Why I Still Prefer Android to IOS
The first iPhone was introduced on January 9, 2007, the first Android phone (HTC Dream) appeared on September 23, 2008. soon after it.
It’s a debate that ‘s been going on for decades , like Windows vs. macOS or Coca-Cola vs. Pepsi, and it tends to attract a lot of interest . Both of these mobile operating systems are updated every year, which means there are always new topics to discuss.
As a tech journalist who writes guides, news, and reviews, I’m not your average phone user: I spend a lot of time using both Android (specifically the Google Pixel 8 at the moment) and iOS ( iPhone 15 Pro Max, that’s right). Now). I don’t switch from one to the other—I use both regularly and actively.
This means I know the ins and outs of both platforms when it comes to day-to-day operations, and the phone I use the most is for personal messaging, social media, web browsing, music, podcasts, and anything else that isn’t required. for work, it’s the Pixel 8. So I decided to add to the Android vs iOS discussion by trying to explain why.
Keep in mind that I don’t hate iOS or the iPhone—in fact, I’m a big fan of the clever combination of hardware and software that Apple has put together. The iPhone 15 Pro Max is without a doubt a great smartphone. However, I’d rather use Android on my regular device, and here’s why.
Android offers more customization options
You’ll see this mentioned in every Android vs iOS comparison, and it’s still true. You can still do more with your home screen, lock screen, and app icons on Android—you can even change the look of the entire interface using a tool like Nova Launcher . To a certain extent, iOS has caught up with this development , but the iPhone’s customization options are still not as comprehensive or easy to use.
Get this: Home screens on Android actually rotate and work in landscape mode. I love having pixel-by-pixel control over how my phone looks, whether it’s a single app on the home screen or stretching widgets in all directions. There are rumors that we’ll see more Home screen customizations once iOS 18 releases, so Apple clearly agrees with me that it’s behind Google in this area.
I find the current iOS home screen and app library to be set up rather awkwardly. Why can’t I see a simple list of all the apps I have installed? To find an app that isn’t pinned to the Home screen, I need to swipe to the last of those screens and then figure out what category Apple decided to put the app in.
Google apps work everywhere
To each their own, but I find Google’s suite of apps to be much more compelling than Apple’s, with a few exceptions. When it comes to Gmail vs Apple Mail, Google Docs vs Pages, Google Maps vs Apple Maps, and Google Photos vs Apple Photos, I choose Google every time (even though I really love Apple Music ).
There’s not space here to detail all the individual reasons, but Google’s apps are fast, reliable, and, most importantly, available everywhere. If I rent a movie on Google, I know it will play on almost any device without much effort, but have you tried running Apple TV on Android? It’s a bit of a mess .
Admittedly, it’s more about the apps and services that Google and Apple offer rather than Android and iOS. But if you’re like me, splitting your time between Apple and third-party devices, your life will clearly be easier if you choose Google, and if you choose Google apps, it follows that they work better and update faster . on Android.
Apps get more control on Android
Speaking of apps, Android allows developers to go deeper into the operating system than iOS, which Apple says makes Android less secure. As an app like Tasker , which allows you to create all sorts of automations and routines, shows, Android is the best choice for tinkerers and hackers (and I’d include myself in that group).
As a result, you can find entire categories of apps on Android that aren’t available on iOS—apps to check battery health and usage, apps to run Wi-Fi network diagnostics, apps to manage files on your phone (in addition to Apple’s own apps). options). As with the customization options, it’s fair to say that many users may not like these additions, but I need them.
Beyond the individual apps themselves, there’s a lot more you can do with them on Android: you can install multiple instances of the same app, you can run two apps side by side on the screen, and you can change more default apps. . You can even install another app to manage your text messages—something I didn’t expect to see on iOS for a long time (if ever).
Android looks more intuitive
Part of this may be because I’m more used to Android at this point, but some key software workarounds work better for me on Google phones than on Apple phones. A case in point is the universal back gesture: one swipe takes you to the previous screen. This works in some apps on iOS, but not all apps, and it’s not consistent system-wide—on my iPhone, I find myself frequently hitting the little back button or app switcher (or just staring at the screen in confusion). .
Then there are notifications. Some of it is personal preference, but I prefer the Android system, including the way unread notifications remain in the status bar and lock screen on Android rather than disappearing into the Notification Center in iOS. Expanding and closing notifications is faster on Android, although there isn’t much choice between platforms.
Of course, if you’ve used every iPhone since the first one and never tried Android, the switch will likely disorient you and make you yearn for iOS. However, using both options, I’d say Android makes more sense in a lot of ways – like being able to see that you’ve set an alarm on the lock screen, which you need to add a widget for on iOS.