Going back to Android after 4 Years of all Apple

I haven’t frequented this site in ages, well years to be exact. I was a decade long Android exclusive user from 2009-2019, then decided to switch entirely to the Apple ecosystem – iPhone, Apple Watch, AirPods, Mac, Apple TV. Overall the experience was solid, but I will say the vaunted Apple ecosystem is a tad bit overrated and very much overpriced. I had the iPhone XR but quickly upgraded to the 11 (non Pro) for “free” with T-Mobile, since then I used Visible as its the only prepaid service in the US that offers an Apple Watch line.

The Apple Watch was the biggest reason I switched, and consequently the biggest reason I left. I loved the freedom of just wearing my watch and leaving my iPhone at home. I did this for most of the 4 years, albeit Covid blurred the lines as I worked primarily from home. The battery on my Series 4 didn’t last long on LTE only, and I eventually had to replace it wi the 8. My Series 4 eas replaced twice under applecare warranty, which is expensive but worthy as the Apple Watch (despite Apple’s marketing) is not very durable. I sweat in it, swam with it, got it dirty and dusty almost weekly and it just didn’t last despite me babying it. I eventually ran out of warranty so I replaced it with the Series 8 and I wasn’t all that immpressed. I didn’t want to spring for the Ultra because frankly a bit more battery life wasn’t my real issue with it, I couldn’t quite put my finger on it but after a few months with the Series 8 I realized it wasn’t doing much for me anymore.

It’s a great (basic) health tracking app, I work out frequently, and I wasn’t happy with the lack of features most other fitness devices have. It was my main notifications hub, which was nice, but like everything else Apple the hardware was good but the software left much to be desired. The rings gameification was perhaps motivating at first for me to cloe them, but after beating my monthly goals for every month for 3 years straight I realized I could no longer achiece them because the Apple algorithms are very basic in nature, and does not offer any coaching, planning strategy or most importantly – REST and recovery. For crying out loud I burnt myself out and injured myself quite a few times trying to perpetually close my rings. Apple Fitness+ is a decent service, but I am always at the front of the pack, it lacks programs or planning or scheduling, etc. I just couldn’t take it any longer, so I decided to leave and come back to Android.

The other thing that bothered me as a runner were the AirPods Pro 2. I watched about 50+ video reviews and not one person mentioned this one quirk: the changing/advancing track gesture is horrible compared to the lowly base AirPods. On the base AirPods just simply double tap the pod and it easily advanced the next song. On the Pros? Nope! You have to hold and squeeze the stem, a gesure clearly developed by a desk jockey and not someone who moves about.

Google fi had a great deal on the Samsung Galaxy S3=23 Ultra for $600 plus they’re giving me $330 for my iPhone 11 (lol like why?) so I said why not? After 4 years of living on Apple Island I am escaping and coming back to Android. I gave my wife my Series 8, who in turn gave her Series 7 to our daughter. I picked up a used Garmin Fenix 6X Pro on Swappa and I absolutely love this thing! the coaching, strategy and planning are unmatched by Apple and the metrics (and available to see all this on the web, like c’mon apple why not even let us see this on a Mac?!) are unreal.

Anyways, I saw today’s ask Paul about Pixel vs iPhone and I wanted ot hsare my experiences.

Cheers