this post was submitted on 23 Feb 2025
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No Stupid Questions

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Okay, this is not an iPhone vs Android Phone debate. I respect your right to choose whichever platform that you want.


I mean, iPhone seems so antithetical with the idea of freedom. You have to connect it to a server to even use it, all apps have to go through a centralized server, no option to install whatever apps you want, which means, you literally cannot have any third-party apps without an online account.

Most of my fellow americans seems to love the idea of freedom so much, yet just buy into a closed ecosystem with no freedom? 🤔

Like almost 60% of Americans use iPhone, kinda weird to preach freedom when you cant even have an app without a corporation's approval. If it were any other country, I wouldn't find it weird, but for a country that's obsessed with the idea of freedom (so much so that they disobeyed mask mandates), it's really weird to be using a device with zero freedom.

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[–] icedcoffee@lemm.ee 1 points 4 hours ago

The binary choice is the freedom. As many people in this thread have discussed, it’s not a real choice, but it’s simple enough that most people will put on blinders and accept the available options.

I use iPhone. It sucks but network effect from people in my circle brought me here

[–] bdonvr@thelemmy.club 18 points 10 hours ago

You have to connect it to a server to even use it

That's also true of the versions of Android that 99.99% of people use

cannot have any third-party apps without an online account.

Most people don't care. They'll use the suggested app store and have an account already.

Right or not, it is what it is.

[–] lepinkainen@lemmy.world 2 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago) (2 children)

I want my phone to be like a gaming console.

I turn it on, it works. I install curated stuff from a store.

The hardware is stable and predictable and thus software is of better quality when the developer doesn’t need to test 420 different hardware variants.

I do not want it to be a Linux PC I need to tinker with every day. I specifically want it to prevent me from fucking with it.

EDIT: I also have “adult money” so I can get any phone I want, I don’t need to get the cheapest.

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[–] lemmylommy@lemmy.world 37 points 13 hours ago (5 children)

Not an American, but as an iPhone user who has had Android phones since cupcake before: iPhones „just work“, they are a lot less janky than Android, the ecosystem is smooth (although admittedly and intentionally less so when leaving it), they get updated for longer (and at the same time!) and apple has a much better privacy track record than the competition (a low bar).

Yes, I would prefer to install my apps from anywhere I want on the device I should own. An open source phone from top to bottom would be my dream, but Android is about as far removed from that as an iphone. Google took Linux and made it into a Frankenstein nightmare that is wholly dependent on them.

Just try to stick to open source and make your phone respect your privacy and see how far you get. Start at the usually locked bootloader, install a rom without google and see how few apps are left that do not require google services. And even then you are most likely dependent on binary blobs for the drivers, meaning the manufacturers can (and will) pull the rug from under your efforts as soon as they no longer feel like updating their shitty built of Android for the device in time.

I do not have time for that. What I have is enough money to buy a phone that comes as close as possible to my idea of safety, freedom and privacy without constantly jumping through burning hoops. If I am to be in a cage, it better be golden.

[–] FuglyDuck@lemmy.world 4 points 11 hours ago (2 children)

An open source phone from top to bottom would be my dream, but Android is about as far removed from that as an iphone. Google took Linux and made it into a Frankenstein nightmare that is wholly dependent on them.

have you considered flashing custom roms on it? e/OS, LineageOS and GrapheneOS (restricted to google pixel for hardware+privacy/security reasons) are all opensource.

[–] orbituary@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

Graphene. Don't try the others if you aren't prepared for an uphill battle. Graphene just works.

[–] FuglyDuck@lemmy.world 9 points 10 hours ago

I agree that graphene is the hands down best. But for people who have a device and want to switch, and that device is not a google pixel, well that severely limits your options.

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[–] leraje@lemmy.blahaj.zone 12 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

Not an American but to be honest, both Google and Apple are appalling. Google openly steal all your data and sell it. Apple do similar but on a smaller scale but also claim they're all about privacy. Both make it difficult to use alternative app stores but with Apple its actually impossible. Phone vendors can and do install their own awful bloat on Android phones. Apple force you to use webkit for any browsing you might want to do, Android's native GUI is a mess. Nothing Apple put on their devices is open source so all their claims of privacy can never be verified. Both companies constantly try and impose proprietary standards or charge you a bajillion pounds for a fucking pen or some such bullshit.

The key difference for me is I can put something like Calyx or Graphene on an Android device and use a whole open source ecosystem of alternative apps which vastly improves the privacy of my device.

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[–] SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 32 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago) (6 children)

Conspicuous consumption.

Americans have been propagandized by Apple advertising into thinking Apple products are "high class."

Ask yourself: Why does anyone wear a Rolex?

It boils down to the same thing, showing people your wealth and thus "social value" (barf) via conspicuous consumption.

If it wasn't conspicuous consumption, why would US people literally judge potential dating partners on what kind of phone they use?

Example: https://www.latimes.com/archives/blogs/technology-blog/story/2008-08-07/apple-removes-1-000-featureless-iphone-application

Its function is exactly what the name implies: to alert people that you have money in the bank. I Am Rich was available for purchase from the phone’s App Store for, get this, $999.99 -- the highest amount a developer can charge through the digital retailer, said Armin Heinrich, the program’s developer. Once downloaded, it doesn’t do much -- a red icon sits on the iPhone home screen like any other application, with the subtext ‘I Am Rich.’ Once activated, it treats the user to a large, glowing gem (pictured above). That’s about it. For a thousand dollars.

This was barely a year after the original iPhone's release. The attitude toward Apple products has persisted ever since.

[–] artificialfish@programming.dev 3 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

I hate to say it, the reason people choose dating partners on phone use is because of blue texts on iMessage. that’s the only reason. Apple was brilliant pitching that as an Android problem instead of playing fair and working on an open standard since day 1. Dragged their feet for years.

[–] AA5B@lemmy.world 2 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago) (3 children)

I still find this hard to believe. It’s just a visual indicator whether the conversation is encrypted or not, but who would actually judge partners with this.

When I checked with my kids, since we know teenagers can be very shallow bullies, they said there is some light teasing but it was really started by online crap like this. Not even teenagers care. I mean, they don’t usually use iMessages anyway, so many probably never noticed.

“Blue texts” is a fake issue. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was started as a prank, or by Google, and no one cared until it was all over the internet

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[–] jeffw@lemmy.world 7 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago) (2 children)

Conspicuous consumption doesn’t really hold in this case because the alternative is around the same price.

I’d also question any claim about the dating partner. Maybe a study said it has an impact, but I doubt it’s a strong impact on evaluation of a potential partner. By all means, I’d love to see the source for that

You also cite an example of what was basically a meme. Literally nobody bought that app (and iirc those who were tricked got their money back)

[–] sanpo@sopuli.xyz 7 points 9 hours ago (2 children)

the alternative is around the same price

You know that's not true.

There are stupidly expensive Android flagships, but there are also a lot of phones for a fraction of the price.

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[–] SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 12 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago)

https://web.archive.org/web/20241008034217/https://nypost.com/2024/10/07/lifestyle/are-iphone-users-petty-youll-be-surprised-how-many-wont-date-android-fans-survey/

The different colored texts in iMessage and forced downgrade of any MMS sent via an Android is part of that perception by iPhone users that Android's are inferior devices, even if they cost similarly.

Apple refused to implement RCS until very recently. Not saying Google is better in terms of RCS, they have their own issues, this is just about how Apple has leveraged iMessage to the end of people viewing it as a "higher class' device than Android.

All the sleek white design was a part of that too. People thought it looked futuristic/costly and the rest of the industry tried to copy their design philosophy due to that. You can't deny that Apple devices look classy. Apple didn't pay Jony Ive an absolute fuckton of money per year for nothing.

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[–] JeeBaiChow@lemmy.world 19 points 12 hours ago (4 children)

Not an iphone user, but am intrigued by all the ads the apple people say are on androids. Literally have never seen one, and I've had adjusted androids since the og htcs.

[–] frank@sopuli.xyz 14 points 9 hours ago (2 children)

It's the opposite. On Android I have an adblocker. On my work iphone I have to raw dog the internet

[–] nicerdicer@feddit.org 10 points 8 hours ago

Rawdogging the internet applies to those who do not set up their phones properly. This applies to both IPhone and Android users. It is uncool that Apple only allows Webkit based browsers, where uBlock Origin doesn't work. But even Safari Browser can be set up properly in the settings. Additional to that, there are extensions that block ads and trackers. I use a combinatiion of three extensions and I haven't seen any ads so far:

KaBlock!
Hush Nag Blocker
Ad Guard (I only use the free tier)

[–] 2xsaiko@discuss.tchncs.de 7 points 8 hours ago

You can install AdGuard on iOS, it will at least block ads in the browser.

Saw them all the time on my first android phone which was a $20 Huawei phone which is almost certainly a major factor.

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[–] TheFeatureCreature@lemmy.ca 21 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

Not an American, but I ended up with an iPhone simply because the cost difference between it and an Android device via my carrier wasn't that big. It was also a previous generation model at a steep discount which helped a lot.

I am not a fan of Apple but if a company is going to screw me then at least Apple isn't so in-my-face about it like Google is. Google's data harvesting and ads are absolutely atrocious.

I used Blackberry right up until they ditched BB10. Sometimes I wonder if I should just get a feature phone because modern smartphones are awful things.

[–] IDKWhatUsernametoPutHereLolol@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 13 hours ago (3 children)

I am not a fan of Apple but if a company is going to screw me then at least Apple isn’t so in-my-face about it like Google is. Google’s data harvesting and ads are absolutely atrocious.

I mean, that's kinda the dilemma.

You might get a bit more privacy with Apple, but then you sacrifice with the whole "not being able to 'sideload' apps" thing.

And if you want to bit of freedom, you have to use Android, which means you lose more privacy because the whole Google thing.

Ugh, why does every company suck so much. 🤦‍♂️

(Also: I don't even know if Apple is really more private, its kinda just blind faith tbh...)

[–] AA5B@lemmy.world 1 points 5 hours ago

Definitely a huge problem that you never really know, but is it any less valid to take their word for it than to just assume the worst. Taken at face value, Apple is much better at privacy and is a clear winner. Taken at face value, Googles basic operating model itself is exploiting my privacy, why would I accept that?

I also tend to be skeptical about corporate actions matching their promises, given all the evidence of recent history, but it doesn’t change the fact that you’re judging them on your skepticism, your worst fears, with no evidence. You can’t know they’re doing the right thing but you also dint know they’re doing the wrong thing. I’ll stick with evidence, and Apple has a long history of privacy-based choices, I’ll start with their promises, but yes we need to hold them to it

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[–] muntedcrocodile@lemm.ee 15 points 13 hours ago

The average American is a fucking idiot and half of them are dumber than that

[–] rc__buggy@sh.itjust.works 15 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

Honestly, if you can tolerate the Apple ecosystem it works really well, with adequate privacy. My wife and my mother both use them and I recommend it for anyone who isn't a privacy nerd.

If the user isn't willing to jump through hoops to lock shit down, Apple offers a better suite across platforms for privacy and security.

[–] IDKWhatUsernametoPutHereLolol@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 13 hours ago (4 children)

Honestly, if you can tolerate the Apple ecosystem it works really well, with adequate privacy.

Not having firefox browser extensions is a huge dealbreaker tho (because Apple require some safari thing in all the browsers that breaks extentions), like imagine not being able to have uBlock Origin.

Also, I'm a bit of a pirate... Apple app store has no torrent client... 😉

[–] KoalaUnknown@lemmy.world 3 points 7 hours ago

Also, I'm a bit of a pirate... Apple app store has no torrent client...

I sideload iTorrent on my iPhone via AltStore

[–] Hawke@lemmy.world 9 points 12 hours ago (3 children)

Why would you torrent from your phone?

Wrong tool for the job…

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[–] ocean@lemmy.selfhostcat.com 13 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago) (6 children)

Honestly I didn’t get an iPhone until 2021 or so and all of my android phones before then ran slow in a year or so. That never happened with my iPhones. Having recently gotten into privacy and selfhosting I have considered a pixel with graphene but don’t wanna waste money.

Worth noting I don’t use iCloud or any of those Apple related services.

I know my partner thinks the same way. My family all has them recently too. Idk why though. We mostly had Samsung before then LG earlier.

[–] IDKWhatUsernametoPutHereLolol@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 13 hours ago (3 children)

all of my Linux phones before then ran slow in a year or so. That never happened with my iPhones

Linux isn't really optimized for phones so they are going to be terrible.

And since Apple doesn't really sell budget phones, iPhones are always gonna be fast, so is a flagship Android phone. Its the flagship aspect that makes a phone fast, not the OS.

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[–] mspencer712@programming.dev 10 points 13 hours ago (3 children)

I’m a professional C# developer, and I switched to iPhone in 2020. Mostly I wanted a more controlled, curated App Store for increased confidence in a safe execution environment. I’ll pay the $100/yr for a developer account if I really need to build and run my own code.

The lack of ad block options bugs me. I also don’t use iCloud.

I have doubts about whether this question is asking or proselytizing.

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[–] towelie@lemm.ee 3 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago) (2 children)

Through the release of the first iPhone to the mid 2010s I'd wager that most consumers agreed that iPhones were superior to Android by most metrics: they featured more support across the board, had more apps, looked nicer, and were considered the premium. Apple pioneered the modern smartphone and had a headstart in getting users hooked into their ecosystem. Nowhere was this more pronounced than in the wealthiest country in the world (and Apple's home country).

That's a huge generalization but I think it resonates true to a degree. Also, anecdotally, I remember that all my school computers were Macs when growing up. I'm sure Apple seeped its tendrils into people's lives a variety of ways. It's not a cake walk for most people to switch ecosystems. As a lifelong Windows user I'll have a panic attack if you asked me to print a document on a Mac; I'm sure its the same vice versa lol

[–] boreengreen@lemm.ee 1 points 7 hours ago (2 children)

SonyEricson p800 was launched 2002. It said smart phone on it.

Yes and that phone wasn't the basis of most of the smart phone platforms we see whereas the iphone was.

[–] towelie@lemm.ee 1 points 4 hours ago

Man I miss my Sony Ericsson. Phones used to be unique

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