[Closed] Am I wrong not to like my iPhone??

no idea about alternatives but what do you need a back button for on the iphone?

home button is probably the equivalent.

The 4S is a bit dated now, especially compared with the 6.

I don't like our iPad. There I said it.

Keep an eye out for the Lumia 1020, amazeballs camera and might be coming down in price now MS have swallowed Nokias hardware division.

4S probably isn't the best way to experience iOS 8 (though is dependant on where you come from). I had a Nexus 5 for a year, and just hated Android although everything else about me suggests I should be all over it.

It'll always take a bit of time to adjust to any new system - they all have their design ideas and quirks. So I'd give it a couple of days if this is something you've just picked up.

Failing that, I think the "Back button" is an Android thing so any cheap Android phone should probably sort you out

Keep an eye out for the Lumia 1020, amazeballs camera and might be coming down in price now MS have swallowed Nokias hardware division.

4S probably isn't the best way to experience iOS 8 (though is dependant on where you come from). I had a Nexus 5 for a year, and just hated Android although everything else about me suggests I should be all over it.

EDIT - Sorry, echo in here. MotoG is the go to cheap Android de jour I believe?

footflaps - Member
The 4S is a bit dated now, especially compared with the 6.

They run the same ios so should feel the same. The 6 is just bit quicker.

It's not just the back button itself, it's the way that Android stacks its apps and preserves their state when you open a new one, so you can go back to where you were by using the back button - or browse your previously opened apps using the other button. Not sure if the other one is on all phones but it's on my Hudl. Very useful.

MotoG is the go to cheap Android de jour I believe?

Yes, ridiculously good for the money. I have one for work and it's lovely.

They run the same ios so should feel the same. The 6 is just bit quicker.

They don't. The extra screen space, touch unlock etc. .. lots of little things add up to a modern iPhone feeling a lot slicker with the same OS (Mrs B has a 4S and I find it a bit cramped .. she doesn't really notice, but coos a bit over my phone when she uses it)

it's the way that Android stacks its apps and preserves their state when you open a new one, so you can go back to where you were by using the back button - or browse your previously opened apps using the other button

double click the home button and you can swipe through open apps that have preserved their state.

Android stacks its apps and preserves their state when you open a new one, so you can go back to where you were by using the back button - or browse your previously opened apps using the other button

Not an Android user, but that sounds like similar functionality to double-pressing the home button on an iPhone?

Not an iPhone user either, so I dunno if the two are equivalent. Something the OP might like to try though.

On WP it's holding the back button that displays all the apps, with state preserved. However I do really miss 'intents' on WP - on Android, app programmers can register actions like say a particular URL that their app will open, and the user is prompted to use a browser or that app.

Swipe in from the left edge of the screen is the "back" equivalent on iOS. The convention is also to have the "back" action at the top left of the screen.

I don't like our iPad. There I said it.

Burn him!

They run the same ios so should feel the same. The 6 is just bit quicker.

Personally I think feel is tactile and the 6 is so much nicer in terms of shape etc. Yes they run the same iOS, but a 4S is going to be quite slow compared with the 6.

MotoG is the go to cheap Android de jour I believe?

Personally I think feel is tactile and the 6 is so much nicer in terms of shape etc

I just bought my wife a 5S for her birthday (pristine condition off eBay = £280 🙂 ) because we both thought the 6 was far too big.

I'm still on a 4S and I don't find it particularly slow.

I've had iPhones, Android and heaven forbid Blackberries - they all seem crap in comparison to the previous one if you're "crossing boundaries" - perhaps it's not a learning curve, but I need a few weeks to really get used to it again.

I also lost my mind a little bit, losing the back button - but you get used to it - there's usually a back button on screen with most apps.

My biggest bugbear is that the inbuilt e-mail app isn't nearly as good as the one on my S3 and the calendar doesn't sync with outlook which is a nightmare for work so I've downloaded the Outlook app - which is also crap.

the calendar doesn't sync with outlook which is a nightmare for work

mine does. is it an exchange account?

the calendar doesn't sync with outlook which is a nightmare for work

"Set up Exchange ActiveSync on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch"
https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT201729

Keep an eye out for the Lumia 1020, amazeballs camera and might be coming down in price now MS have swallowed Nokias hardware division.

Shame everything else about windows phone is carp. We have 930's as work phones....

I've bought myself a moto g and put the work SIM in it... as the functionality of Windows Phone is so limited.

I just bought my wife a 5S for her birthday (pristine condition off eBay = £280 ) because we both thought the 6 was far too big.

I thought that, but after about 2 days it just seems perfectly normal and my old 4S seemed tiny!

Shame everything else about windows phone is carp.

Nar. Phone is good, app selection not so good.

Burn him!

Another instance of the the STW font making 'RN' look a little too much like 'M' 🙂

Nar. Phone is good, app selection not so good.

from one of my previous posts on windows phone 8.1...

[i]Windows phone 8.1 is horrible. I have a 930 with work and it's so so bad. It's actually crap.

Forward an email, but edit the content? No, can't do that. Same with replies.

Use a search engine other than bing? Nope.

Use Google maps through the browser when bing/nokia maps fails to find a bike shop you know exists somewhere close by? Works well on most other mobile device.... Windows phone?? Nope.

Save an email attachment? Not if it's a format the phone can't natively open.

Make a phone call? Theres a 50% chance it will fail in one of several ways.[/i]

Around now the Xperias are being upgraded to Lollipop, that might have made enough of a difference for you

http://phandroid.com/2014/12/08/android-lollipop-l-camera-comparison/

Use a search engine other than bing? Nope.

Yep. I use google.

Use Google maps through the browser when bing/nokia maps fails to find a bike shop you know exists somewhere close by?

Unofficial google maps app works.

Just tried going to maps.google.com - works rather well.

Make a phone call? Theres a 50% chance it will fail in one of several ways.

Never done that to me.

Nokia 920 running 8.1. Never tried the email stuff.

I've had to research some new phones for work recently and liked the vodafone turbo/smart as a cheap android, was cheaper even than the rather good moto g. I think they are on version turbo or smart 6 now. both are good kit for the price and replace crap MS phones where simply there is no content, no apps. For slightly more Android money the samsung a3/a5's look good, they dont seem much different to the expensive s5/s6.

The ios back question is answered above. But I would echo what has been said, give it a bit of time and you'll get used to it. Always takes time.

Yep. I use google.

yeah, you can use it if you bookmark it or bing search for google, but there's no way of setting google as the default search engine for searches carried out from the address bar. A few windows phones running 8.1 allow you to change it to google or yahoo, but the 930 doesn't.

Just tried going to maps.google.com - works rather well.

perhaps there's a graphics hardware limitation or something in the 930 which sees I've gone to the 'other side' (i.e. google maps) and purposefully stops working.

I don't get the back button behaviour either, seems weird.

but there's no way of setting google as the default search engine for searches carried out from the address bar

Yes there is. Browser -> settings -> advanced settings -> default search provider - choose from Google or Bing. Then type in the address bar and you get google. That's what I do all the time.

The search BUTTON off the screen only used to use Bing, but now it's Cortana anyway. Cortana uses Bing, but that's because the functionality is provided by Bing anyway.

perhaps there's a graphics hardware limitation or something in the 930

Doubt it - I suspect that Google have recently upgraded their maps to work better with WP as I think it was worse in the past.

Yes there is. Browser -> settings -> advanced settings -> default search provider - choose from Google or Bing. Then type in the address bar and you get google. That's what I do all the time.

Honestly, the 930, or any other Nokia since MS took over does not allow you to do this - the only option is bing. It's a common complaint.

http://www.windowscentral.com/microsoft-disabling-google-default-search-engine-new-lumia

Same here. Had to give up my Blackberry Q10 (which was fine, small and worked well for emails) and given an Iphone 6. It's a lovely thing, but I don't like it. I don't use itunes, so the only way (I think) to get photos from the phone to my laptop is idrive, which didn't work on my laptop. The Microsoft one drive app worked fine on the phone, so I could use that, it's just that the phone is too big. I went out and got a Moto e, but really would like another Blackberry Q10.

anyway, gone a bit off the OP's dislike of iPhone with my hatred of windows phone

Honestly, the 930, or any other Nokia since MS took over does not allow you to do this - the only option is bing. It's a common complaint.

Well that is indeed shit. Must surely be against monopoloy legislation...

so the only way (I think) to get photos from the phone to my laptop is idrive, which didn't work on my laptop.

i just plug mine in and the photos folder automagically appears and I can copy them straight off.

i just plug mine in and the photos folder automagically appears and I can copy them straight off.

Without itunes? Why didn't they tell me??

i just plug mine in and the photos folder automagically appears and I can copy them straight off.

Yep. Plug iPhone into USB and this pops up (same as any other camera etc) :

[img] [/img]

No iTunes or special software required.

Well that is indeed shit. Must surely be against monopoloy legislation...

The iPhone isn't much better: Google , Bing, Yahoo or DuckDuckGo.

That said, it's so easy to set another search engine, like Startpage, as a browser favourite, that it's really the most minor inconvenience. It's not as though any device actually prevents the user from using a particular search engine.

OP, you need to explain what you want a "back" button for. Individual apps have their own navigation (eg mail, safari have "back") and as others have said a double click of the home button gives you the list of running apps if you want to navigate through or home screen re-tapping an app icon takes you to where you left that app.

Any new device takes a while to get used to

I had an iPhone for about a week

Just couldn't get along with it, it seemed slow and clumsy

It was new, from Orange. I think I probably got a duff one, but it put me off getting another

I've got a 5s as a company phone and a personal Sony Z1 Compact.

The only thing that I prefer about the Iphone is that the charger lead will fit in the socket both ways round.

Apart from that I prefer the Sony in every respect.

Just today gone from an iPhone 5 to a 6+. **** me, it's massive!

I'm sure it'll seem normal in a week, though.

Just today gone from an iPhone 5 to a 6+. **** me, it's massive!

Yeah I don't get the massive phone/"phablet" thing. To me a phone is something I can comfortably carry in the pocket of my jeans.

Depends on your jeans I guess

[img] [/img]

I just came from a 4S to a second hand 5S and the difference is amazing. It's relatively subtle I suppose but everything is a fair bit slicker and nicer to use. Hadn't realised how frustrating the 4S slowness and crap battery life was so much until I upgraded.

I'm not an iPerson but, isn't there a thing called "Apple mobile device support" or something similar which gives the connectivity without needing iTunes?

I am awaiting a new battery for the iphone so I will put that in, as the current one last about 8 hours, and give it a week. I think part of it is its new but I assumed the iphone would be super easy to navigate and intuitive, but its not (for me anyways).

It is the first iPhone I have had so maybe I am being too hasty.

In the meantime I will keep hold of my Sony but search out a android bargain incase the iPhone does go. I like the look of the Nexus 5. Maybe I like bigger phones to match my clumsy man hands.

I'm not an iPerson but, isn't there a thing called "Apple mobile device support" or something similar which gives the connectivity without needing iTunes?

You don't need iTunes at all with an iPhone. I only use iTunes to back it up and restore it when I upgrade.

I moved from Android to Microsoft to Apple.

Android just seemed messy and an unfinished product ( I get the point that its customisable)

Microsft was fantastic, I really liked it, but the phones put me off. Either low spec and small, or massive to get the tech.

Apple Best overall package so far, beautiful phone (6) good out of the box. The most annooying thing about it is that when you leave an app it goes back to where you were ie last email, rather than the inbox.

Mrs FD has an iphone 5s. If I had that I think I would be dissapointed, it just feels a bit more clunky. The 6 is bigger, but because its so slim, it doesnt feel big at all.

6 + is just a tablet !

Just today gone from an iPhone 5 to a 6+. **** me, it's massive!

I'm sure it'll seem normal in a week, though.

he most annooying thing about it is that when you leave an app it goes back to where you were ie last email, rather than the inbox.

jam bo - Member

no idea about alternatives but what do you need a back button for on the iphone?

home button is probably the equivalent.

No, it's not. Nor is double clicking the home button.

In Android, let's say yo're in Chrome and you open a reddit link. It opens that in your chosen reddit app and goes to the right page. Then within that, you open a pdf, and it opens that in your chosen pdf app.

Pressing the back button then does the right thing (or at least should!), so rather than going back to the main PDF app page, it will jump straight back into reddit, press it again, and it's back into the browser. In other words it's aware of how you got to where you are.

On iOS, as far as I can tell the back arrow does whatever the app creator wants it to do. I.e. takes you back to main menu of that particular app, or to the last document you were in, or the next level 'up' in a forum.

Ah ok, double tap home button does what you want, nearly, then. Or a 4-finger swipe on an ipad with the gestures turned on.

Interesting. You're right retro83, the iPhone doesn't maintain that breadcrumb trail/stack for you.

The equivalent action in iOS would be achieved by double-clicking the home button and choosing where you want to go back to (e.g. the browser or the reddit app in your example).

If you are just switching between two apps (the most common case) then the most recent app before the one you are in is always the first choice the app switcher gives you, so you can toggle between them quite quickly.

On iOS, as far as I can tell the back arrow does whatever the app creator wants it to do.

Yeah that's correct, there is no common "back" button on iOS at all. Some app interfaces will obviously use a "back" concept in them but it's a just a UI design choice by the app creator, not an integral thing.

The home button does do that doesn't it? Double tap it and the apps are ordered by last used going from left to right. At least that's how it appears to me.

That's right gonefishin, in retro83's example the iOS task switcher would list: the PDF reader (current app) to the left, reddit (the previous app) in the middle, and the browser (previous but 1) to the right.

But it doesn't maintain that conceptual stack: i.e. if you switched back from the PDF reader to the reddit app then bring up the task switcher then the PDF reader is now the previous app, but under the Android system the browser is the previous app.

Both approaches make sense, it's just two ways to handle the same thing.

Effectively the iOS task switcher is an MRU list and the Android one is a Stack.

gonefishin - Member

The home button does do that doesn't it? Double tap it and the apps are ordered by last used going from left to right. At least that's how it appears to me.

Yeah kindof, but if you've been to a different app in the meantime on iOS e.g. to check weather or something, then the order then doesn't match what Android would do. I'm not complaining BTW, just trying to explain how it works.

Edit: as GrahamS has explained better above

We'll just not mention android apps that mess with the stack and break the mental model...

I moved from Android to Microsoft to Apple.

Android just seemed messy and an unfinished product ( I get the point that its customisable)

To be fair, you're comparing a, what, four year old incarnation of Android with a current iOS. Back then, it probably [i]was[/i] an unfinished product. It's come a long way.

Out of interest retro83, and this is getting properly off-topic, how does Android deal with loops in the stack?

So if in your example you went browser->reddit->pdfreader but then in the PDF you clicked a link that opened a new page in your browser?

Do you now have browser (original page)->reddit->pdfreader->browser(new page) on your stack?

If so then how far back / how long does it keep this information? Can you just pick up an Android device and start hitting back to see what someone has been doing on it? Or does the stack get cleared when you go to the home screen?

Can you not download a 'back button' app from the App store?

Do you now have browser (original page)->reddit->pdfreader->browser(new page) on your stack?

Not got it to hand, but I think so.

IA - Member

We'll just not mention android apps that mess with the stack and break the mental model...

yep, there's always one or two ****ty developers who think they know better than everyone else 😆

Three_Fish - Member
Well that is indeed shit. Must surely be against monopoloy legislation...
The iPhone isn't much better: Google , Bing, Yahoo or DuckDuckGo.

Microsoft were offering Google on at least the 1020 and there's not been many high end phones released with windows OS since then.

Have a iphone for work.
Hate the native email app.
Hate the text app.
The word substitution drives me f#@king mad.
Several other things get on my nerves with it also.

Personal phone is a Windows 925 and for me its better in every way.
Don't see the Google thing as a issue, Bing still finds the things I'm looking for.

Here maps is better than Apples piss poor effort IMO, so much so that I use HERE maps on the iphone too.

In contrast I do actually like ipad and think there better suited to ios.

Shirley, having a choice of four different browsers isn't a monopoly?

I think he's saying that the fact it's limited is a problem.

IE on PC for example can integrate with any search engine that supports its framework.

If so then how far back / how long does it keep this information?

It keeps them as long as it has the memory to do, deleting old views when memory is full. Your app can also expire its own views I think too. Online banking apps do this.

Not sure if they'd time out on their own, but yes you could see at least some of what a person has been doing if you had their phone and it wans't protected.

I deploy a mix of devices to users at work, not everyone likes the shiny apple awesomeness. You are not alone OP.

Shirley, having a choice of four different browsers isn't a monopoly?

No, it isn't. Neither is having only four search engines built into the native browser, which is what I was talking about. Molgrips mentioned monopolies, not me. I commented that iOS was only slightly better in terms of personal choice, but that it wasn't really such a big problem to work around. Cool your boots...

The word substitution drives me f#@king mad.

Switch it off?

Just today gone from an iPhone 5 to a 6+. **** me, it's massive

I'm sure it'll seem normal in a week, though.
!

I went from a 4S to 6 and 6+ had them both around the same length of time the 6+ longer. It's massive.

How android handles the stack (or not) is down to the programmer. An app can be declared as only having one instance or multiple instances, behaving in different ways.

The back button can be programmed to do anything the programmer wants.

Mackem: An app programmer can take control over how the operating system switches between tasks??

Android automatically kills off apps when memory is getting low or it's unresponsive. but you can tell Android to automatically re-create it. You can say I only want one instance of this app, so a relaunch just switches to the one already running Or it'll create a new instance, you can tell it destroy any previous instances or not. With the back button, you can override the behaviour to anything you can program really.

Ah right, that makes more sense. Ta.

I hate my 5S battery lifespan - crud.

I don't like how it scratches so easily without a case.

Other than those two, I really like it.

I didn't upgrade to the 6 or plus yet unless they have better batteries.