As someone who switched from android to iPhone after using android exclusively (only because I’m sick to shit of my devices breaking themselves at about the 2 year mark - and I don’t mean software):
Apple is a fucking nightmare to swap to if you use your device for anything beyond the absolute basics. I’m honestly probably going to swap off it sooner rather than later.
It’s a miserable experience to go from being able to do basically whatever you want… to not even being able to change to a specific ringtone without paying for it or going through some ridiculous process on Mac to convert. (And before some random asshole pipes up -again- and says “there’s tons of ways” without telling me what they are, I’ve looked and found nothing so either tell me the ways or don’t bother replying because no there aren’t, that’s why everyone on iOS has the same set of ringtones.) I mean hell, it’s painful just to move photos to a pc. Like ridiculously painful. Unless you pay for iCloud.
And the whole ecosystem is supposed to “just work”, but it doesn’t. Tons of finicky little problems, like I can’t get “find my” to play sound on my phone the next room over with all the settings enabled, and even the time of day focus on my watch is usually wrong, which is like a super basic function of this crap. But you can’t really troubleshoot because of the lockdown on everything.
Venting aside, it’s simply not worth it to switch from android. It’s a downgrade in every single way except hardware being built to last, and the software getting regular security updates. That’s it. That’s all it has going for it. I thought that might be enough, but it really isn’t.
What do you do to your phones? I’ve never had an android that only lasted me two years. My current is a nearly 4 year old n20 ultra that’s still going strong and I won’t give up because it’s the last good android phone made with a micro sd card slot.
Nothing outrageous, I baby them and try to buy at least decent quality. They just… never last.
I am, however, the walking incarnation of Murphy law, so like… it’s not surprising to me that this happens… (same as I’m the one with all the apple issues for no reason)
My last phone, the charge port failed about 2 yrs, I used it for 3 (fortunately still had wireless charging so I could have used it longer technically, but wanted to try apple before it was mandatory to give up)
Phone before that, the speakers failed so I couldn’t even take calls, about 2 years. (I don’t listen to stuff, so this wasn’t volume abuse or something causing failure)
Phone before that got bricked during an update but that was a cheap phone that didn’t have recovery because I was broke. Can’t afford to keep replacing shit even used…
Prior, mobo failure. You get the idea.
Only one phone broke because of something I actually did to it, and that was way back when slide out keyboards were still a thing, a Sony Xperia pro. I flashed a newer android version and then tried to revert to an older version (playing with custom roms) and broke the governor chip so the battery would read zero when not on the charger.
And I do fix things when the parts are available, economical, and it’s possible to fix, but that isn’t always the case.
Ouch. You have a solid case of bad luck. I just replaced a phone speaker for a co-worker a month or so ago, but it was an iPhone.
Did you actually break the USB C port or did it just stop working? Those are kinda hard to break and usually if they stop working it’s because lint was pushed up into the port that needs dug out or the contacts are just dirty and isopropyl alcohol and a toothbrush will fix it.
I know (but man the validation feels nice!) :) I am the walking incarnation of Murphy’s law not just for this, but my whole life. I think I’m a black hole of bad so other people can have better. 🫡 (yes I know that’s not how it works, but it makes me feel slightly better about the fact that everyone around me does great).
No, it was a design flaw with the phone I bought. If you used anything other than the OEM charger you were risking breaking your charge port. And it legitimately broke, not just dirty : /
I bought before this flaw was known. Too bad too because it was usb-c, so it -should-have worked with whatever but it was designed ever so slightly out of spec…
Well from your track record and me knowing iphones break as well, I’m sure in the next year or two you’ll have a chance to come back over to android.
Just get a case, glass screen protector, and never leave your phone in the car on warm or really cold days. Oh, and don’t play on your phone while it’s plugged in.
Same here. I’m rocking a pixel 7pro because I wanted to upgrade but I have several other pixels in a drawer that still boot up and work fine. They are slow as shit and one of them is so old I don’t remember my pattern lock, but I had to use one for work temporarily a few months ago and it did it’s job until the replacement phone arrived. I was upgrading the 7 to a pro and giving the 7 to my wife because her phone had died out of nowhere and she needs one for 2fa for work stuff.
I’m not saying this is OP, but some people are just rough with their stuff and don’t realize it. For example, someone I know burned the on-screen keyboard onto their screen because they disabled the screen dimming function. That’s not something I considered possible. Other people drop or throw their phones onto desks or lay them face down and scrape them against the surface when picking them up etc.
It all seems fine until eventually one day the phone stops turning on.
On the ringtone front, it’s still rediculous but you can use Garageband to create your preferred ringtones. I typically download form zedge and convert them in Garageband. The UI has changed abit but essentially this is the tutorial: https://osxdaily.com/2020/09/11/how-set-song-ringtone-iphone-garageband/
I appreciate the reply, because you took the time, but that was the “needs Mac” option.
I don’t have a Mac, won’t get one, and emulating is frankly too much work for a ringtone. Garage band doesn’t run on windows or Linux afaik, at least not without being a pain.
That’s the problem. On android, zedge can not only download but set ringtones for you even for individual contacts if you like, because it’s amazingly basic. I used it for years.
I used to have the same problem with my Android phones crapping out at the 2 year mark. That was with Motorola and Samsung phones, and an LG got my wife. I know there are lots of people who have had good fortune with those brands of phones, but that wasn’t the case for me.
I ended up getting a 1st gen Pixel, and that sucker lasted for over 5 years. I’m now on a Pixel 4a, and about two years in and everything is going well. I’m not sure if it’s just Google phones in general, or if the quality of Android phones in general is improving. But either way it’s encouraging. In my experience (and the experience of several other people I know), Google makes damn good phones. It’s a shame they are a shitty company in other (i.e. ethical) areas.
While I’m super glad it works for you (honest I am, that’s literally the point of tech, to do what you need) I’d never buy a pixel. At least not without the full intent of de-googling it… and that’s exactly the problem with android right now. Android is largely a spyware platform for Google. Apple is not better, to be clear. Both options suck and we have no real 3rd party alternatives. Which we should have. Instead we have none, globally.
The hardware might be there (and frankly I’ve heard really good things about pixel hardware; lots of people buy them to flash other OS on) but the software is literally designed to spy on you so… I’m super not into it.
I’m thinking about buying a fairphone and putting idk… lineage or graphene on it… been a while since I bought a device for the sole purpose of putting different OS on, but maybe it’s time.
If Linux phones were viable daily drivers I’d be using one of those. Fuck all this proprietary bullshit. But even that is difficult because Linux is many things but “all encompassing “ is not one of them, and never will be.
I’m totally with you on the need for a good third alternative. I prefer Android to iOS from a usability perspective (I used to have an iPhone for work, and that UX was incredibly counter-intuitive to me). But I’m well aware of the shortcomings of Android (including the spying aspect).
A solid Linux-based mobile phone OS that had sufficient carrier support for it to be usable for less tech-savvy users would be amazing. Maybe some day…
Absolutely worst thing I’ve ever done to myself intentionally (and that list is looooooooong).
I really liked messing around with android, it was basically why I got into Linux… spent years messing about with android so Ubuntu felt so similar. It was an easy transition for me. (Other distros, even Debian based, have not been so welcoming, and I don’t want to go back to Ubuntu, but it felt… right… so I probably will… unless someone tells me about a similar ui for anything else ;) )
I do hope Linux gains at least enough support as an OS for mobile that one can make it work… I mean windows had a phone (possibly several shitty phones run on windows…?) and that wasn’t a big deal but Linux…? clutches pearls certainly not!
Try Fairphone 4 or 5 or Google Pixel with iodé on it. Ive used it for almost 3 years. Really stable and no trouble with banking apps. Only apps that rely soley on playstore services you cant use.
+1 for iodéOS. It’s a good OS, based on LineageOS and with a built-in ad/tracker blocker.
Additionally, if you get a FairPhone or a Pixel you have a bunch of other ROMs to choose from, like basic LineageOS, CakyxOS, DivestOS, and only on Pixel GrapheneOS.
As someone who switched from android to iPhone after using android exclusively (only because I’m sick to shit of my devices breaking themselves at about the 2 year mark - and I don’t mean software):
Apple is a fucking nightmare to swap to if you use your device for anything beyond the absolute basics. I’m honestly probably going to swap off it sooner rather than later.
It’s a miserable experience to go from being able to do basically whatever you want… to not even being able to change to a specific ringtone without paying for it or going through some ridiculous process on Mac to convert. (And before some random asshole pipes up -again- and says “there’s tons of ways” without telling me what they are, I’ve looked and found nothing so either tell me the ways or don’t bother replying because no there aren’t, that’s why everyone on iOS has the same set of ringtones.) I mean hell, it’s painful just to move photos to a pc. Like ridiculously painful. Unless you pay for iCloud.
And the whole ecosystem is supposed to “just work”, but it doesn’t. Tons of finicky little problems, like I can’t get “find my” to play sound on my phone the next room over with all the settings enabled, and even the time of day focus on my watch is usually wrong, which is like a super basic function of this crap. But you can’t really troubleshoot because of the lockdown on everything.
Venting aside, it’s simply not worth it to switch from android. It’s a downgrade in every single way except hardware being built to last, and the software getting regular security updates. That’s it. That’s all it has going for it. I thought that might be enough, but it really isn’t.
What do you do to your phones? I’ve never had an android that only lasted me two years. My current is a nearly 4 year old n20 ultra that’s still going strong and I won’t give up because it’s the last good android phone made with a micro sd card slot.
Nothing outrageous, I baby them and try to buy at least decent quality. They just… never last.
I am, however, the walking incarnation of Murphy law, so like… it’s not surprising to me that this happens… (same as I’m the one with all the apple issues for no reason)
My last phone, the charge port failed about 2 yrs, I used it for 3 (fortunately still had wireless charging so I could have used it longer technically, but wanted to try apple before it was mandatory to give up)
Phone before that, the speakers failed so I couldn’t even take calls, about 2 years. (I don’t listen to stuff, so this wasn’t volume abuse or something causing failure)
Phone before that got bricked during an update but that was a cheap phone that didn’t have recovery because I was broke. Can’t afford to keep replacing shit even used…
Prior, mobo failure. You get the idea.
Only one phone broke because of something I actually did to it, and that was way back when slide out keyboards were still a thing, a Sony Xperia pro. I flashed a newer android version and then tried to revert to an older version (playing with custom roms) and broke the governor chip so the battery would read zero when not on the charger.
And I do fix things when the parts are available, economical, and it’s possible to fix, but that isn’t always the case.
Ouch. You have a solid case of bad luck. I just replaced a phone speaker for a co-worker a month or so ago, but it was an iPhone.
Did you actually break the USB C port or did it just stop working? Those are kinda hard to break and usually if they stop working it’s because lint was pushed up into the port that needs dug out or the contacts are just dirty and isopropyl alcohol and a toothbrush will fix it.
I know (but man the validation feels nice!) :) I am the walking incarnation of Murphy’s law not just for this, but my whole life. I think I’m a black hole of bad so other people can have better. 🫡 (yes I know that’s not how it works, but it makes me feel slightly better about the fact that everyone around me does great).
No, it was a design flaw with the phone I bought. If you used anything other than the OEM charger you were risking breaking your charge port. And it legitimately broke, not just dirty : /
I bought before this flaw was known. Too bad too because it was usb-c, so it -should-have worked with whatever but it was designed ever so slightly out of spec…
They don’t make phones anymore, unsurprisingly…
Well from your track record and me knowing iphones break as well, I’m sure in the next year or two you’ll have a chance to come back over to android.
Just get a case, glass screen protector, and never leave your phone in the car on warm or really cold days. Oh, and don’t play on your phone while it’s plugged in.
My Sony Xperia 1 iii has lasted me for 3 years now and works great. Only thing I’ve had to replace is the fingerprint sensor.
Same here. I’m rocking a pixel 7pro because I wanted to upgrade but I have several other pixels in a drawer that still boot up and work fine. They are slow as shit and one of them is so old I don’t remember my pattern lock, but I had to use one for work temporarily a few months ago and it did it’s job until the replacement phone arrived. I was upgrading the 7 to a pro and giving the 7 to my wife because her phone had died out of nowhere and she needs one for 2fa for work stuff.
I’m not saying this is OP, but some people are just rough with their stuff and don’t realize it. For example, someone I know burned the on-screen keyboard onto their screen because they disabled the screen dimming function. That’s not something I considered possible. Other people drop or throw their phones onto desks or lay them face down and scrape them against the surface when picking them up etc.
It all seems fine until eventually one day the phone stops turning on.
On the ringtone front, it’s still rediculous but you can use Garageband to create your preferred ringtones. I typically download form zedge and convert them in Garageband. The UI has changed abit but essentially this is the tutorial: https://osxdaily.com/2020/09/11/how-set-song-ringtone-iphone-garageband/
I appreciate the reply, because you took the time, but that was the “needs Mac” option.
I don’t have a Mac, won’t get one, and emulating is frankly too much work for a ringtone. Garage band doesn’t run on windows or Linux afaik, at least not without being a pain.
That’s the problem. On android, zedge can not only download but set ringtones for you even for individual contacts if you like, because it’s amazingly basic. I used it for years.
I miss that very basic customizing.
I just followed those directions using only my iPhone. Not sure you read that correctly.
I used to have the same problem with my Android phones crapping out at the 2 year mark. That was with Motorola and Samsung phones, and an LG got my wife. I know there are lots of people who have had good fortune with those brands of phones, but that wasn’t the case for me.
I ended up getting a 1st gen Pixel, and that sucker lasted for over 5 years. I’m now on a Pixel 4a, and about two years in and everything is going well. I’m not sure if it’s just Google phones in general, or if the quality of Android phones in general is improving. But either way it’s encouraging. In my experience (and the experience of several other people I know), Google makes damn good phones. It’s a shame they are a shitty company in other (i.e. ethical) areas.
While I’m super glad it works for you (honest I am, that’s literally the point of tech, to do what you need) I’d never buy a pixel. At least not without the full intent of de-googling it… and that’s exactly the problem with android right now. Android is largely a spyware platform for Google. Apple is not better, to be clear. Both options suck and we have no real 3rd party alternatives. Which we should have. Instead we have none, globally.
The hardware might be there (and frankly I’ve heard really good things about pixel hardware; lots of people buy them to flash other OS on) but the software is literally designed to spy on you so… I’m super not into it.
I’m thinking about buying a fairphone and putting idk… lineage or graphene on it… been a while since I bought a device for the sole purpose of putting different OS on, but maybe it’s time.
If Linux phones were viable daily drivers I’d be using one of those. Fuck all this proprietary bullshit. But even that is difficult because Linux is many things but “all encompassing “ is not one of them, and never will be.
I’m totally with you on the need for a good third alternative. I prefer Android to iOS from a usability perspective (I used to have an iPhone for work, and that UX was incredibly counter-intuitive to me). But I’m well aware of the shortcomings of Android (including the spying aspect).
A solid Linux-based mobile phone OS that had sufficient carrier support for it to be usable for less tech-savvy users would be amazing. Maybe some day…
iOS is the worst.
Absolutely worst thing I’ve ever done to myself intentionally (and that list is looooooooong).
I really liked messing around with android, it was basically why I got into Linux… spent years messing about with android so Ubuntu felt so similar. It was an easy transition for me. (Other distros, even Debian based, have not been so welcoming, and I don’t want to go back to Ubuntu, but it felt… right… so I probably will… unless someone tells me about a similar ui for anything else ;) )
I do hope Linux gains at least enough support as an OS for mobile that one can make it work… I mean windows had a phone (possibly several shitty phones run on windows…?) and that wasn’t a big deal but Linux…? clutches pearls certainly not!
Pixel with Graphene is fully degoogled, and smooth.
I’ve used Lineage and DivestOS on phones as old as 2018 (flagships) and they’re fast. Smooth. People think I’m using a new phone.
Google services are bad for phone performance, so any degoogled device will be smoother with longer battery life.
Try Fairphone 4 or 5 or Google Pixel with iodé on it. Ive used it for almost 3 years. Really stable and no trouble with banking apps. Only apps that rely soley on playstore services you cant use.
+1 for iodéOS. It’s a good OS, based on LineageOS and with a built-in ad/tracker blocker.
Additionally, if you get a FairPhone or a Pixel you have a bunch of other ROMs to choose from, like basic LineageOS, CakyxOS, DivestOS, and only on Pixel GrapheneOS.
Keep in mind that the first Pixel lets you uplod a infinite number of high quality Photos and Videos to Google Photos, if you use that service.