Why Android > iOS, but I still use iOS
Android is better on paper. I still use iOS. Here’s the honest answer for why.
Where Android genuinely wins
Customisation is real. You can change launchers, default apps, file systems, widgets, and system behaviour in ways iOS doesn’t allow.
Price flexibility. A OnePlus or a Pixel gives you a legitimately great experience at half the cost of a comparable iPhone.
USB-C everywhere, longer battery life on mid-range devices, and true sideloading without developer mode workarounds.
If you’re not in the Apple ecosystem, Android is technically the better platform on almost every spec sheet metric.
Where iOS wins — in practice
Developer tools. If you’re building iOS apps, you need a Mac and Xcode anyway. The feedback loop between iPhone and Mac is frictionless — AirDrop, Handoff, Universal Clipboard, iMessage on desktop. I use all of these daily.
Consistency. Every iPhone gets 5–6 years of software updates. Android phones get 2–3, with exceptions. My 4-year-old iPhone still runs the latest iOS.
App quality. The average iOS app is still better designed and more maintained than its Android counterpart. This is slowly changing but it’s still true for the apps I use most.
Privacy defaults. Not perfect, but better than Android’s by default.
The switching cost no one talks about
iMessage. Not a joke.
In many markets outside the US, iMessage is less dominant. But if you’re communicating with people who use Apple devices — photos, voice notes, reactions — moving to Android creates friction that’s easy to underestimate.
The other cost: muscle memory. I’ve used iOS since my first smartphone. I’m fast on it. Switching platforms has a real productivity cost in the first few months.
What I’d actually change about iOS if I could
The file system is still too locked down. Android handles files better.
Default app restrictions are loosening but still frustrating. I can’t set a third-party browser as a default in the way Android allows.
The home screen customisation is better than it used to be, but Android is still more flexible.
My recommendation depending on who you are
Use Android if: you’re budget-conscious, you want maximum hardware flexibility, you’re not embedded in the Apple ecosystem, or you care about open-source principles.
Use iOS if: you develop apps for Apple platforms, you use a Mac as your main computer, or you’re already in the Apple ecosystem and don’t want the switch friction.
I use iOS because I’m a Mac-first developer who’s embedded in the ecosystem. If I were starting from scratch with no existing devices, I’d think harder.
The takeaway
Android is technically superior in many ways. iOS wins on developer ecosystem, update longevity, and switching cost. Know which trade-offs matter to you before switching.
Building something? Follow me on Instagram and Twitter — I document everything.