Phone upgrade question: DECISION MADE

[LittleLebowski]

Yes, these are my only choices. I'm leaning towards the Galaxy 7 since I can get free tethering with it. Thoughts?

Update: getting an iPhone 8 with mobile hotspot/tethering. Thanks to all that contributed!

[Grey]

Galaxy only if you can get an unlocked phone without all the bloat.

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[RoyGBiv]

I'm an android fan.

I'm currently using my first fingerprint phone. Would not go back to without. Not sure if the G7 has this, but if those were my only choices for realzies, I'd pick the iPhone if the G7 didn't have a finger reader, otherwise the G7 would win without a second of hesitation.

[LittleLebowski]

The Galaxy 7 does have a fingerprint reader. I wondering which phone has aged best.

[RevolverRob]

I am typing this on my iPhone 7+...so not unbiased.

For me it comes down to Google v. Apple.

Like Tam pointed out for BookFace, with Google you are the merchandise. And therefore privacy protections are minimal. With Apple - the phone/laptop/tablet and brand is the product.

Personally, the more rigorous software assessments for iOS and apps are critical. Stability is critical to me and I’ve found iPhones to be stable when many Android devices are less-so.

[Grey]

I am typing this on my iPhone 7+...so not unbiased.

For me it comes down to Google v. Apple.

Like Tam pointed out for BookFace, with Google you are the merchandise. And therefore privacy protections are minimal. With Apple - the phone/laptop/tablet and brand is the product.

Personally, the more rigorous software assessments for iOS and apps are critical. Stability is critical to me and I’ve found iPhones to be stable when many Android devices are less-so.Apple has plenty of shady practices, intentional slowdown anyone?

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[NerdAlert]

Galaxy only if you can get an unlocked phone without all the bloat.

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This. If you are tinkerer and you don’t mind rooting your phone to eliminate all the garbage that carriers install get the Android. If you want a phone that just works without all the mandatory garbage carriers install, get an iPhone.

iPhone permissions for apps to access information and hardware are much more transparent than Android apps. You have to explicitly enable access to the camera/mic/contacts/location for any app that wishes to use them on iPhone. Many Android apps come with this access already enabled, and you have to be smart enough to read the permissions when installing the app and make sure to disable permissions you don’t want.

Lastly, make sure whatever you get you pay the protection money, even if it’s third party. I’ve had high quality android phones and IPhones die mysterious deaths with no visible damage (won’t boot, boot loop, random cell radio failures etc). There is no cell phone equivalent to a Honda that you can depend to run forever assuming you take care of it. These are made to be disposable despite the expense, so pay the protection money, buy a spare, or both.


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[spinmove_]

I used to be an Android guy back when I was drinking Google Kool-Aid by the gallon. Now? They’re all money grubbing, user leveraging, corporatist, shysters.

If I had to pick one right this second? iPhone 7. It’s a more venerable and stable platform, the devices are supported for longer, and you can more readily limit access the Apps have to your info.

If I had my druthers and could wait until something new was released? Librem 5.

https://puri.sm/shop/librem-5/


Sent from mah smertfone using tapathingy

[Peally]

Both are going to fuck you straight in the pooper, they're both thoroughly evil companies and if anyone believes different they're lying to themselves.

Pick whatever OS you like better. If you are techie, the Android will be easier to break into and change to your liking.

[LittleLebowski]

Both are going to fuck you straight in the pooper, they're both thoroughly evil companies and if anyone believes different they're lying to themselves.

Pick whatever OS you like better. If you are techie, the Android will be easier to break into and change to your liking.

I would root an Android that I personally owned, but this is a work phone, so can't do that. Leaning towards the iPhone 7 due to the quality of the OS and hardware.

[Grey]

I would root an Android that I personally owned, but this is a work phone, so can't do that. Leaning towards the iPhone 7 due to the quality of the OS and hardware.If it's a work phone then it's just what you would prefer using OS wise. The hardware is equal.

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[Nocturnalis Discipulo]

Tethering would decide it for me. Especially for a work phone it has saved me several times when I needed to get something out and no wifi and no way to do it with a mobile device.

[Bigghoss]

Apple is the devil. So is Google, but Apple is worser. For, um, reasons. #AndroidForLife (https://pistol-forum.com/usertag.php?do=list&action=hash&hash=AndroidForLife) #LaLaLaLaICantHearYou (https://pistol-forum.com/usertag.php?do=list&action=hash&hash=LaLaLaLaICantHearYou)

[Grey]

Except he can do unlimited tethering on the G7 and not the iPhone -- despite both phones supporting it, the iPhone available to him doesn't allow it. Tethering is something that I semi regularly use on my iPhone due to shitty wifi in hotels and what not.True, if tethering is needed then it's a simple choice.

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[Gadfly]

I enjoy the fact that my Ipad/iphone/itunes/iwatch all integrate well. Seamless account integration was easy.... My only experienced with Android were with a couple of Kindle Fire tablets some relatives have. Absolute shit compared to the Ipad. If the phones are the same as the Fire, I can live without Android.

NOTE: I am not a tech savy person.

[tremiles]

If you're using it with a vehicle that has Android auto or apple carplay, Waze on Android auto is much more handy than the apple nav which you're locked into with an iPhone.

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[Grey]

I enjoy the fact that my Ipad/iphone/itunes/iwatch all integrate well. Seamless account integration was easy.... My only experienced with Android were with a couple of Kindle Fire tablets some relatives have. Absolute shit compared to the Ipad. If the phones are the same as the Fire, I can live without Android.

NOTE: I am not a tech savy person.The old fire tablets were kinda junky. They are much better now.

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[MGW]

Definitely, go with the tethering.

For what it's worth, my iPhone 7 has been very buggy since iOS 11 came out. I broke my own rule and installed 11.3 the other day instead of letting others be the real world beta testers. The bugs are worse. I'm having lots of issues with messaging. Notifications from non iPhones often don't appear at all. The order of text messages are some times jumbled. I sometimes get the same message from non iPhone users multiple times. Bluetooth has become unstable. I know for a fact that a notification from an app allowed me to unlock my phone the other day without using the finger print scanner or a passcode. That bothers me a lot even though I have not been able to duplicate the glitch.

The positives of Apple are the frequent updates. I don't have to wait for Google to decide to allow the updates to go to non-Google branded devices. Often times updates are released to address security issues. That being said, I believe that Samsung does a really good job of building, supporting, and protecting their phones. Last generation battery issues are the exception not the rule with Samsung.

I hate that Google and Apple are the only real choices now. I used to make fun of Blackberry users but if they were a real choice now I would use a Blackberry. As it stands right now my next phone will probably be a Note.

[JCS]

IOS apps are better. When I switched from Android to a apple a few years back I was blown away at how much better the apps were. However, this could’ve changed in the past couple years.

[RevolverRob]

Apple has plenty of shady practices, intentional slowdown anyone?

While I agree that intentional slowdown was shady. Google has basically given up on fighting warrants for your information - https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/09/feds-google-stops-challenging-most-us-warrants-for-data-on-overseas-servers/ - Apple is still telling the Feds to pound sand when it comes to unlocking iPhones or other iOS devices.

And of course google is now vehemently anti-gun. Where Apple are a bunch of money-grubbing capitalist pigs, they're at least transparent(ish) in that desire.


IOS apps are better. When I switched from Android to a apple a few years back I was blown away at how much better the apps were. However, this could’ve changed in the past couple years.

In my experience, iOS apps are still superior to the general quality of Android apps. This is because Apple, unlike Android, has a required QC inspection for apps to be uploaded to the Apple App Store. Not all apps are created equal, of course, but in general iOS apps are better, because they are QC checked by Apple software engineers, independent of the developer.


Definitely, go with the tethering.

For what it's worth, my iPhone 7 has been very buggy since iOS 11 came out. I broke my own rule and installed 11.3 the other day instead of letting others be the real world beta testers. The bugs are worse. I'm having lots of issues with messaging. Notifications from non iPhones often don't appear at all. The order of text messages are some times jumbled. I sometimes get the same message from non iPhone users multiple times. Bluetooth has become unstable. I know for a fact that a notification from an app allowed me to unlock my phone the other day without using the finger print scanner or a passcode. That bothers me a lot even though I have not been able to duplicate the glitch.

This is interesting, I've had no issues with 11.2.3 or iOS 11 at all across three iPhones and two iPads in the house. Have you tried resetting the iPhone's ram? Every once in awhile I get a buggy experience on a Mac product that is usually resolved with a PRAM or iOS RAM reset.

PS: I've had no issues with tethering multiple devices to my iPhone. Hell, the other day the internet in the house was wonky, so I tethered my Roku to my iPhone along with my laptop...

[Duelist]

I still have IOS 10 on my iPad and iPhone SE. Haven't been worried enough about it to check and see if iPhone 6 users are getting along with 11 or not.

[Wondering Beard]

I still have IOS 10 on my iPad and iPhone SE. Haven't been worried enough about it to check and see if iPhone 6 users are getting along with 11 or not.

I'm using a 6s and have the 11.3 IOS. I've had no problems.

On the other hand, I have very few apps on top of what is already installed. I have no idea if that makes a difference.

[ranger]

My work phone was a iPhone 6s and I just upgraded to an iPhone 8 (free upgrade every year or so). I just bought out of my pockets used iPhone 7s plus's for my wife and my daughter - my wife moved from an android and my daughter moved from an iPhone 6s.

iPhone 7 is the G19 of smart phones :) ??

[MGW]

Not sure if this is a feature or a bug but now when I hold my hand near the light sensor my screen goes black. If I take my hand away from the sensor it comes back on. Wife’s 7+ doesn’t do this. Weird.





This is interesting, I've had no issues with 11.2.3 or iOS 11 at all across three iPhones and two iPads in the house. Have you tried resetting the iPhone's ram? Every once in awhile I get a buggy experience on a Mac product that is usually resolved with a PRAM or iOS RAM reset.



I work with apple products every day but I don’t know how to do this. Can you point me in the right direction?

[RevolverRob]

Not sure if this is a feature or a bug but now when I hold my hand near the light sensor my screen goes black. If I take my hand away from the sensor it comes back on. Wife’s 7+ doesn’t do this. Weird.

I work with apple products every day but I don’t know how to do this. Can you point me in the right direction?

Folks vary on whether this works but the procedure is:

Hold down the Sleep/Wake button.
When Slide to Power off appears, let go of the Sleep/Wake Button.
Hold down your Home button.
Wait for the screen to flash blank and then return to your home screen.

You may have to turn Siri off if you push and hold home to activate Siri.

I've had luck with this approach, but supposedly it doesn't "clear ram" like the internet techs say. Maybe it just functions as a forced reset, I don't know, but it seems to help.

[holmes168]

We are an Apple family here. I’m with Rob on Apple not handing over the keys to the phone to the FBI.
I’ve had both over the years and IMO- the iPhone is better.

[mtnbkr]

Given the choice between those two, I'd go with Apple as well. I have quite a bit of experience with Android, IOS, and even Windows Mobile. I'd pick IOS anytime budget wasn't a constraint. I happen to like Windows phones, but the app selection is meager. However, the stability and long-term utility is on par with IOS in my experience. Other than price, I see no benefit to Android. Every Android phone has been a disappointment and they do not age well.

Chris

[StraitR]

We are an Apple family here. I’m with Rob on Apple not handing over the keys to the phone to the FBI.
I’ve had both over the years and IMO- the iPhone is better.

Agreed, on all accounts (good points, Rob). We've also had both, but it only took me one Android phone to figure out there was no contest.

It just so happens that my wife got a new iPhone yesterday (X). She is ROUGH on phones (girl thing?). When I asked her once how often she drops her phone, the answer was "daily". But, her last iPhone (6s) lasted three years. It went through 4 screens and a battery change before developing issues that I couldn't fix. We have two young kids, she works nights (RN), I work days, so after a few days of me trying to fix it and her going without (actually, she took my phone, I text with my Macbook), we just needed a new one and move on.

Point is, three years is a long time for a phone that's not babied, IMO. The battery went past the projected lifespan, and the screens were physical damage caused by her, but it chugged along. I'm sure I'll drop and crack mine since I'm about to say this (I'll post pics if I do), but my 6+ is just as good as the first day I got over three years ago. That said, I think I've dropped it two or three times total, but I try to take good care of my stuff in general.

Hardware, software, I just don't think there's any comparison. Barring some crazy changes by both companies, I do not foresee us ever going back to Android.

All that said, LittleLebowski if the Android has functionality important to you that the iPhone does not, then the Android may be the best answer for you.

[Nocturnalis Discipulo]

Am I the only person who likes Android apps more than IOS ones? Granted there are a ton of crappy apps on android but comparing things head to head Android apps seem easier to use. I have an Ipad pro and a Note 8.

[Stephanie B]

I've got a SE running iOS 11.3 and it's nice. A hell of a lot nicer than my aged 4s. And not enough larger so as to be annoying.

I don't use the fingerprint reader.

[mtnbkr]

Am I the only person who likes Android apps more than IOS ones? Granted there are a ton of crappy apps on android but comparing things head to head Android apps seem easier to use. I have an Ipad pro and a Note 8.

The Android apps are generally fine, but the OS seems to suffer bit rot more than IOS so the Android phones eventually start getting flaky, needing frequent reboots, or just start suffering mysterious battery draws. My Android phone (Motorola Droid Mini that has not quite 2yrs of use on it) will last all day on a charge one day and barely get to lunch on the next without any change in usage patterns. My wife's 4yo Iphone 5s is still going strong.

Chris

[Nocturnalis Discipulo]

I will agree with you on the flakiness, reboots, and battery draws. On the other hand Android apps are much easier to get apps that do what I want them to do. In the design aesthetic and use IOS apps seem to be trying so hard to appear sleek that it impairs function, while Android isn't as pretty but makes it easier to actually use.

[Duelist]

I've got a SE running iOS 11.3 and it's nice. A hell of a lot nicer than my aged 4s. And not enough larger so as to be annoying.

I don't use the fingerprint reader.

Exactly why I picked the SE: don't want a big honkin' phone.

I do use the fingerprint reader.

Sounds like I should do an OS upgrade.

[StraitR]

Am I the only person who likes Android apps more than IOS ones? Granted there are a ton of crappy apps on android but comparing things head to head Android apps seem easier to use. I have an Ipad pro and a Note 8.


I'll admit, my app usage is minimal, particularly 3rd party. I generally use my phone for talking, texting, emailing, reading, listening to podcasts/ebooks, taking pics, and maps. All but two of those (Kindle/Audible) are done with standard Apple apps.

I have/use the following 3rd party apps...

Snapseed - Photography
Kindle
Audible
WeatherBug - Better than Apple weather app
DuckDuckGo - #fuckgoogle (https://pistol-forum.com/usertag.php?do=list&action=hash&hash=fuckgoogle)
StrelokPro - ballistics app
Remote for my AppleTV - searching made easier
ClassDoJo - app for my daughter's school communications (not FB, Yay!)
Avenza Maps - used for navigating trails of local National Forest
Tapatalk - used very little, as I mostly use web browser on my phone.

That's it. So take my thoughts and opinions of Apple vs Android with that in mind. I'm sure I barely scratch the surface of what most people use their phones for, or their capabilities.

[Thy.Will.Be.Done]

I'll just leave this here... source : https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2018/04/18/google-and-facebook.aspx

Story at-a-glance

Google and Facebook are two of the largest and clearest monopolies in the world and, between them, the harvesting of your personal information goes far beyond what most people realize was even possible
Ninety-eight percent of Facebook’s revenue comes from advertising, totaling $39.9 billion last year alone. The more personal information you share, the greater Facebook’s profit stream
Cambridge Analytica is accused of creating a system to profile individual U.S. voters using “improperly gleaned” data from 87 million Facebook users to target them with personalized political ads during the presidential campaign
Google is not only the largest monopoly in the world, it’s also the world’s greatest artificial intelligence (AI) company, which facilitates the company’s ability to sort through all your data with deep learning algorithms to detect patterns that can be exploited for profit
The data harvesting going on between Facebook and Google is enormous. A summary of the kind of information these two corporations collect, track and store on each and every single user is included

[Thy.Will.Be.Done]

FWIW, I picked up an iPhone SE 32 GB model about 6 months ago... coming from a lower end Android which was 2-3 years old it was quite an eye opener. Can't foresee ever going back to an Android, not even considering the Google deal... just from a use standpoint alone I much prefer the Apple iOS. Especially considering it interfaces seamlessly between iPad, iPhone, iMac, Macbook... it's just too easy... but again Apple is not perfect either... they just have to be better than Android for me.

[mtnbkr]

All the things in the huge article White Crane quoted above are one of the reasons I've been considering one of VZ's new LTE "feature phones". The two they offer now have the capability to act as hotspots, so I could still engage in mobile computing with a small tablet if necessary.

What keeps me from making the jump immediately:
Texting on a phone keypad is death. Everyone texts these days, even folks who claim to hate it.
I manage my checkbook and other bank accounts via an app on my phone. Doable elsewhere, but not as convenient while on the go.
Email. Email has decreased on importance, but it's nice to have.
Work email. This is important. Being able to manage work email while away from my laptop gives me improved work/life balance by letting me get away from the computer. Less critical these days though.
Managing contacts on my phone. Most feature phones are tedious in this regard.

I have a few other uses that are sporadic, but still important to me. I guess the key decision point is how easily I can switch between phones via a simple SIM card change. I do this with my AT&T work phone (have a cheap feature phone for when I need to conserve space). If I can bounce back and forth with VZ, I may jump.

Chris

[LittleLebowski]

Well, shit’s changed and I can choose between the iPhone 8 and the Galaxy 8.

[RevolverRob]

The Android apps are generally fine, but the OS seems to suffer bit rot more than IOS so the Android phones eventually start getting flaky, needing frequent reboots, or just start suffering mysterious battery draws. My Android phone (Motorola Droid Mini that has not quite 2yrs of use on it) will last all day on a charge one day and barely get to lunch on the next without any change in usage patterns. My wife's 4yo Iphone 5s is still going strong.

Chris

This!

My experience with Android phones is, the cheaper the phone, the faster the issues appear. But even "expensive" Android phones eventually have issues. My wife had three Motorola Droids and a Galaxy S5 - and every one of them developed OS issues within 12-months of use, requiring frequent reboots or even factory resets. Two of the Droids were replaced under warranty. Finally, we switched her to the S5, because "I hate iPhones!" and when that shit the bed after just 4-months (screen blackouts and two factory resets). I said, "NO MORE. You get an iPhone!" And she got a 6.

3 years later, that iPhone 6 is still running just fine, we gave it to my dad when his 4S died a year ago (after 7 years, he finally dropped it into a tub of industrial solvent...), and replaced it with a 7. I'm currently paying the phone bill on four iPhones, a 6, a 6+, a 7, and a 7+ and all of them work and that's what I want.

My wife has finally, grudgingly agreed, that the Apple product is superior in terms of reliability. I'm convinced it's because Apple controls the keys to the OS AND the hardware that goes with it. This means, that Apple makes a limited menu, which some folks aren't happy about. But because there are too many cooks in the kitchen for Android, you end up with a lot of bad and a lot of good, but nothing that balances. I'll settle for "A limited menu where everything is "okay"".

I mean it's a phone, it should work, without issue or complication. If it doesn't work right, it's effectively garbage.

Variety and finickiness is for racecars and raceguns, not cellphones, pacemakers, defensive guns, or daily drivers...

[MGW]

Well, shit’s changed and I can choose between the iPhone 8 and the Galaxy 8.

Will you be able to tether as needed with the iPhone 8?

[einherjarvalk]

This!

My experience with Android phones is, the cheaper the phone, the faster the issues appear. But even "expensive" Android phones eventually have issues. My wife had three Motorola Droids and a Galaxy S5 - and every one of them developed OS issues within 12-months of use, requiring frequent reboots or even factory resets. Two of the Droids were replaced under warranty. Finally, we switched her to the S5, because "I hate iPhones!" and when that shit the bed after just 4-months (screen blackouts and two factory resets). I said, "NO MORE. You get an iPhone!" And she got a 6.

3 years later, that iPhone 6 is still running just fine, we gave it to my dad when his 4S died a year ago (after 7 years, he finally dropped it into a tub of industrial solvent...), and replaced it with a 7. I'm currently paying the phone bill on four iPhones, a 6, a 6+, a 7, and a 7+ and all of them work and that's what I want.

My wife has finally, grudgingly agreed, that the Apple product is superior in terms of reliability. I'm convinced it's because Apple controls the keys to the OS AND the hardware that goes with it. This means, that Apple makes a limited menu, which some folks aren't happy about. But because there are too many cooks in the kitchen for Android, you end up with a lot of bad and a lot of good, but nothing that balances. I'll settle for "A limited menu where everything is "okay"".

I mean it's a phone, it should work, without issue or complication. If it doesn't work right, it's effectively garbage.

Variety and finickiness is for racecars and raceguns, not cellphones, pacemakers, defensive guns, or daily drivers...

I'm glad I'm not the only person who's had this experience. My first smart phone was a Gen 1 Motorola Droid I got in college. I was pretty enamored with it until basic functions like the phone dialer would crash mid-use. I bought an iPhone 4S for a graduation present and stuck with it for two years before thinking "actually, maybe Android's gotten better" and buying a Galaxy S5. The S5 had a battery life that lasted around 5 hours on a full charge even on power saving mode, developed GPU and screen failures within 11 months, and generally felt cheap and plasticky despite costing almost as much as an iPhone. Similar app issues to my Droid began to develop around the two year mark.

I bought an iPhone 6S as soon as I could, upgraded to a 7 the following year, and have stuck with it since as only the iPhone X appears to be offering any major changes (and even those aren't sufficiently ground-breaking to justify paying for a new monthly phone lease).

Also, on a political note, I'll point out that while Google has been tightening the noose on any sort of pro-gun discussion, Tim Cook went on the record defending NRA TV on Apple TV, stating that "there is no democracy without discourse" or something to that effect. I don't agree with a lot of Cook's personal politics, but I find that to be a much more respectable position when considering who to give nearly $1K to for a daily use item.

[LittleLebowski]

Will you be able to tether as needed with the iPhone 8?

YUP :D My habit of being nice to admin people at work paid off :cool:

[SecondsCount]

Both are going to fuck you straight in the pooper, they're both thoroughly evil companies and if anyone believes different they're lying to themselves.

Pick whatever OS you like better. If you are techie, the Android will be easier to break into and change to your liking.

Exactly.