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Gives me a lot of flexibility on customizing the look and feel, running apps / doing things that are otherwise prohibited - (e.g. using Android Auto in a banned country, keeping some bloatware apps / system processes from accessing internet, screen projection in AA), cleaner ways of ad blocking, more thorough control of the phone in general.
I can use my phone the way i wanted, not what Apple wants ๐
Even if Apple is better, the friction for me to switch would be way too much. I am way too entrenched into the Google ecosystem. Having said that, the customization of Android is much better. I like being able to change my launcher and I feel like I have more control over my phone.
For me, it's the ability to customize the software experience to the way I like. I like my experience very close to stock Android with as little bloat as possible so being able to do that through a custom rom or by removing apps through ADB is a big deal for me.
It's easier to talk about what I like... How all your devices connect together. Been waiting for Apple to really expand that feature since the Mac's are using the same chips.
Surprisingly I used to be HUGE into Apple. Then the iPhonw came out and me and Apple prted ways
Customization and repurposing of old phones. So far, I've turned one phone into a local, offline router. One into a security camera, one is my web cam.
I really like this Pixel feature called Overview Selection where in the all switcher you can highlight/copy like any text on the screen, even from images. Also having a type C plug.
I've done Palm Treos and windowsCE phones and, blackberries, I went Motorola Droid when they first came out, try to short stint with an iPhone 4, went back to Android ever since.
What's blocking me from going back to iPhone? Honestly they're hardware is great. Long battery life reasonable charging. It's the setup of the phone itself It's the software. It hasn't changed significantly since iPhone 4.
I want a large clock widget on my front page I want weather for this week at the bottom I want weather for today hour by hour, below that I want five folders, stuff to use while driving, media stuff, chat stuff, camera stuff, productivity stuff. I didn't want to have multiple desktops, swiping off main will bring me to gaming stuff, then drone flying stuff, then audio stuff.
Android software options historically were cheaper and free options were better than the Apple free options I'm not really sure that's the case anymore.
I'd like to have the option for a round watch with a functional physical bezel, that has 24 hours of battery life.
I'd like not to be penalized for using a Windows PC with my phone and my watch. Even a little garbage like you can reset your Apple account on an Apple device right now, but if you will need to reset it from Windows you have to wait 3 days.
It wouldn't keep me from transferring but, I'd miss stuff like Samsung dex.
It really is just a coincidence.
I got an Android for my first ever smart phone because the friend who was advising me happened to be an Android user too. If they'd been an Apple user, I probably would have gotten an iPhone that day.
I've stuck with Android since then because it's what I know. I had an iPhone for work for a while and I found it annoying to try to learn all the differences.
Customization is the main draw for Android Phones, particularly Samsung Phones as Samsung is leading the Theme game at least to me. Right now, I'm rocking a Google Pixel, but Google offers decent enough customization options that I don't miss Samsung phones terribly much. The second thing is that I dislike Apple's Walled Garden with passion. I'll recommend their phones to people based on their needs; Personally, I will never own an iOS Device. The lack of customization of icons and the like is a hard pass from me.
Tbh because it was cheap when I was younger, and now I don't really see a need to switch to iPhone (and have thus never used one). I like the photography on Pixel and also the UI better than iOS.
I bought my first Android smartphone in 2008. In terms of computer ecosystems that I was interacting with leading up to that, I was using Windows, Mac OS, and Linux for various applications, so I don't think there was any tribalism in my decision to go Android. Rather, it was just that in testing Android and iOS through friends and at the telecom store I just could not wrap my head around iOS from a usability perspective. Android just felt really intuitive to me. I never have and probably never will be a mobile device power user, so flexibility in that regard wasn't a factor either. To this day, I've never had any serious software issue with Android devices, and they just do what I need them to do, in a format that I have gelled with from the get-go.
Because I can use the real Firefox and not a Webkit imposter. I tried an iPhone for a year but it was too restrictive for me. Having a choice in phone manufacturer helps too. I've had phones from many different companies over the years.
Because I don't have any other choice :(
Honestly, they're the only smartphones I've ever used, going all the way back to the MyTouch 3G. Well, my first "smart" phone was a Sidekick that I got in 2009 or so, but I upgraded to Android and the MyTouch 3G when my cousin gave it to me when she got a new phone.
Since then I've had a Galaxy S, Galaxy S5, Note 5, and I've had a Pixel 4a 5G for a couple of years now.
Oddly enough I've been on the fence about going to iPhone for my next phone. I have a lot of time and money tied up in the Play Store, and I know it doesn't just go away when I get a new phone, but I've gotta take some stock before I make a switch. Apple products have become more and more enticing as I get older. I used to have harder feelings about the phone divide, but I honestly haven't cared the past 5 years, a good phone is a good phone.