I recently made a video titled “why iOS is better than Android” and I was really
happy with your guys’ response.
I honestly expected a lot of backlash and hate and a really ugly comment section, but
that wasn't the case at all, and I really do appreciate that.
Now at the beginning of that video I told you guys I would eventually create a followup
video for Android fans and I’m happy to be delivering on that promise today, despite
some healthy skepticism from the comment section.
So in this video we’re going to explore the strengths Android and find out what makes
it better than iOS.
This is Greg with Apple Explained, and I want to thank IMStick for sponsoring this video.
If you want to help decide which video topics I cover, make sure you’re subscribed, and
voting polls like this one will show up in your mobile activity feed.
Alright so I think the biggest advantage Android has over iOS, and the reason why people choose
the platform, can be boiled down to one word: freedom.
And that sense of having limitless options and freedom of choice is clear from the very
beginning.
When shopping for an Android device, customers have literally thousands of products to choose
from.
And that allows each person to decide for themselves which hardware features are most
important.
Whether you want an SD card slot for expandable storage, a headphone jack to charge and listen
to music at the same time, a finger print reader, no display notch, a larger battery,
almost everyone Android customer can find a device with just the right combination of
hardware features that best suits their own needs.
Compare that to shopping for an iOS device.
Where you have just four choices of smartphones.
Leaving customers to live with the dramatic choices Apple tends to make with their hardware,
like removing the headphone jack before many people wanted, using a proprietary connector,
or being the last company to include more storage space on their base model smartphone.
But the freedom Android users enjoy goes much further than hardware.
In fact, the Android operating system itself is open-source.
That means developers have the freedom to do things like use third-party tools for app
development, which allows for unique features and functionality that isn’t allowed on
closed-source platforms like iOS.
Now when it comes to the operating system, Android users love its customizability.
And one of the most common things to customize is the launcher, or what iOS users call the
home screen.
Whether you want a grid-less launcher with a focus on widgets, a quick launcher with
a focus on gesture controls, or a more productive launcher with an emphasis on enterprise integration,
there is a suitable custom launcher out there for you.
But there’s even more you can change about Android, like the appearance of your icons,
the keyboard, the lock screen, and even setting default apps.
And that’s a level of customization most iOS users could never even imagine.
I mean, it was a big deal when iOS began allowing custom wallpapers in 2010.
Something users had been waiting on for three years.
And that’s a very common trend with Apple.
They’re typically very conservative when it comes to customization or more advanced
features, since they don’t want to overwhelm or confuse users who may not be familiar with
the technology.
For example, the iPhone didn’t have cut, copy, and paste until iOS 3, introduced two
years after the original iPhone.
Which many Android users at the time found to be quite amusing, since they’d had the
feature since day one.
And that has only continued throughout the history of iOS, and it’s the reason why
jailbreaking iPhones became so popular.
Android was receiving features like grouped notifications, settings shortcuts, multitasking,
quick replies, widgets, and many many more features that took Apple years to implement
in iOS.
So users took matters into their own hands by jailbreaking their iPhones which removed
Apple’s restrictions and allowed unauthorized software to be installed on the device.
That way, iOS users could enjoy many of the advanced features Android already had.
Now something that iPhone and Android devices have in common is their growing size.
Smartphones today are larger than ever before, and this has likely caused issues when trying
to hold or position your device.
That’s why many accessories like the IMStick have become popular.
It not only works with Android devices and iPhones, but it offers more versatility than
other smartphone holder due to these posable arms.
I use it to prop up my phone when watching videos, I attach it to my shower rack to listen
to podcasts, and I can stick it right on my fridge to easily follow recipes.
But its potential use cases are endless.
ImStick even features a port that allows my phone to be mounted to a tripod.
And what’s really cool is that it magnetically attaches to your phone, instead of using an
adhesive.
That way, I can reposition it to my liking depending on the situation or remove it altogether.
Just be sure not to place the metal plate over the wireless charging coil or NFC chip
in your phone since it can cause interference.
That’s why I applied it to the case and simply remove my phone at night for wireless
charging.
So if you want this kind of versatility and capability with your smartphone, whether it’s
running Android or iOS, check out IMStick by using the link in the description.
L Now over the years, Apple has took many of
the most popular tweaks from the jailbreak community and implemented them into iOS.
Like the ability to install third party keyboards or track battery health, which has led to
jailbreaking becoming much less popular than in the past.
But it’s worth pointing out how long it has taken Apple to bring these features to
iOS.
For example, they recently introduced iOS 14, which finally gives users the ability
to set default apps, a capability Android has had for over a decade.
But it actually gets even more ridiculous than that.
Because even though Apple is allowing third-party default apps, they’re limiting it to mail
and browser.
Instead of implementing it across the entire operating system to include other apps like
maps and music.
And that’s something Android users really disdain.
They don’t like the feeling of being shackled to one company, who decides what they can
and cant do with their own hardware and software.
In their opinion, they should have the power to decide what their own smartphone does,
rather than leaving those important decisions to a faceless corporation who doesn’t understand
their unique needs.
And that’s why Android users typically have a variety of devices from a variety of companies.
Maybe they’ll have a Samsung smartphone, a Dell notebook, and an Apple tablet.
Because for them, that setup is the most suitable for their circumstances.
Another benefit of Android being completely open, is that users have total access to the
operating system’s source code.
This allows for something called rooting, which is usually compared to jailbreaking
on an iPhone, but actually gives Android users much deeper access to the operating system.
Rooting can actually help overcome some of the shortcomings of Android, like receiving
updates much faster, removing manufacturer’s bulky software skins, deleting carrier bloatware,
and optimizing the battery life of your device.
The last advantage of Android devices are their price.
It’s much easier to find a low cost Android smartphone than a low cost iPhone.
That’s a big reason why Apple released the $400 iPhone SE earlier this year, which Tim
Cook said he hopes will attract more Android users to iOS.
And while that’ll likely work to some degree, many Android users simply view iOS as too
restrictive, and would still refuse to switch to the platform even if iPhones did become
cheaper than Android phones.
So I’m going to close with what I said in my previous iOS video: I truly believe both
platforms have their own strengths and weaknesses.
And the decision regarding which one is best for you, is your decision to make.
Alright guys thanks for watching until the end, if you enjoyed my take on Android please
leave a like, don’t forget to subscribe to help me decide what topics I should cover,
and I’ll see you in the next video.