iOS user thinking of switching

[imsikotic]

Greetings all,

This will be my first post in a forum other than an Apple forum! I apologize for what may turn into a text wall but I need some help in my decision making and what better place to turn to than the Internet?
I've been a long time Apple user (more than a decade) and an iPhone user since 2007. My house is running iOS and OSX on every device, my wife and son call me iDaddy and I'm thinking of switching to an HTC One in place of my iPhone 5. I know... the looks of betrayal I get everyday are something to behold. After annoying my Wife and the folks at my local AT&T store and prowling these forums for the last month I'm more than impressed with the HTC One. Build quality and OS seem on par with Apple and in many ways surpass them. It's become clear that the Android platform is where the innovation is happening and Apple has become stagnant. The iPhone is fundamentally unchanged since 2007 as well as iOS. I've played with the developers beta for iOS 7 and it is still essentially the same with some different icons. Nothing revolutionary there and certainly no one is "Thinking Different." With introductions out of the way, on to the questions.
I don't want to ditch my entire ecosystem. I'd like advice on how to integrate an Android device with the rest of my Apple world (apps excluded of course). Obviously there will be differences but what's the most painless way to sync contacts, calendars, music, and podcasts with my prospective new device? How about backing up the device? I'm obviously an iTunes user and it performs well enough on my Mac so I'd like to continue using it for syncing purposes if possible. I'd also like to maintain my playlists as setting those up were a huge pain in the A**! Really, any advice on bringing an Android device into my world would be greatly appreciated. I feel like I'm getting left behind on the innovation front and being a self confessed lover of Tech I need some advice on how to get back in the game!
Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[Mister Android123]

I can't help but I recently switched as well. iPhone 5 user and now a Nexus user. What made you make the jump?

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4

 

[imsikotic]

Well I haven't pulled the trigger yet, I'm still doing a ridiculous amount of reading and researching. I'm mainly bored to tears with iOS. Apple hasn't stepped up in response to the Android platform and is getting left behind. They still make great products, and the iPhone 5 is a great device it's just stale and judging by the iOS 7 betas, changing the system fonts and color palette isn't going to do the trick. It's essentially a multi-page app drawer. What it does it does very well, I just want something more out of the device I carry with me every day? What made you decide to "jump ship"?

 

[Mister Android123]

If you are bored it can't hurt to switch. I feel reenergized by Android. My main reason was the ability to torrent.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4

 

[Mister Android123]

If you are bored it can't hurt to switch. I feel reenergized by Android. My main reason was the ability to torrent.
I love Apple and iOS and think its superior to Android by a decent margin for my needs. But to be able to consume all the media I want choosing a second place team is worth it. Same goes from my carrier. I got 5gb for att and still went over. Now I have tmobile with unlimited data for half price.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4

 

[Mister Android123]

Sorry just got tapatalk still getting used to it

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4

 

[squarekid]

HTC has an iPhone to HTC One migration software. I didn't use it when I made the jump from my iPhone 4 to the One so I can't speak for how well it works, but it's available. I think you'll love the switch because android can do pretty much whatever an iPhone can do and more.

 

[realsuprimo]

Funny enough I.made the switch from iPhone 4 to HTC one X when it was launched a while back.

Sent from my C6603 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Will Rosario]

im also thinking about doing this. i was on iOS then switched my 4S for the galaxy s3 and eventually switched back to iPhone 5 after a couple of months of dealing with lag and other problems. Now i want to go back to android and get the HTC one but at the same time i feel the camera is a downgrade... i havent really tested it i have only heard about it on forums but i take a lot of pictures so i need me a great phone camera.

 

[Grizzly_Atoms]

I had the 3GS, 4, 4S and 5, and I bought the One about a month after it came out for the same reasons you are thinking of switching. There is a learning curve, and you'll miss a few things for sure, but I love my phone. Besides I also have an iPad so I can still use many of my iOS apps whenever I feel like it. The only real drawback for me is the camera which isn't nearly as good as the iPhone's. That may be a total non-issue for many people though.

 

[Carl Kessen Sverdrup]

I did the same thing, and I say go for it. There are so many more options to customise, and the hardware is a lot better. It was a tad annoying not being able to sync with iTunes at first but there are also options, like iTunes syncr. I, however, never used them. The learning curve is nothing to think about if you're a "power user".

 

[coldjeanz]

Funny because I am an Android user that was wanting to switch to iOS because I'm bored of Android, but ultimately I ended up getting the HTC One because I couldn't afford to wait until the 5s came out since my phone was on its lasts legs. But I think when my contract ends next time I'll def be switching

 

[Nicholas Leavitt]

The HTC one camera really isn't that bad unless you are cropping photos. It actually looks better than my iPhone 4s did when the photos aren't zoomed in. The lighting and ois are amazing with the HTC one camera. Ever since I got the htc one ive taken more pics with this phone than any other phone I have had which is a lot.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[Still Mostly Harmless]

I may answer some stuff out of order but here are my thoughts (mind you I am a Mac user and android fanboy, you can live in both worlds):

Music:
First thing you need to do is download the Google Music Manager and start uploading all your music to Google Music. The manager should make this pretty painless because it will ask you if you want to keep sync with iTunes. If you say yes then you can continue to use iTunes as is and anytime you add a song to your library Music Manager will pick up on it and throw it on Google Music. After a while you may find that Google Music itself is all you really need and your dependency on iTunes will eventually fade. Some key advantages to Google Music is that you can access you library from any computer that has an internet connection. Have 4 computers in your house? You can access all your music from any of them. Go to your brothers house across the country? Pull it up on his computer. Also if you have multiple devices such as a phone and a tablet your music will sync across all of them. When you get your next android phone just log into your gmail account and all your music is there.

Contacts and Calendars

All your information should be attached to your gmail account. I believe you can export your contacts on your iphone as a CSV file and import it directly to your gmail contacts. By storing your contacts with gmail they will also sync across devices. So, once again, if you have a phone and tablet your contacts will show up on both and update on both anytime you make a change. All these goes on without doing anything other then ensuring sync is on. Same with your calendar. I use the calendar app on my mac and tie it to my gmail account and it syncs across everything.

The transition will definitely have some growing pains since you are so deeply into the iOS system. It's going to take a while for you to unlearn the iOS ways of doing things and learn the Android way of doing things. In the end it will be worth it, I made the switch a long time ago and never looked back. It's so nice to be researching something on my phone, put it on the charger, pick up my tablet and continue right off where I left off with no issues.

 

[dc9super80]

I personally think most people take this all too seriously. iOS and Android are two very different platforms, each with its own pros and cons. Personally I think the app quality is much better on iOS, I think my device is useless without apps that made mobile computing so popular. I think iOS still has that cake. On the other hand, Android is also nice, and it has most of the good apps. I think iOS works more fluidly, scrolls nicer, and apps just generally behave themselves more. Yes it is more customisable, but I have a Nexus7 and I love stock Android and found no need to change anything. I don?t use widgets, because I think they are generally ugly and look out of place. Love the notification menu though. Love Google Now and Gmail.

At the end of the day, mobile platforms have come so far that your pretty much set on which ever you chose. I don?t know what excitement a platform brings over another, but you must always choose the one that allows you to do what you need to do well. For some that is Android, for others it is iOS. Right now, I chose iOS as my daily driver (phone) and Android as my tablet OS. Why should I stick to only one?

I don?t see why anyone should look at you funny because you decide to buy an Android phone. BTW, HTC One, seriously has my vote as best Android phone on the market right now. Get it and report back, maybe I might follow in your footsteps.

 

[htabbach]

From someone who used Android first and then switched to iOS I urge you not to make the jump! The two or three gimmicks that Android offers are not worth the stability, fluidity and reliability that iOS offers, just my two cents!

 

[Central n ohios best]

From someone who used Android first and then switched to iOS I urge you not to make the jump! The two or three gimmicks that Android offers are not worth the stability, fluidity and reliability that iOS offers, just my two cents!

U can take your two cents back bro. I'll take android over a locked down system like iOS or wp anyday.

Sent from my T-Mobile LG Escape using Tapatalk 2

 

[MFmonster]

U can take your two cents back bro. I'll take android over a locked down system like iOS or wp anyday.

Sent from my T-Mobile LG Escape using Tapatalk 2

People, keep your pennies. To each his own. Android isn't full of gimmicks as HTABBACH claimed. Additionally, having a locked down system is not necessarily a bad thing for many.

imsikotic- What are your needs for a device? That answer is a good starting point to decide on the OS and device that will work for you. Out of the four major OS's they are all good and each one has positives and negatives according to your needs and wants. I can understand getting bored with an OS or device. The nice thing about switching or buying another phone is you still own your old device (unless you sell it) and the applications, games, etc can still be utilized. Trying something new after researching is not a huge risk because there really isn't a "bad" choice and you can always go back if the OS or device just isn't for you. Either way it is fun to be looking and trying new things! ENJOY!

 

[antheauxny]

When I switched to the HTC One back in June (then switched back to the iPhone 5, & now going to the HTC One again), I used iSyncr to transfer my music from iTunes to the HTC One.
As for the calendar and other stuff, I'm not so sure. Maybe HTC Desktop Manager thing will?

You'll enjoy the One tho. Great phone! Only reason I switched back to the iPhone 5 from it was to try out iOS 7 for a few weeks. Love it, but I was more happy & impressed with the One so I'm going back.

 

[paintdrinkingpete]

I've heard good things about iSyncr, though I've never had a reason to use it. Should allow you to sync your music and playlists from iTunes.

In my opinion, you do get the best overall experience on Android by actually using the services Google provides (Gmail, Drive, Hangouts, etc). Contacts and Calendar sync is seamless with your Gmail account. Having said that though, Android does support just about any email service you may need.

Also, before you switch (if you switch), be sure to un-register or whatever it is you have to do with iMessage service to make sure that texts going to to your phone number get delivered to your device. I see a lot of threads started in the forums from new converts to forget to do this, and then can't get text messages from other people with iPhones (because it's getting sent to iMessage instead of SMS). Seems to be easy enough to fix, just that a lot folks don't realize it's something they have to do. Not sure what exactly has to be done, but I'm sure a quick Google search can help you out.