Which is better, Android or iPhone?

[Retro]

Which do you think is better? Please vote in the poll and watch the video to see which is best in the opinion of these two mobile experts. The answer may surprise you.

I like both platforms a lot and am comfortable with either one. However, I switched to the iPhone a while back as it's hands down better for operating system updates, especially when it comes to security patches.

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[Tiffany]

Android I used iPhone for about two years and went back to Android (maybe back in 2015 or so) and haven't even a thought of returning back to an iPhone. I have a Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G. Love the size and overall experience. My favorite feature is the calendar; hands down much prefer it over the iPhone calendar.

 

[Retro]

Well, that's it, mortal enemies now!

Please don't forget to vote for Android, Tiffs.

 

[Tiffany]

Lol...combat zone, me Android, you iPhone

Funny, I know I clicked on Android, guess I zipped in and out too fast. Doing that vote thing now.

 

[Tiffany]

All right, there it is now on the poll. Who's going to break this tie

 

[Retro]

All right, there it is now on the poll. Who's going to break this tie

Well, it's gonna have to be @Arantor with not sure, just to keep us on tenterhooks.

 

[Tiffany]

Waiting.....lol

 

[wolfdeer]

I've only used Android (not in any kind of financial position to blow $1000 dollars on a single phone,) so I can't say one is better than the other.

I personally love the look of the iPhone as opposed to any Android phone. I'm also a fan of the iPhone camera quality. LOL.

 

[Arantor]

Sorry, not been well the last couple of days (and stupid busy with work).

I'm an iDevice guy all the way because I want my phone/tablet to be usable. I want them to just work - especially in, say, an emergency when I need to call. With the iDevices I get the security patches for a decent while without worrying about whether my model will be covered, I can always get a case that will fit, and none of the 'but you can customise an Android' points *ever* mattered to me in the first place.

I should note that I only replace my tablet every 3-4 years, and my phone... I've only had 4 phones since first getting a mobile in 2002, and the longest serving was the 2012-2021 Nokia PureView.

 

[Retro]

Glad you're feeling better Arantor, it wasn't like you to be away for so long and we were wondering what had happened.

Regarding those customisations for the Android or Apple platforms, I actually do like them and would have been interested in them. However, they come with significant downsides, of course since the phone must be rooted for these to work. This means:

• a voided warranty and no customer support at all on either platform, especially Apple
• no software updates without a cracked version coming out first. How can you trust the people doing the cracking not to add malware? You can't
• you can't trust the app authors either
• what happens when an app author no longer supports the product?
• general stability of the phone could be compromised
• security holes introduced into the OS either intentionally or unintentionally
• security updates for the OS always either delayed or defeated entirely

I'm sure there's more, but with a list of issues and risks like that, I can't see why anyone would root their phone, especially a new one that's meant to be their daily driver.

So, you've only had an iPhone since last year, is that right? I've had one since 2019 and it's still my first one.

 

[Arantor]

See, that's the thing... the app ecosystem on either is large enough that I don't really see a burning need to sideload, and I certainly don't feel a need to let apps with minimal vetting get onto the device - I see enough drama with Windows for that, thanks.

I'm certain many (most?) people who root their device don't really understand what they're letting themselves in for unless they're doing something like flashing it with Cyanogenmod or Lineage or some other replacement operating system, but at the same time they must understand the caveats to that - or treat it as an expensive toy that if they break they can replace.

As for me having an iPhone, this only came about last year because I was moving jobs, recruiters wanted to call and I lived in an old Victorian property with thick walls that made phone reception utterly unworkable otherwise - so I needed a device that could do wifi-assist calling, which my old Nokia didn't. If it did, I wouldn't have upgraded. I basically only use my iPhone as a place to make calls and receive texts, but because I've gone through the job change process a couple of times in 2021, I discovered that employers are now using apps to do employee vetting, as well as mortgage companies using it to accept documents for proof of identity for mortgage applications, so I have a recent mobile.

I don't expect to replace it until after it stops getting updates from Apple, to be honest.

 

[Retro]

That seems a very sensible use of your iPhone there. That Wi-Fi calling feature is handy for sure.

Regarding that app ecosystem, that's the thing. Apple keeps an iron grip on what's allowed and not allowed on their platform, so if they pull an app that I was using, or don't allow a certain type of app, then I'm out of luck and I really don't like that. On the plus side though, an iPhone app is very unlikely to contain any sort of malware in it and if it data mines you it will more likely be disclosed in the product description, which leads to peace of mind which is equally important. Hence, I reluctantly accept Apple's control over the apps.

Those people who root their phones tend to be the younger generation I believe, who are more likely to take risks in life and perhaps a good dose of ignorance helps, too.

I actually wanted to upgrade to an iPhone 13* of some description, but there wasn't one that met my requirements: a perfect, rectangular screen that doesn't have a maddening notch in it. They sort of do have one, effectively an upgraded iPhone 8, but it's not the Plus size that I want, so I couldn't go for it, unfortunately. Of course, I'll be forced to upgrade when the OS updates stop coming, but that should hopefully be ok for a while yet, although my model is now 5 years old, so coming near to the end, unfortunately.

*For the most nerdy of reasons: 13 is a prime number, it's considered to be a "lucky" number in maths circles and it freaks out the superstitious. This last especially, lol.

 

[Arantor]

so if they pull an app that I was using

The question, then: how often has this happened?

I've been in the Apple ecosystem since 2011, it's happened to me a few times. Almost all of those times were cases where Apple was moving forward and the developer wasn't, e.g. the app wouldn't work on newer iOS versions and no new version from the developer.

Most importantly, though, on those occasions I was able to get my data out of the app *before* it was pulled because it was communicated ahead of time.

who are more likely to take risks in life

I don't think I'm out of line suggesting that part of the reason they're more likely to take risks is because they haven't yet had the opportunity to learn from experience what happens when it inevitably goes wrong.

 

[Tiffany]

Hope you are feeling better @Arantor

I can't say much about the nuts and bolts of my Android except that I like the display, the OS, navigation, must have the Android calendar, and I do prefer a company that stays out of politics or at least minimal.