iOS user thinking of switching

[chukka63]

I had an iphone for 10 months.I soon tired of being dictated to by crapple.I much prefer android even though its my first android phone.I love it.

 

[imsikotic]

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".

Nice, I've heard of Double Twist but I havent run across iSyncr. I'll check that one out too. Does anyone happen to have any experience with both?

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

Camera really isnt a selling point for me, I'm not a huge picture taker. As long as the pictures are clear and help me remember times in my life that I've enjoyed than it's doing it's job!

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.

Another excllent option! I'm not a huge cloud user as it is. I find the data connection where I'm located to be a bit spotty most of the time. Is there a way to be able to use the google music manager to download content to the device and store it locally?

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!

And here lies the million dollar question. Honestly, most smart phones accomplish the same things, and are at their core, the same thing. The difference lies in how they accomplish those things. Any smartphone user can grab any handset and find that it meets their most basic needs. The real question is will the user enjoy using it? For a device that many of us spend an awful amount of time with the enjoyment factor shouldn't be overlooked IMHO. That's really why I want to incorporate Android into my Apple world if that makes sense. I'm not leaving the ecosystem entirely but I really like the idea of a brave new world where innovation still happens and boundries are still pushed. I've never been one to bash an operating system. That's a pointless exercise. So for those of you that have used multiple ecosystems how has it worked out for you?

 

[David_LFC]

I swapped two months ago

Love

Screen and size since 99% my use is web
Widgets - have 8 home screens via nova all with widgets. - think I'm obsessed
Being different
Speakers and sound

Hate / miss
*Bitesms (android has chip from the same developers) but not as slick and quick compose
*Lock info / notification centre.
Facebook app - just slow and jerky on android
Twitter clients. (Best replacement has been falcon pro) - also use plume
Safari browser - stick and chrome rubbish tried about 10 and finally stuck with boat browser
Podcasts - used downcast and this synced with ipad. _ now using pocket addict does the job
iMessage & free mms. - yes know viber what app can do. But try explaining that to the wife. Added about ?5 ($7 odd) to our monthly bills

* jail broken features.

The one thing to consider just had a problem with charging so had to return to service centre and have been told could take 5 working days to return (may be longer if parts required). After t years if apple this could turn out to be a deal breaker for future purchased as is the ability to go instore and get an instant repair / swap. Driving me crazy waiting and bugging htc daily on live chat for an update and complainingabout the process. I'm in England So unsure of the process in other countries.

P to my charging issue I was living the phone and was considering the max as my next phone once specs etc released. If ou can w]live with the after care is applicable I Would recommend it !!

 

[LegalAmerican]

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!

These are the comments that perfectly illustrate what others have said regarding taking things too seriously.

If someone is trying to keep you on one platform or telling you to switch, you have to look at their motives. Have they had one bad experience with a cheap Android device because THEY didn't do their research? Did they think iOS was boring because they didn't accept it was different than Android? Usually when someone makes nonsense comments like Android only consists of 3 gimmicks, you can very quickly disregard their advice. And it often isn't worth the 2 cents to begin with.

The biggest issue you'll have to deal with is the ecosystem change as you mentioned. And I am very certain that will be painful. So make sure it's worth it to you before you jump in or you will then think Android sucks just because you couldn't sync it as seamlessly as your iPhone to other Apple accessories. In reality, that doesn't mean Android sucks it just means Apple doesn't want to help you have a positive Android experience. They know what they're doing.

 

[imsikotic]

So here's what I'm thinking so far. Migrate contacts and calendars to Google. That takes care of that. Use something along the lines of double twist or iSyncr to allow me to still use itunes to organize my music. As much of a beating as iTunes takes it performs exceptionally on my laptop and my library is flawless and free of missing artwork or lost or duplicate files. I like to tinker. Yet another benefit of Android. Google Play, if I'm not mistaken, will take care of any app history in the event I have to redownload something. As it stands now my laptop is the center of my digital world and there are indeed ways to keep it that way even introducing an Android handset. The vast majority of apps I use daily are actualy free and available on the Google Play store. I wrote them all down and went looking for them to make sure I wasn't about to dig a very deep hole!
I know this seems like a ridiculous amount of effort and research just to try a new phone but the way I figure it, If I put forth the effort to answer my questions now, I'll have a much better time giving a new operating and ecosystem an honest try rather than feeling frustrated!

 

[paintdrinkingpete]

Nice, I've heard of Double Twist but I havent run across iSyncr. I'll check that one out too. Does anyone happen to have any experience with both?


Camera really isnt a selling point for me, I'm not a huge picture taker. As long as the pictures are clear and help me remember times in my life that I've enjoyed than it's doing it's job!




Another excllent option! I'm not a huge cloud user as it is. I find the data connection where I'm located to be a bit spotty most of the time. Is there a way to be able to use the google music manager to download content to the device and store it locally?



And here lies the million dollar question. Honestly, most smart phones accomplish the same things, and are at their core, the same thing. The difference lies in how they accomplish those things. Any smartphone user can grab any handset and find that it meets their most basic needs. The real question is will the user enjoy using it? For a device that many of us spend an awful amount of time with the enjoyment factor shouldn't be overlooked IMHO. That's really why I want to incorporate Android into my Apple world if that makes sense. I'm not leaving the ecosystem entirely but I really like the idea of a brave new world where innovation still happens and boundries are still pushed. I've never been one to bash an operating system. That's a pointless exercise. So for those of you that have used multiple ecosystems how has it worked out for you?

Yes, you can "pin" songs for offline use. Keep in mind as well that Google Music (on your phone) will recognize any music/playlists you've saved to the device, so you can use it to listen to songs you've downloaded to your phone (perhaps from syncing with iTunes) or listen to the music you've stored on the cloud.

 

[HalizDad]

It all comes down to what you want... If you listen to others to form an opinion, iOS is probably your best bet. Sorry, I'm not trying to be rude, but your credibility comes in to doubt with the title...

There is nothing an iPhone can do, that an Android can't do with the right app, but the reverse can't be said.

Sent from my HTCONE using AC Forums mobile app

 

[badbrad17]

I have 2 iPhone 5's a HTC ONe and Nexus 4 in my home (along with some older Android and Blackberry phones) Here's my advice.

Getting everything into Google
I agree with "Still Mostly Harmless". Use Google Play Music to get all your music on the cloud. You can still put some of you current favorites directly onto your phone if you are out of connection range. Android is far superior in how it allows you to copy any file you like to your phone. Just plug it in via usb and copy your music or other files to the phone and they will instantly show up in your corresponding app. You can also alternatly use the app called Air Droid to copy anything wirelessly between your phone and desktop. I have my music syncing from iTunes to Google music. You can either sync everything or designate a folder in iTunes that you want to sync to Google Music. One very overlooked feature on Google Music is the new Instant Playlist feature. You can pick any song in your library and choose "make instant playlist". Google then looks at your library and makes a unique playlist based on your song. It is so incredibly handy, especially if you have a large library of songs.

Calendars
Calendars can be managed in a number of ways. If you are looking to sync your phone with your desktop then my suggestion would be to get the Sync calendar, contacts, tasks and notes to Android, iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry - CompanionLink software. It was the only program that allowed me to sync my calendar, contacts and tasks wirelessly instantly. If I add a calendar event or contact to my phone it shows up on my desktop and vice versa. So simple and smooth. Plus as also mentioned it will automatically show up on any shared android device.

Contacts
For contacts. There are a number of options. The most important is to get everything syncing to your main Google/Gmail account associated with your device. I bought the HTC One for my wife and was able to transfer all of her contacts and calendar items from her Blackberry to her HTC One wirelessly using the import feature. It worked excellent. But you can also do as others have suggested and export your contacts them import them into your Google account.

The HTC One
As for your choice of the HTC One... although I think it is an excellent phone I really don't think it is the best choice for you. I have used it extensively and really do think it is an incredible device, but I also have a Nexus 4 which I think is superior as a complete experience. There may be some things that are debatable as far as features but you sound like a techie person so getting the latest updates and being able to get a a pure version of Android is critical in my opinion. My wife's HTC One is still on ver. 4.1.2. while my Nexus is now 2 updates past that. You are used to getting the latest version of iOS right away and you can only do this if you get a Nexus device or are willing the buy the Google version of the HTC One. If this is the case then go for the HTC One. But for the cost difference I really don't think paying double the price is worth it. The other option is to wait just a little bit longer to see what the Nexus 5 will bring. But even if you do decide to get the HTC One off the shelf you will like it a lot.

Good luck.

 

[HalizDad]

And for music from iTunes to android, drag and drop... Easy, fast.

Sent from my HTCONE using AC Forums mobile app

 

[HalizDad]

I have 2 iPhone 5's a HTC ONe and Nexus 4 in my home (along with some older Android and Blackberry phones) Here's my advice.

Getting everything into Google
I agree with "Still Mostly Harmless". Use Google Play Music to get all your music on the cloud. You can still put some of you current favorites directly onto your phone if you are out of connection range. Android is far superior in how it allows you to copy any file you like to your phone. Just plug it in via usb and copy your music or other files to the phone and they will instantly show up in your corresponding app. You can also alternatly use the app called Air Droid to copy anything wirelessly between your phone and desktop. I have my music syncing from iTunes to Google music. You can either sync everything or designate a folder in iTunes that you want to sync to Google Music. One very overlooked feature on Google Music is the new Instant Playlist feature. You can pick any song in your library and choose "make instant playlist". Google then looks at your library and makes a unique playlist based on your song. It is so incredibly handy, especially if you have a large library of songs.

Calendars
Calendars can be managed in a number of ways. If you are looking to sync your phone with your desktop then my suggestion would be to get the Sync calendar, contacts, tasks and notes to Android, iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry - CompanionLink software. It was the only program that allowed me to sync my calendar, contacts and tasks wirelessly instantly. If I add a calendar event or contact to my phone it shows up on my desktop and vice versa. So simple and smooth. Plus as also mentioned it will automatically show up on any shared android device.

Contacts
For contacts. There are a number of options. The most important is to get everything syncing to your main Google/Gmail account associated with your device. I bought the HTC One for my wife and was able to transfer all of her contacts and calendar items from her Blackberry to her HTC One wirelessly using the import feature. It worked excellent. But you can also do as others have suggested and export your contacts them import them into your Google account.

The HTC One
As for your choice of the HTC One... although I think it is an excellent phone I really don't think it is the best choice for you. I have used it extensively and really do think it is an incredible device, but I also have a Nexus 4 which I think is superior as a complete experience. There may be some things that are debatable as far as features but you sound like a techie person so getting the latest updates and being able to get a a pure version of Android is critical in my opinion. My wife's HTC One is still on ver. 4.1.2. while my Nexus is now 2 updates past that. You are used to getting the latest version of iOS right away and you can only do this if you get a Nexus device or are willing the buy the Google version of the HTC One. If this is the case then go for the HTC One. But for the cost difference I really don't think paying double the price is worth it. The other option is to wait just a little bit longer to see what the Nexus 5 will bring. But even if you do decide to get the HTC One off the shelf you will like it a lot.

Good luck.

There are no huge differences between 4.1.2 and 4.3 that a user will notice... My N7 has 4.3....I do know what I'm talking about



Sent from my HTCONE using AC Forums mobile app

 

[blackhawksfan75]

I made the jump from a Z10 to the HTC One, and I love this device. Almost everything about is awesome. I don't have any complaints about the 4 Ultrapixel camera other than a couple of pictures I took of some zebras at a zoo created a purple hue. Battery life is pretty solid, as I am not a heavy cell phone user by any stretch of the imagination so I get a good 24 hours and then some out of the device. The sound quality is great although I wish there was just one more notch on the lower end of the slider bar. One of the few devices that actually have a decent set of headphones packaged in. Also I was able to set up all my emails (including work) without problems.

For syncing music, pictures, and etc; I use the HTC Sync Manager. So far I haven't had any issues with it. The pictures automatically get saved to iPhoto on my MBP and music is pretty simple to sync to the phone. I don't usually bother sync contacts or calender events as I find this is a good starting point to get familiar with a new device.

If you do make the switch to the HTC One I highly recommend getting a case. Having the aluminum back makes for a very slippery device.

 

[Gator352]

There are no huge differences between 4.1.2 and 4.3 that a user will notice... My N7 has 4.3....I do know what I'm talking about



Sent from my HTCONE using AC Forums mobile app

Maybe not user noticable but there is ONE HUGE difference....."Trim support". It works the same as the "trim" support on windows 7/8 for SSD's as the internals of all smartphones use the same technology. This will effectively keep your smartphone from slowing down over time. And no, wiping or erasing and starting from scratch does nothing as the garbage is still there...just overwritten. For it to effectively work as intended, the OS has to support it.....and 4.3 does....4.1.2 and 4.2.2 do not.

 

[badbrad17]

There are no huge differences between 4.1.2 and 4.3 that a user will notice... My N7 has 4.3....I do know what I'm talking about
Sent from my HTCONE using AC Forums mobile app

This may be true for some people, but for me the difference of 4.1.2 and 4.3 is pretty significant. The camera features are very cool and the system runs way better now on 4.3 than it did originally.

But that isn't necessarily the point. Some people who are more technical (which is sounds like he is) want the latest and greatest regardless. HTC has proven to be very slow at doing updates, so once the Nexus 5 comes out and releases Android ver 5 the HTC will then be left in the dust or people will be waiting for months for it to get up to speed. Meanwhile my Nexus 4 will get it right away and I can experience all the newest things available.

 

[Gator352]

This may be true for some people, but for me the difference of 4.1.2 and 4.3 is pretty significant. The camera features are very cool and the system runs way better now on 4.3 than it did originally.

But that isn't necessarily the point. Some people who are more technical (which is sounds like he is) want the latest and greatest regardless. HTC has proven to be very slow at doing updates, so once the Nexus 5 comes out and releases Android ver 5 the HTC will then be left in the dust or people will be waiting for months for it to get up to speed. Meanwhile my Nexus 4 will get it right away and I can experience all the newest things available.

I think the ONE will get KLP. Maybe not till February 2015 though....

 

[imsikotic]

It all comes down to what you want... If you listen to others to form an opinion, iOS is probably your best bet. Sorry, I'm not trying to be rude, but your credibility comes in to doubt with the title...

There is nothing an iPhone can do, that an Android can't do with the right app, but the reverse can't be said.

Sent from my HTCONE using AC Forums mobile app

No worries, not taken as rudeness. And any decision is absolutely mine and mine alone. I've already decided to try Android and I have absolutely no problem tapping into other users knowledge in an area where my knowledge is lacking in order to make my decision an informed one. As for judging my credibility based on the title of a thread forum... Well it is the Internet after all.

 

[imsikotic]

I have 2 iPhone 5's a HTC ONe and Nexus 4 in my home (along with some older Android and Blackberry phones) Here's my advice.

Getting everything into Google
I agree with "Still Mostly Harmless". Use Google Play Music to get all your music on the cloud. You can still put some of you current favorites directly onto your phone if you are out of connection range. Android is far superior in how it allows you to copy any file you like to your phone. Just plug it in via usb and copy your music or other files to the phone and they will instantly show up in your corresponding app. You can also alternatly use the app called Air Droid to copy anything wirelessly between your phone and desktop. I have my music syncing from iTunes to Google music. You can either sync everything or designate a folder in iTunes that you want to sync to Google Music. One very overlooked feature on Google Music is the new Instant Playlist feature. You can pick any song in your library and choose "make instant playlist". Google then looks at your library and makes a unique playlist based on your song. It is so incredibly handy, especially if you have a large library of songs.

Calendars
Calendars can be managed in a number of ways. If you are looking to sync your phone with your desktop then my suggestion would be to get the Sync calendar, contacts, tasks and notes to Android, iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry - CompanionLink software. It was the only program that allowed me to sync my calendar, contacts and tasks wirelessly instantly. If I add a calendar event or contact to my phone it shows up on my desktop and vice versa. So simple and smooth. Plus as also mentioned it will automatically show up on any shared android device.

Contacts
For contacts. There are a number of options. The most important is to get everything syncing to your main Google/Gmail account associated with your device. I bought the HTC One for my wife and was able to transfer all of her contacts and calendar items from her Blackberry to her HTC One wirelessly using the import feature. It worked excellent. But you can also do as others have suggested and export your contacts them import them into your Google account.

The HTC One
As for your choice of the HTC One... although I think it is an excellent phone I really don't think it is the best choice for you. I have used it extensively and really do think it is an incredible device, but I also have a Nexus 4 which I think is superior as a complete experience. There may be some things that are debatable as far as features but you sound like a techie person so getting the latest updates and being able to get a a pure version of Android is critical in my opinion. My wife's HTC One is still on ver. 4.1.2. while my Nexus is now 2 updates past that. You are used to getting the latest version of iOS right away and you can only do this if you get a Nexus device or are willing the buy the Google version of the HTC One. If this is the case then go for the HTC One. But for the cost difference I really don't think paying double the price is worth it. The other option is to wait just a little bit longer to see what the Nexus 5 will bring. But even if you do decide to get the HTC One off the shelf you will like it a lot.

Good luck.

Awesome post chocked full of info, thank you! I'm an absolute tinkerer of things. I tend to get fidgety after a while and I'll most likely stick with HTC's sense that comes on the device until I've gained some experience and some solid knowledge of the platform. Then the tinkering begins. With all the different ROMs out there there's really no,reason to not find one you're perfectly content with... At least until its time to start playing again.

 

[Gator352]

No worries, not taken as rudeness. And any decision is absolutely mine and mine alone. I've already decided to try Android and I have absolutely no problem tapping into other users knowledge in an area where my knowledge is lacking in order to make my decision an informed one. As for judging my credibility based on the title of a thread forum... Well it is the Internet after all.

This is not just the internet....it's real life!!!

The Internet is 'real life'

I'm going to bash my head against a wall now. I Googled "is the internet real life?" and that popped up......

 

[GadgetGator]

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!

I don't know why people continue to say things like this. If you choose the right device, like the HTC One being considered, the OS is just as fluid as anything Apple does. Stability is a strange point to me too. I rarely have Android app crashes. But on iOS I have a boatload. And I am not alone. One read through the app store reviews will reveal all sorts of crash issues people have. True a lot of that can be the developer's doing, but Apple does approve apps before release, so this shouldn't be happening at all.

I think Apple does some things better, like easy exchange at their stores, better easier backup options, the FaceTime standard, etc. but that is offset by all the things Android does better and the larger phone screens that thus far Apple has been unwilling to make.

 

[Gator352]

I don't know why people continue to say things like this. If you choose the right device, like the HTC One being considered, the OS is just as fluid as anything Apple does. Stability is a strange point to me too. I rarely have Android app crashes. But on iOS I have a boatload. And I am not alone. One read through the app store reviews will reveal all sorts of crash issues people have. True a lot of that can be the developer's doing, but Apple does approve apps before release, so this shouldn't be happening at all.

I think Apple does some things better, like easy exchange at their stores, better easier backup options, the FaceTime standard, etc. but that is offset by all the things Android does better and the larger phone screens that thus far Apple has been unwilling to make.

The only thing apple..er... iPhone does better is...um...I'll get back to you on this

 

[Bobbman]

It all comes down to what you want... If you listen to others to form an opinion, iOS is probably your best bet. Sorry, I'm not trying to be rude, but your credibility comes in to doubt with the title...

There is nothing an iPhone can do, that an Android can't do with the right app, but the reverse can't be said.

Sent from my HTCONE using AC Forums mobile app

How about play digital audio through the same charging cable? Have built in imessage seamless with messaging app? Never even see a hint of a stutter? Better quality apps? I like both platforms. Each has its plusses and minuses. You have to decide what is best for you.