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Why a longtime iPhone user ‘completely regrets’ switching to Android

Published Apr 7th, 2015 11:33AM EDT
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Switching from one mobile platform to another can make for a jarring transition but oftentimes users can find something to like in their new mobile OS. Such was not the case with Business Insider’s Matt Johnston, who last fall switched from the iPhone 5 to the Galaxy Note 3 and started regretting his decision after about two months. In the end, Johnston believes his choice to go to Android has been a “disaster.”

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“Android is a hot mess,” he explains. “It doesn’t seem to have native support for anything. My Spotify app doesn’t seamlessly work within Android’s confines, which make quickly stopping and starting music a pain.”

And he doesn’t stop there. Here are his other main gripes:

  • “The phone interface is completely clunky. Calling somebody takes four or five clicks rather than the one or two of iOS, and pictures never show up and sync easily with Facebook.”
  • “Apps are an utter disaster. Nearly every iOS version of an app looks slicker and operates better than its Android counterpart.”
  • “Messaging is horrendous. I became disgusted with Samsung’s awful built-in messaging app pretty early on and downloaded an app called ‘Textra’ to manage texts.”
  • “Notifications are the worst. They barely exist on Android, or at least I feel that way. I’m constantly missing texts, phone calls, news alerts, you name it. Once again, I had to download a third-party notification plug-in called “Heads Up,” to fix this problem. Now I get Google card-like popups when a notification comes down, and I miss a lot fewer. This is not, however, ideal.”
  • “Another problem with Android phones: You often have to wait months to get a new software update, if you get it at all.”

Yikes!

In the end, Johnston’s complaints mostly boil down to having to do too much work to get his phone to behave as he wants it to. While many Android fans love the platform’s more extensive customization options, Johnston feels that it’s just not for him.

“The future of technology is not in increasingly complex user experiences geared towards customization, it’s a movement towards seamless integration in our everyday lives,” he concludes. “Android (and Google) is getting it very, very wrong.”

Brad Reed
Brad Reed Staff Writer

Brad Reed has written about technology for over eight years at BGR.com and Network World. Prior to that, he wrote freelance stories for political publications such as AlterNet and the American Prospect. He has a Master's Degree in Business and Economics Journalism from Boston University.