Not in many ways, and certainly not in enough for me to stick with Android over iOS, but here are a few things I do think.
If you’re slightly lost, I’ve written on Android v iOS after moving to a G4, my move back to iOS, and why I left. The other posts in this series are:
It’s been a couple weeks that I’ve been back on iOS. It’s an adjustment, partially because it’s iOS7, and partially that things work differently. I made a few notes of the places where I find myself wishing that iOS had adopted a few things from Android.
Keyboard
The number one complaint I’ve had with iOS is the keyboard. Actually, I bet my wife would consider iOS again if the keyboard was replaceable. The iOS keyboard isn’t a great format, it isn’t customizable, and there’s no Swype. I could forgive the former, but the latter is handy, especially when you’re working one-handed, which I often am. I’m not sure if Apple will get Swype/SwiftKey/etc ever, but that ought to be a priority.
I will say that as I’ve moved to Chrome on iOS, I do appreciate the app showing the “:”, “.”, “-”, “.com” buttons above the keyboard. I wish that more apps might consider adding the “@” and “#” buttons to their keyboards. I use those often.
Update: I noticed the Echofon Twitter app does this.
Back
The back button, which was annoying and inconsistent at times in Android, was still useful. Often I find that I need to change a setting, or I click a link over to some other app and want to return to the previous application.
For example, I hit maps, enter an address, and it tells me I don’t have Location Services on (because that kills my battery). I click settings to turn on LS, and then I need to double click home and pick the previous application. I find myself looking for a back button. The same thing occurs if an email opens a browser link.
As much as the soft back button was a pain in Android, not having one is slightly a pain in iOS. Not a huge one, but it feels like an ommission.
GPS
I don’t use the GPS or Location Services often, mostly because it seems that iOS 7 has a battery drain issue with this. I have to say that having the ability in Android to turn this on/off from the notification window was really, really handy. While I have wi-fi, bluetooth, etc. in iOS, I don’t have GPS.
Android wins here.
Screen
I had a new Android, the Galaxy S4. The screen was amazing, and large. After a day with the S4, I thought the device was big. After a month, I never noticed it. In fact, when I looked at other phones, their screens were small. Going back to the iPhone 4S I was surprised, and still am, by how small the screen is. I’ve looked at a few other old phones I have and the iPhone has a larger screen, but after having the S4, I miss the larger screen. If the iPhone 6 does a wider screen, even if it’s the same height as the 5 series, I’ll upgrade ASAP. I would like a larger screen.
There are so many Android choices here with my kids having LG and HTC devices, that I feel a little left behind. Even my daughter’s 8X with WP8 is larger and nicer.
I know this isn’t an Android OS thing, but the choice and variety of the platform make it a reason I like Android more.
Networking
I don’t know if this is an iPhone issue, an iOS7 issue, or Android is better, but networking seems flakier. Both wi-fi and cellular find some gaps/pauses in how the device works. Coverage was better on Android for me, but that was newer hardware and the cellular radios are always improving. It isn’t horrible, but a few times a week it’s noticeable. I wish I hadn’t upgraded from iOS 6 to 7 as I’d like to know what the issue here is.
That’s It
I haven’t anything else that stands out. I wrote about a few of the reasons I switched and they’re still valid. Music is world class (including iTunes), the camera just works quicker and better. App quality is better overall, and I don’t have crashes. The lock screen runs fast, and I can search the phone instantly.
I have learned in iOS 7 I need to kill some apps at times, and that means the Task Manager and booting a few to protect my battery life at times, but I had to do that on Android.
Overall, I’m glad I switched back, though I do wish I had newer/faster/larger hardware running the OS.
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