My biggest issue with Google is they aren't convicted in anything they do. They just guess, or try 5 different things, and see what sticks. That makes it a mess for users, as the UX constantly changes.
I also can't understand why Google decided a circular face made sense for Wear. It's good for analogue watches, and garbage for everything else. Try reading a message where words are either cut off, or you're stuck basically using a square inside the circle. It makes no sense other than because Google didn't want to 'copy' Apple with the rectangular shape.
At the time, it had a much bigger screen than an iPhone and gave you more control over the device. It could play Flash games/apps, and let you use the apps/keyboards/etc you wanted without a company's blessing.
Apple is a lot more open now than they used to be, in ways that might have driven power users to Android before.
There was an Apple store in that mall as well, so we walked in and asked "if we buy an apple product here, and there is an issue with it while we are in a different country, would they help us in an Apple store there". The answer was "well yeah of course why wouldn't they" with a "what's the catch" tone and raised eyebrow.
Needless to say she is now fully switched over. Even after two years, she gets delighted every now and then by how smooth the experience is. I recall many "LOL Samsung could never" events.
My current Pixel 6 is my last android phone due to the UX issues that keep piling up with every single update. Last one I noticed: Turning on bedtime mode is now double (2) the clicks it used to be.
My experience with Apple doesn't sound so different from yours.
The difference is my partner didn't buy her gadgets from a retailer. It was all from physical Samsung stores and under extended warranty. It sounds like an oversight on the retailers side that they didn't 'activate' your warranty for some reason.
But yeah, official stores and Apple Care not being available is a major downside, which is why I'm waiting until Im back to Canada to get an iPhone (it's also quite a bit cheaper on that side of the Atlantic).
One limitation I know of with Apple Care is that if you need to replace your device under warranty, they will need to mail it to you from the country of purchase, but you will get a temporary device while you wait for that. Samsung would never...
But on your topic, my partner has an iPhone and they disable all kinds of features and then wonder why nothing works smoothly. They have a Mac, and airpods, and still don't have anything working together effectively. Just through simple self sabotage
All the Apple gear I use belongs to my employer.
You should listen to some Apple development podcasts, grass is not so green on the other side.
There are also plenty of unfinished things, some of them have turned into memes by now.
There is a curious demographic of people that worked closely on/with Android in the early years that have a particularly extreme allergy to it today.
Sundar gets a lot of deserved stick, but Andy Rubin was no saint when it came to guiding development either, as demonstrated by the memory holed Skyhook fiasco. ( https://www.theverge.com/2011/05/12/536913/google-android-sk... ) JBQ resigning from the AOSP really was the sign that true believers in the Android ecosystem are simply suckers.
It is such a missed opportunity it's unbelievable. iOS shouldn't be in contention at all.
From square icons and sharp Roboto to blobby amoeba-shaped designs and rounded fonts.
Also, Chile mentioned!
It's not just their own apps that need updating, it's everyone else's, too. Most of which will never happen, so users are stuck in a hodgepodge of several generations of different design paradigms.
Material was fine. So was Material 2. So was Material 3. So is Material 3 Expressive, I guess. Just stick with something!
I feel I'm missing something. Hasn't customizing the quick settings been possible forever?
In fact the only thing preventing me from having the single tap Do Not Disturb in the quick settings is that these same UX people removed the option in the latest version of Android, and buried it in a "Modes" menu for no reason at all.
Super happy to have that back, but good grief, trying to pitch a rollback as an innovative new feature is pretty audacious.
More than 10 years later, shopping for an Android phone with the latest OS is a nightmare. Android leadership keeps on getting shuffled around, Google changes priorities every 6 months it seems. Despite Apple flubbing the ball on AI, at least I know that the phone will be supported for at least 4 years.
They will need to improve on their ecosystem commitments if they'd like people like me to switch back.
Google doesn't control what other vendors do; that's the beauty of open source. (You can argue how open Android really is these days but it's still more open than iOS.)
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/01/google-pixel-4as-rui...
I'd argue that Android is technically more open than iOS but in practice it isn't. Google have dark pattern and elaborated ways to get Android user to stay in the 'walled Google play service garden'.
Like when you install a third party store and Google play protect warns you it may be insecure.
Or having to press install for every app installed outside of the store, over and over.
The fact you can't get push notification without enabling the Google play services, which is the core framework of the Google data collection happening on every Android.
Every product is going to have issues in one form or another. The question is which issues affect your personal use of the product. I'm too new to Pixel to comment on whether switching to it is a good or a bad thing in my case, but I have been happy with the trade-offs so far. Ironically, one of the reasons why I went with a Pixel was to avoid much of the Google software ecosystem.
Many would argue that that kind of fragmentation is also its biggest downfall.
Not a problem with a pixel
> More than 10 years later, shopping for an Android phone with the latest OS is a nightmare
Not a problem with a pixel
> They will need to improve on their ecosystem commitments
Not a problem with a pixel
2021 https://www.vice.com/en/article/google-pixel-bug-prevented-u...
2022 https://old.reddit.com/r/GooglePixel/comments/y039zn/i_compi...
2023 https://www.androidauthority.com/psa-google-pixel-911-emerge...
2024 https://old.reddit.com/r/GooglePixel/comments/1ano09x/pixel_...
If you buy something from some other random manufacturer that is using the open source android code then yes you are going to have a different experience since they want to add their "special touch" which invariably is shite.
It's 4 (mid) to 7 years (flagship) for Samsung.
https://www.androidauthority.com/samsung-android-updates-114...
Is what I have never, ever heard. I don't what to shit on designers, who also need to justify their job, but it would be cool to see some ACTUAL improvements to important things. Like battery life.
I'll keep using Android anyway because I find Apple UI/UX even more disgusting.
Smartphones don't matter anyway. What most people do in high end devices can be done in mid-tier or even shit-tier devices too.
I continue to strongly prefer the Pebble UI after all these years. It just does a much better job with the basics like notifications and alarms. it's not even close.
Are we in Idiocracy at this point or what, Google?
Some of you fuckers need to go pick back up The Zen of Palm and re-read it because y'all have no idea what you're shipping these days in comparison.
but i just switched to my go-to launcher, Nova. I've used it quite a bit over the last years.
I mean... what if i prefer the older version of the UI? my only option is a different launcher or not updating
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imprinting_(psychology)#Baby...
jsheard•3h ago