After 1 week, I might go back to iPhone. Here's why...

[Rule9]

I'm not saying the iPhone is a bad device, but your posts seem to imply it's more functional than Android OS, and that sir is quite simply and utterly untrue by any stretch of the imagination. Rather than address your individual points - because most of them are actually incorrect given what my reply is going to be - I'll simply say this. You're being too impatient, you're quite easily flustered, and you need to actually spend enough time learning how your new choice of OS works. Especially as a software engineer (btw why do so many people tell us they do that for a living?) once you take that advice it's going to become quickly apparent to you that Android is currently a quantum leap ahead of iOS. Simply put, you've passed judgement before knowing what you're doing with it. If you want basic simplicity with less functionality my advice would be to return to Apple.

edited to add: You may not realize it but you've done the exact same thing every other ex-iPhone owner I know has done - just jumped automatically to a Samsung because being an iPhone user that's the brand you've seen publicized the most. This tells me you also didn't really bother taking the time to explore and investigate more brand options. See the pattern here?

I have not (yet) rooted my S4, but that sounds like just one more thing to consume my time in the quest for a usable phone.
I've also never jailbroken my iPhones in the past, but I'm wondering if a jailbroken iPhone5 really is nirvana

I'm going to ruffle some fanboy feathers here but I don't care: Not a day passes that I don't see someone say "PA/CM/Evasion runs so much better and is just as stable robble robble robble!" It's a load of bull (for those of you who wish to argue otherwise, you can cut and paste that last part into your reply so I don't have to repeat myself because that's my final response to that debate). Custom ROMs and iPhone jailbreaks are never as stable as the official. Going down that road is only Nirvana if you like to F around with tinkering a lot, which you have clearly said you don't.

 

[mach1rider]

I to came from the iPhone and it was a 3 week learning for me but after I tinkered around a bit I found every app I like and need for my S4. It was not an easy experience for sure as I was sooooo used to the iosphere but nothing that is worth it is ever easy it seems. I actually think the way I have my s4 set up now is easier then my iphone was. I also like that I was able to set it up how I wanted it to be set up and look. In another thread I mention that what got me to get this phone was buying my wife an S3. so I got to tinker a bit with it before made the plunge to the S4 for myself but Honestly i went to play with my iphone one night after I got the S4 and it just was SOO small in my hand that I went and sold it a couple of days later. I was going to keep it as a ipod but decided I could just use my nano instead. I dont think I will ever look back unless ios honestly offer something better bigger and even more customizable.

 

[mattkruse]

Based on everything I read, I actually thought I wanted the HTC One. But it's not out for Verizon for a while, and I needed to upgrade last week because my wife's phone was cracked and she wanted to switch to Verizon and get a new iPhone5. If I could somehow bridge the gap between now and when the One is released for Verizon, I would probably do that. More than anything else, I think the 28mm camera in the One is a huge plus over the S4.

So, just to address a couple things:
1) I'm quite familiar with the difference between iOS and Android in terms of openness. I don't think that a closed environment like iOS is bad, necessarily. It can be very helpful to have someone else make your decisions for you. As long as you aren't too demanding, then this works great. My wife loves it because she has NO desire to customize anything. But I see potential and I want to exploit it, so I was drawn away from iOS towards Android. I've just been disappointed that the default implementation seems to poorly done. There's no reason why an Android phone can't ship with many of the features that make iOS great, AND be configurable, AND be completely replaceable. It's great that Android is so open and can be so customized, but that doesn't mean that the default implementation can't also be awesome.

2) Notifications - now with the built-in option enabled to show message previews, along with the NiLS app, I'm seeing notifications on my lock screen, which is great. It's not perfect, but I see that it could be perfect with a few more version tweaks, so I'm okay with it.

3) Facebook - What is up with that? I get a lot of FB notifications, and it continually buzzes for me, even though I disabled that in the app. Apparently it just doesn't care? Very annoying.

4) Size - I knew the phone was big when I bought it, obviously. I put it in my pocket and walked around a bit, and it seemed fine. But sometimes you don't really know what it feels like until you've lived with it for a while. It's still too wide for my taste, since my thumb can't reach across to the other side. I didn't really consider it a phablet, but it almost is for me. If this phone could be a half inch narrower, I would like it much more. But even the HTC One is nearly the same size. I love the iPhone form factor, even though the screen seems tiny. I want somewhere inbetween

5) NFC - This was one thing I wanted to move away from iPhone for, but now I find out that the stickers we've programmed at the office won't even work with the S4! They are incompatible! That's really annoying. Oh well. NFC stays off.

6) TouchWiz - Since I haven't used android before, I don't even know where the line is between Android and TW, so I'm not sure how many of my annoyances are actually with Samsung. From what I hear from others, Samsung takes a good thing and makes it worse with TW. Everyone tells me I need to root, and I suspect that if I stay with this phone I'll be doing that in a few months...

7) Android vs iOS - It's actually good to see so many people recognize the pros and cons of each side, and acknowledge that you don't have to say one is awesome and the other sucks. They clearly each have their own advantages, and it's all about weighing the choices based on your own preferences. In the end, we want something that works for us, and that may not work for everyone else. Thank you for all the thoughtful replies from all sides, it's really helpful to hear thoughts and opinions.

 

[mattkruse]

I actually think the way I have my s4 set up now is easier then my iphone was.

Can you share any of the specific apps or settings that you found valuable?

 

[return_0]

I've been an iPhone user for years, but I despise Apple and especially iTunes. I'm a software engineer, and the promise of an open phone OS with endless possibilities lured me to Android. I got the S4 a week ago, and the transition has been anything but painless. I'm really considering switching back to the iPhone5, and here's why:

1. The S4 is just too big. It doesn't fit in my pocket nicely, and it's not comfortable to hold with one hand. It's awkward, and I often feel like I might drop it.

Then there are plenty of smaller Android phones to try.

2. Notifications suck. I love the way iPhone did it - when I get new text messages, the screen lit up and I could see the message right there. If I received multiple messages, I could see them all. If I got Facebook comments, they were there too. All stacked up and scannable without unlocking or going to different apps. This is VERY important to me, because I receive a lot of updates about a lot of things, and I don't want to constantly fiddle with my phone to see them. I have it on my desk and I want to quickly glance to see what came in, then move on. I've tried a few lock screen notification apps, but none seem to work perfectly.

Pull down from the top of the screen. Even on the lock screen (unless you have a security lock). I know Go SMS allows text message popups on the screen.

3. Hardware mute. I really miss this on the S4. I like having a hardware toggle switch to mute my phone if it's going off in a meeting or something. I like being able to mute it in my pocket without having to touch the screen at all. IMO, this should be a REQUIRED feature on all phone hardware.

Can't help you there. Why not mute the phone before going to a meeting. And if you don't want to turn on the phone to do so, try an NFC tag.

4. Endless tinkering. I've already spent many hours trying apps, reading about Android, messing with widgets, etc. My hope was that I could get it setup exactly how I want, then never have to tinker again, but that doesn't seem like how it will go. I'm still trying to make the user interface something that I think is usable! It just seems so clunky to me, compared to the smooth and efficient interface of the iPhone.

Sorry, but I don't see your point there. The UI is perfectly usable and fluid for me, and even if it isn't for you, this should be a non-issue, as you can customize it to EXACTLY how it is on iOS (if you prefer).

5. App count badges (minor). I loved the little red indicator on each app, telling me how many games I have to play in WWF or how many notifications I have in another app. I miss this easy indicator in Android.

Nova Launcher Prime allows app counter badges for select Google apps.

Listen... I love the potential of Android. I get it. It seems like I should be in love with it, but when it comes down to it, I just want a phone that is really usable out of the box. I don't want to have to find 10 different apps to replace the default functionality. I don't want to spend hours messing with the layout of widgets, home screens, and lock screens.

When I REALLY want is either:
- An Android UI that is well designed and consistent across the whole system, removing all the little productivity annoyances
or
- An iPhone that is not so locked down and controlled by Apple.

I have not (yet) rooted my S4, but that sounds like just one more thing to consume my time in the quest for a usable phone.
I've also never jailbroken my iPhones in the past, but I'm wondering if a jailbroken iPhone5 really is nirvana.

Any thoughts? What am I missing that might make me want to stay with the S4+Android?

Thanks,

Matt

 

[return_0]

5) NFC - This was one thing I wanted to move away from iPhone for, but now I find out that the stickers we've programmed at the office won't even work with the S4! They are incompatible! That's really annoying. Oh well. NFC stays off.

Seems like you used regular NFC tags, which work for most phones. Samsung made theirs a little different. Try turning off S Beam but keeping Android Beam on.

 

[Not Quite Right]

My best advice would be to take that sucker back, and get an iPhone 5 ... seriously that sounds like your best fit.

 

[jgbutke]

Thank you for starting this thread Matt. In general, I have never been an Apple lover (still PC here), but once I got my first iPhone, the ease of use and productivity vs the LG Android phone got me hooked. I am proudly NOT a tinkerer, technology geek, someone with any free time, or someone who has the need to rush out and get the latest cool new gadget. I prefer to wait until a product has been out a while and there has been ample opportunity for other people to find the kinks and have them worked out with the engineers. And I trust the reviews of 1000s of satisfied or unsatisfied users over the initial reviews of the technology editors and "experts." And I loathe having to come to an on-line forum to have to find answers to simple usability questions. But now that I'm here, I thank everyone who has contributed and will contribute. Like you, Matt, I have a week more to decide to stay with the S4, or bite the bullet and go back to an iPhone 5. I agree with all your issues Matt, and have quite a few more of my own that I still cannot find solutions to. What I miss most about my Apple experience, is I could walk into an an Apple store anywhere worldwide (I travel a lot) and quickly get an answer to simple usability questions or entire phone replacements on the spot for technical problems. This searching the Internet constantly or spending hours searching for and trying APPs may be driving me reluctantly back to Apple. I chose the S4 only because my iPhone 4S was stolen when out of the country, and I had to make a decision. All the tech reviews are simply gaga over the S4, and I was becoming mildly annoyed with the small incremental improvements Apple was unveiling with each new product introduction, and had I not lost the iPhone 4S, I would have waited to see what the iPhone 6 had to offer. In short, what I miss about my trouble plagued iPhone 4S (I had to have eight replacements, so not a happy camper), are 1) Out-of-the-box usability and intuitive design, and 2) the Genius Bar at the Apple Store. I REALLY want to love this Galaxy S4 (after all, it seems to be what all the "cool kids" are getting!), but I cannot continue spending countless hours on Internet searching for answers and on the the phone with AT&T and Samsung third level support just to get my AOL mail folders to show up as they did with no effort or "tinkering" with the iPhone. (Yes people, I do have a GMAIL account, but the AOL off-line capabilities are crucial to me if you are wondering why I am such a dinosaur!) PLEASE KEEP ME POSTED ON YOUR FINAL DECISION MATT! And thanks to the advice and opinions of all others who have taken the time to post here.

 

[garublador]

This is true, to some degree. I'm learning. It's not nearly as intuitive as an iPhone. I'm finding it a bit hard to learn how to use the device.

Are you sure you aren't confusing "less intuitive" with "not the same as iOS?" I found iOS to be not nearly as "intuitive" as Android when I first tried to use it.

 

[LegalAmerican]

I've been an iPhone user for years, but I despise Apple and especially iTunes. I'm a software engineer, and the promise of an open phone OS with endless possibilities lured me to Android.
4. Endless tinkering. I've already spent many hours trying apps, reading about Android, messing with widgets, etc. My hope was that I could get it setup exactly how I want, then never have to tinker again, but that doesn't seem like how it will go.

I don't think you can have it both ways unfortunately. Either the OS offers "endless possibilities" of customization, or it doesn't. If it was endless, and you wanted to set it up and never tinker again, then I think the true joy of "endless customization" is entirely lost. Also, you'd be one of a VERY FEW of Android users (the ones like us who join forums) who are able to set up your phone and then leave it forever like it is without continually making adjustments.

I respect you for trying Android and attempting something new. We're always sad to see an iOS fan give up on Android. However, I often see the same mistakes in posts like this. The user goes into the switch expecting Android to be iOS and it just isn't. The notifications WILL be different. In my opinion, the OS is polished because I don't like the look or feel of iOS. But someone accustomed to iOS will think differences=unpolished and that isn't necessarily the case.

Android is different than iOS. That doesn't make either Operating System more polished than the other. What is unpolished to someone might be fantastically smooth for someone else. I tell all of my family members who ask me for phone advice to try Android or iOS for the two week trial period, and although that isn't enough time to REALLY get into a new ecosystem, it will give them an idea of what they are or aren't willing to give up.

Best of luck in your final decision.

 

[LegalAmerican]

And I loathe having to come to an on-line forum to have to find answers to simple usability questions.............What I miss most about my Apple experience, is I could walk into an an Apple store anywhere worldwide (I travel a lot) and quickly get an answer to simple usability questions

Me personally, i'd rather jump online than have to jump in the car and spend the gas to drive to an Apple store (if I even know where one is).

 

[Rule9]

And I loathe having to come to an on-line forum to have to find answers to simple usability questions.

I will grant the iPhone this much. iMore is practically a ghost town when it comes to troubleshooting compared to any other platform on Mobile Nations so I take that to mean it is relatively free of issues moreso than others. Especially when you have so many iPhone users compared to WP or BB. But having said that, it's to be expected that granting more functions and capabilities is going to naturally create more issues. It's a trade off but I'm good with that.

 

[kingseanrocks]

I agree android isn't quite as stable as ios yet but its defiently come a long way and I think key lime pie will fix the few bugs there are and android will be as stable if not more stable than ios

Sent from my LG-VM670 using Android Central Forums

 

[Rule9]

Based on everything I read, I actually thought I wanted the HTC One. But it's not out for Verizon for a while, and I needed to upgrade last week because my wife's phone was cracked and she wanted to switch to Verizon and get a new iPhone5. If I could somehow bridge the gap between now and when the One is released for Verizon, I would probably do that. More than anything else, I think the 28mm camera in the One is a huge plus over the S4.

So, just to address a couple things:
1) I'm quite familiar with the difference between iOS and Android in terms of openness. I don't think that a closed environment like iOS is bad, necessarily. It can be very helpful to have someone else make your decisions for you. As long as you aren't too demanding, then this works great. My wife loves it because she has NO desire to customize anything. But I see potential and I want to exploit it, so I was drawn away from iOS towards Android. I've just been disappointed that the default implementation seems to poorly done. There's no reason why an Android phone can't ship with many of the features that make iOS great, AND be configurable, AND be completely replaceable. It's great that Android is so open and can be so customized, but that doesn't mean that the default implementation can't also be awesome.

2) Notifications - now with the built-in option enabled to show message previews, along with the NiLS app, I'm seeing notifications on my lock screen, which is great. It's not perfect, but I see that it could be perfect with a few more version tweaks, so I'm okay with it.

3) Facebook - What is up with that? I get a lot of FB notifications, and it continually buzzes for me, even though I disabled that in the app. Apparently it just doesn't care? Very annoying.

4) Size - I knew the phone was big when I bought it, obviously. I put it in my pocket and walked around a bit, and it seemed fine. But sometimes you don't really know what it feels like until you've lived with it for a while. It's still too wide for my taste, since my thumb can't reach across to the other side. I didn't really consider it a phablet, but it almost is for me. If this phone could be a half inch narrower, I would like it much more. But even the HTC One is nearly the same size. I love the iPhone form factor, even though the screen seems tiny. I want somewhere inbetween

5) NFC - This was one thing I wanted to move away from iPhone for, but now I find out that the stickers we've programmed at the office won't even work with the S4! They are incompatible! That's really annoying. Oh well. NFC stays off.

6) TouchWiz - Since I haven't used android before, I don't even know where the line is between Android and TW, so I'm not sure how many of my annoyances are actually with Samsung. From what I hear from others, Samsung takes a good thing and makes it worse with TW. Everyone tells me I need to root, and I suspect that if I stay with this phone I'll be doing that in a few months...

7) Android vs iOS - It's actually good to see so many people recognize the pros and cons of each side, and acknowledge that you don't have to say one is awesome and the other sucks. They clearly each have their own advantages, and it's all about weighing the choices based on your own preferences. In the end, we want something that works for us, and that may not work for everyone else. Thank you for all the thoughtful replies from all sides, it's really helpful to hear thoughts and opinions.

First let me apologize if my last post came off a bit curt, I'm probably just jaded from seeing so many people used to iOS having issues that usually boil down to not having spent enough time acclimatizing themselves to the ins and outs of the new OS so it's made me skeptical of these posts out of habit. For your recent set of concerns,

1. The default implementation can be awesome. The trouble is that with so many variations it means you'll have to spend a lot of time finding that manufacturer who's implementation is what you like. Touchwiz has a bad rap with a lot of people, including those who prefer Samsung, and many will run a 3rd party launcher like Nova to have a UI they prefer.

2. I really can't be on the same page as you with notifications. Yes they're done differently than iOS but IMO the Jellybean notification pane is better and allows more power and options right from within the notifications without having to delve into the app they're from.

3. You won't be the first. We've all had a long love-hate history with the android FB app. A lot of us just won't use it anymore and stick with the mobile browser site. Not much you can do about it, the Zuck has some funny ideas on how to make a FB app for Android unfortunately.

4. not much to say here, you either like the larger screen even though it makes for a larger phone or you don't.

5. I don't use NFC, no comment here

6. See #1. No you're not forced to root. Your issue is with the UI which is more easily resolved playing with launchers. Nova is currently the most favored. Maybe it'll be easier to just show you my very simple and easy to use layout using a launcher, a nice icon set, and one calender/agenda widget:

Very simple and easy to do many things like this using Nova or similar launchers.

 

[justmikey]

Wow this is beautiful! Thanks for sharing this image!! How can I set something like this up? I'm new to Android and just ordered my Nexus 4 yesterday. This is a beautiful, clean and simple layout and if you don't mind I'd love to use it on my new Nexus too.
-I'm coming over from iOS after 5 years and a total Noob but have been following the forums and looking forward to playing around with Nova Launcher.

Thanks!

 

[Rule9]

Wow this is beautiful! Thanks for sharing this image!! How can I set something like this up? I'm new to Android and just ordered my Nexus 4 yesterday. This is a beautiful, clean and simple layout and if you don't mind I'd love to use it on my new Nexus too.
-I'm coming over from iOS after 5 years and a total Noob but have been following the forums and looking forward to playing around with Nova Launcher.

Thanks!

Mine is a very cut down and easier to make version of this. I used less apps than he did (ie. My clock is the stock android one, he uses a 3rd party widget, and I didn't install the swipe apps he uses) You can use it as a guideline to suit your own tastes like I did.

 

[JasW]

I must say, I do miss the lock screen notifications and the screen turning on when I get a notification but for ME Android is slightly better, I have alot of free time to do stuff and messing with phones are MY interests the iPhone is an incredible phone I did and still carry an iPhone 5 and appreciate some small little details in iOS that Android doesn't have.

You (and the OP) really need to try Popup Notifier. It displays above the lock screen and it turns the screen on when you get a notification. Works with everything. That and SwiftKey are the first things I install.

https://forums.androidcentral.com/e....nlucas.popupnotificationslite&token=nBjFvY9h

 

[mattkruse]

You (and the OP) really need to try Popup Notifier.

Have you tried NiLS? Or Executive Assistant+? Both of these apps do the same kind of thing, but each has their own quirks. I'll try Popup Notifier too and see if it works well. I really think the iOS way of doing notifications is great, so I just want something similar. I don't want to constantly be swiping down on the screen to see that my wife just texted me "OK" for example. I could more easily glance down and see that when the screen lights up. Or when I get a FB notification, which I do constantly, all day. I want to make a quick glance and see what it was, not actually interact with my phone.

 

[Averix]

As dumb as this sounds, if you're truly hooked on that stream of notifications, maybe give Facebook Home a try.

 

[bp3dots]

Just my take on your situation. Bear in mind, I've been selling phones a long time and have swtiched/tried other platforms constantly, as well as helped people go from one to the other acreoos various OS'

1. The S4 is just too big. It doesn't fit in my pocket nicely, and it's not comfortable to hold with one hand. It's awkward, and I often feel like I might drop it.

3. Hardware mute. I really miss this on the S4. I like having a hardware toggle switch to mute my phone if it's going off in a meeting or something. I like being able to mute it in my pocket without having to touch the screen at all. IMO, this should be a REQUIRED feature on all phone hardware.

5. App count badges (minor). I loved the little red indicator on each app, telling me how many games I have to play in WWF or how many notifications I have in another app. I miss this easy indicator in Android.

Nothing much to say here. Thee are just personal preferences that you will have to weigh in importance to other benefits. (There may be an app for the count badges though)

2. Notifications suck. I love the way iPhone did it - when I get new text messages, the screen lit up and I could see the message right there. If I received multiple messages, I could see them all. If I got Facebook comments, they were there too. All stacked up and scannable without unlocking or going to different apps. This is VERY important to me, because I receive a lot of updates about a lot of things, and I don't want to constantly fiddle with my phone to see them. I have it on my desk and I want to quickly glance to see what came in, then move on. I've tried a few lock screen notification apps, but none seem to work perfectly.

Different systems do things differently. Notifications are all available without even unlocking the phone, so I'm not sure how much more accessable you need them. One button click and one swipe.

4. Endless tinkering. I've already spent many hours trying apps, reading about Android, messing with widgets, etc. My hope was that I could get it setup exactly how I want, then never have to tinker again, but that doesn't seem like how it will go. I'm still trying to make the user interface something that I think is usable! It just seems so clunky to me, compared to the smooth and efficient interface of the iPhone.

I think it's a reach to spend a week with something and expect to be as comfortable as you were with the system you have run for years. Sure theres a lot to play with, but that comes with versatility. I've spent a ton of time over the years on Android figuring out what I like, and now, when I get a new phone, I can have it setup in around 30-45 minutes and never have to bother it unless I want to.