Here is my own personal list and comments about how I've felt using an iPhone after years of being dedicated to Android.
Note: this has nothing to do with Korea.
I got hold of a used iPhone 7 recently and have been playing around with it after years of not touching a single Apple product. I expected a fussy device that overall would hinder me and the freedom I'm used to in using Android. But after a couple months with this thing, I've become happily surprised. I actually really like it. Why have I ended up liking it so much? I figured I'd write down a few reasons.
I was immediately impressed with how well Siri works. Finally, I feel like I have a phone AI assistant that is actually useful. I love that I can activate it from the lock screen. I felt pissed because Google used to let me do this on my Android hardware back when it was just the "OK Google" functionality, but ever since they went all-in on the Google Assistant, that ability was removed from two (2!) of my Android devices. I know lock-screen awake is available on newer Android models (mine are a couple years old now), but the bottom line is that it didn't work for me, and Siri does, despite 1 of the Androids being newer than the iPhone.
Another thing I like is that Siri is so well integrated with the iPhone apps. It's so nice to dictate a message to my brother or mother back home, for example, and have Siri send it via iMessage, no sweat. This kind of seemingly simple thing always was a drag on Android for a couple reasons. First, it would always confuse the method of sending a message: the stock Messaging app from the manufacturer or the Google's own (Android) Messages app. The damn thing never remembered my preferred choice and even then, with RCS not active yet, could only text local (Korean) numbers. I could sometimes get it to send Hangouts messages but that was really a game of chance.
On top of that, I'm constantly impressed with little things Siri can do that Google Assistant can't. The other day my iPhone was over charging on the desk, and I was on the bed too lazy to get up. Out of curiosity, I shouted "Hey Siri, what's my battery level?" and she woke up and responded "Your batter is at 88%". Amazing. I asked the Google Assistant the same thing and it responded "Hmm I'm afraid I can't do that yet." Worthless.
The bottom line here was that Siri just worked. No having to clear out cache (like I had to do a million times on Android, almost every time the Google app updated), no having to fiddle with getting Assistant to interoperate with my apps, not have to wait for Google to issue a fix so often it feels like I'm a beta tester rather than a consumer end user. Siri just works, and anyway she can add events to my Google calendar and send email via my G-mail anyway, so in my book she can do Google's own tasks better than Google. I know technically the Google Assistant can do more with its integrations with other third party services, but most of what it does I have no interest in doing anyway. Siri does what I need, and I've found myself preferring it for that reason.
Another worthwhile thing to consider is that Siri basically works without requiring me to give up my privacy. At some point Google decided that any kind of Assistant use whatsoever, even simple crap like checking the weather, meant that "Turning on web/app data" was mandatory. No thanks. Why does Google need to track every single click/tap/swipe just to offer me a "more personalized" experience? I don't want a personalized experience. I want you to read me the message that just came in, period. Siri can do that. She'll dictate to me the iMessage I just received if I ask her to. Google can't unless I grant it access to my life. This is where the whole "if you're not paying for it, you're the product" thing comes in because I'd gladly pay for for an Apple device that isn't tracking my every move just to pimp me out to advertisers. If Siri works just as well and doesn't require so much intrusive tracking, why not? Another point for Siri.
Overall, I love Siri in a way I've always hated the Google Assistant. Even the default sassy voice of Google Assistant is annoying. My Siri is now speaking to me in a sexy British female accent. Or if I feel wild and want to imagine Thor is talking, I make it a male Australian. Either way, it's fun and works. Yes, a lot of that is just the hardware issues (for example, Assistant can turn on the flash light on one, but not the other, of my Androids. Siri can do that on any iPhone of course). But if iPhone works without me having to hassle with it, it wins.
Bottom line, Siri works without me having to "set it up" and without giving up my privacy.
Oh man, here's a simple one that drove me crazy. One of my damn Android phones would get stuck in rotation lock constantly, so that it couldn't be rotated until reboot. I had to install a special manual override app from Google Play just to deal with those annoying times. This has never happened on the iPhone. It sounds like a stupid issue, and probably just some hardware issue with my older Android phone, but I don't care. When I'm in bed trying to relax with some YouTube, and I turn it landscape, you better damn well rotate to landscape mode or I am going to throw you across the room.
I was surprised at how much I came to love this feature. Yes, you can hack your Android to allow the "swipe back" gesture, and some custom ROMs include support for this (not to mention specific apps), and I've heard it's coming in Android Pie. But who cares? It just works plain and simple on iOS. I really, really preferred the Android dedicated back button at first (especially hardware but my other Android is the software bar type and that's OK as long as it doesn't slide out of view for full screen apps, looking at you Google Photos), but being able to swipe back in any app, any situation, is really convenient and feels very natural now. I often start automatically swiping back on the Android tablet and just die a little inside when I realize what I'm doing. New opinion: back buttons are for chumps. Swipe back is silky and smooth.
Google is a mess. First, triggered "notes to self" were emailed to yourself (around the Android Froyo days if I remember right), then Google Keep came out which I used extensively, then now we've got Google Assistant's "Reminders" (without an app of their own, appearing in Calendar/Keep/both/none) and meanwhile other Reminder-like items like the "shopping list" is totally separate and on Android I only see it in my Google Home app. What a mess. Apple? Boom, it's all there. No trouble adding items to pre-established lists via Siri voice command, either. "Siri, add potatoes to my Home Plus shopping list" works every time. Google always screwed that up adding items to Keep lists even though it's supposed to work well, usually just adding each item to its own brand new list. And of course "Shopping list" is a single thing... why? I go to multiple stores. Overall, I simply love the integration of Siri with the Reminders and Notes app on iOS. I kind of wish they were combined into one app like Google Keep, but overall I'm getting used now to keeping notes in Notes and only list-type content in Reminders, even though Notes takes lists too (oops). Realizing I could access my iOS Notes and Reminders in a web browser is great too (I don't have a Mac laptop) makes it nice too and in my book on par or superior to Google.
Thought I'd hate this, but love it. It's very convenient to go to Settings and find the app you want to fiddle with than to go to the app itself and waste half a second looking for its settings. And of course there's the app's own settings, then there's the system-wide stuff like permissions. Those are two separate things on Android (only system wide permissions are handled by Android; apps do whatever they want with settings). I like Apple's organization of this, especially for checking privacy related issues. I know some apps will have their own separate in-app settings still (I'm looking at you, Google) but at least for the standard apps, it's all kept right there.
Way better than clunky Google Cloud Print for me. Cloud Print worked automatically on one Android device for me, but another needed me to download the Samsung Print app to access the same printer. Plus Cloud Print wanted me to set up the printer first via desktop Chrome for some resaon (that was awhile ago though, so maybe that's updated now) while AirPrint let me start printing immediately, no intermediary steps. Brand new iPhone, first time on the Wi-Fi, boom, found the printer and let me print, no drivers, no hassle. Not a huge issue but nice that "it just worked" because again, I hate having to fiddle with it, especially when there's an issue and I need the damn document just plain printed now.
I admit, I love it. A unified messenger for SMS and web-messages is great, and integrates better than Google's attempt at this in their short-lived Hangouts-SMS combo. With zero extra software I can text family back home with iPhones, no issues. Super convenient. It'd be like if Google Assistant could send and read Kakao Messages. Yes, Google will introduce RCS messaging to make the comparative advantage of iMessage obsolete, and yes, Kakao Home can read and send Kakao Messages by voice, but the convenience of having iMessage so deeply integrated is great. It just works, even for old people who don't have a clue what's different between an SMS, iMessage, ABC, DEF. I bet if I had a Mac laptop I'd be using this all the time. We'll see if Google can really negate its advantage with RCS but anyway iMessage will still have the end-to-end encryption advantage. I can see why people don't bother to leave the Apple ecosystem even just for this one killer app even when there are other similar apps out there. The convenience factor makes it worth it.
Works better than Duo, and way better than Hangouts. Enough said. I can't give it full props because, not having a Mac laptop, I can't use it in a more comfortable office-type setting but for quick, casual calls, it actually does make video calls seem natural in a way they never seemed on Hangouts or Duo. Through I really like the Duo "leave a video message feature" that I don't think FaceTime has.
Oh man. Is there really any similar tool on Android? Bluetooth sucks and is way too slow. Android Beam was a pain in the ass to set up and send a file. I even tried Google's Files Go app but never got the transfer working. AirDrop? Holy shit, it just plain works. It even, no joke, noticed automatically that I was in the Wi-Fi settings looking for the password that my buddy (on an iPhone) needed, and the damn thing popped up with "are you trying to share the Wi-Fi password with Kim? Tap here" and it just filled it in on his device. AMAZING. If I had AirDrop on my PC, life would be a breeze. The only reliable file sharing I've seen on Android is clunky 3rd party apps, or (what I usually did) upload something to Google Drive in my phone then fetch it on the computer or vice versa. What a hassle. Google has promised something as smooth as AirDrop for Android for years, but in my case I've never seen it delivered. Even each manufacture (LG, Samsung) have their own "beam" tool but they're such a pain in the ass and finicky as hell. I just can't help but love AirDrop.
Rooting for ad block on Android is a joke. And I should know; I've rooted and/or custom ROMed at least five of my own Android phones and a few for friends. It's a pain in the ass. Even though the process should be simple, there's always some minor issue I have to troubleshoot, usually getting ADB working right to ensure a stable connection. It ends up taking me sometimes 2 or 3 days of tinkering at night. Meanwhile I had no clue Safari could block ads with Content Blockers. Sure, you can use another browser on Android (I was using Brave) but still. Plus, Brave didn't let me set custom filters. I can add my own filters if need be for Safari (via a third-party content blocker). Yes, it only blocks in Safari, unlike a rooted Android blocking all ads. But for ease of use, I'm amazed that Apple has this feature, because I really didn't expect it. It's Google who is intent on getting me to see ads. Brave was nice because it, based on Chromium, could make use of Andriod WebView for blocking use within apps. Safari does this too with the same content blockers. So in some sense it's a draw, but still, I was under the expectation that what I had on Android wouldn't be possible on iPhone. But from a practical non-root point of view, it is, and it's simpler. And I don't play games or any crap like that, so my only ads are in Safari anyway. Or they were, until I blocked them all with a simple app download. Easy. The iPhone is so damn easy. Loving it.
Personal pet peeve time. I always have extensively used simple tools to push whatever is in my browser to my phone. Google used to support Chrome2Phone which did this and it worked flawlessly. Then they killed it. I used an app called Sendroid that worked so well and simply that I kept using it via a bootlegged APK even after it got removed (abandoned?) from the Play Store. Google's solution is "synced Chrome tabs" but that solution is not ideal: maybe I don't want all my tab history synced; just the one link I need there. Maybe I need just an image or two. Maybe I just need that block of text, not the whole page open on my phone. There's PushBullet, but for me that was a too bulky service that had a lot of bells and whistles I don't need. I just damn want to push a link/image/text to my phone from my desktop browser, end of story. I found this with Qpush for iPhone and it does exactly what I want. So point for Apple.
This is shockingly smooth on an iPhone. I don't need to sync absolutely everything from multiple accounts, the way Android basically insists on you doing unless you want to go through and manually disable it. I can log-in with browser on iPhone, get the access in the app, log out. No problem, no residual account having near full access to my phone. This is the behavior I wish Android would mimic. Adding a Google account to your phone doesn't necessarily mean I want that whole account here. I just need to log-in to one app with that one account, that's it! Unless you're very careful about how your settings are adjusted, it's a risky move, especially when those separate accounts are work/personal accounts and you deem it too inconvenient to use KNOX or whatever Google is baking into Pie.
I expected I'd prefer Chrome. I don't. Safari loads quick, simple, easy, has the Content Blockers. What's not to love? I don't sync tabs or history anyway, and I keep passwords in LastPass. So Chrome browser gives me basically zero advantages. I did like swiping the URL bar for switching tabs, but I got over it. Nice that all the same features are there, but "hidden" behind long-presses. Makes the experience seem smoother without sacrificing functionality. And unlike I expected, most sites function totally fine in Safari. So while Safari isn't necessarily a "plus," it's definitely not a negative. Funny how for years I had this mental image of Safari as being inferior but in my experience it's really not.
Seems better on iOS. Access through the keyboard is nice, even though really the Android pop-ups weren't a huge problem. I just like the simplicity of it being tied into the keyboard just like KeyChain is. I know this is a recent thing though in iOS 12 so I might not have been so happy about this last year.
Haha. I was surprised at how simple this is on iPhone. The iPhone weather widget works. No need to have the entire Google Feed active, or a too-simple "currently" widget, or a bloated third party Play Store app (Geometric Weather is the nicest I've found on Android and still my preferred weather app). Not to mention even this simple a thing breaks on Android. The default weather widget for iOS is pleasant and pretty. Such a simple thing but weather on Android is always either ugly, overbearing, or too dependent on launching a whole search feed. A simple swipe-right, and there it is, always patiently waiting for me. I even like that it doesn't constantly monitor my location to update itself. It loads when I want to look at it. Done. On Android I'm still rocking a custom Minimal Widgets thing I souped up but man that took forever to get just right. The iPhone one is just simple and nice without ads or bloat but still shows enough of the info I need.
I really thought I'd miss Android type widgets. I liked having interactive "mini" versions of apps on my home screens. I liked resizing them. I liked customizing them. And I do miss this with some (Google Keep, ex). But now that I've gotten comfortable with the swipe-right, I don't really care anymore, and it's almost relieving not having to choose my own size/shape/content for them. Yes, the lack of customization can be bothersome, but sometimes the need to customize can be bothersome too, and I feel like the design aesthetic of Apple widgets, while much much more restricted than Android, takes care to keep a good design language that makes it pleasing. To be fair though, Keep, Notes, and some other widgets could use major improvement on iOS. Not like Google has much reason to do that. The iOS "Today view" is obviously what the "Google Feed" and "Google Now" and all the other iterations were trying to become but never quite succeeded. I find the iOS version actually useful and I spend less time in it. Half of what the Google app wanted me to do was utterly useless and a waste of time, data, resources.
I really like the overall feel of the iPhone. It's heavier, and feels more valuable. It feels like a tool in my hand. Less of a toy. I find myself taking care of it and treating it more "professionally" than I did any of my seemingly disposable Androids. I love the glass or metal so much I don't even want a case for it. Yes, this depends on the Android itself, but still, I've never held something that felt like a high-quality phone before. Even the Google Pixels I've held, they still feel to... gimmicky? This is a highly subjective area, but for me, I was surprised that a guy like me would fall victim to this fake kind of allure but it did catch me. It just feels nice in my hand. Well balanced or something. Most Androids feel cheap. Maybe it's brand bias. Who knows.
Overall, this experience has made me reconsider my laptop purchases too. I might end up picking up a Mac laptop sometime in the future. It's a shame to have these nice features (AirDrop, iMessage) and not fully utilize them. When I really think about, the last Mac laptop I owned (well over 15 years ago) lasted me a good 10 years. Meanwhile since then I've gone through PC laptops every 5 years at most, usually more like 3. I don't intend to go pure-Apple (I'm stuck on Windows for the long haul here I think), but keeping a nice Mac laptop as a personal use device could be nice. I'd look cooler at the coffee shop too. I thought about the lack of touchscreen support in current Macbooks, but realized I almost never use the touchscreen of one of my current PC laptops. Anyway the overall point is, I really like the iPhone, and I was not expecting to.
I have to swipe. I can't stand being forced to tap. I tap sometimes, but sometimes I need to swipe. I couldn't believe the default iOS keyboard doesn't have this feature. Switching to Gboard helped, but that only means I'm back on a Google product. If the Apple keyboard adds this feature, I'll likely delete Gboard. I do find tapping more accurate on the iOS keyboard somehow, but it doesn't matter. I'm a swiper.
I dislike double-tapping the home button. My experience improved when I realized I can 3D-touch on the left side of the screen to pull up the multitask menu. But it's still less than ideal and a bit clumsy. Apparently this isn't an issue on the X series of iPhones though where you can just swipe up, but as I'm on the older generation right now, it annoys me, because I need a better multitask menu.
I like that on iOS replies to notifications are generally a bit smoother than on Android. Plenty of Android apps still don't let me reply right from the notification shade, though that is clearly improving. Responding to KakaoTalk via iOS notifications works, but it works on Android too, and I can "Mark as Read" there while AFAIK on iOS I either reply or swipe it away. However I dislike the fact that notifications are sort of "hidden" in the "Notification Center" on iOS. I usually come to my phone after some time away and immediately unlock it. In the process I'm sometimes not even aware that a notification is sitting up there. I'm used to the tiny icons on the Android menu bar alerting me to pull down the shade and check them out. I don't search across the homescreens for little red dots with numbers, nor do I swipe down to get the Notification Center unless I already know something's waiting in there. In this regard I prefer the Android model.
Pages and Keynote are nice for personal use, but for my needs, it just doesn't cut it. I haven't even tried manipulating HWP files yet. Android handles files and document editing better in my experience so far. It's more of a "computer" in that regard. The iPhone seems more for looking/reading, not writing, editing. And who uses Pages anyway? No one I've seen or worked with. One guy would make Keynotes that we always had to convert to PPT anyway.
I greatly dislike relying on iTunes to manage my music. I discovered third party iOS apps that serve as file managers, and music files can be copied into their storage spaces and played normally. But this workflow is clunky. I miss the simplicity of just plain downloading an MP3 file and playing it on the phone's music player. Not to mention I'm often downloading files from friends' computers or straight from the internet (like via Peggo, which Safari forbids and iTunes won't recognize anyway). This was simpler on Android. Now all my music playing is done via the third-party file manager (to be fair, it's player integrates with the default iOS player so that I can control it via lock screen and Control Center just as if it were from my iTunes library). This is a hassle for me and I dislike hassles.
I'm sure I'm missing some things here. Maybe I'll add to it as issues come up. Overall using this device has really made me take a second look at Apple products. I've spent years crying out against them and their stupid fanboys. Maybe I just reached a point in my life and my career where troubleshooting personal tech problems isn't fun anymore. I just want it to work and get out of my way. Android always seemed to demand my attention in a way the iPhone doesn't, and at this point that is very valuable to me. Maybe when Pie is out to more devices and I upgrade, I'll revisit and see if my mind has changed because Android clearly does seem to get better and better in a way iOS hasn't. Android has pretty much reached iOS parity as of Pie I think.
Regarding the price of Apple devices, like some folks over on Reddit were saying, paying $1000 for a phone isn't that bad of an investment when I consider:
Note: this has nothing to do with Korea.
Background
I got hold of a used iPhone 7 recently and have been playing around with it after years of not touching a single Apple product. I expected a fussy device that overall would hinder me and the freedom I'm used to in using Android. But after a couple months with this thing, I've become happily surprised. I actually really like it. Why have I ended up liking it so much? I figured I'd write down a few reasons.
Pros: things I prefer on iOS
Siri
I was immediately impressed with how well Siri works. Finally, I feel like I have a phone AI assistant that is actually useful. I love that I can activate it from the lock screen. I felt pissed because Google used to let me do this on my Android hardware back when it was just the "OK Google" functionality, but ever since they went all-in on the Google Assistant, that ability was removed from two (2!) of my Android devices. I know lock-screen awake is available on newer Android models (mine are a couple years old now), but the bottom line is that it didn't work for me, and Siri does, despite 1 of the Androids being newer than the iPhone.
Another thing I like is that Siri is so well integrated with the iPhone apps. It's so nice to dictate a message to my brother or mother back home, for example, and have Siri send it via iMessage, no sweat. This kind of seemingly simple thing always was a drag on Android for a couple reasons. First, it would always confuse the method of sending a message: the stock Messaging app from the manufacturer or the Google's own (Android) Messages app. The damn thing never remembered my preferred choice and even then, with RCS not active yet, could only text local (Korean) numbers. I could sometimes get it to send Hangouts messages but that was really a game of chance.
On top of that, I'm constantly impressed with little things Siri can do that Google Assistant can't. The other day my iPhone was over charging on the desk, and I was on the bed too lazy to get up. Out of curiosity, I shouted "Hey Siri, what's my battery level?" and she woke up and responded "Your batter is at 88%". Amazing. I asked the Google Assistant the same thing and it responded "Hmm I'm afraid I can't do that yet." Worthless.
The bottom line here was that Siri just worked. No having to clear out cache (like I had to do a million times on Android, almost every time the Google app updated), no having to fiddle with getting Assistant to interoperate with my apps, not have to wait for Google to issue a fix so often it feels like I'm a beta tester rather than a consumer end user. Siri just works, and anyway she can add events to my Google calendar and send email via my G-mail anyway, so in my book she can do Google's own tasks better than Google. I know technically the Google Assistant can do more with its integrations with other third party services, but most of what it does I have no interest in doing anyway. Siri does what I need, and I've found myself preferring it for that reason.
Another worthwhile thing to consider is that Siri basically works without requiring me to give up my privacy. At some point Google decided that any kind of Assistant use whatsoever, even simple crap like checking the weather, meant that "Turning on web/app data" was mandatory. No thanks. Why does Google need to track every single click/tap/swipe just to offer me a "more personalized" experience? I don't want a personalized experience. I want you to read me the message that just came in, period. Siri can do that. She'll dictate to me the iMessage I just received if I ask her to. Google can't unless I grant it access to my life. This is where the whole "if you're not paying for it, you're the product" thing comes in because I'd gladly pay for for an Apple device that isn't tracking my every move just to pimp me out to advertisers. If Siri works just as well and doesn't require so much intrusive tracking, why not? Another point for Siri.
Overall, I love Siri in a way I've always hated the Google Assistant. Even the default sassy voice of Google Assistant is annoying. My Siri is now speaking to me in a sexy British female accent. Or if I feel wild and want to imagine Thor is talking, I make it a male Australian. Either way, it's fun and works. Yes, a lot of that is just the hardware issues (for example, Assistant can turn on the flash light on one, but not the other, of my Androids. Siri can do that on any iPhone of course). But if iPhone works without me having to hassle with it, it wins.
Bottom line, Siri works without me having to "set it up" and without giving up my privacy.
Rotation
Oh man, here's a simple one that drove me crazy. One of my damn Android phones would get stuck in rotation lock constantly, so that it couldn't be rotated until reboot. I had to install a special manual override app from Google Play just to deal with those annoying times. This has never happened on the iPhone. It sounds like a stupid issue, and probably just some hardware issue with my older Android phone, but I don't care. When I'm in bed trying to relax with some YouTube, and I turn it landscape, you better damn well rotate to landscape mode or I am going to throw you across the room.
Back swiping
I was surprised at how much I came to love this feature. Yes, you can hack your Android to allow the "swipe back" gesture, and some custom ROMs include support for this (not to mention specific apps), and I've heard it's coming in Android Pie. But who cares? It just works plain and simple on iOS. I really, really preferred the Android dedicated back button at first (especially hardware but my other Android is the software bar type and that's OK as long as it doesn't slide out of view for full screen apps, looking at you Google Photos), but being able to swipe back in any app, any situation, is really convenient and feels very natural now. I often start automatically swiping back on the Android tablet and just die a little inside when I realize what I'm doing. New opinion: back buttons are for chumps. Swipe back is silky and smooth.
Reminders/Notes
Google is a mess. First, triggered "notes to self" were emailed to yourself (around the Android Froyo days if I remember right), then Google Keep came out which I used extensively, then now we've got Google Assistant's "Reminders" (without an app of their own, appearing in Calendar/Keep/both/none) and meanwhile other Reminder-like items like the "shopping list" is totally separate and on Android I only see it in my Google Home app. What a mess. Apple? Boom, it's all there. No trouble adding items to pre-established lists via Siri voice command, either. "Siri, add potatoes to my Home Plus shopping list" works every time. Google always screwed that up adding items to Keep lists even though it's supposed to work well, usually just adding each item to its own brand new list. And of course "Shopping list" is a single thing... why? I go to multiple stores. Overall, I simply love the integration of Siri with the Reminders and Notes app on iOS. I kind of wish they were combined into one app like Google Keep, but overall I'm getting used now to keeping notes in Notes and only list-type content in Reminders, even though Notes takes lists too (oops). Realizing I could access my iOS Notes and Reminders in a web browser is great too (I don't have a Mac laptop) makes it nice too and in my book on par or superior to Google.
Unified settings location
Thought I'd hate this, but love it. It's very convenient to go to Settings and find the app you want to fiddle with than to go to the app itself and waste half a second looking for its settings. And of course there's the app's own settings, then there's the system-wide stuff like permissions. Those are two separate things on Android (only system wide permissions are handled by Android; apps do whatever they want with settings). I like Apple's organization of this, especially for checking privacy related issues. I know some apps will have their own separate in-app settings still (I'm looking at you, Google) but at least for the standard apps, it's all kept right there.
AirPrint
Way better than clunky Google Cloud Print for me. Cloud Print worked automatically on one Android device for me, but another needed me to download the Samsung Print app to access the same printer. Plus Cloud Print wanted me to set up the printer first via desktop Chrome for some resaon (that was awhile ago though, so maybe that's updated now) while AirPrint let me start printing immediately, no intermediary steps. Brand new iPhone, first time on the Wi-Fi, boom, found the printer and let me print, no drivers, no hassle. Not a huge issue but nice that "it just worked" because again, I hate having to fiddle with it, especially when there's an issue and I need the damn document just plain printed now.
iMessage
I admit, I love it. A unified messenger for SMS and web-messages is great, and integrates better than Google's attempt at this in their short-lived Hangouts-SMS combo. With zero extra software I can text family back home with iPhones, no issues. Super convenient. It'd be like if Google Assistant could send and read Kakao Messages. Yes, Google will introduce RCS messaging to make the comparative advantage of iMessage obsolete, and yes, Kakao Home can read and send Kakao Messages by voice, but the convenience of having iMessage so deeply integrated is great. It just works, even for old people who don't have a clue what's different between an SMS, iMessage, ABC, DEF. I bet if I had a Mac laptop I'd be using this all the time. We'll see if Google can really negate its advantage with RCS but anyway iMessage will still have the end-to-end encryption advantage. I can see why people don't bother to leave the Apple ecosystem even just for this one killer app even when there are other similar apps out there. The convenience factor makes it worth it.
FaceTime
Works better than Duo, and way better than Hangouts. Enough said. I can't give it full props because, not having a Mac laptop, I can't use it in a more comfortable office-type setting but for quick, casual calls, it actually does make video calls seem natural in a way they never seemed on Hangouts or Duo. Through I really like the Duo "leave a video message feature" that I don't think FaceTime has.
AirDrop
Oh man. Is there really any similar tool on Android? Bluetooth sucks and is way too slow. Android Beam was a pain in the ass to set up and send a file. I even tried Google's Files Go app but never got the transfer working. AirDrop? Holy shit, it just plain works. It even, no joke, noticed automatically that I was in the Wi-Fi settings looking for the password that my buddy (on an iPhone) needed, and the damn thing popped up with "are you trying to share the Wi-Fi password with Kim? Tap here" and it just filled it in on his device. AMAZING. If I had AirDrop on my PC, life would be a breeze. The only reliable file sharing I've seen on Android is clunky 3rd party apps, or (what I usually did) upload something to Google Drive in my phone then fetch it on the computer or vice versa. What a hassle. Google has promised something as smooth as AirDrop for Android for years, but in my case I've never seen it delivered. Even each manufacture (LG, Samsung) have their own "beam" tool but they're such a pain in the ass and finicky as hell. I just can't help but love AirDrop.
Content blockers
Rooting for ad block on Android is a joke. And I should know; I've rooted and/or custom ROMed at least five of my own Android phones and a few for friends. It's a pain in the ass. Even though the process should be simple, there's always some minor issue I have to troubleshoot, usually getting ADB working right to ensure a stable connection. It ends up taking me sometimes 2 or 3 days of tinkering at night. Meanwhile I had no clue Safari could block ads with Content Blockers. Sure, you can use another browser on Android (I was using Brave) but still. Plus, Brave didn't let me set custom filters. I can add my own filters if need be for Safari (via a third-party content blocker). Yes, it only blocks in Safari, unlike a rooted Android blocking all ads. But for ease of use, I'm amazed that Apple has this feature, because I really didn't expect it. It's Google who is intent on getting me to see ads. Brave was nice because it, based on Chromium, could make use of Andriod WebView for blocking use within apps. Safari does this too with the same content blockers. So in some sense it's a draw, but still, I was under the expectation that what I had on Android wouldn't be possible on iPhone. But from a practical non-root point of view, it is, and it's simpler. And I don't play games or any crap like that, so my only ads are in Safari anyway. Or they were, until I blocked them all with a simple app download. Easy. The iPhone is so damn easy. Loving it.
Simple push to phone
Personal pet peeve time. I always have extensively used simple tools to push whatever is in my browser to my phone. Google used to support Chrome2Phone which did this and it worked flawlessly. Then they killed it. I used an app called Sendroid that worked so well and simply that I kept using it via a bootlegged APK even after it got removed (abandoned?) from the Play Store. Google's solution is "synced Chrome tabs" but that solution is not ideal: maybe I don't want all my tab history synced; just the one link I need there. Maybe I need just an image or two. Maybe I just need that block of text, not the whole page open on my phone. There's PushBullet, but for me that was a too bulky service that had a lot of bells and whistles I don't need. I just damn want to push a link/image/text to my phone from my desktop browser, end of story. I found this with Qpush for iPhone and it does exactly what I want. So point for Apple.
Multi Google accounts
This is shockingly smooth on an iPhone. I don't need to sync absolutely everything from multiple accounts, the way Android basically insists on you doing unless you want to go through and manually disable it. I can log-in with browser on iPhone, get the access in the app, log out. No problem, no residual account having near full access to my phone. This is the behavior I wish Android would mimic. Adding a Google account to your phone doesn't necessarily mean I want that whole account here. I just need to log-in to one app with that one account, that's it! Unless you're very careful about how your settings are adjusted, it's a risky move, especially when those separate accounts are work/personal accounts and you deem it too inconvenient to use KNOX or whatever Google is baking into Pie.
Safari
I expected I'd prefer Chrome. I don't. Safari loads quick, simple, easy, has the Content Blockers. What's not to love? I don't sync tabs or history anyway, and I keep passwords in LastPass. So Chrome browser gives me basically zero advantages. I did like swiping the URL bar for switching tabs, but I got over it. Nice that all the same features are there, but "hidden" behind long-presses. Makes the experience seem smoother without sacrificing functionality. And unlike I expected, most sites function totally fine in Safari. So while Safari isn't necessarily a "plus," it's definitely not a negative. Funny how for years I had this mental image of Safari as being inferior but in my experience it's really not.
LastPass integration
Seems better on iOS. Access through the keyboard is nice, even though really the Android pop-ups weren't a huge problem. I just like the simplicity of it being tied into the keyboard just like KeyChain is. I know this is a recent thing though in iOS 12 so I might not have been so happy about this last year.
Weather app
Haha. I was surprised at how simple this is on iPhone. The iPhone weather widget works. No need to have the entire Google Feed active, or a too-simple "currently" widget, or a bloated third party Play Store app (Geometric Weather is the nicest I've found on Android and still my preferred weather app). Not to mention even this simple a thing breaks on Android. The default weather widget for iOS is pleasant and pretty. Such a simple thing but weather on Android is always either ugly, overbearing, or too dependent on launching a whole search feed. A simple swipe-right, and there it is, always patiently waiting for me. I even like that it doesn't constantly monitor my location to update itself. It loads when I want to look at it. Done. On Android I'm still rocking a custom Minimal Widgets thing I souped up but man that took forever to get just right. The iPhone one is just simple and nice without ads or bloat but still shows enough of the info I need.
Widgets generally
I really thought I'd miss Android type widgets. I liked having interactive "mini" versions of apps on my home screens. I liked resizing them. I liked customizing them. And I do miss this with some (Google Keep, ex). But now that I've gotten comfortable with the swipe-right, I don't really care anymore, and it's almost relieving not having to choose my own size/shape/content for them. Yes, the lack of customization can be bothersome, but sometimes the need to customize can be bothersome too, and I feel like the design aesthetic of Apple widgets, while much much more restricted than Android, takes care to keep a good design language that makes it pleasing. To be fair though, Keep, Notes, and some other widgets could use major improvement on iOS. Not like Google has much reason to do that. The iOS "Today view" is obviously what the "Google Feed" and "Google Now" and all the other iterations were trying to become but never quite succeeded. I find the iOS version actually useful and I spend less time in it. Half of what the Google app wanted me to do was utterly useless and a waste of time, data, resources.
iCloud
I didn't see any need for this, since Google Drive and Google Photos pretty much handle this for me. But I hadn't realized just how much of iCloud Photos was copied by Google Photos. Now I'm starting to enjoy iCloud Photos, sharing there, editing there, and getting "creations" there. I have both running simultaneously right now, but I might end up forking over a buck or two a month for the 50GB iCloud plan. That's plenty for me (I don't take a huge amount of photos anyway) plus I'll keep my Google Drive space. I was under the "why should I pay for something that Google gives me for free?" banner a long time, but if iCloud is fully encrypted, and offers most of the same convenience, what's a dollar or two a month? I can still access it via Windows so really only the free nature of Google Drive is its pro. And I have a couple Google accounts for more free space anyway; might as well pay Apple to keep it all together. Problem is I won't be able to get at that on Android AFAIK which keeps me with Google Drive for now.
Body feel
I really like the overall feel of the iPhone. It's heavier, and feels more valuable. It feels like a tool in my hand. Less of a toy. I find myself taking care of it and treating it more "professionally" than I did any of my seemingly disposable Androids. I love the glass or metal so much I don't even want a case for it. Yes, this depends on the Android itself, but still, I've never held something that felt like a high-quality phone before. Even the Google Pixels I've held, they still feel to... gimmicky? This is a highly subjective area, but for me, I was surprised that a guy like me would fall victim to this fake kind of allure but it did catch me. It just feels nice in my hand. Well balanced or something. Most Androids feel cheap. Maybe it's brand bias. Who knows.
Overall pros
Overall, this experience has made me reconsider my laptop purchases too. I might end up picking up a Mac laptop sometime in the future. It's a shame to have these nice features (AirDrop, iMessage) and not fully utilize them. When I really think about, the last Mac laptop I owned (well over 15 years ago) lasted me a good 10 years. Meanwhile since then I've gone through PC laptops every 5 years at most, usually more like 3. I don't intend to go pure-Apple (I'm stuck on Windows for the long haul here I think), but keeping a nice Mac laptop as a personal use device could be nice. I'd look cooler at the coffee shop too. I thought about the lack of touchscreen support in current Macbooks, but realized I almost never use the touchscreen of one of my current PC laptops. Anyway the overall point is, I really like the iPhone, and I was not expecting to.
Cons of iOS
Swipe typing
I have to swipe. I can't stand being forced to tap. I tap sometimes, but sometimes I need to swipe. I couldn't believe the default iOS keyboard doesn't have this feature. Switching to Gboard helped, but that only means I'm back on a Google product. If the Apple keyboard adds this feature, I'll likely delete Gboard. I do find tapping more accurate on the iOS keyboard somehow, but it doesn't matter. I'm a swiper.
Multitasking
I dislike double-tapping the home button. My experience improved when I realized I can 3D-touch on the left side of the screen to pull up the multitask menu. But it's still less than ideal and a bit clumsy. Apparently this isn't an issue on the X series of iPhones though where you can just swipe up, but as I'm on the older generation right now, it annoys me, because I need a better multitask menu.
Notification center
I like that on iOS replies to notifications are generally a bit smoother than on Android. Plenty of Android apps still don't let me reply right from the notification shade, though that is clearly improving. Responding to KakaoTalk via iOS notifications works, but it works on Android too, and I can "Mark as Read" there while AFAIK on iOS I either reply or swipe it away. However I dislike the fact that notifications are sort of "hidden" in the "Notification Center" on iOS. I usually come to my phone after some time away and immediately unlock it. In the process I'm sometimes not even aware that a notification is sitting up there. I'm used to the tiny icons on the Android menu bar alerting me to pull down the shade and check them out. I don't search across the homescreens for little red dots with numbers, nor do I swipe down to get the Notification Center unless I already know something's waiting in there. In this regard I prefer the Android model.
Documents
Pages and Keynote are nice for personal use, but for my needs, it just doesn't cut it. I haven't even tried manipulating HWP files yet. Android handles files and document editing better in my experience so far. It's more of a "computer" in that regard. The iPhone seems more for looking/reading, not writing, editing. And who uses Pages anyway? No one I've seen or worked with. One guy would make Keynotes that we always had to convert to PPT anyway.
Music
I greatly dislike relying on iTunes to manage my music. I discovered third party iOS apps that serve as file managers, and music files can be copied into their storage spaces and played normally. But this workflow is clunky. I miss the simplicity of just plain downloading an MP3 file and playing it on the phone's music player. Not to mention I'm often downloading files from friends' computers or straight from the internet (like via Peggo, which Safari forbids and iTunes won't recognize anyway). This was simpler on Android. Now all my music playing is done via the third-party file manager (to be fair, it's player integrates with the default iOS player so that I can control it via lock screen and Control Center just as if it were from my iTunes library). This is a hassle for me and I dislike hassles.
Conclusion
I'm sure I'm missing some things here. Maybe I'll add to it as issues come up. Overall using this device has really made me take a second look at Apple products. I've spent years crying out against them and their stupid fanboys. Maybe I just reached a point in my life and my career where troubleshooting personal tech problems isn't fun anymore. I just want it to work and get out of my way. Android always seemed to demand my attention in a way the iPhone doesn't, and at this point that is very valuable to me. Maybe when Pie is out to more devices and I upgrade, I'll revisit and see if my mind has changed because Android clearly does seem to get better and better in a way iOS hasn't. Android has pretty much reached iOS parity as of Pie I think.
Regarding the price of Apple devices, like some folks over on Reddit were saying, paying $1000 for a phone isn't that bad of an investment when I consider:
- I interact with the device more than any other in my life, including more than other humans
- I start and end every day with the device
- I do 60% of my "computing" on the device
- I've only broken a device once, and a $100 screen repair took care of that anyway
- I've never lost a device or had one stolen
- There's a decent market that pays decent prices for used iPhones. Meanwhile a used Android is a dime a dozen
Just some thoughts. Use whichever you like more. At the end of the day I'm thankful for any and all competition in this sector. Overall I can see now why some people just plain like sticking with Apple.
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