Surprise.

Bet you didn’t see this one coming.

This week’s post has been pretty late. I’m a bit troubled by yesterday’s thread on Apple. So, a foreword: It’s OK to prefer something over another, it’s not OK to say people who like different phones than you are somehow more childish or less intelligent than you. Again, we are going for casual, yet intensely helpful here, so please don’t call people names over petty reasons, we have rules here.

Previously on Lemmy:

Past Discussions:

In this post, it’s not about saying how bad iPhones are, but I’d just like to hear the perspective on iPhones from Android users. I, for one, had an old iPhone 4 for a long time (call it nostalgia, or laziness, or just being cheap), and it was my general frustration with the device that ultimately led to my preference for Androids, (It was quite a while back though).

  • It was absolutely painful to transfer files from the phone to my computer (Ugh, iTunes).

  • I got it pre-jailbroken and didn’t realize you can’t just update the system casually, so it was really fun trying to find ways to downgrade the system until I realized that I can’t and have to pray for the next jailbreak to get half my things working again.

  • The 40-pin cable wears out so fast, and always in the same spot on the strain relief. I swear I’ve gone through 3 of these cables in one year just from normal use.

  • All the browsers are somehow flavors of Safari. To do anything, I will have the choice of ad-filled websites, or ad-filled apps.

It always just seemed like I’m fighting against the system. Never did I have that “it just works” moment, until I’ve got my first Android, and realize I have the freedom to do whatever I want with it, and I can install what I want, and if there’s a problem, I can look things up and fix it myself.

(Having a back button is also a game changer.)

Of course, there is a lot that Android manufacturers can learn from Apple as well, one of the most obvious one is the time for software support: I think my old iPhone has gone through like 3 version updates over the years, whereas currently I’m lucky to get 2 out of any Android manufacturer.

But it seems that Android manufacturers are more content on copying things that works for iOS, but doesn’t work for Android, like removing the headphone jack. Or big notches. (It makes no sense to do that because of Android’s notification system uses the full length of the bar.) It’s gotten to the point that I don’t think people who makes Android phones actually uses Android but are content to copy superficial features from Apple without understanding why Apple do them.

Like a bunch of lemmings. (Heh)

Again, these are my personal preferences, I have nothing against people who prefers iPhones, nor do I think they are lesser for it, but it’s just not for me.

I’d use a one as a work phone/for iMessages though.

  • @recreateEnglish
    2•1 year ago

    What’s your current phone and which custom rom are you using? I’m in the market for a new phone but I’m not sure which will have good custom rom support.

    • @[email protected]English
      3•1 year ago

      I’m using this thing with GApps-less LineageOS: https://www.shift.eco/en/shift6mq/

      (GApps = Google Apps)

      It is expensive. But if I remember correctly, they’re the only manufacturer I could find, who actually officially advertised basic Custom ROM compatibility.

      So, they obviously can’t promise compatibility with all Custom ROMs and forever, but unlocking the bootloader is literally just a toggle in the Developer Settings and your warranty doesn’t expire, if you do dabble with Custom ROMs.
      (They do also actually help out the Custom ROM community, and therefore the community does support that phone quite well.)

      As for LineageOS, I’ve never looked around terribly much for other Custom ROMs. I find stock ROMs too limited in features and I especially appreciate being able to wipe all that pre-installed crap by just installing a fresh OS. LineageOS is perfectly alright for that and it’s widely supported.

      Alternative phones that I’d also expect to work fine:

      • FairPhone 4. My mum still uses my old FairPhone 3 with LineageOS. Unlocking the bootloader was also just one ADB command, if I remember correctly.
      • Google Pixel phones. I wouldn’t buy one myself, because they make me feel icky, but from what I’ve heard, they generally work well with Custom ROMs. In particular, they have a special encryption chip, so for example GrapheneOS only really works on them.
      • Most flagship phones of non-stupid manufacturers. If it’s a popular phone from a manufacturer, who doesn’t lock down the bootloader to ridiculous levels, then there’s usually folks who’ve made Custom ROMs available for those phones and written guides for installation.

      But yeah, this list is basically sorted from easy to not-so-easy, as the concrete steps can vary wildly.
      I should also add that “easy” is on your second rodeo. The first rodeo is always a bit tricky, even for techies.