So first, I will say that the phrase "stopping me from switching" kind of implies that I'm looking to switch but can't.
I used to have android between the iPhone 4s and the iPhone X. Back then, there were significant features that I wanted that I couldn't get from iOS. Tho now there isn't much that android has that I don't feel I have access to that is significant .
As for what keeps me around and happy with iPhone is
- I'm in software engineering and I have always been mac person. I know windows has had the Linux subsystem for a long time now but it feels like a new feature and clunkier than max being freebsd based. My current job forces me to use windows, and I hate it but it's been 4 years, so I've adjusted. That said, the Mac/iPhone/iPad interoperability is great
- I love my Apple Watch. I'm sure Android wearable have gotten better but the integration feels complete and well supported. I don't have to worry about my phone getting updated and my watch stopping working
- The find my network is pretty great. I know there are other solutions but airtags are great. All of my devices also have seamless location tracking and sharing out of the box.
- I pay for the TB of iCloud storage (it's outrageously priced but I'm used to it now). It's great to have all my devices able to just all be using it. Latest addition to my icloud usage was using the Logitech Circleview doorbell and camera. It saves directly to icloud. I don't have to worry about storage and I also don't have to worry about the company sharing my footage with cops cause the data is stored in my icloud drive.
- it's not flawless nor perfect but knowing that there is app review before something gets published makes me feel better about the entire ecosystem. Kind of like how a bouncer at a bar let's ya know that when you go inside, the riffraff had to at least sneak in
- apple pay works great for me
- having all my devices made by the same company is a pro for me but I know others might see it as a con. But my Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple Watch, Apple TV, HomePods, AirPods, etc all just being from apple means I have less to keep up with. I don't have to worry about a matrix of who makes what and when it's gonna get updated or dropped
- resell/trade in value is great cause old devices have such a long life due to software updates
- my shit just works and I'm happy
- I know it might be contraversal but I trust Apple. Be it them having a pretty good record on user privacy, or them not allowing bloatware cause of user experience, or them not cramming AI into shit the same way everyone else did (even with the upcoming IOS, their implementation seems well thought out and conservative
- backups and transferring to new devices has been completely painless (which I do suprisingly often)
Over the years, I've gone from being a major tech enthusiast to now not wanting to have to futz around when I'm not on the clock. I still like getting tech and adding it to my home, but I don't get in the weeds anymore. I just want my shit to work. I want my stuff to just work for my family.
I dunno, tweaking and futzing used to be important to me. But now confidence and simplicity matter more to me now
As someone who used to make apps, but run Android myself, here are the things I usually hear
- App quality tends to be worse on Android
- I have a MacBook, airpods, and Apple watch
- I don't know if a good Android phone that has the same camera quality and longevity as an iPhone
The subtle reason is also status. People feel rich/different with an iPhone
- Cross-device integration/the Apple ecosystem. I use a Mac for my userland computing, and the ease with which it works together with my phone is a killer feature. Also in this category is integration with my family's Apple devices.
- The software ecosystem. Apple's first party apps and services are really nice across the board, and once again the ecosystem integration is the single biggest reason I use an iPhone. (the user facing apps, at least--Xcode and everything related to it are hot trash).
- Purely subjective, but Android is ugly to me. The hardware, the OS(es), and the apps just look bad to my eye. The iPhone looks and feels nice in a way that I haven't experienced in an Android product.
- I don't trust Google and I can't be bothered to spend any time configuring my phone. I spend too much of my life installing shit and tinkering with config already; I want a phone that just works out of the box.
I don’t want to.
- There is no reasonably sized android phone. They’re either huge (>6“) or tiny (<4“) and the smaller variant usually has ancient and slow specs.
- I passionately dislike google. Big parts of that is privacy, which Apple might not care about as much as they should but Google isn’t caring about at all. And yes, it’s possible to use Android without Google but it’s quite a hassle.
- I prefer the UI of most apps on iOS to the equivalent on Android. It’s fairly consistent, usually following certain standards (like the menu bar on the bottom).
- Most android phones I’ve used over the years have an ungodly amount of bloat. Why would anyone want to use a second, worse app store? Why are facebook and tiktok preinstalled and can’t be uninstalled?
- I also have a Mac and an AppleTV. The iPhone fits right in.
- I’m used to it. It works. As long as Apple doesn’t do a major privacy oopsie or someone releases a small android flagship phone again, I have no reason to leave because android offers nothing I desire beyond what I already have.
Edit: structure
First thing: Privacy. I am aware that iOS is not entirely private too, but I trust Apple Photos much more than Google Photos. You can even enable end-to-end encryption iirc.
Second point is control over my data. I can easily export my photos from Apple Photos as files, whereas Google maliciously separates Photos and Metadata upon export. In my experience this is the same for a lot of other services as well. Being able to easily export my data enables me to escape the walled garden more easily should I get fed up with one system. I also try to use as many open source services as possible for this as well as other reasons.
Apple has a lot of malicious practices too, especially when it comes to EU citizens and third-party app stores, etc. - but in my experience Google is no better.
Lastly, I considered switching to an Android with Graphene OS (privacy focused Android derivate) a couple of times, but the added control over your data comes with a lot of other inconveniences. So for now, I’m just sticking to iOS.
Apple has actually built a nice ecosystem. Apple Pay, Apple CarPlay, etc. are just more widespread and consistent than their Google alternatives. For example, my current car and every car I’ve rented in the past 5 years have Apple CarPlay, but only one rental actually had Android Auto (my current car does not.)
Plus I don’t really feel like reinstalling all new apps, getting new games, etc. And while I like software freedom on my PC, I don’t mind a walled garden on my phone.
I just switched back to iPhone a couple of months ago, after 10 years on Android.
In short, I trust Apple more than Google. That’s not to say Apple is 100% trustworthy, but I definitely trust them more than Google.
- Live Photos. I love having a little video attached to every photo. I wish high end mirrorless cameras would do this.
- I can use my phone without and Google products. Apple Maps is especially useful. YouTube and Google Voice are my last two I haven’t ditched. yt-dlp and PeerTube with help, and I’m looking into VOIP providers.
As an Android user, I'm considering switching to iPhone due to how much worse the Android experience is becoming without Google Play Services. I'm using a custom ROM with microG, which potentially means no RCS since it is only available through Google Messages which doesn't work with microG.
As much as it would suck jumping ship, at the very least, Apple is still a consumer hardware company first & foremost while Google will always be an ads company. Android exists to that end & that end alone.
I’ve used both for years. iPhone is simply the better device compared to any Android phone I’ve tried, including Pixel and other high end phones.
iOS is a better OS for me. I’m a software eng, and so I’m able to do all sorts of things to androids, and some things to iOS, but at the end of the day I want my phone to work and that’s it. I don’t tinker in my free time because I tinker all day at work.
As others have mentioned, the Apple ecosystem is pretty fantastic.
Finally, I’d rather buy hardware/software from a hardware/software company than an advertising company.
I just saw an article about Google adding pop-ups during navigation to Google Maps.
https://www.androidauthority.com/google-maps-pop-up-ad-3458170/
I technically have both since I’m a developer but my daily driver is my iPhone because when I have an android phone, I constantly want to put different roms on it so it ends up unstable. So, Apple’s walled garden saves me from myself making my phone unstable when I need a phone for calls/messages and not tinkering.
I don’t notice much of a difference these days, though. Sometimes, I charge my iPhone and grab my Pixel and I don’t even notice. Back in the day, iOS was generally more polished and Android was either slightly behind or ahead on specific features but I find that both are pretty much mature at this point. Flagship cameras are both excellent. Accessory ecosystems exist. There’s really not an overwhelming reason to switch, (especially if the Android phone is also a walled garden, which seems more common now).
Locked down bootloaders. If it’s not my device, I’m going for the prettiest walled garden. I was with Android from Droid X until Galaxy S8; not being able to flash my own ROM on the S8 was the reason I left for an iPhone.
I also don’t want to have to sysadmin my mom’s Android phone that was constantly having bullshit apps installed. Apple’s walled garden makes my life as family sysadmin significantly easier.
History: I used/preferred Android until the iPhone 4S. I still have Android phones/tablets laying around for software testing.
- I'm a developer and as much of a PITA the App Store is to deal with, their APIs are really productive to work with, especially in the SwiftUI world.
- I'm a Mac user (have been since 1990) and the platform integration is really good.
One fun story: I had to implement the Google Pay equivalent of Apple Pay QR code passes and holy crap was that a shit-show. One Android phone I had had literally two different things called Google Pay, one as an app and one hidden in the Settings menu, with different feature sets and different passes. What the hell???
Android Auto just shitting the bed on me across multiple devices. Constant crashes. Maybe it’s my carc, but CarPlay works just fine on the same head unit and USB port. A wireless AA dongle didn’t help, neither did a bunch of different cables of various quality, so it’s either AA itself or the head unit. Anyway, I’m not changing cars because of this, and when upgrade time came, I just bought iPhone. I’m not totally sold on either platform, to be perfectly honest…
Google.
I used to have Android, from HTC Desire upto Pixel 4a 5g. But Android 11 and 12 really ruined the experience for me. And I went to iPhone. I'm not going back anytime soon.
It’s so funny that this post was only a bit below this one: Google Wants To Start Tracking 300 Million iPhone Users Within 5 Years
The original reason I switched from android to iOS is because iPhone’s consistently work well and smoothly, all receive the same updates at the same time, and you’d get more updates out of them which helps them last longer. I just didn’t feel like dealing with the hassle of only getting 2 software updates on a major flagship (which was slowed by 6 months to a year by carriers having to apply their own patches) all for a phone that didn’t work too well to begin with.
Android has come a long way since then and I can pretty confidently say I’d be more than happy switching to a Pixel or Galaxy S phone these days. I’d even argue their phones are generally nicer in terms of design, and I love that they are more open for customization and other fun uses (ex. Game emulation, termux, mobox, etc).
The main thing stopping me is that Apple’s integration is just too convenient to beat. Everything syncs seamlessly between iPhone / iPad / Mac and it genuinely feels like they are extensions of each other rather than separate independent devices. Android just doesn’t offer enough for me to justify it over the Apple ecosystem.
That being said I do have an android phone I bought used on eBay for some of the fun stuff I mentioned above. I highly recommend it to any Apple users who don’t feel like fully switching to android
Not an iPhone user but if there's one thing that is making me want to switch it's the ads and bloatware. Spending $1000+ on a device that shows ads inside the system apps and includes software like ESPN and Facebook that you can't uninstall without serious technical know-how is insane. Are the profit margins really that bad on smartphone hardware??
Google
Used to use android, but switched to iPhone when the 12 came out. I simply don’t care about the flexibility anymore... I used to tinker a lot, but now I personally don’t find it amusing. And even if I did want to tinker, the Shortcuts app provides a lot of cool features. iOS is refined, sleek, and I enjoy the UI. AirPlay works miles better than anything on android. CarPlay is a better experience. The ecosystem just works. Apple Maps street view is available in places google maps isn’t. I’m currently on the 15 pro max, and the design and feel of the phone is awesome. Probably a handful of other things that don’t immediately come to mind.
I'm an Android user contemplating moving to Apple because of audio applications. Android's audio implementation was absolute garbage for years and years, and as a result, all of the good, mobile audio production software is for iOS. Android is finally catching up in terms of latency and whatever else, but the software side is still a total shitshow.
Nothing is really stopping me, I just think iPhones align better with me now.
I am going to give 3 examples of why I switched from Android to iPhone. 1 - I used Samsung Galaxy S every generation till the S5, flashing ROMs every second day and I got tired of it. One thing that particularly bothered me was when I got my officially branded Galaxy S car holder, Car charger and a lot of other accessories and they didn't work with the SII.
2 - I use to jog quite a lot and used the arm strap with the cable and I thought I want a phone that prioritizes wireless audio. Apple was the first company that did that. I would have thought it would have been Sony with some of their previous phones.
3 - Samsung had many of the things I like in iPhone now already back in the Galaxy S and SII time. S Calendar, S notes, S diary, S transfer I think. That was dropped as a novelty after a few times. Once apple start with something they keep it, at least for a while.
I know phones are more mature now and Samsung probably doesn't do this anymore (Or hopefully they don't). But I already made the switch and I don't feel any reason to switch back at the moment.
Why I like iPhone: 1 - It doesn't change much over generations which helps with not having to buy new accessories the whole time.
2 - It doesn't allow me to change much so I don't bother changing much (I still do the dev betas etc, but they are not as time consuming as Roms)
3 - They don't generally try to be first to the market
4 - Privacy is better than commercial Android (I know you can get Android builds that are better)
5 - I like(d) that the App Store is the only way you can get Apps
6 - I like the eco system (I now have homepods, apple tv, macbook, iPad, iPhone, airpods and watch) - I know Samsung has a good one, but too late.
7 - Homekit/Homekey and carplay/carkey - I literally can walk around without keys. (I know this isn't unique, but again when I bought by car Apple was the only option)
8 - I don't feel like I have to upgrade every year.
I think I can do most my likes with Android as well. I just like the way Apple does it currently and they restrict some of my shortcomings.
Don’t want to, I’m used to it.
My personal preference.
Girls judge you harsher if they see that green bubble
Honestly? The hardware just seems so much more solid. I was a longtime android user. My brother is a techie and was going on and on about how I should switch to iPhone. I was pretty much like you guys. “Why wouldn’t you use android?”
But then I changed jobs and went through two android phones in a matter of a year or two. I decided to spend the extra money on an iPhone. I wasn’t able to get an android to last me much past lunch, battery-wise. I bought an iPhone 11pro and noticed the difference straight away. First of all, the bloatware on android is ah-bsurd. Yeah, iPhone feels more like a walled garden, because it kinda is. But who am I kidding? I wasn’t jailbreaking and rooting my phone or whatever. I’m not super tech savvy. I’m also not a big phone user. My screen time sits around 1hr these days.
And my now much older iPhone has not given me any of the problems I was having with the many android phones I went through. I don’t have to think about how poorly my phone is working. I don’t have to worry about the annoying problems I had with my androids. It’s maintained its battery capacity from like three years ago, when I bought it used. From my perspective, when I’m forced into buying another one, what, three, four more years from now? (barring some accident) I’ll probably stick with my second-ever used iPhone. Because then I don’t have to worry about it again for another five+ years.
I was refusing to get an iPhone because it was basically the juggernaut. But it’s not like Samsung/android is some scrappy underdog protecting my privacy. They’re another massive, shitty corpo. I just don’t see much difference in ethics using one over the other. Or privacy. If I’m not sticking it to some shitty corp, sacrificing my convenience for my moral compass, why sacrifice usability
I don't really care about phones and my parents give me their old iPhones for free.
My family uses iPhones, and my wife and I got a deal on two when we signed onto Verizon after we got married and our parents booted us from the family plans. I’ll probably switch back to Android, to a Fairphone, when my iPhone goes kaput
Switched from Android to iPhone.
Everything just works in the Apple ecosystem. Android has an app for everything but none of them work well. They always require some sort of configurations, etc, etc. what really set me over was consistently missing calls because my phone just didn’t receive them.
Seriously, nothing in the Android ecosystem works well together. It all just sucks.
Size. As long as my iPhone mini is working, I’ll keep it. My next phone will probably be a Fairphone though. Gotta deal with the vendor lock in somehow, but maybe my mini will survive long enough for the EU efforts to have shown some results? One can dream.
I think there is a core reason for everyone. Strong reliable basics.
I want to FOSS everything and I moved to a Samsung phone as a start but even basic things such as weather app are not good. There is a weather widget for Samsung but no stand alone app for some reason.
Other things like apple notes, I don't even know which cloud based note taking app can replace that, Obsidian is a hassle to sync, OneDrive is slow as hell, Google keep is pretty much the only viable alternative.
Then I have to look for a to-do list app again same problems, I don't want a subscription and Microsoft To-do is literally the only option with online sync that I could find.
Now there are things like Apple's Journal app, like.. there is pretty much nothing that is both free and reliable. I am even open to one time purchase options but I feel everything is a free tier with subscription options.
Apple literally does one thing, strong reliable basics. Their notes app is simple as hell, but it works reliably and I know it is not randomly going to disappear/get dropped in 2 years.
I’ve used android at various times. Most recently around 3 years ago. I probably won’t switch back unless there is some really compelling hardware I just can’t resist.
Some reasons I prefer iPhone is that iMessage was just a better experience for messaging than SMS and the fragmented support that RCS had back when I was an android user.
iOS is also consistent experience across devices rather than having a different flavor with different launchers and bloat per manufacturer. Android is nice in that you can extend your experience by sideloading apps but eventually the more you add, the more chances you have of them randomly crashing and detracting from the experience
Finally I am locked in to the hardware ecosystem, android/Google do have their own alternatives to this but they aren’t as nice as apple’s. AirPods just work. AppleTV doesn’t have ads unlike google tv. Your iCloud files, photos, messages etc. just sync to your Mac without thinking.
If I did get a new android device I’d probably be a pixel but I just don’t trust google. And I don’t trust them to support a device or service and keep it out of the killedbygoogle graveyard
Safety. I like the locked down ecosystem.
I do try it from time to time. My last try was with a Pixel 7 and although I loved Material You on it, my main issue was that the quality of apps wasn’t great and most just didn’t feel nice to use (even Google’s own apps feel better to use on iOS).
Didn’t help that the Pixel 7 was way too big and I couldn’t get used to that either, among a few other problems.
Spent a fortune on apps that are also accessible to my family who also have iPhones, and this gives me good parental controls. Switching would be a massive ball ache for not much reward if any.
The fact that I’m fine with iOS? I actually like the “closed” ecosystem; I’m glad we can now have different browsers (instead of using the WebKit engine) and the only think I feel is lacking, right now, is the possibility to open local HTML files.
I use a phone just to chat, a bit of instagram, sometime writing and browsing internet, nothing too fancy… why would I want to mess that up?
Basically it’s habit. I’ve been on the iPhone since the “3G” (2008), which also has brought me to many other Apple products.
I actually switched from Android to iPhone maybe a year and a half ago, after I got an iPad to take notes on for university and really enjoyed using it.
- I hate Google
- I mostly like how iOS works
- I mostly don’t like how Android works, it has a lot of rough edges and jank (imo, partially resulting from stock apps sucking or just not being there at all but there not being enough low level access for third party apps to provide a well integrated replacement)
- Shortcuts/Automation is amazing
- Builtin Calendar/Contacts/Reminders apps are amazing and especially lets me connect to my DAV server without any hassle
- Nobody has built anything that comes close to Apple’s cross-device interactions (but I guess that’s also Apple’s and Google’s fault for locking the systems down)
- A consistent look and feel across the system is very important to me and iOS apps seem to care more about that. Even Google’s own apps used different visual styles sometimes last I used it
- The hardware and OS looks nice without being overly flashy, it just hits that sweet spot of “pleasant design”
- If I want to develop apps I really don’t want to touch anything related to Java
I originally switched because there was still a small flagship iPhone. However I stayed because it works just fine and iMessage worked better than SMS for whatever that time period was before people moved to other messaging apps.
Now I use an Android phone for work and don’t really see enough advantage for me to switch.
My job.
Because I'm already using an Android phone.
Used to have android phones but iphone just works better for me and I do like the ecosystem. Yes its a walled garden but it works pretty damn well and reliably.
