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Comment by cheeze | Hacker News Reader

The shining example of Google vs apple for me is the package manager. Since Android D, updating my apps has caused the phone to slow to a crawl. Fps drops heavily, apps are laggy, etc. There is no option to only download updates when charging. Google has done nothing about this for years now.

I still use Android because I need the control. But parts of the platform are just inexcusable (imo) in 2019.

Dont get me wrong, Apple has their own problems as well. But Fps drops aren't one of them (at least on my iPad)

If only apple let me actually have a non-terrible home screen...

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I recently swapped to iPhone after being a long time Android user. After using the iPhone for a few months now, I will definitely be going back to Android. Before I owned an Apple device, I was sure that iPhones got first class treatment in app design/development - this has been a resounding disappointment. Instead, there are a few good apps but most of them are just enough to be good enough and not really amazing. Not to mention Apple's total lack of inter-app communication (iOS's default clock app is not good enough, I installed Alarmy so I can skip the next alarm if I wake up early, Alarmy needs to run in the foreground, won't let me access it in lock screen, and if your kid locks your phone out while the alarm is going, gotta wait the full 5 minutes before you can stop it. Personal anecdotes, but little things like this make me wonder why people like iOS so much when it's so limiting.

For a while, the restrictions were justifiable because "Apple wants to do it right." And I thought some of the features they brought to market later seemed nicely done. The problem is that Apple applies the 90% rule in deciding if lifting a restriction is justified, but I found myself in that 10% enough that I finally switched last year. There are some things I miss from iOS, but not much.

What do you miss on iOS? I am using it now and feel like I miss almost everything from Android. I like the iPhone's amazing speed and quality, but I miss finger print (yes, I know less secure but any less secure than a face scan?), apps communicating with each other, separate identities/work profiles. Apps that cost < $10.

(Fwiw, lots of Android phones (like my moto) have finger print unlock.)

My apps only update when I connect the charger during the evening. At least I have been under that impression. (Except for Facebook that updates itself outside the play store and then brags about it with an annoying notification..) Is it something that varies between models/makers?

They still crash the foreground app you actively using while it updates

You can set apps to only update when you tell it to, and then use Tasker to update when charging.

https://www.reddit.com/r/tasker/comments/al2gd4/android_9_in...

Tasker's OS hooks have a negative impact on battery life.

Do you mean they damage the battery? I'm not sure that's true.

What control does Android give you that you want? (I’m legitimately asking: is there an immediate pragmatic reason, or is it a principled stance against walled gardens?)

Being able to change the default apps and layout the home screen any way I like, including using a completely new launcher, are big pluses for me. Being able to drag and drop music and files directly onto my device is another. Running real Firefox and not a Safari wrapper is a big deal too IMO.

I also find Android notifications and the Google keyboard way more ergonomic than on iOS and third party keyboard support on iOS is still pretty buggy.

But the real kicker is being able to side load apps when necessary. I didn't like the idea of giving Apple complete control over what I can run on my phone when they first announced the App Store and I still don't like it and consider it a serious threat to the future of general purpose computing.

The replaceable launcher is a big one. Tasker was another (though I heard Google Play was cracking down on non-accessibility uses of accessibility features for security reasons?)

I switched back to iOS when the SE came out, but I still miss Nova Launcher. Especially being able to put two actions on each dock icon, one for tap and one for swipe up. So if you have something like friends split over two main chat platforms you can stuff Discord and SMS apps in the same icon and have them both quickly accessible.

I just can't believe that 10 years later I still have to have a grid and have to hide apps I don't care about in folders.

have to hide apps I don't care about in folders

iOS lets you delete most 1st party apps: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208094

I think you and all the replies to the parent have missed the point trying to be made. If you view the homescreens in iOS as your desktop, you don't want all your apps littering it with shortcuts. The op is talking about having to setup folders to hide away apps that they use rarely but don't want to uninstall. Android handles this in a far better way, where you have an app drawer that pulls up all your app icons on a grid that is easily searchable if you want to get to any installed app. That frees up your homescreen to be used for exactly those icons and widgets that you want, which is a lot nicer than the iOS way.

What stops you from putting everything in a folder called App drawer, except the most used apps you want on your desktop?

Lack of notification. So you end up with a giant folder with a single "NEW NOTIFICATION" star above it. Then you have to open it and scroll through the limited 3 x 3 view.

The hard limit on how many apps a folder can hold?

If you weren't aware: You can fit 135 apps in a folder. Folders inside of folders are also supported so there's practically no limit.

I was aware since I just made that exact point. You want an "App drawer" folder that has a hard limit of 135. Not to mention the terrible UX of folders at that scale.

Folder in folders are not supported, except via strange glitches.

You can delete the vast majority of the base apps on modern releases.

”have to hide apps I don't care about in folders.”

Almost all apps can be deleted now days on iOS, including most of Apple’s stock apps. The only exceptions are a few core system apps, like Settings and App Store.

It’s not about deleting. It’s about having them on the desktop. On Android you have a drawer for all apps and only the ones you use often on the desktop. In iOS everything is on the desktop. In android I also can have the same app in two different folders which is quite useful.

You can delete most apple apps now.

Alt launchers are cool but Android doesn't give them full support for widgets.

Accessibility still matters even if you aren't blind, and apps for blind users can still be malicious.

Android has been steadily removing user control features to be more locked down like iOS but without privacy controls.

Apps for blind people could still be malicious, but that’s not a reason to justify random bullshit apps claiming accessibility permissions.

A real address book app could still harvest your contact data and sell it for marketing purposes, but if google cracks down and says “Hey flashlight apps, you aren’t allowed to scrape Contacts information anymore” that would be entirely reasonable.

Abuse of android’s accessibility services is particularly dangerous, hence the push for tighter controls on who can use it.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/this-android-banking-malware-s...

I'm at a buddies house and need to transfer a file. I can boot up a simple HTTP server with /Download mounted.

I can connect to my ps4 controller through Bluetooth

Tasker

I can inject a payload into my switch over usb-c

I can literally run Linux (and do all the time) using a 20 dollar hdmi adapter

Which Linux programs do you use that benefit from being on your phone when you have a monitor but no computer?

Some things that come to mind : You can replace the launcher. You have a real file system. You can side load apps. Apps can do background operations.

Loading apps outside the appstore/playstore is the best android feature

I don't see an option for this but my Pixel 2 starts automatic updates only when charging. When not plugged in, it checks for updates and provides a notification 'N updates available' but it doesn't auto-update.

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