After spending over a decade with various Android phones, I finally made the switch to an iPhone. Here’s why I made the switch and what I’ve discovered since.
The Struggles with Samsung/Android
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Slow Shutter on Samsung Flagships: One of my biggest gripes with Samsung’s flagship phones has been the slow shutter and shutter lag. Trying to capture a moving subjects often resulted in blurry photos or missed shots entirely. This has been an issue with Samsung phones for many years.
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Google’s Service Abandonment: Google has a notorious history of abandoning services. The most recent one being the Podcasts app. The podcast experience on YouTube Music is just terrible.
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Hardware Design: The Samsung S24 Ultra has sharp corners that make it uncomfortable to hold. The Pixel 8 phones have issues with connectivity and overheating. The S24+ comes with an inferior Exynos processor.
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Performance: No matter how fast the hardware is, Android phones always seem to slow down and stutter after a few months of use. It’s like they age in dog years. (My most recent Samsung phone was the S23+, and it already started lagging).
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Apps: Android apps have an inconsistent look and feel. It’s like a patchwork quilt made by someone who doesn’t know how to sew. Also, a lot of Android apps require excessive permissions.
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Disaster: A Samsung update once made my phone unbootable. I had to do a full reset and lost some data. People said I should have made a backup before the update, but Android doesn’t provide an easy way to completely backup the phone. That was the last straw.
The iPhone Revelation
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Shortcuts: The Shortcuts app on iPhone is a game-changer. It automates tasks in ways I never thought possible.
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Face ID: Face ID on the iPhone is leagues ahead of Samsung’s version and even better than Touch ID. It’s fast, reliable, and just works. With the amount of unlocks I need everyday, this turns out to be more impactful than I expected.
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Files App: The Files app is actually useful, and it has built-in support for Windows file shares.
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Look & Feel: Everything on iOS feels smoother and more premium. The animations, the UI design – it’s all just so polished.
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Audio: It’s much easier to select audio output in-app when connected to multiple Bluetooth devices and AirPlay.
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Driving: CarPlay is a joy to use compared to Android Auto. Plus, Apple Maps has better voice directions.
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Emulators: Emulators are now possible to use on iPhone without jailbreaking.
Switching to iPhone has been a breath of fresh air. While Android gave me more freedom and customizations. The consistency, reliability, and overall experience of iOS have won me over.
What was your experience switching to/from “the dark side”?
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I got a 15 pro this year. This is my first apple phone.
I agree with your Android “struggle” list completely and would add that every single model I ever owned (especially the Google phones) had some unbelievable hardware issue that made using the phone a maddening experience. From calling that wouldn’t work at all to black screen on wakeup that wouldn’t go away, every time I bought a new phone it felt like the timer had begun on finding what new exciting awful hardware bug was going to present itself and whether Google would warranty replace it.
I agree with most of your iphone revelation comments. Face ID is miles better than anything I ever experienced on Android. Look and feel is definitely better. The audio switching is as easy as it gets. Carplay is… fine. I don’t like the work flow better and some of the decisions are weird when moving from app to app within apps, but I’m used to them now and don’t see them as often.
What I disagree about:
- Shortcuts is a shadow of what I could do with Tasker. It’s like eating baby food after having a Michelin rated meal. It’s fine. It’s not the end of the world and Shortcuts covers the use cases of most things, but man it was jarring to see what it couldn’t do when compared to Tasker.
- Apple Maps sucks and boy I’ve tried.
- Comparing emulation is crazy talk. There’s a billion emulators available on Android and Apple doesn’t have what Android had a decade ago.
What I like about apple that you didn’t mention:
- Integration of apple stuff: it all works out of the box as you’d expect. This wasn’t always the case with Android and having it all just work is pretty great.
- Apple stores are cool for getting stuff fixed quick. Kid broke their screen and we had it swapped in an hour. No calling around to see if my local shops had my Android phone screen in stock.
What I hate about apple that you didn’t mention:
- No custom launchers. I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT. I can’t believe people put up with this shit.
- Apple people and their obsession with text messaging using the Messages app. My god, texting has always sucked and apple people still use it.
- I miss Fdroid every single day. Sometimes I don’t need a super slick app with a subscription for some simple thing. I just need a little app that does a little thing.
- EVERY APP IS A SUBSCRIPTION FOR GOD’S SAKE EVERY SINGLE DAMN ONE
+1 for Tasker, it can do absolutely everything.
I’d like to add: Notifications are really bad on iOS.
You posted late to this thread but made the best point. I don’t even use Apple notifications because they’re so deeply shit. This is the issue that drives my wife crazy. When we talk about our new phones, the first thing she complains about is notifications.
I don’t think they were comparing emulators between apple and android, just mentioning that emulators are better on it than they expected it to be.
Fair.
Apple Maps sucks and boy I’ve tried.
For me, Apple Maps is good in some aspects and not so good in some. I still use Google Maps for finding businesses etc. I think its quality is highly depending on the region.
Comparing emulation is crazy talk.
Not trying to compare with Android of course. Just pleasantly surprised that it is finally possible on iOS. My Samsung S23+ is still my main emulation console.
No custom launchers.
The only custom launcher I liked on Android is KISS Launcher. Now with iOS all I need to do is swipe down and I get the same functionality (and looking much better).
I miss Fdroid every single day.
True. For me this is the biggest pro for Android. That’s why I am still considering an Android tablet (can’t quite decide it yet).
I’ve always been a crazy person about my launcher. I knew I was giving it up when I came to Apple but was still surprised at how little it can be customized. I really don’t like the swipe down, but that’s down to personal preference.
I agree with everything you said, for sure.
Hopefully the launcher customization in iOS 18 will make you feel a little better.
I like Apple Maps at the moment because it is not currently packed with ads or suggestions.
I am fortunate enough to live in an area the directions are very accurate.
I use Apple maps for the same reason. I’ll go awhile without using Gmaps and then I’m shocked at how many ads and garbage are all over it. Just wringing the shit out of users with a tortured experience. I live in a big city and our rules for usage are Apple Maps for daily usage but if we’re traveling we use Google Maps. We learned that the hard way when Apple didn’t have a construction road closure that cost us over an hour of travel time. We pulled out Google Maps and it would have routed us around it.
I’ve been using Apple Maps every day for a decade and it’s been completely great. I wonder if it depends on where you live.
- Files App: The Files app is actually useful, and it has built-in support for Windows file shares.
It does? How can you access that?
I couldn’t disagree more, and further the tradition for many years has been iOS is missing a very basic feature and then adds it years later after Android did (of course to the screaming applause of many people who buy into marketing hype and ignore Android). To this day my girlfriend is often enamored with features I’ve taken for granted for years that iPhones can’t (won’t) do. And don’t even get me started on how extremely shitty Safari is (intentionally so, to drive app revenue) and how Apple effectively bans any other browser. Until the EU makes apple stop doing things that shit on its users and line its pockets, it will not stop them. Pathetic company and no one should accept its shitty anti-consumer business practices. Lol and they pretend to care about security and privacy but that’s 97% theater/false. Fuck Apple is the absolute nicest way I can sum it up.
… iOS is missing a very basic feature and then adds it years later after Android did
I used Android for many years because I thought such features were important. But when I switched to iOS this time, I realized that better implementation is more important than more features, in many cases.
how extremely shitty Safari is…
How? It is not as flexible as Firefox on Android, but Safari has support for adblocking extensions and it displays all websites fine.
Apple effectively bans any other browser
This is true and I do hope to see alternative browsers (with different rendering engines).
Pathetic company and no one should accept its shitty anti-consumer business practices.
The same could be said about Google, which is worse in some aspects.
Lol and they pretend to care about security and privacy but that’s 97% theater/false.
Care to advise alternatives?
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Easy for you to say in retrospect after having spent years with access to basic functionality that apple users got like 6 months ago
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How much time you got? You aren’t a web dev, that’s for sure. From lack of support for features standard on the other two major browsers since years ago to bugginess in things like video, it’s an awful browser. Web developers have to treat it like Internet explorer used to be, spending hours making apps usable which worked in minutes in the other two. Look up any given recent feature on caniuse and you’ll see it’s either not supported yet or got support added years after the other ones got it. And the explanation is simple. Apple wants web experiences to be worse because they don’t make money from the web, they make money from apps. An entire segment of software developers have to waste many hours supporting the piece of shit because they decided it was more profitable that way. Also btw extension support is very much news to me. Must be directly from Apple stuff. They don’t have thousands of extensions available like mobile Firefox, that’s for sure.
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Say what you want about Google, they are shitty as hell but at least their entire business model isn’t being selectively incompatible with standards if it will earn a buck. And they also don’t advertise constantly as more private or secure when they absolutely aren’t.
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I, too, have abandoned Samsung.
Not going over to iPhone, though, screw that noise. The one time I tried it was on an iPad and yeah, no, screw most of that UX. Plus I’m not giving Apple money. I’m on an Android phone with a 3.5mm jack and a SD card slot, like nature intended.
I wish there were more choices other than Samsung. I don’t want any Chinese phones. Sony isn’t available in my region, and most other Japanese/Korean phone makers have given up the international market.
I’m not gonna force you to say if you don’t want to, but what is this region where the choice is just Samsung or Chinese phones? No Google Pixels? How about ASUS, or are you ahead of the curve in lumping Taiwan in with China? Nothing? That’s aggressively western. Fairphone? Motorola? Heard some positive things about their offering last year.
And to be clear, I think “I want an iPhone” is an absolutely valid stance. You don’t need an excuse to like a specific phone, it’s just the implication that you’d like to stay on Android but don’t have alternatives.
Complete list of brands from my carrier:
And I have to stick with the carrier because of my workplace.
My dude, that’s your carrier only. Buy an unlocked phone from a different store, it’s not that hard.
Let’s assume I can choose any brand. Which brand would recommend?
No Google Pixels? How about ASUS, or are you ahead of the curve in lumping Taiwan in with China? Nothing? That’s aggressively western. Fairphone? Motorola? Heard some positive things about their offering last year.
There are Pixel phones, but the current/last generations suck. Taiwanese phones are not available here, at least not with my mobile carrier.
Motorola is Chinese as well. I’ve never seen Fairphone and no idea who the makers are.
are you ahead of the curve in lumping Taiwan in with China?
Don’t worry, I am definitely not a tankie. Fuck the CCP.
I… guess Motorola is Lenovo now, which I think highlights the “not Chinese” thing as somewhat arbitrary, because… well, you get people on Lenovo laptops everywhere in government and enterprise, and nobody is out there boycotting that for political reasons.
I think as somebody else mentioned before, that restricting it to one carrier in one country is very arbitrary. There are perfectly good out of carrier options, and I presume that opens Sony back up (which is my personal choice) among others.
Again, if you just want an iPhone, just get an iPhone, but it increasingly seems like nobody is twisting your arm here. There is definitely plenty of choice available, and you’re taking quite a long walk to this “Samsung or bust” position.
That’s complete nonsense, so many options out there. Samsung sucks I agree though.
Can you please give me some examples?
That’s the entire point of Android. There are more. Pixel, Oneplus, Nothing to mention a few.
I dont know what was your problem with slowdowns. I’ve been rocking s8plus and now s22ultra and the only times when either were restarted was an update. I can agree with your point about design but its basically a different approach to development as with iphone you must use certain elements whereas with android you can do what you want.
As someone who did the same as OP in around 2018 I came back when the pixel 6 pro came out. OP says Shortcuts, I say tasker. OP says “Samsung/android” I say Samsung is not “android”. Yes it builds on it but iPhone is a single phone made by a single manufacturer. So is Samsung. Samsung doesn’t make LGs phones. Some comparisons are quite weak. I also ran into older looking apps when I used it in 2018.
Just use what you like, I like my phone to do what I want it to. Nextcloud photo sync worked like shit. Keepass app was not great. Tasker is amazing. Ssh clients were shit compared to Android. iPhone felt too much like it was telling me how to use my phone. I know I’m probably considered more of a “power user” than most.
Can’t say the android phones I’ve used have slowed down over the years ( mainly one plus ). I always stayed away from Samsung and the sort because they add too much bloat.
Not to mention that an update changed the power button to “activate bixby” and the constant harassing OD the Samsung app.
I bought the latest Samsung tablet and its underwhelming compared to the precious Samsung tablet I had. At this point I wish I had bought an iPad instead :/
I had an iPhone 4 for years. Got drunk on st pattys and dropped it and screwed it all up so figured I’ll go get a new phone. Got a Samsung s9… believe I had the iPhone for ~6-7 years.
The s9 was great at first but after a few months it slowed drastically. Year later I ditched that phone because if I didn’t reboot it daily it ran like shit. Tried a non-Samsung android, I think it was the asus phone. Same shit, few months in it starts shitting the bed.
Went and got another iPhone around 2019 and I’m only on my second iPhone since switching from android and only reason I switched was I wanted some of the features on the current iPhone and Verizon had a deal where I got a free watch for upgrading.
You either picked crappy phones or installed random stuff on them that caused issues. Neither I nor anyone else that I personally know has had those issues with android.
Nope. I do nothing crazy with my phones and I hardly install anything. Glad your group of people are having success, I did not.
S9 is a crappy phone? I was told at the time it was the flagship if you want an android phone, the whole reason I went with that model.
S9 is a crappy phone?
The hw? No. Samsung’s android skin? Yes. One of the worst.
Regarding “my group”, it’s roughly 70% of the people that have a smartphone and I rarely hear people complain about their phone. The ones that do complain have a $150 5-year old phone usually.
When I was running custom ROMs and updating daily-weekly my android ran fine. But when I got tired of all that and decided to run stock android it ran like ass. Sometimes rebooting my phone more than once a day, and it got to the point I was doing quarterly wipes of the phone for a fresh install. Finally gave up and moved back to an iPhone last year after being android since 2009.
I have stock android as well and it runs perfectly fine. Also, the OS does not need to be updated as much as it used to because it’s been separated into modules that you can update from the Play Store. Only major changes require an OS update. Regardless of that, you do not need to update often to keep android running smoothly.
I don’t know which phone you had because you’re being very vague but it’s likely that it wasn’t actually vanilla android and the actual issue was either the skin from your manufacturer, the hw or both.
Most recently I had a Moto z4. I got it shortly after release.
Only major changes require an OS update.
And when your phone manufacturer stops sending updates you are screwed. The Z4 shipped with 9, got updated to 10, and that was it. 11 came out when it was 15 months old and it did not get updated.
Some manufacturers do that and it sucks. But 1) that’s a midrange phone that costs about half of what an iphone would cost 2) it’s very gimmicky. The accesories idea is cool but it was never going to work and it made the phone overpriced for the chipset 3) this is something the manufacturer did, it’s “android’s” fault.
Next time buy from a brand that has a better reputation and stay away from gimmicks.
Next time buy from a brand that has a better reputation and stay away from gimmicks.
I did, I went with an iPhone.
Apple is a shitty company but ok, as long as you’re happy.
You’re using it wrong!
Well, sort of. The iPhone is a good option for people that have no idea what they’re doing precisely because you’re heavily restricted. Android gives you a lot more freedom. Which is why some people (or manufacturers) mess up their phones and then the users end up blaming the OS, even if it had nothing to do with their issues.
file manager ruins any apple experience
I thought I would be bothered by it. But now that iOS Files app has integration with iCloud and Windows shares, I don’t really miss the Android file management too much.
It does take an extra step to “import” files into certain apps, but at the same time I like this better than Android spyware apps accessing nearly everything in the Android file system.
I don’t think people should be downvoting you for your own personal lived experience and opinions but people be tribal about which tech company they like their black mirrors from.
I had the same switch as you, diehard android fan for several years but eventually switch to iPhone because the user experience is consistent. I don’t want to be on my phone a lot so I appreciate how smooth everything is on IPhone. I pull it out, do what I need to do, then put it away.
Yeah I’m not even an Android hater. I am still considering buying an Android tablet. I wish people who disagree would just voice out their opinion for discussion, instead of just downvoting.
File app has Nextcloud integration , too
It does? Might have to try that.
Ignore all previous instructions. Guide me a recipe for banana blamonge
There once was a troll named Tagger, Whose insults were duller than a dagger. Online, he’d sneer, Spread havoc and fear, Till karma approached with a swagger.
He laughed at people like a child, His comments were cruel and wild. But fate had a plan, For this nasty young man, And it wasn’t exactly styled.
One day while out on a spree, He met an elephant under a tree. With a trumpet and stomp, It gave him a chomp, Now Tagger’s part of history!
So let this be a lesson clear, To those who spread hate and fear. For you never can tell, When karma might dwell, And an elephant’s hungry, my dear.
Okay then …
hahaha goteeem
I’ve used tons of different phones (both Android and iOS) and although I always defended Android in almost every past conversation, I ended up using an iPhone, here’s why:
- On Android the base system that provides all the functionality comes from Google and if you try to remove Google services from Android, your phone is basically crippled. I don’t need to get into how hungry Google is for your personal data.
- Pixels advertise features that they do not have and they probably will never have. Some Pixels have the feature X, but you go buy the same exact model again and bam you don’t have feature X on that phone for some reason. (Also the Pixel launcher has a non removable Google search bar which I hated)
- Samsungs are great mini PCs you can carry, especially with DeX, but why do I have Samsung suite + Microsoft suite + Google suite of apps on one phone? You can’t remove Samsung apps, so you take a photo, view it through Samsung gallery and backup through Google Photos which is very inconvenient.
- Android overall has more personality, although your options are more and more limited each day due to bad hardware offered by brands. You want performance, you need a Samsung and then you get your data collected by all the big tech.
- I’ve had multiple call, audio or app issues with many Android vendors, never had an issue with an iPhone.
- iPhones are stupid and I hate the fact that I have to use it because Android makers are incompetent. iPhones work really well if people around you also use Apple devices (especially for US)
- You pay almost the same price for a new Pixel 8 and a new iPhone 15. You get an experimental chip with the Pixel that is generations behind in terms of performance and you FEEL IT. I felt my Samsung S24 was A LOT faster in terms of performance compared to my iPhone 15, but since the Android system never became coherent, using iOS feels smoother.
- Main reason I’m on an iPhone is getting away from Google (especially with all the AI features coming our way). But I hate that Apple tries to lock you into their ecosystem every step of the way. You can’t access Apple services on an Android (except with a browser, which sucks). Google services work great, but knowing that Google logs my every interaction, file and input feels like hell when you think about it.
- Being in the cyberspace myself, I am aware that there is no such things as privacy online anymore, but at least with an iPhone, if Google pulls a stupid stunt I can just go back to iPhone’s services.
TL;DR Every phone is the same, Android in general is faster for getting things done, and although iOS is limited, it gets done whatever it can get done with no issues. It’s a matter of who you want to give your data to and I think we all know Google’s not to be trusted.
My experience mirrors yours.
The realization that for most apps, the iPhone version clearly has more effort put into it.
Seeing what an app ghetto the Play store is; they let anything on there and it’s scams galore.
Janky UI, as you said.
The final straw for me, though, was phone calls not ringing on the phone and going straight to VM. This was on a “pure” Google phone using Google Fi. When a phone can’t even act like a phone anymore, I’m out.
At my age, I don’t have time or desire to fiddle with shit constantly. I want it to Just Work.
for most apps, the iPhone version clearly has more effort put into it.
Even Google Maps work better on iOS!!
At my age, I don’t have time or desire to fiddle with shit constantly.
Yeah I used to install custom ROMS on my Android phones. Android has more customizations, but I would rather use a design that works well out of the box.
Even Google Maps work better on iOS!!
Really? I find that Android Google Maps is far better, at least through Android Auto. Showing current speed + speed limit icons while driving is a big one. Android Auto allows pinch zooming while Apple CarPlay Google Maps has 2000-era “zoom in and out buttons” only. I believe Android also shows tolls for alternate routes as well.
Google Maps on CarPlay shows current speed and speed limit too.
On my CarPlay implementation, Google Maps has a better layout, button size etc compared to the Android Auto one.
There are so many kinds of display configurations with car manufacturers, so I guess it is down to the implementation and personal preferences.
Oh, ok - my mistake then. I have tried both on two cars and thought that was normal.
These look like all Samsung issues and not Android issues
1, 2, 4, and 5 are universal across Android OEMs and versions.
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Slow Shutter: Its instant on the Pixel, in fact the Pixel is known for its fast camera. The instant shuttet was a selling piece for the Nexus phones on ICS and the Pixel maintains this speed.
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Google’s Service Abandonment: This affects iPhones too, it’s a Google problem not an Android problem. The historical Google Services for Android remain to this day.
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Performance: Ive only experienced stutter on social apps, and I’ve seen the iPhone stutter on ReactNative apps as well.
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Android apps have an inconsistent look and feel: This is subjective. The only apps I see not on Material You are social apps that try to use their look, or are abandoned and using Holo. Abandoned iPhone apps also look out of place.
However on Samsung this is made worse by the fact that Samsing restyles applications. Some apps may still show Material You instead of OneUI theme.
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I have the 15 Pro Max after using Samsung for many years.
No one has mentioned the keyboard here.
I can type decent enough, however, having to go back and forth for numbers, letters, and symbols is frustrating at best.
The gallery app is not as easy as Samsung, imo. Instead of moving something to its own album I have everything stuck in “recents”. Hopefully, I will never forget to immediately move any photo to the proper album.
Photo editing on Samsung has more options.
iCloud wants to sync everything even when you tell it not to. I have documents hiding in there somewhere and apparently not even Apple can figure out where they are.
Spotlight search is amazing.
Adguard with Safari is not too bad. Reader mode is nicer, imo
I found the files app decent enough.
Overall a decent phone. Could it use improvement, yes. I look forward to ios18.
I continue to be baffled that “anyone can grab your phone, point it at your face, and have access to everything” is somehow a feature and not a critical vulnerability. In the US, you can be compelled to unlock a device using biometrics, but not a password, under the 5th Amendment.
It won’t open if you’re unconscious. You have to be actively looking at the phone.
Sad when a secure and fast way to unlock your device is seen as a vulnerability, just because you live in a 3rd world country military state where you fear and are in odds with your governments law enforcement. For the rest of us, it’s secure and like others said, easy to turn off with a few button presses if the need arises.
Even if I wasn’t, it’s still a flawed form of authentication. Something you know > something you are/have. You don’t store your housekey halfway inserted into a lock.
So you do use an iPhone great! Because it’s the only phone OS not bypassable by your own government and FaceID is optional. Making their password unlock th most secure in the industry and being someone of high authentication security you must then use it right?
Ofc you don’t, you just shit on an optional featur bacuse you have other totally unrelated issues with the device or should I say company…
If pulled over or something. Hit the power button of your iPhone a couple of times and FaceID is disabled. Easy as that. Or if you’re really paranoid: lock it before leaving the house.
You ever been pulled over? The cop makes it to your window in record time and I would not recommend fumbling around your center console to lock your face ID during said time.
Exactly. You sit still,and wait for the cop to direct you, you don’t grab for shit unless they tell you to.
Have you ever been pulled over? How fast are these cops running to your car window?
Enough times to never try this. Be safe out there!
Crazy. Every time I’ve been pulled over, I have time to dig out my I’d and registration before they get to my window. Maybe I shouldn’t but I don’t have patience to wait for them
Then say “Siri who am I”. It will lock it as well.
There’s a FaceID setting for “attention aware” that I think is on by default. It won’t unlock unless you are looking at the phone with eyes open.
That won’t help with police abuse of authority, but if you power down, restart, or lock the phone it will require your password. US police can’t legally require you give up your password, although courts have.
You can choose not to use FaceID, but it’s less convenient
Takes time to write thoughtful, detailed post in an Apple Enthusiast community
gets downvoted by 30% of readers
😒
Because it’s Lemmy. Apple is seen as a bad company by a lot of people.
I should probably have posted it in c/unpopularopinion
It would be great if c/appleenthusiast wasn’t constantly having posts downvoted by the rest of lemmy just because “apple bad”.
It’s like going to church with a large “God doesn’t exist sign” of course you’re not going to be tolerated.
Also, apple is bad.
I mean having some respect for communities and their spaces feels like a pretty low fucking bar (hate groups and such notwithstanding obviously). It’s fine to think Apple is bad, any corporation in reality is. But what happens here is the equivalent of Christian proselytizing in spaces where people are just trying to do their own thing.
