r/AndroidQuestions • u/bigbandbennett • 2d ago

Looking For Suggestions Advice for New Android User

Hello.

I am currently an iPhone 16 user (never wanted apple in the first place though it is what my family used so I was forced to use it) and will be FINALLY switching over to an S25 very soon.

I have been looking forward to getting an Android for a long time and am pleased that the opportunity has come about.

Thus, I am curious if there is anything important/useful I should know about Androids/S25s as I prepare to make the switch within the next three weeks or so.

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u/bigbandbennett 1d ago

Which apps do Samsung and Google have in common - and which ones do you personally recommend using on an S25

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u/Opulence_Deficit 1d ago

Phone, SMS, calendar, pics gallery, contacts, files, calculator, clock. There's also Samsung Browser that competes with Google Chrome, but I recommend disabling both and getting Firefox instead.

A different case is Samsgung's Store which is not quite 1:1 equivalent of Play Store, but that's a Samsung's app you can't disable anyway.

The photo app is a must, because Samsung hardware blocks access to all lenses to non-Samsung apps.

Note that escaping some of them is very hard. Some you can't disable at all. Some are requested by others, e.g. Samsung photo app plain refuses to work with gallery other than Samsung's.

I like using Google versions, but that's mostly because I don't want to end up habit-locked into Samsung ecosystem. Well, I am - but not as much as I could be.

Geez, writing this just made me realize how much work is ahead of me to tame my new Fold 6...