[i_am_jl]

I'm not the commenter you replied to, but I'm doing the same math they are and coming up with the same answer.

From my perspective iOS is better than Android in a number of ways but Android always won out overall for me, in large part because of the freedom regarding software. Remove that freedom from the equation, I think the balance tips towards iOS.

[seszett]

I always wonder what these unspecified ways that iOS is better than Android actually are.

These posts always have a few comments like that, but they never actually say what they find to be better on iOS.

[lynndotpy]

I'll bite.

For me, Google services are not an option, so my Android experience is sans-Google.

Until September 2025, I'd say iOS had actually gotten better than Android.

CalDAV, CardDAV, and SMB are baked into iOS, whereas these are onerous to set up on Android. These are very very nice protocols, and I use them all daily. (Contacts, Calendars, Notes, Reminders, and Files.)

Apple's developer ecosystem lacks the FOSS devs that make F-Droid so good, but they do have a number of devs who release paid apps with zero tracking, which is very nice. It's often the case an app exists on iOS as a $5 one-time fee with a two-paragraph privacy policy for which one does not exist on Fdroid.

Shortcuts work well enough, homescreen customization is good enough, etc. that a number of the original Android draws are gone. There are a number of points where iOS and Android are equals now.

iCloud's E2EE photo backup is something I reluctantly started using and found to be very nice, after having had de-Googled in 2018. I miss having my photos auto-upload and be available on other devices, and Apple has had iCloud Web for awhile. This is nicer than the options I have on Android.

And while Android's notification-panel tiles have gotten worse over the years (down from six to two controls on the first swipe, this was what alienated me and got me to try iOS), iOS now has a much denser "control center".

The big caveat is the gigantic regression that is iOS 26. The phone is slower, it kills battery, the native apps are constantly crashing, the lockscreen and homescreen often have broken navigation flows, etc. It's a travesty that never should have been released and iOS is easily worse than Android right now. If someone needed a phone today, I couldn't recommend an iPhone, but that might change with iOS 27.

[seniorThrowaway]

>CalDAV, CardDAV, and SMB are baked into iOS, whereas these are onerous to set up on Android

I can only speak to SMB but it is not hard on Android. I use a longtime third party app so not sure what the state of native support is but it works just fine for me, including over VPN

[hn_acc1]

Which app?

[xigoi]

I would guess DAVx⁵.

[davsti4]

Sounds like you're Apple now, but would love to hear what you're actually using for DAV on Android if at all?

[jraph]

DAVx5

[lynndotpy]

Yep, AFAIK this is the only working choice on Android. (I could be wrong!)

[firebot]

Install anyapk. It uses a wireless ADB bridge to install whatever you want.