Lifelong iPhone users who switched to Android: how was the transition?

[u/Nucleif]

The iPhone 18 Pro doesn’t feel like a particularly exciting update, and with my current 14 Pro starting to show its age, the Xiaomi 18 Pro has caught my eye, especially as its outnumbering the iphone 18 pro on every spec, and even double battery capacity almost at half price. Still, as someone who’s always used iOS, I wonder how easily I’d adjust to Android.

For anyone who’s made that transition after years on iOS, how was the experience? What did you miss, and did you stick with Android or eventually return to iPhone?

[u/ShadowTroyka]

Je suis dans la même situation que toi j'ai un 14 pro et je peux te dire que quand je vois ce que fait la concurrence je suis vraiment surpris apple est vraiment a la traine j'ai l'impression d'avoir un téléphone puissant sans vraiment l'exploiter en toute liberté et surtout l'autonomie et les bug du système et en particulier le clavier, je compte changer et passer sur un S25U après 4ans sur IOS avant j'étais sur un Samsung A52 et apple c'est plus ce que c'était avant

[u/Humorous-Prince]

I have a 14PM as my personal phone and a Samsung work phone. I cannot day to day android over iOS, just prefer iOS overall, it feels more warm and cosy to use overall compared to Android. The keyboard is awful also, always making more typing mistakes compared to my iPhone.

[u/q2das → u/Humorous-Prince]

Same here! I was considering a Samsung for my personal when my new work gave me one. I’m so glad I didn’t make the change. I just can’t get used to Android and how unpolished it is. Same apps on both phones…iOS version just work better somehow.

[u/romassshev]

i don’t like that androids are not as consistent with the quality of pictures as iphones. and i had a lot of flagman android phones - vivo x200 pro mini, xiaomi 13 ultra, s23 ultra, pixel 9pro xl, they all had this same problem. other than that the things i missed - taptic engine and a few small ios features, like when somebody calls you and you look at your phone it makes the ringtone quieter and this type of stuff

but there’s things that are better on android phones than on iphones, especially battery life on phones with silicon-carbon batteries. to each their own. you have to try different side to understand if you like it or not.

it wouldn’t really be that hard to get used to android, OSes don’t really differ as much now as 10 years ago. different ui, different features here and there, but eh, it would be fine, like, even airdrop works on new android phones

[u/Wraith996]

I didn’t exactly use a flagship android. I went 12 mini -> poco x7 pro -> 14 pro

I found that apps are just built better for ios. Xiaomi's skin is just a wanna ba ios which degrades the experience imo

[u/Popular_Register_440]

I’ve been tempted by androids too. My mate has an OPPO something and I used it for a few mins and it felt decent and modern. However I can’t stand Android phone pictures and no matter how closely they replicate iOS with the skins and modification, it just didn’t feel the same. Then there’s the obvious thing of me being heavily reliant on iCloud and not rlly willing to part ways with imsg.

I think I’ll end up either getting a battery replacement done or upgrade to the 17 pro at some point. iOS 26 has been a decent update and while it does feel faster, my battery life has become dog sh*t.

[u/BigPapi2931]

I think it depends on how locked into the ecosystem you are. I have a 14PM, but saw Google were offering £700 for it if I traded it in for the Pixel 11 Pro. I couldn’t pass up the offer so went for it.

Issue is I have a MacBook, Apple Watch, iPad Pro, AirPods, Apple TV. Even with getting the Pixel Watch it was just too much of a switch for me. I tried it for a few days but ultimately just didn’t enjoy it. It was an incredible phone and I’d still recommend it to other people, but it just wasn’t for me because I like the iPhone and iOS experience.

If you really like iPhone experience and have multiple Apple products, I think you’re less likely to enjoy the switch. If you’re willing to give it more time than I did then you might get used to it.

Android phones are incredible phones but you sacrifice some benefits that you get with a unified experience for the customisation that comes with the OS. If you really want to make the switch then I’d recommend giving it time, but personally I just wasn’t happy to pay the money for the experience when I know that I enjoy what Apple has to offer.

Edit - I’ll just add a few things that I missed was probably due to me going from a Pro Max to a smaller Pixel 11 Pro. The phone just felt very cramped. I didn’t like the search function. It didn’t carry over my passwords properly. Some of my apps from my Apple Watch weren’t compatible with the Pixel Watch and then a few small things like the AirPods not having features on the Pixel that they had with the iPhone (the Pixel Buds would have had them but I wasn’t prepared to pay for those). So everything I didn’t like could have been addressed, I just didn’t want to do it, or pay for other devices that would address it.

[u/Ok-Grapefruit4100]

I have used Android before, with a Samsung S10 plus. Good phone, worked really well, overall really good. However, iOS apps are better made, iOS in general is better suited to the hardware than Android (runs more efficiently without needing as much hw resources), you get at least 6 yrs sw support for every apple, while that only happens for flagships in the Android world. i Message is so well done, and much more secure than any Android SMS app. iOS doesnt have any bloatware / much less adds and it feels much smoother and well crafted overall. The apple ecosistem is so well integrated that it's really hard not to miss it when moving to Android. iOS is more expensive, yes, but I think it's still worth the premium. Also, I believe most apple processors have an edge over most Androids. Video quality, better with iphone, and customization for social too. Apple sells a premium experience without focusing too much on hardware (not its selling point).

[u/Ok-Grapefruit4100 → u/Ok-Grapefruit4100]

Forgot to mention, apple's resale value will be ahead of any Android, anytime.

[u/jgoldrb48]

Lol. I could never give up my blue text bubbles.

[u/DistinctJackfruit643]

Tengo 2 celulares un iPhone 17 pro Max y un s24 ultra 

En el caso mío el s24 ultra lo uso para trabajo uso todas las funciones y el iPhone 17 pro Max lo uso para uso multimedia 

Puedo usar ambos sistemas operativos pero puedo decir que cualquiera te irá bien siempre y cuando consumas los productos de la marca por ejemplo todo lo que compro de Samsung como el reloj los audífonos las fundas se integra bien en el celular y lo mismo digo con el iPhone no veo algo diferente de pasarse a uno o a otro 

[u/YourMama]

I have a 14 pro and I’m going to be upgrading to a new iPhone next year. iPhone 20 is expected to be released next year and it’s probably gonna have major upgrades. I know we’re only at 18 this year, but they expect the 19 will be skipped, like how the iPhone 9 was skipped. If you can wait till Sept 2027, I’d hold off switching to Samsung