10 Things About Android That iPhone Users Don’t Want To Understand.

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(ThyBlackMan.com) Now, when many iPhone users are riding the iOS 11 wave, Android users have got Oreo to brag about. Beyond the operating system, there are a number of factors that contribute to their dominance in the smartphone industry. Apple’s higher quality standards mean that people trust the company more but in recent years, Google’s Android has convinced consumers to fork over their money because there are many things Android users can do easily but iPhone users simply not wanting to understand. Because of its nature, Android provides a lot more functionality, flexibility, and freedom of choice to the users. If you still don’t believe, here’s a list of 10 things about Android & iPhone users don’t want to understand.

1. Value for money

The cheapest iPhone available today is the iPhone SE and it costs you $349. In terms of features, the mobile phone doesn’t stand anywhere when compared with Android phones available in the $100 to $350 price range. Android phones in this range are available with a better and bigger screen and are equipped with more powerful hardware. Offering better features at a low price obviously makes choosing Android over iOS a value for money deal.

2. A better file system

Android offers plug-n-play storage support. All you need is the right USB drivers on your PC and you can connect your mobile and PC using a USB cable. You can access all the files available on your phone’s internal and external storage on a PC. When on mobile, download a file explorer and dig deeper into the hidden system files as well. But if you are an iPhone user, this is not going to work. It’s not an easy road of course because you have to install and setup iTunes. Even after doing so much, you can only transfer media.

3. Customization

Apple lets you customize your iPhone but not like how Android does. On an Android phone, you can make changes in the way your device looks. UI to icons, skins, fonts, widgets, and so much more, but Apple has locked its UI and forces users to see what the company wants them to see. You can’t get Android-like launchers for your iPhone to change the phone’s UI, but Android offers many launcher apps to help you give your mobile phone the desired look.

4. External storage support

When you buy an iPhone, you have to decide how much storage you will need at the time of purchase, but many Android phones do not put any such restrictions. A large number of Android phones support microSD card so even if you choose a low internal storage device, you can expand its memory with a microSD card. It’s really helpful for people who keep separate memory cards for music, movies, and office data. Unfortunately, Apple doesn’t even give this much freedom to its users.

5. Many login options

Apple offers fingerprint recognition in the iPhone 5S, 6, 6S, 7 and 8 and when the company launched the iPhone X, it removed fingerprint sensor and introduced facial recognition system. The innovation is really good, but it causes inconvenience as the methods to unlock are very less. On the other hand, Android offers many login options including face recognition, fingerprint sensor, an iris scanner, pin, pattern, and password to unlock the devices.

6. True multitasking

Running two apps simultaneously is only possible on iPad, but Apple doesn’t let you do the same on an iPhone. Android phones offer a great multitasking feature and let you read, send emails, browse the internet and chat at the same time. It is true that you can enjoy the split screen feature on a small screen, but on big screen Android phones, it is really appealing.

7. More choices

If you don’t like Samsung then go for LG or HTC or Xiaomi or ZTE or Google or any other Android smartphone maker because many of them release more than 10 smartphones annually. It all depends on your budget and needs, Android phones are available in every price range with the best possible hardware configuration and features. Support for multi-SIM, microSD card, easy connectivity with devices, and many choices are only available in the Android world. You can’t expect this much from Apple.

8. Custom ROMs

If you are an Android user, you can replace the software using a custom ROM. It is more like installing a new operating system on your device. Just like how mods work in video games, you can add modded OS on your Android device. Some users do it for enhanced performance, while many users use custom ROMs for add-on features. On some devices, you can, in fact, install a completely different operating system like Ubuntu.

9. A straightforward assistant

Whether Siri is better than Google Now or not is subjective, though. You can use both the services and compare them to get a clear idea but as long as the user experience is concerned, Google Now is very clean and straightforward. The customization options you get with Google Now are far better than what Siri offers. There are many strong and weak points in both the services and they are still learning, but if you use both of them and compare, you will realize that the Google Now can do exactly what you expect from a virtual assistant.

10. Easy App Discovery

Even when Apple Store is a cash king for mobile app developers, many devs prefer releasing their apps on Android. The complicated and strict policies of Apple turn off many developers. If you are an iPhone user you’re not enjoying the flexibility of app discovery on the Apple Store, here’s how. When you perform a search query on the Google Play Store, the inbuilt search engine searches the entire page dedicated to the application. It means that when you enter a keyword on the Google Play Store, it searches for the keyword not only in the App names but also in the description and other details provided by the developer. As a result, you get the most relevant suggestions quickly.

On the other hand, the Apple Store specifically searches and brings the app suggestions based on that specific keyword. If the developer has entered that particular keyword while deploying their app, the application will appear, else it won’t easily appear and you have to spend more time in performing search queries. For example, your friend suggests you an app but you forget the name, finding the app on Apple Store may turn out to be a headache, but on Google’s Play Store, you can easily find it. After all, Google is the king of search.

Staff Writer; Corey Shaw

Have any Tech Tips? News? Hit up our Tech Guru at; CoreyS@ThyBlackMan.com

Doc says:

March 3, 2018 at 4:02 pm

I will start by stating out front that my entire family is heavily invested in the Apple ecosystem…

This article raises some valid points, but also contains some misconceptions. I will try to address them without sounding like an Apple apologist.

1. Value for money is a personal decision. Certainly, one can get Android phones for less than Apples offerings, however each use case is different. I wouldn’t have time to learn how manage the intricacies of the nine phones that are in use across my extended family has if they were all different versions of the OS, but iOS is similar enough across the various phones that it isn’t as much hassle. This is where I can justify paying extra for the Apple phones. For others, this isn’t a concern. Phones are simply tools, and the best tool for anyone is the one that provides the most functionality at the least cost (time, money, etc).

2. Apples file system has improved (marginally). It still sucks. The only possible saving graces are the sand boxing and iCloud, but that’s definitely not an equalizer.

3. Customization is important for some, and for others, consistency across devices is more important. Many companies don’t allow customization beyond insignificant things, thus rely on iOS over android.

4. External storage is in the form of iCloud, as far as Apple is concerned. This gives my (personal use case) 2TB accessible at any time on iCloud,plus another 2TB on DropBox. On the other hand, it costs me data. The nice thing about online storage in my case is availability across devices with the comfort of knowing that it is not lost if I lose my phone. Again – personal preference.

5. Having multiple login options is fine, but security is the goal. Security is only as good as the weakest login option. All the independent reports online that I have seen suggest that it is marginally easier to defeat the security of Android phones.

6. The human brain can’t multitask. It rapidly task switches. As long as the apps keep up with my task-switching, multitasking is irrelevant, whether on a phone or tablet.

7. & 8. More choices, custom ROMs etc all fall under the same category as customization – important to some, and a downside to others. Security and device management are issues to consider here – some devices can have their OS updated and receive security patches for several years, others for only a couple. Then again, being reliant on a single source for the system software opens up issues like Apple is having now.

9. Siri is awful, however it (supposedly) doesn’t keep personal data nor send it “home”. I’m not convinced that the trade off that Apple made is worthwhile however I generally don’t like the voice assistants anyhow – just adds to the noise pollution.

10. Finding apps on either OS is difficult, but that’s understandable. When there are several million apps to sort through and categorize, things don’t always end up in the right place. And both systems are victims to people “gaming the system” to increase app visibility. I can’t speak to Android apps, but iOS apps are supposed to be vetted to ensure there are no security issues, malware, etc. I have many friends with Android devices who have been hit by various forms of malware, but I have seen this much less frequently with iOS devices, despite them being more common in my workplace and friend circles.

Points that you didn’t address (though perhaps they aren’t important to you):

1. Integration – I can hop from my iOS devices to macOS devices and have the work/document/etc transfer seamlessly.

2. Longevity – I have had no problems running 4 yr old devices from Apple. The Android devices that I have purchased in the past lasted at most 18 months.

3. Resale value – when calculating value, most people forget to account for resale. My sons will regularly flip their phones after a year, with a net cost of no more than about $200 annually for the phone. I would suspect that this is no more costly than similar spec’ed Android phones.

At the end of the day, a phone is a tool, like a vehicle. All new vehicles will get you from point A to B, but each has a different utility and function. It’s no use getting a Ferrari if you need to haul cattle, and it’s no use getting a Prius if you have a family of six. Each persons needs will differ, and thus the relevance of all the points above may be more or less valid.

Underlying it all is the benefitoif having options. If both weren’t strong choices, then consumers would all lose.

Scott Johnson says:

January 15, 2018 at 1:52 pm

Good article. You could add on OTG support for #11