Android

Customization and the app drawer. Any time I have to use my wife's iphone I can't stand how many folders are all over the place to house the apps. Baffling design. I have a custom launcher which means I also set up gestures to open certain apps. Swipe up for Discord, down for fantasy hockey, two finger counterclockwise turn for Goodreads, two finger down swipe for Roku remote, etc. I also have custom icon packs.

Love the flexibility tbh. If I want to switch manufacturers my OS is the same Also much cheaper + I just love the app selection and the ability to put my own apps on here.

iOS is too restrictive for me and too expensive tbh. The ability to switch default apps is amazing. That said this is just for me tbh

1. Not an iPhone
2. Linux-based
3. Can install apps from external sources.
4. I can customize many aspects
5. I can root it and run more advanced software, customize it further, and debloat/remove unwanted builtin apps (unlocked phones only)

it is more flexible,
more poweruser friendly,
way more open and free,
and most importantly:
iphone is very expensive

I really like this Pixel feature called Overview Selection where in the all switcher you can highlight/copy like any text on the screen, even from images. Also having a type C plug.

FDroid and custom ROMs

FDroid and custom ROMs

Using a custom launcher is still one of Android's best features.

I also love having the app drawer. I keep the ten apps I use most frequently on my home screen. Firefox, Maps, PowerAmp, Phone, Messages, YouTube, Amazon Music, my bank... And everything else lives in the app drawer. I worked hard on getting a good wallpaper. I want to see it. That's what I liked least about my old iPod Touch. Once you have a fair few apps, you can't see the wallpaper anymore. If it's not important enough to go on my home screen, I don't mind grabbing it from my app drawer. Plus, I use Nova + Sesame to search. So just pulling up search and typing the first two letters gets me what I want 99.9% of the time.

I can't find shit on my wife's iPhone. I pull up Spotlight by default. I also do this on her MacBook because at least half the time I'm using it, I'm playing around in Terminal.

I've done Palm Treos and windowsCE phones and, blackberries, I went Motorola Droid when they first came out, try to short stint with an iPhone 4, went back to Android ever since.

What's blocking me from going back to iPhone? Honestly they're hardware is great. Long battery life reasonable charging. It's the setup of the phone itself It's the software. It hasn't changed significantly since iPhone 4.

I want a large clock widget on my front page I want weather for this week at the bottom I want weather for today hour by hour, below that I want five folders, stuff to use while driving, media stuff, chat stuff, camera stuff, productivity stuff. I didn't want to have multiple desktops, swiping off main will bring me to gaming stuff, then drone flying stuff, then audio stuff.

Android software options historically were cheaper and free options were better than the Apple free options I'm not really sure that's the case anymore.

I'd like to have the option for a round watch with a functional physical bezel, that has 24 hours of battery life.

I'd like not to be penalized for using a Windows PC with my phone and my watch. Even a little garbage like you can reset your Apple account on an Apple device right now, but if you will need to reset it from Windows you have to wait 3 days.

It wouldn't keep me from transferring but, I'd miss stuff like Samsung dex.

• Firefox with addons
• NewPipe with SponsorBlock
• USB type C
• Custom ROMs
• APK Sideloading
• USB Debugging for testing my Godot projects directly on the phone
• No apple tax
• Maybe more...

1. The flexibility to easily run things such as Termux (from F-Droid or similar) - who doesn’t love a proper shell complete with the ability to install Python, tmux, sshd, etc right on their phone!
2. Way superior notifications compared to iOS.

• Out of the box notifications is better (ability to customise notification tones per-app and even per-type/channel if the app exposes them) compared to generic notification tones on iOS (unless there’s an in-app setting).
• The notification icons in the status bar. On iOS I either have to look at my notification panel or lock-screen, or permit pop ups (which I hate for privacy reasons when sitting with other people).
• Cool 3rd-party apps such as AODNotify, which bring back notification LED type effects on AMOLED screens (but also, real, bright RGB notification LEDs on Sony phones and older Samsungs)
• Also Always on Display on AMOLED or Motorola’s Moto Display with gestures on IPS phones

3. An actual choice of browsers. Firefox on Android actually IS a different browser to Chrome and the others. On iOS, they’re not much more than UI shells over the top of a shared browser engine.
4. Things like text selection actually work. Every time I try to select or correct a URL in Safari for iOS I feel like throwing the device across the room.

Bad things - stupid bugs. The number of phones I’ve had with issues around notification tones not playing or being cut off (e.g. Moto Z2 Play) or stupid hardware decisions (no physical proximity sensor on Galaxy A51). Also, Bitwarden works way better on iOS - I always seem to have issues with Bitwarden’s integration in GBoard, and needing to use the legacy draw-over approach (but the fact Bitwarden can DO that on Android, is a win). Whereas on iOS, it feels far better integrated into the OS, replacing the standard password manager.

It really is just a coincidence.

I got an Android for my first ever smart phone because the friend who was advising me happened to be an Android user too. If they'd been an Apple user, I probably would have gotten an iPhone that day.

I've stuck with Android since then because it's what I know. I had an iPhone for work for a while and I found it annoying to try to learn all the differences.

Customization is the main draw for Android Phones, particularly Samsung Phones as Samsung is leading the Theme game at least to me. Right now, I'm rocking a Google Pixel, but Google offers decent enough customization options that I don't miss Samsung phones terribly much. The second thing is that I dislike Apple's Walled Garden with passion. I'll recommend their phones to people based on their needs; Personally, I will never own an iOS Device. The lack of customization of icons and the like is a hard pass from me.

I use a custom privacy focused rom, which I cant do on iOS.

Because I can use the real Firefox and not a Webkit imposter. I tried an iPhone for a year but it was too restrictive for me. Having a choice in phone manufacturer helps too. I've had phones from many different companies over the years.

Sideloading. And I refuse to pay Apple's insane prices tbh.

I didn't see anyone mention photos. Maybe an unpopular opinion, but I don't like the processing on iPhone pictures. They all look a bit soft.

They may win in video, I don't care about that enough for it to matter. Android cameras get way better development, partnerships, and processing, IMO.

All my smart phones were Android, but not on purpose: Before buying one, I always entered my size and feature preferences (4G, NFC, water resistant, wireless charging, etc) in multiple sites like https://m.gsmarena.com/search.php3 and the best fits for the best price were always Android phones 🤷

other linux phones are not really viable. I dont like supporting apple and even if I didnt care about that, their iOS is far too restrictive.

also Tachiyomi

For me, it's the ability to customize the software experience to the way I like. I like my experience very close to stock Android with as little bloat as possible so being able to do that through a custom rom or by removing apps through ADB is a big deal for me.

I dislike Apple alot, stupidly Expensive, more than they devices worth, very restrictive on what you can do with them (treat their customers as kids) and their monopoly.

There is also a wide variety of Android phones with different price ranges, and features (like my beloved headphone jacks), wider customisation and a somewhat better repaiability sometimes.

Honestly, they're the only smartphones I've ever used, going all the way back to the MyTouch 3G. Well, my first "smart" phone was a Sidekick that I got in 2009 or so, but I upgraded to Android and the MyTouch 3G when my cousin gave it to me when she got a new phone.

Since then I've had a Galaxy S, Galaxy S5, Note 5, and I've had a Pixel 4a 5G for a couple of years now.

Oddly enough I've been on the fence about going to iPhone for my next phone. I have a lot of time and money tied up in the Play Store, and I know it doesn't just go away when I get a new phone, but I've gotta take some stock before I make a switch. Apple products have become more and more enticing as I get older. I used to have harder feelings about the phone divide, but I honestly haven't cared the past 5 years, a good phone is a good phone.

Because I don't have any other choice :(

• Camera roll folder for images.
• Notification system isn't a teenagers messy room.
• Red button to decline call, not a neantherdal's action to lock the phone...
• File management
• Apps are a lot more capable.
• Full customization to my needs.
• I'm not locked in to using the phone exactly how someone else decided I should.

Tasker mostly. And apps for piracy are more plentiful lol

I use it because I want something that is customizable.

I actually use iOS but I’ve had phones on both sides of the aisle several times in the last 15 years. I work in cybersec and android excels at that kind of thing. Infinitely more power to access systems, use terminal, pull up ip based webpages, and a far more comprehensive app suite to do so. Personally, I’ve just found iOS more stable in my day to day but I have an android tablet for best of both worlds.

iPhones are expensive. I just buy a Xiaomi phone with good components and crap software, unlock the bootloader, install good software (LineageOS). Does everything I need from a phone.