Switch from iPhone to Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge , should I do it?

[John Tortorici]

Chase, you're right, that was a major issue. I honestly only have one friend that has an android phone. We will have massive group texts going and that one android screws up the entire thread.... I became the second headache. The other issue was Life360.... it is not a replacement for Find Friends on the iPhone. My family and I use that a lot. I thought Life360 would be a good compromise, but it was killing my wife's iPhone battery.

Twodaend - I am also on a lot of google services and have been for a long time. I didn't have to move any of my data to the Samsung, just sign into my accounts. That was kinda nice. It was the rest of the issues I referred to. Plus, the hardware just wasn't that impressive. iPhone is still faster. Camera is minimally better than the iPhone (and I'm color blind so it's really less obvious to me). The fingerprint sensor is SLOW on the S7 and misses a lot. Samsung has a knack for putting useless features on it's phones, like the always on display... sorry, but when I take the time to look at my phone I might as well turn it on.

Honestly, BB called for Apple to make iMessage available to Android. I can now see why they haven't done that. iMessage is by far the most superior texting app, and being that most conversations happen over text then talking, they would be insane to open this to Android.

 

[andrew_ackley]

OK, I am asking this question from the practical side of things, not the "why should I switch" side. I have used both Android and iPhone over the years but I have been pretty well engrained in the Apple ecosystem for a while now. I have an iPhone, Apple Watch (that is still in its return period), Mac computers and several iPads (which I do not want to give up). I almost switch the the S6 last year, then the Note 5, but the S7 really has me sold on making the leap back. My biggest issue is how to integrate all my Apple products with a Samsung phone. I already use Google Photos for backing up my pictures, Google Docs\Sheets and Gmail for email (I was actually a beta tester way back in the day). Here are some of the things I love about keeping everything Apple that I don't want to lose, and if someone that has made the jump can help me navigate how to not lose these features I will be in much better shape to make the switch:

1> iMessages: Is there anything compatible? I love being able to have all my text messages on all my devices at the same time.

2> Family Locator: Being able to see where my family is on a map is really helpful, especially when someone is lost (which happens a lot). Find Friends is a really useful feature for that.

3> Music: does iTunes sync to Android?

4> Pictures: Like I stated, I already use Google Photos for backing up pictures, but how about getting the pictures to my local computer? Is it just like connecting any other camera to import?

5> SVoice vs. Siri: Does Samsung still force you to use that horrible SVoice application? If not, what is the application now and does it compare to Siri?

6> Apple Watch vs S2: I love my Apple Watch. By far I think it's the best looking watch on the market and it's really hard for me to separate from it. The S2 Classic is a good looking watch as well, but is it as good? I don't use a lot of apps on my watch because I don't see the point when my phone is always with me and it's infinitely faster, but notifications, directions, answering a call, setting timers.... all the stuff that are nice to have on your wrist I love having. What is the S2 lacking in comparison?

7> Single location for ALL email: I use the mail app on my iphone and I have access to all my mail accounts. Gmail, Godaddy, iCloud. Last I remember, Samsung had the Gmail app that could only access gmail and then another email app for all the others. This is a major annoyance. Is there a solution to this?

8> Last, and this is a biggie.... Samsung Pay and Google Pay: Do they both work on Samsung phones? I use two banks and one is supported by Google and the other by Samsung. Kind of aggravating, but I can live with it as long as I can use both services.

Anything else that you have found a replacement for, or annoyances because you haven't?

I would say you are too entrenched to switch. It would ruin the experience for you. I have an iPad air and s7 edge and are happy with that. However you can use the stock Gmail app or inbox and use any email you want with it easily. Samsung pay is way better than apple pay bc it doesn't have to be at a special terminal.
If you are stuck on a smart watch you will find some ok options on android but none that work as fluidly or just feel as polished as Apple watch os does in conjunction with an iPhone. I love android but in the tablet and watch arenas they've got some work to do.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[John Tortorici]

I would say you are too entrenched to switch. It would ruin the experience for you. I have an iPad air and s7 edge and are happy with that. However you can use the stock Gmail app or inbox and use any email you want with it easily. Samsung pay is way better than apple pay bc it doesn't have to be at a special terminal.
If you are stuck on a smart watch you will find some ok options on android but none that work as fluidly or just feel as polished as Apple watch os does in conjunction with an iPhone. I love android but in the tablet and watch arenas they've got some work to do.

Posted via the Android Central App

You are right about Samsung Pay, which is one of the things I was excited about, except two of my banks don't support it. Of the three banks I have accounts with, the only one I can add to Samsung Pay was my savings account, and that's kinda useless. Overall I have to say, the only way you can possibly like Android over Apple is if you have never used the Apple ecosystem. I'm not saying this as some sort of "sheep" that people like to put it, but because Apple's technology just doesn't intrude into my life. I own an IT company and this was too much for me to deal with. Google really needs to buckle down on the Android OS.