Andrew Melder

I wrote recently on how I moved from iPhone back to Android via the Pixel 9 Pro. What I didn’t write about was how the temptation to move back has been sitting and testing me at my desk the entire time. Not because of iOS, but because of the form factor of the iPhone 13 Mini.

I think the iPhone 13 series as a whole was one of the best in the history of the iPhone, one of the reasons was that the 13 Mini even existed. Sure the lineup was a refresh of the 12 series; with the Mini and standard phones, plus the Pro and Pro Max versions. The 13 series however addressed the key issues with the 12 series across the board; bigger batteries and more efficient chipsets, along with better cameras throughout mean the 13 series iPhones are still widely used today.

It is unfortunate that the Mini series never had the commercial success to be kept in the lineup moving forward, it still maintains a cult following of dedicated users due to its flagship level features in a truly compact phone. Until late last year, I thought I would continue to remain one of those users.

Now that I have gotten used to the Pixel 9 Pro, I did try to go back. Putting my personal SIM card back into the 13 Mini and getting my Apple Watch back on, I thought I could very easily get back into the 13 Mini. However, the realisation was that I no longer wanted to give up some of the niceties of modern, bigger hardware for the smaller form factor.

I have no doubt that, much in the same way I was able to work around the differences between Android and iOS to move to the Pixel, I would be able to navigate the negatives of the iPhone 13 mini to move back. But I’ve been spoiled by a battery I don’t have to micromanage if I’m in a situation when I’m unable to charge.

I’ve long been fine with the 13 Mini’s battery. I had chargers everywhere I went, so just keeping it topped up on a charge via MagSafe until I needed to use it. In regular daily use with my normal routine, battery life is not an issue.

It’s when you find yourself outside your routine that things can break down and you find yourself leaning more on your battery life. The past year and a bit has seen a bit of outside influences disrupt my daily routine, and I now find the additional battery capacity of a larger phone extremely useful in those scenarios.

So it’s time for me to let go of the form factor for now. I’m confident the small phone requirement will be met by flip phones down the line, however I personally need to wait for Apple or Google themselves to jump into that market before I try it out (I’m just not a Samsung software fan).

Apple addressing the iOS shortcomings faster than Google has for Android, leaves the underlying question “why have I bothered switching?"

Having recently gotten a hold of a Pixel 9 Pro intending to be purely a work phone, I started contemplating switching completely from my trusty iPhone 13 Mini.

While small, carrying around two phones is a bit of a chore. And while the iPhone is more than capable of running my work apps as well; Android’s work profile implementation, and its visible firewall between personal and work data, makes me far more comfortable with Mobile Device Management being enabled on a personal device.

So I switched full time to the Pixel, and continue to do so.

However, outside of my very specific requirements, I find myself wondering why other people would even bother.

Android’s weaknesses remain while Apple closes the gaps

Over the years, Apple has slowly added and improved features of iOS. There’s a common theme among Android enthusiasts online when Apple releases new features showing how Android did it first; and lamenting the marketing and media machine placing Apple as “innovating”.

The reality is who actually did it first, or the perception of it, doesn’t matter. What does matter is Apple has been chipping away at the gaps between iOS and Android to slowly minimise and almost eliminate the reasons for switching. Customisation was a big reason in early Android compared to the limited nature of iPhone. However, while not as comprehensive as Android’s still, the customisation on iPhone is more than enough for the majority now.

Then there’s areas which Apple has pulled ahead slightly in the customisation space. Shortcuts built into the operating system is a great example of this. While technically more comprehensive customisation and automation features via apps such as Tasker are available on Android, they are not built in at the OS level. The power of the default is clear here where power users are all focused on testing the limits of what’s provided already; not looking for different apps to work around the OS limitations.

Meanwhile Android’s biggest gap remains the same: Apps and app quality.

While I do think for the biggest apps around there’s not much of an issue, you do still see it in little bugs and weirdness in app functionality. Instagram is the best example of this where aspect ratios and formatting gets weird depending on the Android phone used.

Then there’s just the apps available, particularly from smaller outfits or new startups who will prioritise iOS development over Android; both due to ease of development and the influence/reach/marketability of the iPhone user base in comparison. Go to any marketing conference, and you just struggle to find an Android phone.

I know a few over-zealous, weirdly anti-capitalist Android users who are currently wondering why they should care about all this. No doubt if the phone works for you, this post is not intended to persuade you to iPhone.

But all this is just outlining why it’s increasingly harder for iPhone users, who may want an alternative, to switch to an Android device. And we haven’t even addressed the topic of ecosystems.

The ecosystem problem: working out a new way to do what you already do

Many are calling out the ecosystem lock in problem that (mainly Apple) are utilising to ensure their users stay within their devices and services.

The most talked about example of this is iMessage; with the whole blue/green bubble debate and group messaging barriers. However, there are many more examples of this I’ve experienced since migrating across.

AirDrop is an annoyingly useful way to transfer files, both between your own devices and with other iPhone users. While there is no equivalent function/service available, I’ve been happy enough to work through it personally via an app called LocalSend; which meets my main criteria of sending photos between my Pixel and my MacBook.

As Apple’s services business gets more featured as well, a lot of that gets locked or severely limited outside of Apple devices. Technically you can login to iCloud on the web to access your reminders and Find My. However, the service is SLOW to be borderline useless. Find My is also missing the ability to track AirTags completely, so you are out of luck if you’ve previously made the investment there.

Have kids and use Screen Time to manage their iOS devices? Too bad, you need to have another Apple device to manage that unless you do so directly on your child’s device (being able to do so remotely without needing to get a hold of your child’s device is very useful).

Contrast this with Google’s service offerings. Google services work great on both Android and iOS because Google can’t afford to compromise the iPhone market to build the walls around the Android ecosystem. To the point where you can make a valid opinion that the best phone for Google services is indeed an iPhone.

A lot of the frustration someone would have moving away to Android for me has been navigated by two things: I still have a MacBook as a laptop, and my wife is still on the iPhone. However the reality is there are a lot of different ways to try and work around the functionality I had by default when I was using the iPhone.

What have I gained?

Unless there is something very specific about Android, or an Android device, that you have moved away from iPhone for; there is an underlying question of what have I gained from the effort and workarounds needed by migrating? The operating systems, and the smartphone industry in general, is in such a mature state that the advantages of each are increasingly slim.

That maturity is also a barrier in itself. Getting someone to switch is now pushing back on over a decade of experience and comfort with an operating system and how it works.

I pick up my Pixel. On its own, it’s a fantastic device which I am happy with. I don’t have any intentions of switching back at the moment as I’ve gotten over the hump of difficulty and gotten into routines of Android and how this phone works now.

However, there are still instances and circumstances I encounter where I still look over to my now unused iPhone and think to myself “I could go back”.