying because no there aren’t, that’s why everyone on iOS has the same set of ringtones.) I mean hell, it’s painful just to move photos to a pc. Like ridiculously painful. Unless you pay for iCloud.
And the whole ecosystem is supposed to “just work”, but it doesn’t. Tons of finicky little problems, like I can’t get “find my” to play sound on my phone the next room over with all the settings enabled, and even the time of day focus on my watch is usually wrong, which is like a super basic function of this crap. But you can’t really troubleshoot because of the lockdown on everything.
Venting aside, it’s simply not worth it to switch from android. It’s a downgrade in every single way except hardware being built to last, and the software getting regular security updates. That’s it. That’s all it has going for it. I thought that might be enough, but it really isn’t.
What do you do to your phones? I’ve never had an android that only lasted me two years. My current is a nearly 4 year old n20 ultra that’s still going strong and I won’t give up because it’s the last good android phone made with a micro sd card slot.
I’m not saying this is OP, but some people are just rough with their stuff and don’t realize it. For example, someone I know burned the on-screen keyboard onto their screen because they disabled the screen dimming function. That’s not something I considered possible. Other people drop or throw their phones onto desks or lay them face down and scrape them against the surface when picking them up etc.
It all seems fine until eventually one day the phone stops turning on.
Nothing outrageous, I baby them and try to buy at least decent quality. They just… never last.
I am, however, the walking incarnation of Murphy law, so like… it’s not surprising to me that this happens… (same as I’m the one with all the apple issues for no reason)
My last phone, the charge port failed about 2 yrs, I used it for 3 (fortunately still had wireless charging so I could have used it longer technically, but wanted to try apple before it was mandatory to give up)
Phone before that, the speakers failed so I couldn’t even take calls, about 2 years. (I don’t listen to stuff, so this wasn’t volume abuse or something causing failure)
Phone before that got bricked during an update but that was a cheap phone that didn’t have recovery because I was broke. Can’t afford to keep replacing shit even used…
Prior, mobo failure. You get the idea.
Only one phone broke because of something I actually did to it, and that was way back when slide out keyboards were still a thing, a Sony Xperia pro. I flashed a newer android version and then tried to revert to an older version (playing with custom roms) and broke the governor chip so the battery would read zero when not on the charger.
And I do fix things when the parts are available, economical, and it’s possible to fix, but that isn’t always the case.
Ouch. You have a solid case of bad luck. I just replaced a phone speaker for a co-worker a month or so ago, but it was an iPhone.
Did you actually break the USB C port or did it just stop working? Those are kinda hard to break and usually if they stop working it’s because lint was pushed up into the port that needs dug out or the contacts are just dirty and isopropyl alcohol and a toothbrush will fix it.
I know (but man the validation feels nice!) :) I am the walking incarnation of Murphy’s law not just for this, but my whole life. I think I’m a black hole of bad so other people can have better. 🫡 (yes I know that’s not how it works, but it makes me feel slightly better about the fact that everyone around me does great).
No, it was a design flaw with the phone I bought. If you used anything other than the OEM charger you were risking breaking your charge port. And it legitimately broke, not just dirty : /
I bought before this flaw was known. Too bad too because it was usb-c, so it -should-have worked with whatever but it was designed ever so slightly out of spec…
Well from your track record and me knowing iphones break as well, I’m sure in the next year or two you’ll have a chance to come back over to android.
Just get a case, glass screen protector, and never leave your phone in the car on warm or really cold days. Oh, and don’t play on your phone while it’s plugged in.
Same here. I’m rocking a pixel 7pro because I wanted to upgrade but I have several other pixels in a drawer that still boot up and work fine. They are slow as shit and one of them is so old I don’t remember my pattern lock, but I had to use one for work temporarily a few months ago and it did it’s job until the replacement phone arrived. I was upgrading the 7 to a pro and giving the 7 to my wife because her phone had died out of nowhere and she needs one for 2fa for work stuff.
On the ringtone front, it’s still rediculous but you can use Garageband to create your preferred ringtones. I typically download form zedge and convert them in Garageband. The UI has changed abit but essentially this is the tutorial: https://osxdaily.com/2020/09/11/how-set-song-ringtone-iphone-garageband/
I appreciate the reply, because you took the time, but that was the “needs Mac” option.
I don’t have a Mac, won’t get one, and emulating is frankly too much work for a ringtone. Garage band doesn’t run on windows or Linux afaik, at least not without being a pain.
That’s the problem. On android, zedge can not only download but set ringtones for you even for individual contacts if you like, because it’s amazingly basic. I used it for years.
I used to have the same problem with my Android phones crapping out at the 2 year mark. That was with Motorola and Samsung phones, and an LG got my wife. I know there are lots of people who have had good fortune with those brands of phones, but that wasn’t the case for me.
I ended up getting a 1st gen Pixel, and that sucker lasted for over 5 years. I’m now on a Pixel 4a, and about two years in and everything is going well. I’m not sure if it’s just Google phones in general, or if the quality of Android phones in general is improving. But either way it’s encouraging. In my experience (and the experience of several other people I know), Google makes damn good phones. It’s a shame they are a shitty company in other (i.e. ethical) areas.
While I’m super glad it works for you (honest I am, that’s literally the point of tech, to do what you need) I’d never buy a pixel. At least not without the full intent of de-googling it… and that’s exactly the problem with android right now. Android is largely a spyware platform for Google. Apple is not better, to be clear. Both options suck and we have no real 3rd party alternatives. Which we should have. Instead we have none, globally.
The hardware might be there (and frankly I’ve heard really good things about pixel hardware; lots of people buy them to flash other OS on) but the software is literally designed to spy on you so… I’m super not into it.
I’m thinking about buying a fairphone and putting idk… lineage or graphene on it… been a while since I bought a device for the sole purpose of putting different OS on, but maybe it’s time.
If Linux phones were viable daily drivers I’d be using one of those. Fuck all this proprietary bullshit. But even that is difficult because Linux is many things but “all encompassing “ is not one of them, and never will be.
Try Fairphone 4 or 5 or Google Pixel with iodé on it. Ive used it for almost 3 years. Really stable and no trouble with banking apps. Only apps that rely soley on playstore services you cant use.
+1 for iodéOS. It’s a good OS, based on LineageOS and with a built-in ad/tracker blocker.
Additionally, if you get a FairPhone or a Pixel you have a bunch of other ROMs to choose from, like basic LineageOS, CakyxOS, DivestOS, and only on Pixel GrapheneOS.
I’m totally with you on the need for a good third alternative. I prefer Android to iOS from a usability perspective (I used to have an iPhone for work, and that UX was incredibly counter-intuitive to me). But I’m well aware of the shortcomings of Android (including the spying aspect).
A solid Linux-based mobile phone OS that had sufficient carrier support for it to be usable for less tech-savvy users would be amazing. Maybe some day…
Absolutely worst thing I’ve ever done to myself intentionally (and that list is looooooooong).
I really liked messing around with android, it was basically why I got into Linux… spent years messing about with android so Ubuntu felt so similar. It was an easy transition for me. (Other distros, even Debian based, have not been so welcoming, and I don’t want to go back to Ubuntu, but it felt… right… so I probably will… unless someone tells me about a similar ui for anything else ;) )
I do hope Linux gains at least enough support as an OS for mobile that one can make it work… I mean windows had a phone (possibly several shitty phones run on windows…?) and that wasn’t a big deal but Linux…? clutches pearls certainly not!
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They, like me, probably realize there’s no cheap ass phones anymore and you can’t get out of the Google ecosystem easily.
The US market is such a weird one. Apple owns more than 80% of all teens over there and Android might struggle to expand there in the future. However, outside the US, Android is still prevalent in many markets (and will grow in many third world countries), iMessage isn’t that used, and blue/green bubble argument does not exist.
Really boggles us non-Americans about the allure of iMessage.
Remember that you’re often talking to teens on the internet, lol. And for them it’s more of a peer pressure thing. Apple got em good.
Europe is a pretty similar situation with WhatsApp, where everyone is kind of forced to use that same platform, just luckily WhatsApp is available on iOS and Android.
Or Facebook Messenger, which I kind of have to use to talk to my relatives and some friends around the world.
Doesn’t have the same weird pressure to use one device manufacturer like in the US though, but trying to get someone (let alone everyone) to add you on Telegram or Signal can be a similar struggle, if they don’t see a value in the effort required to switch apps just for you.
Not all of Europe, the further east you go the more telegram is used.
Fair enough, but then it’s the same issue to try and convince them to add you on WhatsApp (or iMessage) if they use Telegram. The point is that these are all platforms that we similarly end up stuck on, depending on what most people in our community landed on. In that way it’s not so different to the situation in the US.
People only want to use one messaging client for all their contacts, and as long as the clients remain closed platforms, we are prevented from just using whichever client we individually prefer, we have to use the platform decided on by the community, or fight an uphill battle to get everyone to reluctantly install a second messaging app just for us.
The difference is at least Telegram seems to care a bit more about privacy than Meta
Stupid kids decided it was a status symbol and no one in the states really uses third party message apps.
I don’t want to call the kids stupid. It’s the Network Affect. Apple has a sleek design and like two phones. Android it really uneven in quality and capabilities between mid range end high end. I’ve been on Androids since 2012 and love them. I can however understand why iPhone caught on and then you’re friends are on they’re and you want to be. Social pressure doesn’t make kids stupid just human.
It’s not just the message color thing. It seems like more kids these days just can’t solve anything themselves. Like ok, they want to live their entire lives on their cell phone, but they have no knowledge of how the phones work or what any of the hardware inside does. Any problems with anything and it’s just “broke” and they have nearly unlimited information at their fingertips, but don’t know how to look anything up to try and actually solve a problem.
I’m convinced that it’s purposeful sabotage on Apple’s part because if there’s one Android user in a group chat iMessage fucks up images/videos/effects for all recipients. So being the lone Android holdout gets you pressured to switch
It falls back to MMS which is terrible.
And specifically falls back to a very small mms, something like 100kb instead of 3mb for images.
That’s why you always hear crap about androids having terrible cameras - most people only experience them through excessive apple compression.
It’s more than that. Apps used to take screenshots of the screen instead of trying to work their way through the camera apis in Snapchat for example, at least in the past. There’s also just bad camera out there. My Pixel 6 Pro is terrible for document scanning given its sensor size. The edges are always blurry.
'Murican Android user here. I’ve never gotten any shit pertaining to iMessage compatibility or this chat bubble color thing. I think what we’re hearing about is just a few toxic circles being presented as the norm for everyone here.
There’s a good chance you’re left out of separate chats.
It’s more common with teens (80% of which are on iPhones here). Teens will grow up, and become adult iPhone users.
As I recently former teen who never had an iPhone, the only place I’ve heard it talked about is California, but in Midwest/South nobody cares.
It’s mostly teenagers
It’s a kid thing, mostly.
I wouldn’t be surprise if it was a gorilla marketing campaign.
I believe you mean “guerilla marketing” campaign.
It’s more fun the other way. And I wouldn’t be surprised if the possibly came up in some meetings when Harambee was trending.
Dyslexia but thanks all the same
That’s alright, you tried. Looks like people understood the intent and had a good laugh. One of my dyslexic wife’s better misspeaks was taking a guess at “Jormungandr”, and she went with “Juggernaut”. Gorilla warfare certainly is a more fun image to picture.
I used to think the same, until it happened to me twice…
I got playful groans both times for being the only person in a class group with an Android. I have an iPad so it ended up being a non-issue.
Heck, I was talking to a guy with a Pixel 7 who said the woman he was dating thought it was a red flag. She’s 28.
I’m not saying it should exist, but stuff like this very much affects people whether we like it or not and pretending like it’s a non-issue doesn’t help them.
What’s funny is thinking that’s a red flag is itself a red flag.
If I was dating someone who revealed they’re focused on petty shit like that, I’d be worried about a relationship full of drama.
I’m just pissed that apples dominance has neutered good competitive Android phones in the US. There’s only a few higher end Android phones to pick from and none have even a microsd card slot anymore. Let alone a headphone jack or replaceable battery. I have the ability to replace my note 20 ultra battery (current phone and last high end Samsung with a microsd card slot) but Samsung won’t sell the batteries and the aftermarket ones are hot garbage. I may have another tear or so before I’m forced to get a new phone just because of that.
Agreed. The fact that Samsung S phones lack memory card slots leads me to getting A phones instead.
A lot of people tell me that Chinese phones also have memory card slots but I am not touching these phones at all.
Yeah. I don’t really want the Chinese backdoor secret data sending phones. It’s bad enough our own government is probably doing it to us. I really liked my LG V40. Wish LG stayed in the market.
Wen i see those post about a fuking color bubble and some are shamed for that it’s juts pathetic to see honestly .
iMessage does not exist in Europe. I have never ever seen someone use it.
I hate that it’s used so heavily in the states. It’s the biggest reason that I’m still using an iPhone over Android.
I live internationally and it’s too difficult to convince my contacts to switch. Just not worth the trouble.
I use Google Voice to text people
Why you let people decide for you what phone you use? I moved here and every single one of my friends have WhatsApp even though they use iPhone.
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Crazy this is like needing Whatsapp on steroids. Literally needing such a crap locked down tracking device just because the US doesnt have the balls to force apple to open up
Mate, I’ve never once been pressured to use an iPhone in the states. Not sure what any of that has to do with international travel where chat platforms are phone-agnostic. No one using whatsapp cares about my Pixel.
I’ve been lightly pressured in multiple circles to get an iPhone.
And I heavily pressure all my friends and family with iphones to switch to android, all the time. Doesn’t mean any of them do it.
Most of my iPhone friends aren’t smart enough to use an android.
Ugh, this stupid shit again.
iPhone users r dum ammirite guys?
elaborate.
What do you want to know?
It’s not international travel. I live with my wife in her country. International calling and texting is expensive.
So I can just get a use an iPhone with iMessage or convince my immediate and extended family and professional contacts to use a different chatting app.
It’s just easier to use an iPhone.
What you said has nothing to do with an iphone.
Ok
It does when it is one person trying to get a group of people trying to switch platforms.
But imessenger works over the internet. It’s not an SMS service so the carrier has nothing to do with it. im in tons of groupchats with imessenger recipients. never had a problem except with apple purposefully downgrading all media. my phone has wifi calling so I can receive my sms messages anywhere I can get service.
It very clearly does. If they can’t get all their contacts on other chat apps because they’re on iPhones then how could you possibly say it has nothing to do with iPhones?
What does a contact list have to do with a phone? Does the iPhone lock you out of even proper contact management?
I’m sure at least your family will happily just install Signal, WhatsApp or so in order to avoid excessive monetary cost to you. What kind of family wouldn’t?
It’s more about professional contacts.
Use email
It’s definitely prevelant in the UK. Although not as much as in the USA by far.
That’s concerningly a lot of people.
My gf got an iPhone last year to try and experience it. I’ve thing she uses her phone a lot fit is movie consumption. Iphone doesn’t let you transfer files from a pc to it by just plugging in the USB and using the file manager let me tell you. She is pissed.
i got an iphone in november to try it out and play with lidar etc. I had buyers remorse pretty quickly and now months later have had enough of the rigidity and am returning it for an android phone. I don’t understand the hype to be honest
Download VLC, use WiFi transfer.
“We don’t want solutions, we want to COMPLAIN!”
Yeah it’s awful, trying to do anything at all outside using basic apps in iOS is headache inducing.
Just something as simple as getting an SSH key into an SSH app took way too much time to figure out, as you can’t just copy the key file over like you can on Android.
The way Apple wants you to transfer files is to install iTunes from the Microsoft store. I do not envy the fact that you have to use an app that hasn’t changed much since 2014. Or the Finder on macOS.
Honestly, being in the US surrounded by iPhones really pisses me off. To make matters worse, I am in the age range of the teens who love their iPhones. I really, really, really hate the iPhone and the iSheep that somehow use it. I feel like brain surgery is required to become an iSheep that can actually use an iPhone.
Honestly, I also hate Android too. I am going to quit using cell phones entirely because they piss me off.
Also, is there an exhaustive list of every single thing normies do on their phones? Normies as in US Gen Z normies. I already know advertisers figured this out.
Have you tried out KLWP for android? You can make your phone unlike anyone else’s.
My guess is that the increased price of phone have led more adults to find a mid-range android coupled with the increased support for OS updates from Google and others.
Not only midrange but also previous year flagships, I’d guess
I tried to switch to iOS when my pixel 3xl died. I gave up after 24hrs and bought a Pixel 6Pro.
Every time I tried to do something on the iPhone, or find a comparable app, it either couldn’t be done, or needed an app with an ongoing paid subscription. It was infuriating. Paying one time for an app is one thing. I don’t need to be spending 10s of dollars or a month in perpetuity just to use some apps on my phone when I can get the same functionality free, or for a smaller one time payment elsewhere.
Yes, alas iPhone is very dumbed down, but KDEconnect app is an option to copy things across to a desktop computer in the same WiFi network.
My experience is directly the opposite. Bought an iPhone 12 Mini after Pixel 3XL died. Granted, I was already using a Macbook for a long time. Lotta things I’d been trying to get working, using things like KDE Connect instantly became automatic.
I’ve seen people actually get job done on phones, but that’s never been the case to me. To me the phone should ideally be an extension of my desktop. I’d been doing that with Chrome+Pixel for a while. But iPhone unlocked much more of macOS for me
What kind of thing?
Photo sync to anything other than iCloud.
What about OneDrive or NextCloud? They offer photo uploads
Background upload doesn’t really work due to Apple’s restrictions on background apps.
When I think of photo sync, automatic is part of it. What use is having to manually start a sync process? Even worse, you have to manually choose which photos to sync on iOS - it won’t given you access to “all photos” as a default.
On android, I can configure all sorts of automatic sync.
For example, all photos I take are instantly synced to my home server, instantly.
Videos wait until I’m on WiFi.
Photos taken with a different camera app wait until WiFi.
Other photos, videos, downloads, etc, wait until WiFi.
With iOS, I can’t even auto sync ANY of them.
iOS doesn’t permit any app direct access to all photos because of how it stores images.
I switched from Android to iPhone a month ago and the Nextcloud app can definitely access & sync all photos & videos just fine.
So far I have not noticed any problems with background sync but I do also open the Nextcloud app frequently so that might have something to do with it. I guess a workaround could be to set up a shortcut which opens Nextcloud whenever the phone is connected to a charger during the night, for example.
Lastly I just want to add that it isn’t all sunshine and rainbows on Android either. From my own experience photo sync never worked reliably on whichever phone I was using (Huawei, LG, Samsung, Google, Microsoft, …). And let’s not forget that each manufacturer is also trying to push their own gallery & backup solution to lock you in. Even worse, some manufacturers like Microsoft have this mishmash where you have OneDrive for photo sync but then also Google Photos which you can’t uninstall and keeps begging you to please back up all your stuff and then pay for more storage. It’s the same BS as Apple with their iCloud tbh.
As someone who switched from android to iPhone after using android exclusively (only because I’m sick to shit of my devices breaking themselves at about the 2 year mark - and I don’t mean software):
Apple is a fucking nightmare to swap to if you use your device for anything beyond the absolute basics. I’m honestly probably going to swap off it sooner rather than later.
It’s a miserable experience to go from being able to do basically whatever you want… to not even being able to change to a specific ringtone without paying for it or going through some ridiculous process on Mac to convert. (And before some random asshole pipes up -again- and says “there’s tons of ways” without telling me what they are, I’ve looked and found nothing so either tell me the ways or don’t bother replying because no there aren’t, that’s why everyone on iOS has the same set of ringtones.) I mean hell, it’s painful just to move photos to a pc. Like ridiculously painful. Unless you pay for iCloud.
And the whole ecosystem is supposed to “just work”, but it doesn’t. Tons of finicky little problems, like I can’t get “find my” to play sound on my phone the next room over with all the settings enabled, and even the time of day focus on my watch is usually wrong, which is like a super basic function of this crap. But you can’t really troubleshoot because of the lockdown on everything.
Venting aside, it’s simply not worth it to switch from android. It’s a downgrade in every single way except hardware being built to last, and the software getting regular security updates. That’s it. That’s all it has going for it. I thought that might be enough, but it really isn’t.
What do you do to your phones? I’ve never had an android that only lasted me two years. My current is a nearly 4 year old n20 ultra that’s still going strong and I won’t give up because it’s the last good android phone made with a micro sd card slot.
I’m not saying this is OP, but some people are just rough with their stuff and don’t realize it. For example, someone I know burned the on-screen keyboard onto their screen because they disabled the screen dimming function. That’s not something I considered possible. Other people drop or throw their phones onto desks or lay them face down and scrape them against the surface when picking them up etc.
It all seems fine until eventually one day the phone stops turning on.
Nothing outrageous, I baby them and try to buy at least decent quality. They just… never last.
I am, however, the walking incarnation of Murphy law, so like… it’s not surprising to me that this happens… (same as I’m the one with all the apple issues for no reason)
My last phone, the charge port failed about 2 yrs, I used it for 3 (fortunately still had wireless charging so I could have used it longer technically, but wanted to try apple before it was mandatory to give up)
Phone before that, the speakers failed so I couldn’t even take calls, about 2 years. (I don’t listen to stuff, so this wasn’t volume abuse or something causing failure)
Phone before that got bricked during an update but that was a cheap phone that didn’t have recovery because I was broke. Can’t afford to keep replacing shit even used…
Prior, mobo failure. You get the idea.
Only one phone broke because of something I actually did to it, and that was way back when slide out keyboards were still a thing, a Sony Xperia pro. I flashed a newer android version and then tried to revert to an older version (playing with custom roms) and broke the governor chip so the battery would read zero when not on the charger.
And I do fix things when the parts are available, economical, and it’s possible to fix, but that isn’t always the case.
Ouch. You have a solid case of bad luck. I just replaced a phone speaker for a co-worker a month or so ago, but it was an iPhone.
Did you actually break the USB C port or did it just stop working? Those are kinda hard to break and usually if they stop working it’s because lint was pushed up into the port that needs dug out or the contacts are just dirty and isopropyl alcohol and a toothbrush will fix it.
I know (but man the validation feels nice!) :) I am the walking incarnation of Murphy’s law not just for this, but my whole life. I think I’m a black hole of bad so other people can have better. 🫡 (yes I know that’s not how it works, but it makes me feel slightly better about the fact that everyone around me does great).
No, it was a design flaw with the phone I bought. If you used anything other than the OEM charger you were risking breaking your charge port. And it legitimately broke, not just dirty : /
I bought before this flaw was known. Too bad too because it was usb-c, so it -should-have worked with whatever but it was designed ever so slightly out of spec…
They don’t make phones anymore, unsurprisingly…
Well from your track record and me knowing iphones break as well, I’m sure in the next year or two you’ll have a chance to come back over to android.
Just get a case, glass screen protector, and never leave your phone in the car on warm or really cold days. Oh, and don’t play on your phone while it’s plugged in.
Same here. I’m rocking a pixel 7pro because I wanted to upgrade but I have several other pixels in a drawer that still boot up and work fine. They are slow as shit and one of them is so old I don’t remember my pattern lock, but I had to use one for work temporarily a few months ago and it did it’s job until the replacement phone arrived. I was upgrading the 7 to a pro and giving the 7 to my wife because her phone had died out of nowhere and she needs one for 2fa for work stuff.
My Sony Xperia 1 iii has lasted me for 3 years now and works great. Only thing I’ve had to replace is the fingerprint sensor.
On the ringtone front, it’s still rediculous but you can use Garageband to create your preferred ringtones. I typically download form zedge and convert them in Garageband. The UI has changed abit but essentially this is the tutorial: https://osxdaily.com/2020/09/11/how-set-song-ringtone-iphone-garageband/
I appreciate the reply, because you took the time, but that was the “needs Mac” option.
I don’t have a Mac, won’t get one, and emulating is frankly too much work for a ringtone. Garage band doesn’t run on windows or Linux afaik, at least not without being a pain.
That’s the problem. On android, zedge can not only download but set ringtones for you even for individual contacts if you like, because it’s amazingly basic. I used it for years.
I miss that very basic customizing.
I just followed those directions using only my iPhone. Not sure you read that correctly.
I used to have the same problem with my Android phones crapping out at the 2 year mark. That was with Motorola and Samsung phones, and an LG got my wife. I know there are lots of people who have had good fortune with those brands of phones, but that wasn’t the case for me.
I ended up getting a 1st gen Pixel, and that sucker lasted for over 5 years. I’m now on a Pixel 4a, and about two years in and everything is going well. I’m not sure if it’s just Google phones in general, or if the quality of Android phones in general is improving. But either way it’s encouraging. In my experience (and the experience of several other people I know), Google makes damn good phones. It’s a shame they are a shitty company in other (i.e. ethical) areas.
Keep in mind that the first Pixel lets you uplod a infinite number of high quality Photos and Videos to Google Photos, if you use that service.
While I’m super glad it works for you (honest I am, that’s literally the point of tech, to do what you need) I’d never buy a pixel. At least not without the full intent of de-googling it… and that’s exactly the problem with android right now. Android is largely a spyware platform for Google. Apple is not better, to be clear. Both options suck and we have no real 3rd party alternatives. Which we should have. Instead we have none, globally.
The hardware might be there (and frankly I’ve heard really good things about pixel hardware; lots of people buy them to flash other OS on) but the software is literally designed to spy on you so… I’m super not into it.
I’m thinking about buying a fairphone and putting idk… lineage or graphene on it… been a while since I bought a device for the sole purpose of putting different OS on, but maybe it’s time.
If Linux phones were viable daily drivers I’d be using one of those. Fuck all this proprietary bullshit. But even that is difficult because Linux is many things but “all encompassing “ is not one of them, and never will be.
Try Fairphone 4 or 5 or Google Pixel with iodé on it. Ive used it for almost 3 years. Really stable and no trouble with banking apps. Only apps that rely soley on playstore services you cant use.
+1 for iodéOS. It’s a good OS, based on LineageOS and with a built-in ad/tracker blocker.
Additionally, if you get a FairPhone or a Pixel you have a bunch of other ROMs to choose from, like basic LineageOS, CakyxOS, DivestOS, and only on Pixel GrapheneOS.
I’m totally with you on the need for a good third alternative. I prefer Android to iOS from a usability perspective (I used to have an iPhone for work, and that UX was incredibly counter-intuitive to me). But I’m well aware of the shortcomings of Android (including the spying aspect).
A solid Linux-based mobile phone OS that had sufficient carrier support for it to be usable for less tech-savvy users would be amazing. Maybe some day…
iOS is the worst.
Absolutely worst thing I’ve ever done to myself intentionally (and that list is looooooooong).
I really liked messing around with android, it was basically why I got into Linux… spent years messing about with android so Ubuntu felt so similar. It was an easy transition for me. (Other distros, even Debian based, have not been so welcoming, and I don’t want to go back to Ubuntu, but it felt… right… so I probably will… unless someone tells me about a similar ui for anything else ;) )
I do hope Linux gains at least enough support as an OS for mobile that one can make it work… I mean windows had a phone (possibly several shitty phones run on windows…?) and that wasn’t a big deal but Linux…? clutches pearls certainly not!
Pixel with Graphene is fully degoogled, and smooth.
I’ve used Lineage and DivestOS on phones as old as 2018 (flagships) and they’re fast. Smooth. People think I’m using a new phone.
Google services are bad for phone performance, so any degoogled device will be smoother with longer battery life.