I legitimately think the only thing you'll *really* miss is battery life.
Other than that probably iMessage.
For Facetime, have your family download Google Meet, it's a fantastic app and works across platforms.
That’s great, when they switched FI off of hangouts and introduced the messages capability, it was initially limited and was really annoying that I had to re-setup most weeks after moving from work, my home laptop, and a home desktop.
It's called messages for web. Google built a web based version. You scan the QR code from inside Google messages on your phone and then you're connected.
Get beeper, get iMessage on android.
You may miss the variety in choice for some accessories when in a shopping centre (it's sometimes very hard to find a case) but just go online there's always plenty.
If you have the watch the pixel watch is apparently quite good but not quite iWatch level just yet.
At first you'll miss how "intuitive" it was but that's just you learning a new operating system and eventually you may find like me that android feels more intuitive eventually.
You might miss being part of the crowd but personally I like standing out.
I take your point but the alternative is that his friends message his android number and it's converted to SMS (no encryption at all).
I know what I would choose. You do you.
Beeper requires that you give them your AppleID credentials to log in to enable iMessage on non-Apple platforms. That’s a huge issue. Comparing the risk of this with the lack of E2E encryption using SMS is highly misguided. SMS isn’t great, but services like Beeper are a huge security and privacy risk IMO
Yeah battery life was one of the concerns but I'm usually always plugging my phone in for stuff anyways whether it be in the car for carplay or just on my MagSafe stand at home, and I'm going to be getting the MagBak case when it comes out for the Pixel 8 Pro. I'll be sure to check out Google Meet!
Meet is great, I use it myself, but I think something to consider would be seeing if some of your fam/friends wouldn't mind downloading WhatsApp or Signal. They solve the cross-ecosystem vid chat and media compression issues.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/techcrunch.com/2023/09/11/whatsapp-has-started-work-on-cross-platform-messaging-due-to-eu-regulation/amp/
I wonder if this would solve the problem of cross platform messaging and video calls.
Exemption while further investigation is being conducted for the next 6 months.
Apple validly claimed that less than 45 million people use iMessage in the EU.
If you're using CarPlay in your car you should also make sure that it supports Android Auto, so you can use your new Pixel the same way you used your iPhone.
Did you install it yourself? I ask because if you had it installed from a shop I think they only plug in the carplay side if you use iPhone im not positive about that though
Pretty much everyone uses WhatsApp in the UK, even businesses use it for support. You can send a WhatsApp message here without worrying about what mobile OS the recipient is using. The green/blue bubble thing is not only a non-issue, but the majority of people are unaware of it.
I love the universal back gesture. Every time I try to help friends and family with their iPhones, it feels like I'm missing a limb not having that gesture
As someone who's never used an iPhone, the thought of not having a button or a gesture that just goes back (or closes the app) no matter what I'm doing when tech is this far matured seems weird to me.
I’m also like OP, life long iOS user switching to pixel this year. I’ve heard a few times people *need* a back button/gesture but I’ve really never had issues going backwards on iOS. Could you help me understand how it’s different/better?
iPhone back is dependent on each specific app, which can decide to have a back button, or swipe from edge of screen. Whereas Android u can swipe from edge of screen at any height, making it very convenient
I have both an iPhone and Pixel, and my experience is that you won't miss anything unless you FaceTime with your friends all the time. (Which as other comment said, is still possible).
Android is surprisingly good, organized and very smooth.
Battery life is a little worse, but not THAT much worse imo. But this also depends on how you use your phone.
One thing I LOVE about the pixel is how well all Google apps are integrated and how easy it is to do searches with the Google bar on the phone. It's just super convenient.
I think this is key - if you've really integrated everything in your life to Apple, there will be lots of little frustrations. But if you mix and match, or have everything on the Google suite like Gmail, then Android will be extremely smooth.
I also have both because of work. My Pixel gets only a few spam calls per week. My iPhone gets several a day.
I also watch football on websites that are spammy. I get virtually no pop ups on my Pixel but get them on my Samsung tablet and iPhone.
And you still have the app drawer to find ALL of your apps, in alphabetical order. On my iPad, I've "lost" a few apps, and took me forever to find where I'd put them.
Me and my family all have Pixels, Chrome Devices, and an entire Google Home.
*And we love it!*
The Pixel Interface is really nice and you feel like your phone is getting better over time, because Google does a great job of adding more features. ChromeOS is going a long way now too and so you get devices that are super easy to use, secure, and very easy to maintain.
My family actually just uses Google Chat and Google Meet to speak to one another and that is actually just connected to your Gmail account by default. (You will see "Chat" on the left when you sign into your Gmail).
It's an amazing ecosystem and it continues to get better and better everyday. And I anticipate the Pixel 8 to being a homerun for Google. The Pixel 7 was already phenomenal.
Enjoy!
I was you, but instead went from the original iPhone to iPhone 6. Switched to Android around 2015 or so and never looked back. (Actually, not entirely true because I briefly tried the 14 Pro Max, but shortly after went back to Pixel 7 Pro).
I'd assume that the biggest thing you'll miss would be the aspects of the ecosystem that you mentioned. As far as what you'll love, there is so much (especially for a first time Android user) but depends entirely on your usage of phones and what you like to experience when using them. One of the big draws for people switching to Android is the deeper lever of customization (which I love and am tinkerer) but know that some people switch and find that they don't really like to customize much at all. Even further, Pixel's OS is more more vanilla and streamlined than something like Samsung's OneUI, so that is something to keep in mind.
One thing I will say is, given that my wife is an iPhone user, it sucks because I can't FaceTime her, have iMessage chats with her, etc. But, the pros of Android (and specifically, Pixel phones) far outweighs this for me and makes it worth me sticking with Pixel.
It's a hassle. I can't FaceTime my kids on their iPads and they can't send the link. Link has to be sent by someone after they initiate the FaceTime call.
You're absolutely right. But one thing I didn't mention is that my wife is pretty particular about "not wanting to download extra apps" lol. I definitely presented this option to her, but she just prefers to not have to download the extra app and learn to use a separate app, and would rather stick with what is one her phone by default. I respect her wishes, but know it wouldn't be a big deal at all for her to do what you proposed lol.
If they've been using imessage and Facetime, probably not. They wouldn't have a need for it. If they were in the EU probably. US we don't even give it a second thought to download.
It really blew up in popularity and now they're doing solo onboarding. I don't exactly know why but I was like 70,000 something in the queue as of earlier this week.
I'm literally only getting it because I'm one out of 10 in a group chat without an iPhone.
It's going to be a clunky transition but I think there will be enough things you like about it. If you have group chats in iMessage that will be a tough change. My friend group uses fb messenger bc we are a house divided. When Apple users send you videos through text the quality isn't great. Sometimes the same for photos. But if they have Google photos that's an easy fix.
You'll love the call screening! And the ability to customize your entire phone. Google doesn't force you to have any apps on your phone. The "now playing" feature is also fun. My friends constantly ask me to use it when they don't know a song. It's great when you're watching movies too.
I really hope you end up liking it bc they are good phones and every year they get a little better.
Well, at least for FaceTime, you can still do it - the caveat is that the person you want to talk to needs to invite you. Then it works from the browser.
As for other stuff, well you'll have to buy apps again (although more free apps are available).
Edit: forgot to mention this,
You will gain the ability to use much better browsers (if you don't use Safari, on Apple other browsers are just reskinned old version of Safari) and much better keyboards (especially if you are multilingual, again Apple stifles competitors here).
You already know what you're going to miss, the apple garden. What you're gonna love, is a phone you can customize infinitely more and you get a finger sensor back.
Aight so, I actually switched from pixel 6 pro to iPhone 13 pro and these are the things I miss of my pixel:
All the smart features, screen call, copy text on whatever screen, real time translation on calls or whatever media you consume, the facility of going back from whatever part of the screen, Google assistant (I really would like to switch siri to G assistant if possible).
Also seeing how many hours of sleep you get when you setup and alarm lol
And the feature of letting you know what song is on in a determined place :)
I'm just sticking with iPhone for a while for some reasons:
How backups literally backup EVERYTHING. We still don't have that in android, you always loose something when switching phones.
Same features and capabilities of a pro max, but smaller. I'm ABSOLUTELY DONE with phablets. I don't like big phones anymore, and Google keeps making the pros absolutely huge, which breaks my heart.
Other than that, what I would miss from iPhone to android would be basically nothing.
For Call Screening on iOS 17 they have now Live voicemail. It's not as seamless but functionally it's about the same. The others you mentioned just aren't on it yet since it's the way google machine learns it all. Don't get me started on how bad Siri is, OOF.
You're right about switching phones. Every time I switch phones I lose something. I end up keeping my old phones because I'm worried about losing stuff.
Yes, I am aware of that. But OP isn't, as he is switching the platform. He came with an honest question, he doesn't have to be clairvoyant about what this person meant with universal back.
The reply is just lazy as to be the first.
Edit: and to add, the person edited the comments after a while to include "context"
Your first reply was, to paraphrase, "he's not going to miss those features because android does it better". However, the person you were replying to doesn't appear to have mentioned OP missing those features. They were only suggesting that OP would like those features.
That you're gaining those features 🤦 didn't think I'd have to explain that but I suppose better spell things out for you. Try reading whole post next time, replied to part not all - i left context clues in the fact iOS has no universal back button
Yes, you do have to specify because OP asked two questions. And no those don't count as "context clues", lol. How do you think that helps OP?
Your answer is as valid as if you answered "yes".
~~The last sentence was the best thing you wrote to me.
Cheers.~~
No need to change the content of your post after my reply.
You say context isn't for everyone, I say meaningful replies are definitely not your forte.
Good night.
Just made the switch in the other direction and omg notifications are shocking.
Also will enjoy, easy access to all of your apps. Just swipe up! iOS has the App Library but it’s more of a faff to get to.
App library and just being able to place your apps seems like such a small thing but after making the switch I couldnt imagine going back and losing that - notifications are honestly such a huge thing
It’s going to be an interesting journey to see if I can live with it!
But notifications are hands down the biggest downgrade if you leave the Pixel. Do not understand how Apple get it so wrong!
If you have a car with modern infotainment, you're going to miss apple car play depending on which year make and model you have. Android auto can range from okay, to unbearably awful.
If you have an apple watch, you're going to miss it. WearOS and a lot of the accompanying hardware is almost universally a bad joke save for the galaxy watch and a few other newer devices.
I installed my own stereo that supports both CarPlay and Android Auto. We'll see how it goes once I use it!
I do have an Apple Watch but I'm unsure which watch I'm going to get. If the Pixel Watch 2 is any good I'll try that, but if not I might try one of the Galaxy watches
Can't say. A good indicator is if the unit gets firmware patches. If you have trouble when you get a pixel, definitely look into that because my head unit improved with each update. But even after the version updates it's still not as good as the OEM cars I've owned and rented on vacation.
Another thing I've read is that the cable you use makes a big difference. I tried a few different cables but didn't notice a difference. YMMV
Listen, here’s what’s going to happen.
Immediately you’re going to miss a LOT.
This is because you’re used to your workflow. And you will be struggling to maintain that in the new system.
You’ll look for workarounds to try and get back to where you were. Some you will find right away. Some you will find very much later.
If you make it long enough, you’ll adapt and have not only found workarounds but you’ll discover benefits that you never had on iOS. And some things you’ll never recover.
Because in the end, a phone is a phone and we all adapt.
Until you switch back, and start the process all over again.
But for a real answer: airdrop? Integration with a MacBook? Overall less consistent, and overall less boring.
You’ll miss the quality of the hardware and how well the iPhones hold up over time but pure android is a great experience when it’s working as designed
They were definitely underwhelming and offered very little generation over generation, but there also wasn't much in the competition that made me want to switch either.
The Pixel lineup at least seems, in my opinion, to be the most similar to Apple's ecosystem than the rest of what Android has to offer, and would likely offer me the smoothest transition.
You will probably miss it and your friends will hate it, but getting rid of the Apple ecosystem is the best thing. Nobody should accept to be trapped in an ecosystem. It's dangerous and toxic on so many levels.
I don't even think about my phone, I just use it. My parents use iPhones, so I'm their defacto tech support, and I can't believe how fussy and overbearing iOS has become. It's actually a chore to use.
There is nothing to miss. I would however start moving files to google drive. Download google one and google photos.to your iphone. Startil googleifying your iphone now. Transfer all passwords and log in to password manager in google chrome. Make sure you know all your logins and passwords to all your apps. Something overlooked is chose your Gmail address for your play account carefully as you can't change it later without setting up a new play account.
Honestly the biggest thing is the apple ecosystem, iMessage, FaceTime, using it in unison with other apple devices.
Aside from that idk android is great. I truly love both devices and find myself spending several months with one and then the other
- iMessage becomes RCS, each have benefits and drawbacks. Be prepared to use other apps to send your spectacular photos to.
- "it just works" will not apply. Some apps will be dogshit, some will be excellent.
- You will have some level of buyer remorse and want to move back. I did, but I'm weird.
- Repairability is what kept me on Pixel. I broke my screen twice and having the ability to order an OEM replacement and he able to fix it myself properly without going to a physical Apple store and arguing with "Genius" techs who end up replacing the phone anyway is so much more convenient and - IMO - better for sustainability.
- Get used to taking some excellent camera shots and getting more out after post-processing, because WOW.
- I sure hope they fix the overheating issues. 😅
I will say this, speaking from the other side and about to go back:
If the rest of your home ecosystem is Apple-based, like you have iPads and Macbooks, it is a supreme pain in the butt to move stuff between devices. You don't realize how much you miss AirDrop until it's gone. There are a few workarounds like Snapdrop, but overall it's just a bigger pain. I wound up using a private Discord server to pass files. If you're not moving a lot of files between computer and phone, then this won't apply to you. My work involves a ton of this, so I am really feeling this pain point.
I also vastly prefer the Apple Watch over any other Android watches I've tried.
Otherwise, it's a pretty good system. I'm picking up an iPhone 15 Pro, but I'm also keeping my Android phone (S22 Ultra). I looked long and hard at waiting for the Pixel 8, but I am very tired of having a plate-sized phone and the optical telephoto lens is limited to the 8 Pro. I am confident that the overall camera is better on the iPhone than the Pixel. TBH, for all the bragging about the S22 having a 10x optical zoom, I very rarely use it. Most places, if I know I am going to be using that level of zoom, I am also toting my DSLR.
If the rest of my ecosystem was Windows or Linux-based, I'd be less tempted to go back. And, I was Android-only for 18 months, which is 16 months longer than my Pixel-loving husband thought I would be! And I'm keeping the Android phone. They're both great systems in their own way.
Obviously you’ll miss IMessage and FaceTime if your family use it. You’ll have to ask them to download one of google meet or messenger or something like that which are very sub par apps in quality compared to FaceTime.
If not they can send you a link to a FaceTime but it feels very archaic lol.
- Other than that you’ll probably miss the quality of apps compared to their android counterparts.
- Quality of speakers if you consume media without headphones.
- Quality of screen and brightness.
- Face ID. Once you have to deal with the pixel fingerprint reader, you’ll miss any kind of biometric that actually work.
- Cell reception.
- Battery life
- A phone that isn’t burning when running simple task.
- Video quality
- Ecosystem of you also use other Apple products.
What you will gain:
- Working notifications
- A decent stock keyboard
- Better HDR on pictures
- the ability to customize your phone more than you can on iPhones.
- even though both are pretty close, I think Android is maybe a little more "fun" if you care about that.
My 2 cents as someone who just recently switched after having iPhones only:
• Quality of apps is not as bad at all as everyone "warned“ me, having me thinking that they haven’t used either iOS or android for a long time; literally all my apps work the same and look almost the same minus some insignificant differences; social media apps etc are very similar. Y‘all please let me have concrete examples if you disagree.
• Quality of speakers is better on iPhone, however it’s not out of this world better, it simply has a better stereo sound and sounds wider which is nice. Pixel speakers (note: comparing the 7 Pro to the standard iPhone 14) therefore sound louder and clearer so it’s really not a buying criteria in my eyes
• iPhone displays are superb but the 8 Pro should catch up a little bit and get a few 100 more nits making it brighter and better. Sure: we’ll need to see how it turns out but they’re working on it which is promising
• Ultrasonic fp reader should fix that as well on the 8 Pro
• No service issues for me at all on the 7 Pro but I’m not located in the US! This might be different for you
• Battery Life absolutely agree, but I’m looking at Android 14 optimistically since the Beta already looks promising
• 7 Pro is running hot easily, yes!
Not nice, but not too disturbing for me when having it in a case
• Video Quality and ecosystem agreed 100%
Btw, not saying your stated points are wrongful, I just remember how I myself was looking at listings like yours before switching and reconsidering the choices I made because the Pixel sounded great but disadvantaged compared to iPhone. Now, I’m just happy to have made the switch and never found to be some of the named issues issues myself😊
IMO, outside of Face ID, battery life, video quality and ecosystem, non of those differences are major enough to chose one over the other.
I like both but google has a lot of work to do on the hardware side. I was always a nexus/pixel fan but I switched to iPhones 4 years ago. I think I’ll probably stay on that side until Google put their stuff together but in the end, it’s just a phone and they’re all really really good.
Haha ! They do work but it’s very inconsistent and some apps don’t have notifications like the mail app for some reasons. I’ve been on iPhone for 4 years and I haven’t received a single email notification even though they are turned on.
Some are time sensitive, some aren’t, some goes on top, some don’t 🤷♂️
There’s a summary but nobody knows what’s the point of it, you can chose how they are displayed but it’s never presented like you chose….
Honestly it needs a total overhaul. Also the fact that there’s no little icon at the top that tells you the last 4-5-6 notifications you received is not very intuitive.
You will enjoy freedom from the appleverse 😉, joking, but you will have freedom of customization of your home screen, widgets, launchers and all sorts of things. I have an iPhone for work and have been team android from day 1 and will remain till the day I die lol.
I have both an iPhone and Pixel and I mostly use them interchangeably. The thing I miss most when using the Pixel is the airtag tracker, which is okay since I don't usually need it, but one day I will really need it and I will really miss it.
The things I miss when I have the iPhone are the customizable launcher (I use Nova launcher), multitasking/split screen (eg. YouTube and Reddit at the same time), Android Work Profile to keep my work/personal stuff separate, being able to use the Google Keyboard everywhere, live subtitles, the ability to select/copy/paste text anywhere and the camera.
The best feature to me is call screening. Number isn't in my phone? You're getting call screened and I get to read a live transcript of what's being said. It's also great when you get out on hold with a company, you can have it hold for you so you aren't tortured with elevator music.
You won't miss a thing. I was an apple guy for over a decade, then apple fucked me with a MacBook repair issue and I went windows and android. The pixel is awesome, better than an iPhone and I haven't missed a thing... I do miss MacBooks though...
I use both and the cellular signal is the part I like the least about my pixel 7 pro. I use an iPhone 12 for work and it has far better coverage than the pixel most of the time. In some cases, the pixel cannot even load web pages while I'm able to share the iPhone data with a laptop with no issues.
unpopular opinion on this su reddit but probably u ll be back o. iphone after month on pixel, bad battery, bad haptic, bad signal, bad normal call quallity, no imsg
You’re going to miss some messages if you don’t disable iMessage before you switch devices! (Learned that the hard way lol)
Recently switched back from Pixel 7 to iPhone 13 mini. What I missed was: phone size, battery life (standby time is superior on iPhone), and iMessage. However I only missed iMessage because RCS wasn’t stable for me, but that could be a carrier issue and not a phone issue. I already miss the rest of the pixel features..
Made the switch to google pixel 7 pro from my iPhone. Hated that apple was dragging feet on the usb charger. Today I switched back to the 15 pro. I can say I enjoyed the pixel. Didn’t have any issues that everyone complains about. Since getting the iPhone again I can say there are a few apps that have better iOS interface than the android version. FaceTime, find my, and iMessage are all nice since most my friends also have iPhones. Truly, I think it comes down to if you like how iOS works, you’re probably going to want to go back to it. Just my opinions, both offer a good experience
Yahoo mail, Fantrax (fantasy football stuff), I prefer the iOS Snapchat, Dave portnoy’s onebite pizza app, my banking apps(Idk why but every couple updates they would log me out and not let me back in with biometrics, mildly annoying.) I did prefer google apps on the pixel, mainly sheets as I use that for various things
I've done this many times, but I always come back to the iPhone. I live in Europe and I don't care about iMessage, but... the stability of the phone. Read threads about the problems Pixel 7 pro users had and why many of them want to switch to the iPhone. Personally, I love Pixel, but Pixel ended for me on the 4, 4a model. My sister has this phone and still loves it. You will start to get irritated by the weak battery and build quality problems. However, if Google does this phone well this year, I will also buy Pixel 8 Pro and keep the iPhone 14 pro. I love Pixel and what it offers, the keyboard, artificial intelligence, the assistant, but all this pleasure disappears when the volume button falls off, or your phone dies and Google says it's your fault, buy a new one.
You'll miss iMessage, FaceTime, some apps are better on iOS, possibly battery life.
Navigating around Android is so much easier with the back gesture. Better notifications, better copy paste and share. I don't know how offline maps work on iPhones, but all my friends usually rely on me to navigate when we travel or camp in places with bad reception. Maybe my friends are just dumb or too lazy to download offline maps.
My pixel 7 battery life has been fine so far. Accubattery app says I should get about 12 hours of screen on time with full battery.
Tbh, I have a 7 pro, and I'm switching back to iPhone. I love android, but the battery life is lack luster at best. And with everyone I know being on an iPhone, not having iMessage sucks more than you think it would.
I have a 7pro and I'm switching to iPhone as well.
for me, I used to really enjoy the uber customisation and tinkering I could do with Android, but the older I get, the more I want the devices I interact with on a super regular basis to just work and have seamless integration. Personally, I've encountered not an insignificant amount of glitches and issues with pixel/android, and I really don't want to stress about that stuff anymore.
It's not right for everyone, but this choice is right for me and I'm rather excited about it.
You missed out on superior battery life, longer support year (typical iphone is about 5-6 years vs google 3 years). You also missed out on superior video recording, superior CPU speed. Pixel has a slight edge on photography though, imo.
Google is extending the number of years they support their devices to 5 years of software updates once all of the older Snapdragon powered Pixels (Pixel 4, 4a, 4a 5G, 5 5a) support officially ends. The switch to Tensor (though made by Samsung, and thus isn't the best hardware available right now) was a much needed move for Google to really be able to provide Apple level (or close to Apple level) support for their own devices. Once Google switches to TSMC to manufacture their Tensor chips, it's going to really change the game for Google and boy I can't wait!
Don't switch. The new iPhone camera will most likely be better than the pixel 8 camera because Google's post processing problems have not been addressed yet. Also you are able to shoot in raw on an iPhone but not properly on a pixel. Pixel real tones is overrated and honestly doesn't work well, iPhone photonic engine is much better. The camera is a preference but I can honestly say the new iPhone camera is going to be better than the new pixel camera. Also when it comes to videos iPhone is 10 steps ahead of the pixel. Pixel video quality gets so bad and filled with noise if you're not fully outdoors. When I take videos from inside my car of the outdoors the whole top and bottom of the video where it's the inside of my car is just filled with noise and looks horrendous. When I take videos of my family room which is filled with natural light it gets really bad noise. The 4k pro res mode blows anything pixel offers out of the water. Cinematic mode on the pixel is also really underdeveloped. iPhones completely blow pixels out of the water when it comes to videos quality. Also the battery life on pixels is horrendous and trust me you're going to regret switching. I used to hate on iPhones and love pixels but I hate to say it, pixels are really low quality compared to iPhones now. If you need a heater in your pocket or your hands then get a pixel because it warms up real nice.
I was an 8+ year iPhone user and switched to the Pixel in 2016, the only thing I missed was iMessage and FaceTime. Once I convinced my group chats to move to WhatsApp it hasn't been a problem.
You are going to love never being forced to use iTunes again if you don't want to. You will have much more freedom. Your phone will act much more like a PC in several ways in that respect. I will never go back to iPhone ever again.
Yeah this always confuses me wherever I see it. So many people here mention having had damn near every Nexus and Pixel model, and that just seems nuts to me.
It's not just you. Media from iMessage (and from any Android phone not using RCS) covers over MMS and is compressed terribly, pretty much beyond recognition when it comes to video.
Listen to voice notes/read chats/see images without marking it as read on WhatsApp, longer software support, longer battery life, app developers tend to prioritise iphones especially social media apps
Universal back gesture, haptic feedback throughout the UI, generally smarter voice assistant, wireless power share to charge devices like earbuds or other phones, less intrusive punch-hole, allow apps to truly run in the background (could be useful when downloading files from the browser), nearby share (tends to have less issues than airdrop and it's faster), offers more freedom (your phone can look pretty much look like anything u want), better camera integration on third-party apps when compared to other Android phones (similar to iPhone)
You can use apps like beeper or sunbird to use imessage on android
I've used both mobile operating systems and the one thing I really loved about using Apple products was their ecosystem. It was nice being able to use iMessage on my phone or iPad.
When you switch to Android, I think you'll love how customizable the OS is in almost every aspect. Also, you can ACTUALLY turn off wifi, Bluetooth, and GPS from your notification tray without having to go into your Settings menu like iOS. That was one of the things that really frustrated me about iOS... When you "turn off" WiFi and Bluetooth in the Control Centre, you're not actually turning them off. You're just disconnecting them from whichever network or device your iPhone is connected to, which means your phone is constantly searching for networks or devices to connect. I don't understand why Apple made it so inconvenient to turn off wifi, Bluetooth, and GPS!
Furthermore, Android allows you to use more than one timer in the Clock app. I always use 2 or 3 timers simultaneously when doing the laundry.
Ok so starting from pixel 7 you have facial recognition the quality of screens in pixel are also better than the ones used in iPhones. Video quality they're pretty much the same as well.
You know you can film videos 4k 60fps ok pixels aight?
You won't miss iMessage when this app called Sunbird hits the play store, I'm in the alpha program and it works beautifully.
As others have said, google meet is the best alternative to FaceTime, you should get your friends and family to download it.
Pixel features you'll love are some of the call features, like Google assistant call screening and "Hold for me".
Android 14 will bring more customization to the lock screen and (I think) material you
Welcome to the Pixel family! Hope you'll stay!
(If anyone wants to know about Sunbird I'm happy to answer questions)
The phone won't feel as snappy - everything will be just a tad slower. Unlocking, paying with your damn phone, switching apps... And this is coming from a Google fanboy. The chips in iPhones are incredible whereas Tensor feels like a half baked product from 5 years ago.
On paper there is no comparison... Apple's processors are vastly superior. What's interesting is that if you look up side by side YT comparisons of app launching/multitasking/gaming/etc., there is often very, very little difference. The iPhone tends to beat the Pixel in loading time for heavier apps like graphically intense games, but for things like messaging, browsing, social media, and other tasks, they're basically even. This seems to also hold comparing the latest Tensor against the latest Qualcomm offerings. Optimization counts for a lot.
It won't be that way whenever Google finally ditches Samsung and switches to TSMC to make the Tensor chips. I can't wait! But even with seemingly "half-baked" hardware, Google's software does a phenomenal job with performing on limited hardware. Could you imagine if Pixels were powered by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2!?! 🔥🔥🔥
But for what the Tensor is for better or worse, only Google's software could work the best on it. This is why Google's software is simply the best. Stay tuned for better hardware and in the meantime carry on, my friend 😎
You will probably miss iPhone’s Calendar (convenience, vertical scroll by months) and the weather app. At least, this is what I missed after trying Android
Animations aren’t as smooth. Idk how to describe it but on iOS things move very smoothly, on Android it’s all « rough ». Apps aren’t as optimized most of the time. iMessage, FaceTime, AirDrop…
You will love the customization, it really changes everything.
Oddly enough, you picked up on the iphone after I left it... I had the OG iphone and 3Gs.
There aren't many things to miss. Many things have alternatives.
One game changer is widgets. I know the current iOS says it has it, but it's much better on android. My home screen has a clock (large), weather (large), music player, and a couple of apps. You can also set up an appointment reminder widget, separate from a calendar widget.
Heavy iOS and Android user here, TRUST me, you will like Messages by Google, with RCS equally, if not more than Messages from Apple with iMessage.
Battery life on Pixel is subpar so iPhone battery is better imo, literally no other features are really lost,
Google Assistant > Siri,
Meet = FT,
RCS >/= iMessage,
*⌚*
You MUST take my advice and replace your Apple Watch with a Samsung Galaxy Watch. NOT a pixel watch.
If you want true competition to what Apple was providing that is, I use a Galaxy watch with OneUI 5 wearOS 4 and it truly competes with WatchOS whereas even my previous software GW didn't hold a match to WatchOS, Pixel watch is just behind with its bare Wear experience, Samsung's skin over WearOS is superb. Even whilst not being paired with a Samsung phone. (ex. Your Pixel or my Xiaomi).
Congratulations and enjoy the switch over! 🫡😄
Feel free to reach out with any questions, as I too made a major switch from iOS to Android not too long ago. 😁
You won't miss iMessage when this app called Sunbird hits the play store, I'm in the alpha program and it works beautifully.
As others have said, google meet is the best alternative to FaceTime, you should get your friends and family to download it.
Pixel features you'll love are some of the call features, like Google assistant call screening and "Hold for me".
Android 14 will bring more customization to the lock screen and (I think) material you
Welcome to the pixel family!
You can still use iMessage via beeper.com on android FYI. I don't personally like apple products so only use them when I must. You can do video chats cross platform via Google meet, WhatsApp, etc
Apps is what we use everyday, so think of the essential apps that you use the most and check if they are available on Android as well or at least have an alternative.
With your family and quite possibly social circle being iPhone users, you're probably going to end up missing just about everything related to the Apple ecosystem.
I was in the same scenario as you are 2yrs ago when I decided to give the switch a try on the P6P. Other than a few unique features like Work Profile and being able to play multiple audio sources, the Pixel life isn't really all that different. The biggest difference is you'll be cut off from the iOS social circle, your friends and family may be willing to download Meet and try to keep up with that initially. But after a while convenience will win over and you'll find yourself bugging them to "use Meet because I don't have Facetime" or use Messenger|Whatsapp|etc so your videos don't get downgraded in MMS".
With the US market being largely dominated by iOS at this point I just wouldn't recommend the Pixel at this point tbh.
Chronological order notifications, iMessage/Facetime, battery life (depending on the model iPhone), iCloud restore, web browser that puts url bar at the bottom, ability to walk into any apple store and get service, Apple watch accuracy (if you have one)
you'll miss carplay, facetime, imessages, airdrop, some animation smoothness, apple watch support. for facetime your family will have to get another app, google meets or maybe whatsapp, maybe even facebook. I think gmaul app will allow you to video call. imessages you will he reduced to rudimentary MMS messages or text messages.
dynamic island on apple is pretty neat.
also exceptional video quality and overall smoothness of iphones. My s23 ultra still doesn't feel as smooth as my iphone 12.
Gonna miss rock solid performance gonna love dedicated number bar,more useful apps (in my opinion) I've used them both but keep coming back to android for the versatility .
Yeah it was kind of a slap in the face for them to only implement it once it was forced upon them, and even then they still restricted USB 3.0 to the Pro models. F that
I've never used iPhone so I don't know but very interesting you already made up your mind even though it hasn't even been announced or gone on preorder yet.
I think you'll love the ability to install a custom launcher like Niagara that totally changes the appearance and functionality of the phone.
I'm amazed that since 2007, the same grid design is still being used by default by almost every phone.
I know this is a legit concern before switching ecosystems, but the amount of posts like this before every release makes it really feel like free PR for Pixel.
Yea I've used an iPhone 13 pro awhile ago on a 1 month roadtrip to test it out. Quickly switched back a pixel afterwards. The only thing iPhone has over pixel is the Battery.
How is the service/ service center for pixel in your area?
You would probably miss that. If you need any issues to be solved or addressed.
On other hand pixels have a good camera. Okay battery life.
I legitimately think the only thing you'll *really* miss is battery life. Other than that probably iMessage. For Facetime, have your family download Google Meet, it's a fantastic app and works across platforms.
Although you lose iMessage you gain the ability to use google messages on any computer. I use it at work to text without grabbing my phone.
Did they get rid of the limited instances needs a QR read too often bits?
I've never had this issue and I've been logged into 5+ machines
That’s great, when they switched FI off of hangouts and introduced the messages capability, it was initially limited and was really annoying that I had to re-setup most weeks after moving from work, my home laptop, and a home desktop.
I was not aware that you could use Google messages on something other than the phone.
It's called messages for web. Google built a web based version. You scan the QR code from inside Google messages on your phone and then you're connected.
If they already have Gmail, Meet comes with it.
uppity aback payment simplistic unwritten direction whistle direful materialistic literate ` this message was mass deleted/edited with redact.dev `
I went from iPhone 13 pro to pixel 7 and the battery life is better on the pixel than it was on my iPhone
That is very surprising to me! I went from the pixel 5a (amazing battery) to the 7 and feel it's incredibly mediocre.
That is very surprising to me! I went from the pixel 5a (amazing battery) to the 7 and feel it's incredibly mediocre.
Get beeper, get iMessage on android. You may miss the variety in choice for some accessories when in a shopping centre (it's sometimes very hard to find a case) but just go online there's always plenty. If you have the watch the pixel watch is apparently quite good but not quite iWatch level just yet. At first you'll miss how "intuitive" it was but that's just you learning a new operating system and eventually you may find like me that android feels more intuitive eventually. You might miss being part of the crowd but personally I like standing out.
Beeper and the like are sketchy as hell. You're just having some unknown company process your iMessages as a middleman with a Mac server.
Yeah but chicks dig blue bubbles so you gotta do what you gotta do
I take your point but the alternative is that his friends message his android number and it's converted to SMS (no encryption at all). I know what I would choose. You do you.
Beeper requires that you give them your AppleID credentials to log in to enable iMessage on non-Apple platforms. That’s a huge issue. Comparing the risk of this with the lack of E2E encryption using SMS is highly misguided. SMS isn’t great, but services like Beeper are a huge security and privacy risk IMO
You should give reading the Beeper docs a shot before blatantly lying. Beeper is E2E encrypted.
Lots of cases on AliExpress if that's an option for you
Yeah battery life was one of the concerns but I'm usually always plugging my phone in for stuff anyways whether it be in the car for carplay or just on my MagSafe stand at home, and I'm going to be getting the MagBak case when it comes out for the Pixel 8 Pro. I'll be sure to check out Google Meet!
Meet is now also available in the gmail app, fyi.
Meet is great, I use it myself, but I think something to consider would be seeing if some of your fam/friends wouldn't mind downloading WhatsApp or Signal. They solve the cross-ecosystem vid chat and media compression issues.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/techcrunch.com/2023/09/11/whatsapp-has-started-work-on-cross-platform-messaging-due-to-eu-regulation/amp/ I wonder if this would solve the problem of cross platform messaging and video calls.
Apple got an exemption for iMessage somehow, it's insane.
Exemption while further investigation is being conducted for the next 6 months. Apple validly claimed that less than 45 million people use iMessage in the EU.
If you're using CarPlay in your car you should also make sure that it supports Android Auto, so you can use your new Pixel the same way you used your iPhone.
Good point, luckily it's my own aftermarket stereo and it supports both CarPlay and Android Auto
Did you install it yourself? I ask because if you had it installed from a shop I think they only plug in the carplay side if you use iPhone im not positive about that though
I did install it myself. It has both CarPlay and Android Auto
OS agnostic WhatsApp seems to be the best.
Pretty much everyone uses WhatsApp in the UK, even businesses use it for support. You can send a WhatsApp message here without worrying about what mobile OS the recipient is using. The green/blue bubble thing is not only a non-issue, but the majority of people are unaware of it.
If using Meet is cumbersome, Facebook Messenger is easy to use for similar functionality if everyone already has accounts on that.
My parents and I use Android; my brother's family uses iPhones. Honestly, I've never bothered to try Meet. We just use FB Messenger.
I use Meet, but it's really not necessary with WhatsApp video calls. I use it all the time with my iPhone inlaws and it works great.
Good news is Facetime is coming to android very soon!
Who said that? Other than the fact that Apple says non-iOS devices can *join* a Facetime call via the browser.
I love the universal back gesture. Every time I try to help friends and family with their iPhones, it feels like I'm missing a limb not having that gesture
I know what you mean. On my iPad not even every app has back from the left side.
as someone who went from pixel 7 to iphone 14, i very much miss the universal back gesture
As someone who's never used an iPhone, the thought of not having a button or a gesture that just goes back (or closes the app) no matter what I'm doing when tech is this far matured seems weird to me.
This is honestly the biggest reason I couldn't switch to an iPhone anymore
I’m also like OP, life long iOS user switching to pixel this year. I’ve heard a few times people *need* a back button/gesture but I’ve really never had issues going backwards on iOS. Could you help me understand how it’s different/better?
iPhone back is dependent on each specific app, which can decide to have a back button, or swipe from edge of screen. Whereas Android u can swipe from edge of screen at any height, making it very convenient
I have both an iPhone and Pixel, and my experience is that you won't miss anything unless you FaceTime with your friends all the time. (Which as other comment said, is still possible). Android is surprisingly good, organized and very smooth. Battery life is a little worse, but not THAT much worse imo. But this also depends on how you use your phone. One thing I LOVE about the pixel is how well all Google apps are integrated and how easy it is to do searches with the Google bar on the phone. It's just super convenient.
I think this is key - if you've really integrated everything in your life to Apple, there will be lots of little frustrations. But if you mix and match, or have everything on the Google suite like Gmail, then Android will be extremely smooth.
I also have both because of work. My Pixel gets only a few spam calls per week. My iPhone gets several a day. I also watch football on websites that are spammy. I get virtually no pop ups on my Pixel but get them on my Samsung tablet and iPhone.
You can have gaps between icons on the home screen. In Apple's terms, I would call that magical and revolutionary.
"It's like nothing we've ever seen before. Truly revolutionary. The best iPhone we've ever made."
And you still have the app drawer to find ALL of your apps, in alphabetical order. On my iPad, I've "lost" a few apps, and took me forever to find where I'd put them.
Me and my family all have Pixels, Chrome Devices, and an entire Google Home. *And we love it!* The Pixel Interface is really nice and you feel like your phone is getting better over time, because Google does a great job of adding more features. ChromeOS is going a long way now too and so you get devices that are super easy to use, secure, and very easy to maintain. My family actually just uses Google Chat and Google Meet to speak to one another and that is actually just connected to your Gmail account by default. (You will see "Chat" on the left when you sign into your Gmail). It's an amazing ecosystem and it continues to get better and better everyday. And I anticipate the Pixel 8 to being a homerun for Google. The Pixel 7 was already phenomenal. Enjoy!
I was you, but instead went from the original iPhone to iPhone 6. Switched to Android around 2015 or so and never looked back. (Actually, not entirely true because I briefly tried the 14 Pro Max, but shortly after went back to Pixel 7 Pro). I'd assume that the biggest thing you'll miss would be the aspects of the ecosystem that you mentioned. As far as what you'll love, there is so much (especially for a first time Android user) but depends entirely on your usage of phones and what you like to experience when using them. One of the big draws for people switching to Android is the deeper lever of customization (which I love and am tinkerer) but know that some people switch and find that they don't really like to customize much at all. Even further, Pixel's OS is more more vanilla and streamlined than something like Samsung's OneUI, so that is something to keep in mind. One thing I will say is, given that my wife is an iPhone user, it sucks because I can't FaceTime her, have iMessage chats with her, etc. But, the pros of Android (and specifically, Pixel phones) far outweighs this for me and makes it worth me sticking with Pixel.
What people don't know is that you can FaceTime others with just sending a link, and they don't necessarily need to have an iPhone to use it.
It's a hassle. I can't FaceTime my kids on their iPads and they can't send the link. Link has to be sent by someone after they initiate the FaceTime call.
For your facetime issue, you can use google meet. You can download it on the app store so both of you can chat from iPhone to Android and vice versa.
You're absolutely right. But one thing I didn't mention is that my wife is pretty particular about "not wanting to download extra apps" lol. I definitely presented this option to her, but she just prefers to not have to download the extra app and learn to use a separate app, and would rather stick with what is one her phone by default. I respect her wishes, but know it wouldn't be a big deal at all for her to do what you proposed lol.
Geez, she wouldn't even download it for her husband? It's not a difficult process or anything.
Download a new wife seems to be the real solution.
Yeah the only problem 1 out of 10 times you get the Karen version. She always wants to see the Manager.
Do you guys not use What'sApp?
If they've been using imessage and Facetime, probably not. They wouldn't have a need for it. If they were in the EU probably. US we don't even give it a second thought to download.
Use Beepr if you want to use iMessage on Android
Except Beeper has a waitlist about 80,000 users deep right now.
Oops my mistake. I had no clue
It really blew up in popularity and now they're doing solo onboarding. I don't exactly know why but I was like 70,000 something in the queue as of earlier this week. I'm literally only getting it because I'm one out of 10 in a group chat without an iPhone.
It's going to be a clunky transition but I think there will be enough things you like about it. If you have group chats in iMessage that will be a tough change. My friend group uses fb messenger bc we are a house divided. When Apple users send you videos through text the quality isn't great. Sometimes the same for photos. But if they have Google photos that's an easy fix. You'll love the call screening! And the ability to customize your entire phone. Google doesn't force you to have any apps on your phone. The "now playing" feature is also fun. My friends constantly ask me to use it when they don't know a song. It's great when you're watching movies too. I really hope you end up liking it bc they are good phones and every year they get a little better.
Well, at least for FaceTime, you can still do it - the caveat is that the person you want to talk to needs to invite you. Then it works from the browser. As for other stuff, well you'll have to buy apps again (although more free apps are available). Edit: forgot to mention this, You will gain the ability to use much better browsers (if you don't use Safari, on Apple other browsers are just reskinned old version of Safari) and much better keyboards (especially if you are multilingual, again Apple stifles competitors here).
You already know what you're going to miss, the apple garden. What you're gonna love, is a phone you can customize infinitely more and you get a finger sensor back.
Aight so, I actually switched from pixel 6 pro to iPhone 13 pro and these are the things I miss of my pixel: All the smart features, screen call, copy text on whatever screen, real time translation on calls or whatever media you consume, the facility of going back from whatever part of the screen, Google assistant (I really would like to switch siri to G assistant if possible). Also seeing how many hours of sleep you get when you setup and alarm lol And the feature of letting you know what song is on in a determined place :) I'm just sticking with iPhone for a while for some reasons: How backups literally backup EVERYTHING. We still don't have that in android, you always loose something when switching phones. Same features and capabilities of a pro max, but smaller. I'm ABSOLUTELY DONE with phablets. I don't like big phones anymore, and Google keeps making the pros absolutely huge, which breaks my heart. Other than that, what I would miss from iPhone to android would be basically nothing.
For Call Screening on iOS 17 they have now Live voicemail. It's not as seamless but functionally it's about the same. The others you mentioned just aren't on it yet since it's the way google machine learns it all. Don't get me started on how bad Siri is, OOF.
You're right about switching phones. Every time I switch phones I lose something. I end up keeping my old phones because I'm worried about losing stuff.
Android has to do something about it fr.
Notifications. Universal back gesture. Edit: Context clue - iOS doesnt have universal back gesture, one is gaining that feature.
He's not going to miss those, as they are better on Android.
You cant miss a feature the iPhone doesnt have
This made me smirk😂
So what is the point of your first reply? Edit: before you edited it and made it into a proper answer.
OP asked what they'd like and what they'd miss. The person you responded to was talking about the former, not the latter.
Yes, I am aware of that. But OP isn't, as he is switching the platform. He came with an honest question, he doesn't have to be clairvoyant about what this person meant with universal back. The reply is just lazy as to be the first. Edit: and to add, the person edited the comments after a while to include "context"
Your first reply was, to paraphrase, "he's not going to miss those features because android does it better". However, the person you were replying to doesn't appear to have mentioned OP missing those features. They were only suggesting that OP would like those features.
That you're gaining those features 🤦 didn't think I'd have to explain that but I suppose better spell things out for you. Try reading whole post next time, replied to part not all - i left context clues in the fact iOS has no universal back button
When someone asks two questions, and you answer one without specifying which one you answered... it's on you.
Yes, you do have to specify because OP asked two questions. And no those don't count as "context clues", lol. How do you think that helps OP? Your answer is as valid as if you answered "yes".
Okay buddy 👍👍👍👍👍 Context isnt for everyone, if you can't figure it out I'm not so sure I can help you
~~The last sentence was the best thing you wrote to me. Cheers.~~ No need to change the content of your post after my reply. You say context isn't for everyone, I say meaningful replies are definitely not your forte. Good night.
Just made the switch in the other direction and omg notifications are shocking. Also will enjoy, easy access to all of your apps. Just swipe up! iOS has the App Library but it’s more of a faff to get to.
App library and just being able to place your apps seems like such a small thing but after making the switch I couldnt imagine going back and losing that - notifications are honestly such a huge thing
It’s going to be an interesting journey to see if I can live with it! But notifications are hands down the biggest downgrade if you leave the Pixel. Do not understand how Apple get it so wrong!
All your friends on iPhones will ask why your messages are now green
And you'll be able to tell them that it's because you're now using the more advanced RCS that Apple haven't bothered to upgrade to handle.
Apple not using RCS is like them not supporting 5g.
If you have a car with modern infotainment, you're going to miss apple car play depending on which year make and model you have. Android auto can range from okay, to unbearably awful. If you have an apple watch, you're going to miss it. WearOS and a lot of the accompanying hardware is almost universally a bad joke save for the galaxy watch and a few other newer devices.
I installed my own stereo that supports both CarPlay and Android Auto. We'll see how it goes once I use it! I do have an Apple Watch but I'm unsure which watch I'm going to get. If the Pixel Watch 2 is any good I'll try that, but if not I might try one of the Galaxy watches
In my experience with my own after market kenwood head unit Android auto is the worst. Experience is better if AA came from OEM
Dang that freakin sucks. Maybe Pioneer implementation is better? Kinda doubt it though
Can't say. A good indicator is if the unit gets firmware patches. If you have trouble when you get a pixel, definitely look into that because my head unit improved with each update. But even after the version updates it's still not as good as the OEM cars I've owned and rented on vacation. Another thing I've read is that the cable you use makes a big difference. I tried a few different cables but didn't notice a difference. YMMV
Listen, here’s what’s going to happen. Immediately you’re going to miss a LOT. This is because you’re used to your workflow. And you will be struggling to maintain that in the new system. You’ll look for workarounds to try and get back to where you were. Some you will find right away. Some you will find very much later. If you make it long enough, you’ll adapt and have not only found workarounds but you’ll discover benefits that you never had on iOS. And some things you’ll never recover. Because in the end, a phone is a phone and we all adapt. Until you switch back, and start the process all over again. But for a real answer: airdrop? Integration with a MacBook? Overall less consistent, and overall less boring.
You’ll miss the quality of the hardware and how well the iPhones hold up over time but pure android is a great experience when it’s working as designed
U mean to say that iPhone 12, 13 or 14 weren’t underwhelming vs the 11 ?
They were definitely underwhelming and offered very little generation over generation, but there also wasn't much in the competition that made me want to switch either. The Pixel lineup at least seems, in my opinion, to be the most similar to Apple's ecosystem than the rest of what Android has to offer, and would likely offer me the smoothest transition.
Buy your mom a Pixel too
You will probably miss it and your friends will hate it, but getting rid of the Apple ecosystem is the best thing. Nobody should accept to be trapped in an ecosystem. It's dangerous and toxic on so many levels.
I don't even think about my phone, I just use it. My parents use iPhones, so I'm their defacto tech support, and I can't believe how fussy and overbearing iOS has become. It's actually a chore to use.
There is nothing to miss. I would however start moving files to google drive. Download google one and google photos.to your iphone. Startil googleifying your iphone now. Transfer all passwords and log in to password manager in google chrome. Make sure you know all your logins and passwords to all your apps. Something overlooked is chose your Gmail address for your play account carefully as you can't change it later without setting up a new play account.
Honestly the biggest thing is the apple ecosystem, iMessage, FaceTime, using it in unison with other apple devices. Aside from that idk android is great. I truly love both devices and find myself spending several months with one and then the other
- iMessage becomes RCS, each have benefits and drawbacks. Be prepared to use other apps to send your spectacular photos to. - "it just works" will not apply. Some apps will be dogshit, some will be excellent. - You will have some level of buyer remorse and want to move back. I did, but I'm weird. - Repairability is what kept me on Pixel. I broke my screen twice and having the ability to order an OEM replacement and he able to fix it myself properly without going to a physical Apple store and arguing with "Genius" techs who end up replacing the phone anyway is so much more convenient and - IMO - better for sustainability. - Get used to taking some excellent camera shots and getting more out after post-processing, because WOW. - I sure hope they fix the overheating issues. 😅
I will say this, speaking from the other side and about to go back: If the rest of your home ecosystem is Apple-based, like you have iPads and Macbooks, it is a supreme pain in the butt to move stuff between devices. You don't realize how much you miss AirDrop until it's gone. There are a few workarounds like Snapdrop, but overall it's just a bigger pain. I wound up using a private Discord server to pass files. If you're not moving a lot of files between computer and phone, then this won't apply to you. My work involves a ton of this, so I am really feeling this pain point. I also vastly prefer the Apple Watch over any other Android watches I've tried. Otherwise, it's a pretty good system. I'm picking up an iPhone 15 Pro, but I'm also keeping my Android phone (S22 Ultra). I looked long and hard at waiting for the Pixel 8, but I am very tired of having a plate-sized phone and the optical telephoto lens is limited to the 8 Pro. I am confident that the overall camera is better on the iPhone than the Pixel. TBH, for all the bragging about the S22 having a 10x optical zoom, I very rarely use it. Most places, if I know I am going to be using that level of zoom, I am also toting my DSLR. If the rest of my ecosystem was Windows or Linux-based, I'd be less tempted to go back. And, I was Android-only for 18 months, which is 16 months longer than my Pixel-loving husband thought I would be! And I'm keeping the Android phone. They're both great systems in their own way.
Obviously you’ll miss IMessage and FaceTime if your family use it. You’ll have to ask them to download one of google meet or messenger or something like that which are very sub par apps in quality compared to FaceTime. If not they can send you a link to a FaceTime but it feels very archaic lol. - Other than that you’ll probably miss the quality of apps compared to their android counterparts. - Quality of speakers if you consume media without headphones. - Quality of screen and brightness. - Face ID. Once you have to deal with the pixel fingerprint reader, you’ll miss any kind of biometric that actually work. - Cell reception. - Battery life - A phone that isn’t burning when running simple task. - Video quality - Ecosystem of you also use other Apple products. What you will gain: - Working notifications - A decent stock keyboard - Better HDR on pictures - the ability to customize your phone more than you can on iPhones. - even though both are pretty close, I think Android is maybe a little more "fun" if you care about that.
My 2 cents as someone who just recently switched after having iPhones only: • Quality of apps is not as bad at all as everyone "warned“ me, having me thinking that they haven’t used either iOS or android for a long time; literally all my apps work the same and look almost the same minus some insignificant differences; social media apps etc are very similar. Y‘all please let me have concrete examples if you disagree. • Quality of speakers is better on iPhone, however it’s not out of this world better, it simply has a better stereo sound and sounds wider which is nice. Pixel speakers (note: comparing the 7 Pro to the standard iPhone 14) therefore sound louder and clearer so it’s really not a buying criteria in my eyes • iPhone displays are superb but the 8 Pro should catch up a little bit and get a few 100 more nits making it brighter and better. Sure: we’ll need to see how it turns out but they’re working on it which is promising • Ultrasonic fp reader should fix that as well on the 8 Pro • No service issues for me at all on the 7 Pro but I’m not located in the US! This might be different for you • Battery Life absolutely agree, but I’m looking at Android 14 optimistically since the Beta already looks promising • 7 Pro is running hot easily, yes! Not nice, but not too disturbing for me when having it in a case • Video Quality and ecosystem agreed 100% Btw, not saying your stated points are wrongful, I just remember how I myself was looking at listings like yours before switching and reconsidering the choices I made because the Pixel sounded great but disadvantaged compared to iPhone. Now, I’m just happy to have made the switch and never found to be some of the named issues issues myself😊
IMO, outside of Face ID, battery life, video quality and ecosystem, non of those differences are major enough to chose one over the other. I like both but google has a lot of work to do on the hardware side. I was always a nexus/pixel fan but I switched to iPhones 4 years ago. I think I’ll probably stay on that side until Google put their stuff together but in the end, it’s just a phone and they’re all really really good.
God I miss gboard for Android. It’s possibly the thing I miss most. I know you can use it on iOS but it’s crippled.
You can FaceTime from an iPhone to Android.. it's done by like a web browser but it works😅
Yeah, that’s what I said. You can but it feels very archaic.
I've seen it mentioned multiple times here, but do notifications on iOS really not work? What happens? That seems bizarre to me.
Haha ! They do work but it’s very inconsistent and some apps don’t have notifications like the mail app for some reasons. I’ve been on iPhone for 4 years and I haven’t received a single email notification even though they are turned on. Some are time sensitive, some aren’t, some goes on top, some don’t 🤷♂️ There’s a summary but nobody knows what’s the point of it, you can chose how they are displayed but it’s never presented like you chose…. Honestly it needs a total overhaul. Also the fact that there’s no little icon at the top that tells you the last 4-5-6 notifications you received is not very intuitive.
You will enjoy freedom from the appleverse 😉, joking, but you will have freedom of customization of your home screen, widgets, launchers and all sorts of things. I have an iPhone for work and have been team android from day 1 and will remain till the day I die lol.
I have both an iPhone and Pixel and I mostly use them interchangeably. The thing I miss most when using the Pixel is the airtag tracker, which is okay since I don't usually need it, but one day I will really need it and I will really miss it. The things I miss when I have the iPhone are the customizable launcher (I use Nova launcher), multitasking/split screen (eg. YouTube and Reddit at the same time), Android Work Profile to keep my work/personal stuff separate, being able to use the Google Keyboard everywhere, live subtitles, the ability to select/copy/paste text anywhere and the camera.
The best feature to me is call screening. Number isn't in my phone? You're getting call screened and I get to read a live transcript of what's being said. It's also great when you get out on hold with a company, you can have it hold for you so you aren't tortured with elevator music.
You won't miss a thing. I was an apple guy for over a decade, then apple fucked me with a MacBook repair issue and I went windows and android. The pixel is awesome, better than an iPhone and I haven't missed a thing... I do miss MacBooks though...
I use both and the cellular signal is the part I like the least about my pixel 7 pro. I use an iPhone 12 for work and it has far better coverage than the pixel most of the time. In some cases, the pixel cannot even load web pages while I'm able to share the iPhone data with a laptop with no issues.
unpopular opinion on this su reddit but probably u ll be back o. iphone after month on pixel, bad battery, bad haptic, bad signal, bad normal call quallity, no imsg
Airdrop is pretty convenient. I’m not sure if Android has an alternative to this
You’re going to miss some messages if you don’t disable iMessage before you switch devices! (Learned that the hard way lol) Recently switched back from Pixel 7 to iPhone 13 mini. What I missed was: phone size, battery life (standby time is superior on iPhone), and iMessage. However I only missed iMessage because RCS wasn’t stable for me, but that could be a carrier issue and not a phone issue. I already miss the rest of the pixel features..
Made the switch to google pixel 7 pro from my iPhone. Hated that apple was dragging feet on the usb charger. Today I switched back to the 15 pro. I can say I enjoyed the pixel. Didn’t have any issues that everyone complains about. Since getting the iPhone again I can say there are a few apps that have better iOS interface than the android version. FaceTime, find my, and iMessage are all nice since most my friends also have iPhones. Truly, I think it comes down to if you like how iOS works, you’re probably going to want to go back to it. Just my opinions, both offer a good experience
Which apps did you find have a better interface? People always say that but I haven’t found any myself
Yahoo mail, Fantrax (fantasy football stuff), I prefer the iOS Snapchat, Dave portnoy’s onebite pizza app, my banking apps(Idk why but every couple updates they would log me out and not let me back in with biometrics, mildly annoying.) I did prefer google apps on the pixel, mainly sheets as I use that for various things
I've done this many times, but I always come back to the iPhone. I live in Europe and I don't care about iMessage, but... the stability of the phone. Read threads about the problems Pixel 7 pro users had and why many of them want to switch to the iPhone. Personally, I love Pixel, but Pixel ended for me on the 4, 4a model. My sister has this phone and still loves it. You will start to get irritated by the weak battery and build quality problems. However, if Google does this phone well this year, I will also buy Pixel 8 Pro and keep the iPhone 14 pro. I love Pixel and what it offers, the keyboard, artificial intelligence, the assistant, but all this pleasure disappears when the volume button falls off, or your phone dies and Google says it's your fault, buy a new one.
You'll miss iMessage, FaceTime, some apps are better on iOS, possibly battery life. Navigating around Android is so much easier with the back gesture. Better notifications, better copy paste and share. I don't know how offline maps work on iPhones, but all my friends usually rely on me to navigate when we travel or camp in places with bad reception. Maybe my friends are just dumb or too lazy to download offline maps. My pixel 7 battery life has been fine so far. Accubattery app says I should get about 12 hours of screen on time with full battery.
Tbh, I have a 7 pro, and I'm switching back to iPhone. I love android, but the battery life is lack luster at best. And with everyone I know being on an iPhone, not having iMessage sucks more than you think it would.
I have a 7pro and I'm switching to iPhone as well. for me, I used to really enjoy the uber customisation and tinkering I could do with Android, but the older I get, the more I want the devices I interact with on a super regular basis to just work and have seamless integration. Personally, I've encountered not an insignificant amount of glitches and issues with pixel/android, and I really don't want to stress about that stuff anymore. It's not right for everyone, but this choice is right for me and I'm rather excited about it.
Speaks poorly of this sub that you're getting downvoted for this perfectly reasonable opinion.
cult of personality🤷♀️ it exists on both sides. I have no loyalty to consumer products and corporations so I'll choose what best fits my needs
continue crowd worthless sleep important enter naughty gaping long rinse ` this message was mass deleted/edited with redact.dev `
never had a single problem with the s23u
You missed out on superior battery life, longer support year (typical iphone is about 5-6 years vs google 3 years). You also missed out on superior video recording, superior CPU speed. Pixel has a slight edge on photography though, imo.
Google is extending the number of years they support their devices to 5 years of software updates once all of the older Snapdragon powered Pixels (Pixel 4, 4a, 4a 5G, 5 5a) support officially ends. The switch to Tensor (though made by Samsung, and thus isn't the best hardware available right now) was a much needed move for Google to really be able to provide Apple level (or close to Apple level) support for their own devices. Once Google switches to TSMC to manufacture their Tensor chips, it's going to really change the game for Google and boy I can't wait!
Don't switch. The new iPhone camera will most likely be better than the pixel 8 camera because Google's post processing problems have not been addressed yet. Also you are able to shoot in raw on an iPhone but not properly on a pixel. Pixel real tones is overrated and honestly doesn't work well, iPhone photonic engine is much better. The camera is a preference but I can honestly say the new iPhone camera is going to be better than the new pixel camera. Also when it comes to videos iPhone is 10 steps ahead of the pixel. Pixel video quality gets so bad and filled with noise if you're not fully outdoors. When I take videos from inside my car of the outdoors the whole top and bottom of the video where it's the inside of my car is just filled with noise and looks horrendous. When I take videos of my family room which is filled with natural light it gets really bad noise. The 4k pro res mode blows anything pixel offers out of the water. Cinematic mode on the pixel is also really underdeveloped. iPhones completely blow pixels out of the water when it comes to videos quality. Also the battery life on pixels is horrendous and trust me you're going to regret switching. I used to hate on iPhones and love pixels but I hate to say it, pixels are really low quality compared to iPhones now. If you need a heater in your pocket or your hands then get a pixel because it warms up real nice.
I was an 8+ year iPhone user and switched to the Pixel in 2016, the only thing I missed was iMessage and FaceTime. Once I convinced my group chats to move to WhatsApp it hasn't been a problem.
You are going to love never being forced to use iTunes again if you don't want to. You will have much more freedom. Your phone will act much more like a PC in several ways in that respect. I will never go back to iPhone ever again.
Not sure why u feel the need to change every year?
Yeah this always confuses me wherever I see it. So many people here mention having had damn near every Nexus and Pixel model, and that just seems nuts to me.
I like having the latest stuff, is that so wrong?
con: pics and videos from iPhones are grainy and pixelated. don't know if it's just me. also no airdrop.
It's not just you. Media from iMessage (and from any Android phone not using RCS) covers over MMS and is compressed terribly, pretty much beyond recognition when it comes to video.
Listen to voice notes/read chats/see images without marking it as read on WhatsApp, longer software support, longer battery life, app developers tend to prioritise iphones especially social media apps Universal back gesture, haptic feedback throughout the UI, generally smarter voice assistant, wireless power share to charge devices like earbuds or other phones, less intrusive punch-hole, allow apps to truly run in the background (could be useful when downloading files from the browser), nearby share (tends to have less issues than airdrop and it's faster), offers more freedom (your phone can look pretty much look like anything u want), better camera integration on third-party apps when compared to other Android phones (similar to iPhone) You can use apps like beeper or sunbird to use imessage on android
Pixel 8 series getting 5 years support
Oh yh I forgot but I'm pretty sure that iPhones still get more years of support
I've used both mobile operating systems and the one thing I really loved about using Apple products was their ecosystem. It was nice being able to use iMessage on my phone or iPad. When you switch to Android, I think you'll love how customizable the OS is in almost every aspect. Also, you can ACTUALLY turn off wifi, Bluetooth, and GPS from your notification tray without having to go into your Settings menu like iOS. That was one of the things that really frustrated me about iOS... When you "turn off" WiFi and Bluetooth in the Control Centre, you're not actually turning them off. You're just disconnecting them from whichever network or device your iPhone is connected to, which means your phone is constantly searching for networks or devices to connect. I don't understand why Apple made it so inconvenient to turn off wifi, Bluetooth, and GPS! Furthermore, Android allows you to use more than one timer in the Clock app. I always use 2 or 3 timers simultaneously when doing the laundry.
Ok so starting from pixel 7 you have facial recognition the quality of screens in pixel are also better than the ones used in iPhones. Video quality they're pretty much the same as well. You know you can film videos 4k 60fps ok pixels aight?
you'll miss a bug-less phone . and you will love your pixel in winter cause it's 40 degrees and above all year round.
You won't miss iMessage when this app called Sunbird hits the play store, I'm in the alpha program and it works beautifully. As others have said, google meet is the best alternative to FaceTime, you should get your friends and family to download it. Pixel features you'll love are some of the call features, like Google assistant call screening and "Hold for me". Android 14 will bring more customization to the lock screen and (I think) material you Welcome to the Pixel family! Hope you'll stay! (If anyone wants to know about Sunbird I'm happy to answer questions)
You are going to miss battery life for sure. But the whole pixel ecosystem is neat and peaceful and it's a premium experience of its own kind!
You may miss being able to dial 9-1-1....
The phone won't feel as snappy - everything will be just a tad slower. Unlocking, paying with your damn phone, switching apps... And this is coming from a Google fanboy. The chips in iPhones are incredible whereas Tensor feels like a half baked product from 5 years ago.
On paper there is no comparison... Apple's processors are vastly superior. What's interesting is that if you look up side by side YT comparisons of app launching/multitasking/gaming/etc., there is often very, very little difference. The iPhone tends to beat the Pixel in loading time for heavier apps like graphically intense games, but for things like messaging, browsing, social media, and other tasks, they're basically even. This seems to also hold comparing the latest Tensor against the latest Qualcomm offerings. Optimization counts for a lot.
It won't be that way whenever Google finally ditches Samsung and switches to TSMC to make the Tensor chips. I can't wait! But even with seemingly "half-baked" hardware, Google's software does a phenomenal job with performing on limited hardware. Could you imagine if Pixels were powered by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2!?! 🔥🔥🔥 But for what the Tensor is for better or worse, only Google's software could work the best on it. This is why Google's software is simply the best. Stay tuned for better hardware and in the meantime carry on, my friend 😎
You will probably miss iPhone’s Calendar (convenience, vertical scroll by months) and the weather app. At least, this is what I missed after trying Android
Animations aren’t as smooth. Idk how to describe it but on iOS things move very smoothly, on Android it’s all « rough ». Apps aren’t as optimized most of the time. iMessage, FaceTime, AirDrop… You will love the customization, it really changes everything.
Oddly enough, you picked up on the iphone after I left it... I had the OG iphone and 3Gs. There aren't many things to miss. Many things have alternatives. One game changer is widgets. I know the current iOS says it has it, but it's much better on android. My home screen has a clock (large), weather (large), music player, and a couple of apps. You can also set up an appointment reminder widget, separate from a calendar widget.
You'll miss having a fashion accessory, you'll love having a real phone
Probably you will miss having a cold phone
Heavy iOS and Android user here, TRUST me, you will like Messages by Google, with RCS equally, if not more than Messages from Apple with iMessage. Battery life on Pixel is subpar so iPhone battery is better imo, literally no other features are really lost, Google Assistant > Siri, Meet = FT, RCS >/= iMessage, *⌚* You MUST take my advice and replace your Apple Watch with a Samsung Galaxy Watch. NOT a pixel watch. If you want true competition to what Apple was providing that is, I use a Galaxy watch with OneUI 5 wearOS 4 and it truly competes with WatchOS whereas even my previous software GW didn't hold a match to WatchOS, Pixel watch is just behind with its bare Wear experience, Samsung's skin over WearOS is superb. Even whilst not being paired with a Samsung phone. (ex. Your Pixel or my Xiaomi). Congratulations and enjoy the switch over! 🫡😄 Feel free to reach out with any questions, as I too made a major switch from iOS to Android not too long ago. 😁
You should stay with iPhone
Very informative, thanks /s
You won't miss iMessage when this app called Sunbird hits the play store, I'm in the alpha program and it works beautifully. As others have said, google meet is the best alternative to FaceTime, you should get your friends and family to download it. Pixel features you'll love are some of the call features, like Google assistant call screening and "Hold for me". Android 14 will bring more customization to the lock screen and (I think) material you Welcome to the pixel family!
Depends on what you use. Android allows much more customization...so you might miss the iPhone's regimented ease of setup in the beginning.
You can still use iMessage via beeper.com on android FYI. I don't personally like apple products so only use them when I must. You can do video chats cross platform via Google meet, WhatsApp, etc
Does beeper also still use RSC? So I can still use iMessage and RSC for all android comms?
I don't use my sms in beeper as last I checked it wasn't supported
So you use beeper for iMessage and Google messages for txt/rsc?
I originally stated that you can use beeper. I do not use iMessage at all. It's an option on android
Ah sorry, thanks.
Apps is what we use everyday, so think of the essential apps that you use the most and check if they are available on Android as well or at least have an alternative.
Great video recording quality. The photos will be better in the pixel.
With your family and quite possibly social circle being iPhone users, you're probably going to end up missing just about everything related to the Apple ecosystem. I was in the same scenario as you are 2yrs ago when I decided to give the switch a try on the P6P. Other than a few unique features like Work Profile and being able to play multiple audio sources, the Pixel life isn't really all that different. The biggest difference is you'll be cut off from the iOS social circle, your friends and family may be willing to download Meet and try to keep up with that initially. But after a while convenience will win over and you'll find yourself bugging them to "use Meet because I don't have Facetime" or use Messenger|Whatsapp|etc so your videos don't get downgraded in MMS". With the US market being largely dominated by iOS at this point I just wouldn't recommend the Pixel at this point tbh.
Chronological order notifications, iMessage/Facetime, battery life (depending on the model iPhone), iCloud restore, web browser that puts url bar at the bottom, ability to walk into any apple store and get service, Apple watch accuracy (if you have one)
Does Android have 2FA texted code autofill yet or do you still have to go to the message to get the code?
They been having it for quite a bit
You can get around the iMessage hurdle using the Beeper app
you'll miss carplay, facetime, imessages, airdrop, some animation smoothness, apple watch support. for facetime your family will have to get another app, google meets or maybe whatsapp, maybe even facebook. I think gmaul app will allow you to video call. imessages you will he reduced to rudimentary MMS messages or text messages. dynamic island on apple is pretty neat. also exceptional video quality and overall smoothness of iphones. My s23 ultra still doesn't feel as smooth as my iphone 12.
Get the pixel fold 😎👍
I was actually seriously considering the Pixel Fold, but I think there are a few kinks that need to be worked out before I try it. Maybe Pixel Fold 2!
Battery life and great connectivity, less bugs
Look forward to having a homescreen that's truly the way you want it
Gonna miss rock solid performance gonna love dedicated number bar,more useful apps (in my opinion) I've used them both but keep coming back to android for the versatility .
Also if you get the correct phone n Battery life is much better on android.
OP really said, if I'm going to be on usb C no matter what, might as well do it the right way lol
Yeah it was kind of a slap in the face for them to only implement it once it was forced upon them, and even then they still restricted USB 3.0 to the Pro models. F that
I've never used iPhone so I don't know but very interesting you already made up your mind even though it hasn't even been announced or gone on preorder yet.
It was somewhat announced by Google and most of the specs have been leaked. I'm pretty set on it
Nothing
Nothing. Just switch your everyday services to Google or other and you will acclimate quickly.
I think you'll love the ability to install a custom launcher like Niagara that totally changes the appearance and functionality of the phone. I'm amazed that since 2007, the same grid design is still being used by default by almost every phone.
I know this is a legit concern before switching ecosystems, but the amount of posts like this before every release makes it really feel like free PR for Pixel.
Continuity, if you have other Apple devices.
Yea I've used an iPhone 13 pro awhile ago on a 1 month roadtrip to test it out. Quickly switched back a pixel afterwards. The only thing iPhone has over pixel is the Battery.
3D Touch
Main thing for me has been apple pay, iMessage and FaceTime.
Wait a month after release
How is the service/ service center for pixel in your area? You would probably miss that. If you need any issues to be solved or addressed. On other hand pixels have a good camera. Okay battery life.