Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to be pissed off with the assumption that we all have fucking iPhones?!

214 replies

Bogeyface · 05/10/2015 23:46

Some of us cant afford them, some of us prefer android, some of us just (shock horror) want to call and text so dont need a smart phone at all!

So why is all the latest tech geared towards a phone that is outsold by android phones 5 to 1?! Surely it makes more sense for business to use the Android platform on the basis that so many more people use it than to narrow their market to iphone users only?

I bank with Natwest, I would like to be able to use my phone to pay for things in the event that I have forgotten my purse, but I cant because I choose to use an Android phone.

This is leaving aside the whole thing about why iphones are seen as so wonderful. I used one for a while, they are counter intuitive and obscenely expensive. I will stick with Samsung Galaxy thank you!

OP posts:
LavenderRain · 06/10/2015 07:29

DH, DS and both DD's have iphones.
I have a Samsung which I love. My contract ends next week and I will have another Samsung. Ive nothing against iphones but I dont feel I need to change when im happy with what I have Smile
Incidently, 3 out of the 4 iphones in the house have all at some stage had smashed screens. My Samsungs have never had a broken screen, or gone wrong.

VeryPunny · 06/10/2015 07:30

The main reason is that apps on iOS are far more profitable than on Android - iOS users typically spend far more on apps. Android is increasingly consolidated as they have cracked down on fragmentation, however most Android handsets rely on the networks to push out updates, not Android.

I think Android has far and away superior technology but I can't deny the slickness of iOS.

LavenderRain · 06/10/2015 07:31

meglet my mum has a basic phone. Just txts and calls (has a camera!)
Thats all she needs and pays £8 a month!
Its a nice little phone too...

LoveChickens · 06/10/2015 07:33

It's because iPhones are the best.

Iamnotloobrushphobic · 06/10/2015 07:37

I am an isheep. I got an iPhone because the contract price was exactly the same as it was for some phones which were not as good. I got a really good deal. I also got the iPhone because I have a non verbal child who uses an iPad to communicate and the app he uses is not available on android (and he would struggle with android). If I am out and about with my non verbal child and he needs to communicate and we haven't taken the bulky iPad he can simply use the app on my phone.

DH went for a Samsung phone (and pays exactly the same as me for the same amount of minutes and data) and his phone has been utter shite. He took out a one year contract and only a year into the contract the phone started malfunctioning and he has had to make do with it until his contract runs out. He is now looking at getting an iPhone but not the latest one because its too expensive.

I'm not interested in things like apple pay or any contact less payment method for that matter.

quangotango · 06/10/2015 07:42

totally agree, for simplicity and work out of the box ease of use, iPhone/iPad can't be beat. Perfect for children (initially, my 10y old can now use any device) and people who aren't that technically literate or have extra communication needs. No question. But I think the OPs point is valid - we don't all fit into those categories.

zebra22 · 06/10/2015 07:44

I don't think there is any assumption that everyone has an iphone, it's just that the iphone is easier for developers to work with.

Shonajay · 06/10/2015 07:45

I couldn't understand android at all, I find Apple really simple. Once my contract was up on my iPhone 4 I just pay a tenner a month for everything I need.

Dragonglass · 06/10/2015 07:45

He took out a one year contract and only a year into the contract the phone started malfunctioning and he has had to make do with it until his contract runs out.

Why has he had to make do? I would have taken it back if it was malfunctioning.

I've noticed that this something that does split people. Most people will stick with the system that they have. I have Android and think that iphones looks chunky with a cluttered screen. I have never used one but I did hear that they don't have a back button!

murphys · 06/10/2015 07:45

Its the same here in SA. Up until recently, every South African had a Blackberry. Why, because it was the only phone that you could link the BIS package onto for a set price each month and have unlimited data each month. Here the internet is very expensive, and not available to everyone. So for a small fee each month, it just made sense to do it. Now that the Blackberry has tried to keep up with other smart phone manufacturers and not managed to, they aren't doing too well anymore, and you really cannot even find a Blackberry to buy (except for the latest one that now doesn't come with the BIS offer).

So here it now seems to be Samsung or iPhone. But both of these are just ridiculously expensive, yes I am comparing it to now what we USED to be paying on our BIS contracts. And now there seems to be an issue with one of our bigger service providers and data is being depleted by the 2nd and 3rd of month, when the data hasn't been used. They are saying that its because smart phones update without us knowing and all updates should be turned off etc etc. Well if they are turned off and still everyone seems to have depleted data bundles, there is an issue I reckon. If the service provider has even set up a direct telephone line just for this issue, how can it just be a updating issue?

So my dd's Nokia screen smashed so it wasn't worth replacing so we bought her a new phone, which is an uncommon brand. Its an Android and seems exactly the same as the Samsung 5 (maybe some specs slightly different, but this is for a 12 year old so it doesn't matter really) except it cost about a tenth of the price of a Samsung.

The bigger companies say they can justify the price they charge as they have to pay for the research, testing etc of the latest phones, but I am happy to be a bit behind the times here and just sit back and wait for a more cost effective option of the same thing.

LumpySpacedPrincess · 06/10/2015 07:47

I have had both but much prefer android. The chargers are all the same size and they don't change them with new devices and you can just plug an hdmi lead into it and not have to spend £££ on special cables. You expand the memory by buying a card instead of paying a fortune for for a device with more memory. I have an Ipad 4, Nexus 5 and a Samsung S tablet and the android devices are superior and more convenient.

My 10 year old and my elderly parents prefer apple as they find it easier to use, horses for courses.

AryaOfWinterfell · 06/10/2015 07:47

I have an iPhone precisely because I don't want to customise anything. I just want to call, surf the net and play games. Also, it's handy that my phone connects to my iPad & MacBook.
My ex had Samsungs for years and was always having problems with it as he wasn't watching what he was downloading & therefore getting a virus. He's recently changed to an iPhone and said he'd never go back.
My eldest dds first phone was one of my old hand me down iPhones, she then saved up to get a 5c a couple of years ago. She still has it but says she wants to save up for a newer one with more memory. When she does my youngest will get her 5c. I bet you this is the reason that a pp has seen 5 year olds with iPhones. (Personally I think no kid needs a phone at 5, but maybe there's no phone network connection & they're just using them like iPods?)
I don't get why either side sneers at each other. It all comes down to personal preference surely? I mean who gives a flying fuck what phone anyone else has?

m0therofdragons · 06/10/2015 07:49

I had a choice of an iPhone or Samsung - I chose the Samsung (love swype). They were the same price yet iPhone owners seem to assume I wish I had an iPhone but was too poor Hmm
I am constantly seeing fb posts asking where people can get their iPhone screens repaired yet I've dropped my Samsung loads and it's still fine [goes to find some wood to touch] are the screens rubbish or are my friends really unlucky?

AryaOfWinterfell · 06/10/2015 07:50

Also why am I seen as an iSheep? Why aren't friends who swap their androids over constantly for newer versions seen as aSheep?

Iamnotloobrushphobic · 06/10/2015 07:51

Why has he had to make do? I would have taken it back if it was malfunctioning.

Because he's a lazy ass. He went back to the shop who told him that the phone only comes with a one year manufacturers warranty (which had just run out) so rather than pursue it under the 'not fit for purpose' sale of goods act he just decided to live with a dodgy phone and spend a year complaining to me about it.
I think he knows he made a poor choice of phone as the phone he chose was less than £100 on PAYG within a few months of him taking it out on a two year contract.

Alfieisnoisy · 06/10/2015 07:53

Having a phone that is not a smart phone does have some advantages though.

My late Aunt was walking her dog once when she was confronted by a young lad, face covered who demanded "give me your phone". My auntie duly handed over her ancient Nokia with its "text or phone only" functions.

"Would be Mugger" looked at it in horror ....and handed it back to her before making off.Grin

Sallystyle · 06/10/2015 07:53

I was an Apple fanboy.

I have pretty much had every iPhone. I still have MacBooks and love my Macbook pro and would never, ever go back to windows.

However, I recently switched my phone to a Sony Xperia z3 and I love it!! I never thought I would see the day where I didn't have an iPhone. So much more control with Android and they don't lock me in and my Xperia is 'beautiful', works well and is easy to understand. I had a play with one, fell in love with it and realised how much Apple controls what I can do on my phones and I had enough of it.

So while I will never go without a Mac, iPhones are no longer for me. I have yet to come across an app that I want that the play store doesn't have, thankfully.

Bishboshbash · 06/10/2015 07:56

I just want to add there are other phones other than iPhones or android! We are a Microsoft Lumia household here, I would never buy apple or android again.

BugritAndTidyup · 06/10/2015 08:00

I love my Iphone, don't find it counterintuitive at all. And I've found that the cost of the older iPhones have plummeted. If you're not all that bothered about your phone being the brand model it seems to make a lot of sense to be.

Sallystyle · 06/10/2015 08:03

Apple computers just work. They do work straight out of the box and I think they are wonderful.

My Android phone took no longer to set up though than my iPhone. It also just works, straight out of the box. I put my google account details in, and off I went.

I was completely brainwashed by Apple for years. No tech people I know would touch an Apple product with a barge pole because they are very restrictive.

BugritAndTidyup · 06/10/2015 08:04

iamnitaloobrish, do you mind if I ask you the name of that app, please? I have a preverbal child too

WhyCantIuseTheNameIWant · 06/10/2015 08:04

I have an old iPhone. 4years old soon. I keep it as my contract is brilliant and nobody can match the deal. As I am no longer paying for the phone, I get...

5,000 minutes
5,000 texts
Unlimited Internet

All for £15 a month.

But it's too old for apple pay or whatever the new thing is.

JasperDamerel · 06/10/2015 08:09

I'm using a friend's cast-off iPhone after DD dropped my Android phone down the loo, two months into a 2 year contract. At first, I hated it. It is so unwieldy and uncustomisable compared to Android. But, it seems sturdier, with fewer glitches, and that is very appealing, so I'm now on the fence.

cdtaylornats · 06/10/2015 08:12

Its not a first world problem, most of the developing world relies on mobile phones rather than landlines, and most of them are Android based.

verenti · 06/10/2015 08:17

I totally agree cdtaylornat. People in the developing world have iphones and android phones as well so I bet this same problem annoys them too!