Why I gave in and switched to iPhone from Android

After 10 years of loving Android phones, I finally gave in.

A few weeks ago – and after months of going back and forth – I went to my local Verizon store and ordered a iPhone 14 Pro. It may seem like too much of a drama, but the move was a big change for me.

I’ve always been proud that I didn’t buy into the Apple hype. Despite years of nagging friends to switch to an iPhone, I pushed back, saying I liked being different from the masses. Everyone around me has an iPhone. It felt good to defy the norm. And so for years I stuck with my Samsung Galaxy devices, which I still consider to be amazing phones.

But after conversations with friends and family about what I could get from the iPhone that I could never get with my Android, I started to reconsider. Yes, I loved my Galaxy S10 Plus and everything it offered: a top-notch camera, a customizable interface, and the best tool of all: Object Eraser, which removes all unwanted people or objects from your Pictures (Pixel has a similar feature). But at the end of the day, there was one big thing my Android could never provide: a seamless way to communicate with all my friends on the iPhone.

I’ve been told countless times that I ruin group chats by making all text “green”. This, of course, is because Apple refuses to make iMessage compatible with Android phones, so when you message someone who isn’t on iOS, you’ll see green text bubbles instead of the standard blue ones. . Because it seemed like a superficial complaint – and it’s 100% Apple’s fault – I dismissed it.

Until I realized I was missing out on other more important benefits of owning an iPhone.

Unless you are using a third party app like WhatsApp, there is no easy way to send high resolution photos and videos directly between Android phone and iPhone. I was okay with WhatsApp, until I started envying my friends who were instantly AirDropping photos and videos after our outings. WhatsApp also lowers the quality of videos and Google Drive takes much longer to download videos.

It was also frustrating that apps like TikTok lowered my camera quality on Android. Comparing TikTok videos taken on an iPhone — even an older version like the iPhone X — with those taken on my Galaxy S10 Plus is like night and day. On my Galaxy, TikTok distorted colors and blurred everything in the most unflattering and unrealistic way. On the iPhone, videos are crisp and clear and display as they should. For someone who uses TikTok as much as I do, this was important.

These reasons, added to the fact that I already use a MacBook and would therefore benefit from the Apple ecosystem, caused me to change my mind about owning an iPhone. Add features like the new always-on display on the iPhone 14 Pro models – something I absolutely loved on my Galaxy devices – and fun new elements like Dynamic Island, and suddenly I was sold on the idea of ​​rocking.

Of course, I had to fight the feeling of being sold. But I realized that in the end, it’s just a phone. And whatever you do, people will have unsolicited opinions about the device you’re using. My Galaxy has worked well for me for many years. Now I was ready for something new. And so far, I have no regrets.

Watch the video above for more of my thoughts on switching from an Android phone to an iPhone.