Android nerd, switched to iPhone 6 Plus

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Zorachus

[H]F Junkie
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I just picked up an iPhone 6 Plus at the ATT store today. My last iPhone was the 3G going back 5 years ago.

Since then I have owned 12 different Android phones, all the Nexus phones except the 6, and other flagship phones that I always rooted and ROM'd.

The point of this thread, is that I like to be open minded to different OS's, not married to one, and thought I should give iOS8 and the 6 Plus a try. FYI, I do not own any other Apple products whatsoever, no iPad, no Mac's, etc... I build my own custom gaming PC's, and not really into tablets. But I have nothing against those other Apple products, they seem great, just never owned one yet.

So I got bored with Android recently, running Lollipop on my OnePlus One, which by the way is a great phone. While Lollipop is a great update to Android, I was now looking for something brand new and different, and grew bored with Android recently. And I am looking forward to Jailbreaking this 6 Plus soon, to help customize and tweak it.

Few questions, help needed on the iPhone, as I haven't used iOS in 5 + years

- How do I get the keyboard keys to vibrate while typing ? I am looking everywhere in settings and can't find it.

- Software keys would be great and much needed for me. Would love a "back" key, it's a must have for me. Is there a JB tweak to add that ?

- Why is there no left screen ? I try to swipe to a screen that I think should be left of the home screen, but I can't ?

- How do I customize sounds in different apps ? Like Messages I would want different notification sound, than other apps.

- Why can't I drag a few app icons down to the bottom, and keep a space between other apps at the top ? It won't allow that, just keeps a row of apps, one after the other. Is there a tweak to change that ?

- Is there a JB tweak, to pull down the Notifications, like in Nova Launcher on Android ? In Nova you just swype down anywhere on the screen, and the Notification shade will come down. Right now, when I swype down on the iPhone, some search menu thing pops up ? I don't want that.

Thinks that's it for right now, I am sure many more questions will pop up soon.

Thank you
 
You will soon notice that most everything you want is the reason why people stayed with Android
 
Not sure if serious. :p

Thought you of all people would be aware what you can and can't do in iOS! With that said, I don't jailbreak, but I do have a few tips:

In most "regular" iOS apps (i.e. ones that aren't games or otherwise dominate the screen), swiping in from the left edge will take you back one level. It's like turning back one page in a book.

You can customize sounds for core functions in Settings > Sounds (for Messages, it'd be the text tone).

Also... just use the OS, rather than trying to make it something it isn't! It's not as customizable, but it's easy to use.
 
Aurelius said:
Also... just use the OS, rather than trying to make it something it isn't! It's not as customizable, but it's easy to use.
Click to expand...

Exactly, that's what iOS is, a simple to use OS. Ill never understand people who want to jailbreak which hardly adds anything worthwhile to the phone IMO
 
Someone call Hell and see if the demons and condemned souls are having a snowball fight. Zorachus is now using... an iPhone????

I tried to provide some answers below.
Zorachus said:
- How do I get the keyboard keys to vibrate while typing ? I am looking everywhere in settings and can't find it.
Click to expand...
I don't think that's available in iOS or as a JB tweak, but I may be wrong.

Zorachus said:
- Software keys would be great and much needed for me. Would love a "back" key, it's a must have for me. Is there a JB tweak to add that ?
Click to expand...
Nope. I really wish there were such a tweak.

Zorachus said:
- Why is there no left screen ? I try to swipe to a screen that I think should be left of the home screen, but I can't ?
Click to expand...
Left of the Home screen used to bring up a search function called Spotlight, which now is activated by swiping down from the top of the Home screen.

Zorachus said:
- How do I customize sounds in different apps ? Like Messages I would want different notification sound, than other apps.
Click to expand...
Go to Settings/Sounds.

Zorachus said:
- Why can't I drag a few app icons down to the bottom, and keep a space between other apps at the top ? It won't allow that, just keeps a row of apps, one after the other. Is there a tweak to change that ?
Click to expand...
That's just the way iOS is. The best JB tweak to arrange icons is Gridlock, but it's not iOS 8 compatible, yet. Homescreen Designer is pretty good, but I hope someone updates Gridlock.

Zorachus said:
- Is there a JB tweak, to pull down the Notifications, like in Nova Launcher on Android ? In Nova you just swype down anywhere on the screen, and the Notification shade will come down. Right now, when I swype down on the iPhone, some search menu thing pops up ? I don't want that.
Click to expand...
Intelliscreen X is what you want. It's a paid app, though, so be prepared to spend about $8 bucks. You can do some basic tweaking by going to Settings/Notifications.
 
Domini said:
You will soon notice that most everything you want is the reason why people stayed with Android
Click to expand...

^ LOL Yeah he's lucky he can even customize the wallpaper.

I look at my personal phone - Galaxy S4 and then my work phone - iPhone 5S and I feel like I've reverted to a Fisher Price toy.
 
TheMadHatterXxX said:
^ LOL Yeah he's lucky he can even customize the wallpaper.

I look at my personal phone - Galaxy S4 and then my work phone - iPhone 5S and I feel like I've reverted to a Fisher Price toy.
Click to expand...

Don't confuse a lack of customization with limited overall capability. Some of the customization in Android matters (mostly widgets and app defaults), but a lot of it really amounts to feeding that borderline obsessive desire to get everything just so.

And that's fine! But the notions that iPhone users are significantly less productive and burdened by the terrible, terrible yoke of oppression... well, they're silly. The practical differences are slight for the majority of things people do.
 
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It's a geek site afterall so there's nothing unusual about being up to date on competing technologies. Maybe try BB OS next. Tried I think it was a Z10 once and it wasn't very intuitive as I couldn't get it to do anything without RTFM but maybe after the initial hurdle it might offer something unique.
 
I did a double take when i saw who posted this!!!

It's Jan 1st right, not April 1st :)
 
As an android user who was forced to switch to an iPhone 6 for work, I couldn't be more miserable. I really miss the android UX. That back button and overall feel just suits me better.

Now, back to convincing my boss i need an android phone for my sanity.
 
It's simple. Android is for poor virgins. iPhones are for rich, worldly studs. I just ended the Android vs. iPhone debate in one post.
 
BlackBerry 10's interface is... confusing. It has a few brilliant bits, like the multitasking, but basic tasks like clearing out your email can take a while (or they did, the last time I used it on the Q5). You will see iOS as a relief after trying to use BB10 for more than the basics.
 
I am giving the iPhone a try again, just to get it out of my system. Stop bitching about it and give it a solid test. Give an honest attempt to see how iOS truly is.

If I hate it, then in 2 weeks return it for the Nexus 6, but I'd first like to really see how this goes.

Will jailbreak tonight install the popular Cydia apps and some customization see what that's like.
 
Massamune said:
As an android user who was forced to switch to an iPhone 6 for work, I couldn't be more miserable. I really miss the android UX. That back button and overall feel just suits me better.

Now, back to convincing my boss i need an android phone for my sanity.
Click to expand...

My company gives us the option. They just bought new phones for the sales staff and I was the only one who got an iPhone. I'm also the only one who isn't still messing with the phone tweaking settings...so there is that. Obviously their phones are working fine, but they had all kinds of settings set up to how they liked it. I moved a couple icons and was done.
 
Aurelius said:
BlackBerry 10's interface is... confusing. It has a few brilliant bits, like the multitasking, but basic tasks like clearing out your email can take a while (or they did, the last time I used it on the Q5). You will see iOS as a relief after trying to use BB10 for more than the basics.
Click to expand...

This had always bothered me about BlackBerry, they were first with a "better" OS than Windows CE but they never figured out how to make a fun, intuitive OS. I love BB phones as they have been my go to device in the past but now they always playing second fiddle.

Also, I'm a hardcore android/WP fanboy, I don't hate iOS but my preferences had been for others and even I want to move towards iPhones now with their push with NFC payments.
 
I've been an iPhone user and jailbreaker since the 3Gs. I'm still using my 5s, but cut way back on the amount of jailbreak tweaks after upgrading to iOS 8. I found that I spent almost as much time tweaking my phone as using it. I really just want to be able to load some cool themes, use MiWi 8 for tethering/hotspot, and add a few system hacks that still aren't available in stock iOS 8.
 
Domini said:
Exactly, that's what iOS is, a simple to use OS. Ill never understand people who want to jailbreak which hardly adds anything worthwhile to the phone IMO
Click to expand...

a lot of new features that work their way into IOS started as jailbreak tweaks. like CC, using the volume buttons to take photos....so many more. Jailbreaking is great for tweakers. People who OC because they can, not for gains...that sort of thing. If I depended on this phone for work, I wouldn't do it, but since a little instability won't get in the way, why not?
 
My hardest thing to overcome is the no back button. I keep tapping on an imaginary area on the phone where my brain is programmed to hit a back key but of course it's not there in an iPhone. This a tough one to get used too.
 
Zorachus said:
My hardest thing to overcome is the no back button. I keep tapping on an imaginary area on the phone where my brain is programmed to hit a back key but of course it's not there in an iPhone. This a tough one to get used too.
Click to expand...
I'm with you on that! I've got an Android tablet and love that back button. It just is so easy and useful. Seems like a no-brainer function to add to the iPhone.
 
I have a similar problem when I have to do something on wifes MBP, the one button/keyboard button all the menus at the top of screen is so annoying. It's like windows 3.1. At least the hardware is normal now, which in itself is sort of a burn I guess.
 
Zorachus said:
My hardest thing to overcome is the no back button. I keep tapping on an imaginary area on the phone where my brain is programmed to hit a back key but of course it's not there in an iPhone. This a tough one to get used too.
Click to expand...

A lot of modern apps have swipe navigation, especially in Safari it makes it way easier to use than any android browser I've ever used and it's buttery smooth.
 
I've had my iPhone 6 Plus for 24 hours now, and to be honest, this is a very difficult adjustment, coming from years of Android nexus phones, and AOSP ROM's. Not sure I can do it, but I'm trying. I just Jailbreaked this phone tonight.

Few things that I really miss badly from Android;

- #1 no "back" key. Man o man I didn't realize how much I used that in Android, but it must be a hundred times a day. Right now I am still tapping an area on the iPhone out of habit where I think a "back" key should be.

- No LED Notification or new Lollipop "active display" I will admit that is a nice little feature. You can have your phone sitting on the counter top, and just by walking by it, know if you missed a call or text, by the way of the LED flashing or the new active display notification. But walk next to my iPhone, and it looks like it's off and no power. I have no clue if I missed a call or text, without actually picking it up, and turning the screen on.

- Ease of customization, holy cow is it easier to tweak and make adjustments on Nexus ROM'd phones over an JB iPhone, like Wow :eek: I have installed several of the top JB tweaks / themes, and to be honest they didn't really help make the phone easier to use, they just added deeper features or more details, or theme related stuff.

- Double Tap 2 Wake, that is such an easy way to turn the phone on, I miss that. But the thumb print thing is cool too, I guess.

- Nova launcher type thing should be made available to JB / Cydia. Things I like about the ease of using Nova, simple gestures like swipe down on the screen to pull down the notification shade. On the big 6 Plus something like that is sorely needed. And to adjust the grid size is a simple few clicks in Nova, as are a dozen other little tweaks in Nova. But with JB / Cydia it takes a zillion downloads and tweaks to do what one Nova launcher can do.

- Adding iWidgets to the home screen on the iPhone. Why can't I put the weather / clock widget on the top part of the screen ? It won't go up there, because the main app icons stay there, so the widget will only go to the free space at the bottom. But IMO the widget should move those icons around to allow it to go anywhere I want to put it.


Overall the iPhone 6 Plus itself, is gorgeous though, really nice hardware, beautiful screen, very fluid and smooth. So yes I do like the hardware design Apple made, very top notch and great. and the 5.5" screen size was also a good idea. But to me it's more iOS8 and the limitations, even with JB tweaks, that just doesn't seem to compare to a Nexus phone running a custom ROM.

We'll, see, I will give it until Friday, if I am still struggling, I just might return it for a Nexus 6.
 
Domini said:
You will soon notice that most everything you want is the reason why people stayed with Android
Click to expand...

Exactly. And apple fanboys do not realize what they are missing because generally they have not touched android since the 2.2 days.
 
Wait for Apple IOS 8.4 or somesuch version...surely by then they will have figured out how to snipe those simple functions from either Android or MicroSuck...

I dont hate the iPhone, or Apple really...I just cant wrap my head around them having such a stranglehold on their devices and operating systems, to the point of making the user scratch their head in disbelief...

Drag & Drop has been around forever...why do they force iTunes to do such simple tasks as adding music or video files?

Why not offer the damn phones with a standard storage size, such as the common now 32GB, and an available SD Card slot capable of 32-128GB...production costs would go down, and likely sales would go up in relation...seems like a win-win to me...

Why not allow simply user initiated interface/UI changes, such as Home Screen placement and order/number? Why does Apple have to dictate how I manage the apps I have on my device?

Did IOS 8 finally give users the option of creating Folders for Apps on the Homescreens? This has allowed my to keep only 3 screens on my S5..clutterless and highly productive as well...
 
You can make the back LED flash when you get notifications somewhere in the phone settings. It's not as good as a front light and you have to set your phone face down unless you have a glass table but it works in a pinch.
 
Now on my 2nd full day, Jailbroke and with almost a dozen different Cydia apps installed, I am liking the phone more.

I have not touched my Android phone at all lately, I kept it in the car, to force me to get used to the different OS. I just know I am super comfortable with Android and the customizations, etc... but to give the iPhone 6 Plus a fair shake I need to only use it, and no Lollipop candy :)
 
They are nice phones, all of them I've ever held. My wifes old 4s isn't comparing too favorably to the last two androids I've had but it's just an age and size thing. I'm so invested in the Google universe at this point, any alternate would have to do things one heck of a lot more/better for me or provide some polarizing new feature/ability. So far nothing has, they all do the same stuff. On top of that the whole vibe of the i-stuff just isn't appealing, and if given a choice between using something a lot of people use and something a few people use, I'll choose the few every time. Few being relative in this case.
 
elzeus said:
A lot of modern apps have swipe navigation, especially in Safari it makes it way easier to use than any android browser I've ever used and it's buttery smooth.
Click to expand...

Was glad Google got rid of swipe in from edge of screen to switch Chrome tabs since it annoyingly had a lot of false positives and replaced with swiping the address bar which eliminates false positives. As far as the back button, recent iOS has gotten a little more consistent with showing back and forward arrows in apps but still suffers from bad placement at top left of screen where it's less reachable versus a consistent and dedicated back button easily reachable at bottom left. Gestures don't help for one handed use. Lack of a consistent, easy and reliable back button feeks handicapped like having a car with no standard reverse.
 
There are Widgets available for the iPhone, but only if Jailbreak.

But it is such a strange and long setup to get them setup, unlike Android where it takes just the Widget only, and your good, takes a few seconds. With an iPhone it's a huge process of different tweaks and apps to install, just to get one Widget on the screen, takes several minutes, to setup one Widget as opposed to like 2 seconds on Android.
 
Ramses said:
On top of that the whole vibe of the i-stuff just isn't appealing, and if given a choice between using something a lot of people use and something a few people use, I'll choose the few every time. Few being relative in this case.
Click to expand...
So, when will you be ditching your Android for a Windows phone? ;)
 
Tyler-Durden said:
So, when will you be ditching your Android for a Windows phone? ;)
Click to expand...

LOL yep :cool: The Android guys are becoming the new Hipsters, that the iPhone users were always laughed at for being.

To be truly cool today, you need to rock a Blackberry or something :p
 
Tyler-Durden said:
So, when will you be ditching your Android for a Windows phone? ;)
Click to expand...

Like I said, few being relative.

Of the eight or ten people I interact with in real life with any sort of frequency, all but one
have iphones. They are all very much use-it and non-technical too, the one with the android device is a programmer. This seems to be more often than not the case.

I'm a technician. I don't want stuff that "just works".
I want stuff that works but can be broken, and fixed, and altered, and
changed, and improved, and done different ways.
When you can flash community created ROMS to an iphone
I might be interested. Bout all there is to it.
Same reason I buy a 30 year old Mercedes instead of a Honda.
Or AMD instead of Intel.
Etc, etc, etc.
It's a variation of "getting there is half the fun".

I got no beef with the hardware, or the OS even, if there was one cheap enough I'd have
bought my mother an iphone.
 
Tyler-Durden said:
So, when will you be ditching your Android for a Windows phone? ;)
Click to expand...

Funny you should mention that, my Father did just this about six months ago and I've been hoping against hope a really, really good Windows phone would come out. I'd really like to try one. If I could ever find an Icon cheap enough used I'd give it a go for a bit. I think I'd get bored with it eventually but learning a new system, a new thing, a new and different something is the big draw in most things to me in life. Once I know it and am comfortable with it, is pretty boring and I want to assimilate another. The multi roms available on android are one of it's absolute best features imo.
 
I would never be happy with just a plain old stock iPhone with no jailbreak ? NO WAY would I even consider that for a second. I like to tweak and customize my phone, to my exact preferences, not just out of the box from the store.

Same with my Android phones too, I never keep them stock, with the same setup as you get out of the box. I rooted and ROM'd every Android phone I had, and tweak and changed it. So my Galaxy S5 looked and performed radically different than Joe Blow running a stock S5 out of the box. I do tweaks deeper than just themes and visual changes.

And Jailbreak + Cydia and all the tweaks and deeper settings allow that on the iPhone. But I am still having a very hard time adjusting even with these JB tweaks.

We'll see how I do this weekend, to make my final decision on actually keeping this iPhone 6 Plus, or going back to Android. But I am trying to give it a good try, and not give up on it 24 hours later like most Apple iPhone fans, do when they switch to Android.
 
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