Apple Ecosystem Escape

[chance8114]

Hi everyone!

I have an interesting dilemma. I was big into the Apple kool-aid for a while, 2017-2021ish and as a result, switched my wife and her whole family to the ecosystem for ease of use for them. I also worked at a tech store, so I was so busy I couldn't even think for myself when it came to my tech decisions.

I have finally come to realize that Apple is a company that I do not align with. However, my wife is so ingrained in the ecosystem and loves her iPhone, and doesn't understand the concept of carrying an iPhone and an Android device. She also, obviously, isn't a fan of me switching (but thats a different conversation). I thought about using an Apple Watch Ultra with LTE so I maintain iMessage, but would I get Apple Pay on the watch as well? Or how do I even try to explain why techy people like to carry two phones?

Hopefully I made sense. Thank you!

[Arika]

Why have we had 2 topics now of people wanting to get out of the apple ecosystem and have both used the "im a techy person now" as their reasoning?

 

You don't need 2 phones, unless one is provided by your job that you have to use. Why is she not happy you're switching? I message can still send messages to Android, if it's the whole blue vs green text bubble bullshit then you're on your own, good luck with it.  I have no idea why people are so invested in a colour.

[Vishera]

On 4/1/2023 at 5:04 PM, jc.drksn said:

and doesn't understand the concept of carrying an iPhone and an Android device.

I don't understand that either - Why do you need both?

On 4/1/2023 at 5:04 PM, jc.drksn said:

I thought about using an Apple Watch Ultra with LTE so I maintain iMessage

Who needs iMessage when WhatsApp or Signal are a thing? - You can install them on both iOS and Android

On 4/1/2023 at 5:04 PM, jc.drksn said:

but would I get Apple Pay on the watch as well?

Instead of software that is locked down to a single platform why not use software that is available on both iOS and Android?

Why shackle yourself to a single platform like that?

[Sol_NB]

1 hour ago, Arika S said:

Why have we had 2 topics now of people wanting to get out of the apple ecosystem and have both used the "im a techy person now" as their reasoning?

 

You don't need 2 phones, unless one is provided by your job that you have to use. Why is she not happy you're switching? I message can still send messages to Android, if it's the whole blue vs green text bubble bullshit then you're on your own, good luck with it.  I have no idea why people are so invested in a colour.

I promise we’re not the same account lol 

[chance8114]

Fair points from all of you. Sounds like I have a different battle I have to fight.

[Murasaki]

19 hours ago, Arika S said:

blue vs green text bubble bullshit

thats... a thing?

[Erioch]

26 minutes ago, Murasaki said:

thats... a thing?

The media wants us to think it us but I've never encountered it in RL.

[seanondemand]

On 4/1/2023 at 9:04 AM, jc.drksn said:

Apple Watch Ultra with LTE so I maintain iMessage, but would I get Apple Pay on the watch as well?

Once your number's no longer associated with an iPhone, iMessage isn't going to continue to work through a phone number. If you wanted to continue to use Apple Watch through LTE, it won't continue to work once you switch your number away from your iPhone (no handoff) but you could reset the watch and set it up using Family Sharing with your wife's iPhone and retain some of that functionality

On 4/1/2023 at 9:04 AM, jc.drksn said:

 techy people like to carry two phones

No they don't. The only people who do this are people who want a work phone and a personal phone.

 

And then yeah, you'll have to use whatsapp or something like that to get decent inter-device messaging (but I guess if you're ok supporting Meta's business model over Apple's)

[chance8114]

2 hours ago, Murasaki said:

thats... a thing?

It's huge in the US.

4 minutes ago, seanondemand said:

Once your number's no longer associated with an iPhone, iMessage isn't going to continue to work through a phone number. If you wanted to continue to use Apple Watch through LTE, it won't continue to work once you switch your number away from your iPhone (no handoff) but you could reset the watch and set it up using Family Sharing with your wife's iPhone and retain some of that functionality

No they don't. The only people who do this are people who want a work phone and a personal phone.

 

And then yeah, you'll have to use whatsapp or something like that to get decent inter-device messaging (but I guess if you're ok supporting Meta's business model over Apple's)

Am I that delusional that because MKBHD carries two, that regular people would carry two?

Hm. I'll be damned. I really didn't want to carry two, I kind of thought it was dumb too. TBH.

[seanondemand]

Just now, jc.drksn said:

It's huge in the US.

Am I that delusional that because MKBHD carries two, that regular people would carry two?

Hm. I'll be damned. I really didn't want to carry two, I kind of thought it was dumb too. TBH.

I mean, Marques Brownlee's actual job is to review phones (among other things), and he's awash in review/free hardware people send him, so we're not exactly talking about a normal case

[Donut417]

On 4/1/2023 at 11:04 AM, jc.drksn said:

Or how do I even try to explain why techy people like to carry two phones?

In my experience two groups of people carry two phones. 1) they got a second phone from work and use it exclusively for work. 2) They are a drug dealer and the second phone is a burner. 

[RoseLuck462]

Stay with Apple

[Forky the Forklift]

Is she tracking you via your iphone?

 

There are alternatives to Apple Pay and iMessage.

 

Be the guy with two phones Apple and Android for a while.

Introduce the Android either as a work phone, or you forgot your iphone on a trip and needed a temporary replacement.

 

The wife will adjust to you messaging via Signal / Whatsapp on Android if you are quicker to respond there than iPhone. Have the iPhone on 'do not disturb'. Gradually, over time complain about how rubbish the phone battery life is on the iPhone and forget to charge it a few times, so you're only reachable via Android. Then one day come home without the apple phone - make up a reason it has been lost or the screen is broken and doesn't work anymore or device drowned or someone snatched the phone out of your hand. Then never get around to buying an iPhone ever again. 

 

Better yet, if the wife loses her iPhone, you can give her your iPhone, but you're still contactable on Android.

 

Or use financial reasoning "iphone costs £££ , Android costs ££" there must be something that you're either saving up for (e.g. holiday, birthday, anniversary) or need to pay off (e.g. mortgage, loan, credit card) or maybe you've had an unexpected increase in bills. 

Alternatively, use the money saved to buy something that the wife adores (outside of the apple ecosystem) to diffuse the tension. 

 

The wife may not be a fan of you switching away from Apple, but a healthy relationship involves compromise. For richer or poorer. It's not worth getting into debt just to have an Apple iPhone. 

 

 

 

 

 

[saintlouisbagels]

On 4/1/2023 at 11:04 AM, jc.drksn said:

I have an interesting dilemma. I was big into the Apple kool-aid for a while, 2017-2021ish and as a result, switched my wife and her whole family to the ecosystem for ease of use for them. I also worked at a tech store, so I was so busy I couldn't even think for myself when it came to my tech decisions.

I have finally come to realize that Apple is a company that I do not align with.

It sounds like you still can't think for yourself if you call it Apple Kool-Aid like some neckbeard. Both platforms have their pros and cons. Leave it at that.

What don't you align with on the Apple side? I would call Google the much worse company.

 

If you switch to Android and your wife and family stay on iMessage, you'll revert back to terrible SMS texting. You could try to convince her to switch to Whatsapp, but then you're supporting Facebook/Meta which is even worse than support Apple/Google.

On 4/1/2023 at 11:04 AM, jc.drksn said:

Or how do I even try to explain why techy people like to carry two phones?

Techy people don't carry two phones. People with separate work and personal phones carry two phones. Or drug dealers. Or people having an affair.

21 hours ago, jc.drksn said:

Am I that delusional that because MKBHD carries two, that regular people would carry two?

He doesn't carry two phone because he's techy. He's the most popular techtuber in the world, and he frequently reviews phones from both operating systems. He NEEDS to carry two phones if he wants to do his job proficiently.

23 hours ago, Murasaki said:

thats... a thing?

23 hours ago, Erioch said:

The media wants us to think it us but I've never encountered it in RL.

It's a huge deal in the US- 9 out of 10 teenagers own an iPhone. If you use Android, you get excluded from group chats because you break the whole thing. It's not an exaggeration. Although, I think Discord is slowly gaining ground as the new best thing for schoolwork.

In other countries, iPhones are too expensive, and I think something to do with the rollout of Data plans, both caused Whatsapp and other 3rd party apps to become the standard messaging platform.

[Arika]

4 hours ago, Forky the Forklift said:

-snip-

 

I don't know if lying to your wife and using bribery is really the best way to do this...

[vetali]

On 4/1/2023 at 8:04 AM, jc.drksn said:

Hi everyone!

I have an interesting dilemma. I was big into the Apple kool-aid for a while, 2017-2021ish and as a result, switched my wife and her whole family to the ecosystem for ease of use for them. I also worked at a tech store, so I was so busy I couldn't even think for myself when it came to my tech decisions.

I have finally come to realize that Apple is a company that I do not align with. However, my wife is so ingrained in the ecosystem and loves her iPhone, and doesn't understand the concept of carrying an iPhone and an Android device. She also, obviously, isn't a fan of me switching (but thats a different conversation). I thought about using an Apple Watch Ultra with LTE so I maintain iMessage, but would I get Apple Pay on the watch as well? Or how do I even try to explain why techy people like to carry two phones?

Hopefully I made sense. Thank you!

I was big into iPhone from the 5s until recently. I don't think you have solid enough reasoning to switch if you are thinking about keeping two phones. If you had actual problems with the phone or its OS direction then maybe think about switching.

[Issac Zachary]

There was a time my wife had an Android phone, an iPhone and a Windows phone all in her purse all working and used them all. I didn't ask why, I just went with it.

 

Personally I'm trying to figure out ways of how to downsize on the tech I carry around and still carry around everything I like, but I'm frusterated in my options. (Where's my all-in-one phone with FM/AM/SW/SSB/CW/NOAA/DAB/ATSC1+3 tunner and GMRS/HAM transmitter and built in self retracting earphones and built in charging plug that pops out the back?)

[Godlygamer23]

On 4/3/2023 at 3:00 PM, Murasaki said:

thats... a thing?

There are advantages to using iMessage over SMS. It will use your internet connection, rather than cell service, so if you're connected to WiFi, sending attachments is much faster. I'm also not notified if a message is delivered when using SMS. Also, while it's not foolproof, if you're messaging a friend, you can kind of infer if their signal is poor because it's using an internet connection, so if the text field normally says "iMessage", and now says "Text message", you can infer that someone either has a poor/non-existent signal, or they've turned airplane mode on, or if the message takes a while to say 'Delivered', or never says it. 

 

For the people that have said that you can use other messaging apps, you're assuming that everyone wants to follow suit with that. If others don't, then you have to switch between your SMS messaging app, and WhatsApp/Signal/whatever you're using, which means it's not as seamless. 

[Crunchy Dragon]

7 hours ago, Forky the Forklift said:

-snip-

This is terrible advice.

 

6 hours ago, saint_louis_bagels said:

It's a huge deal in the US- 9 out of 10 teenagers own an iPhone. If you use Android, you get excluded from group chats because you break the whole thing. It's not an exaggeration. Although, I think Discord is slowly gaining ground as the new best thing for schoolwork.

It may be a big deal, but I'm also yet to encounter this as a problem in my personal life. 9/10 teenagers may own an iPhone, but it's probably more likely that 10/10 teenagers uses some form of social media and communicate through that rather than texting for larger groups.

[Erioch]

7 hours ago, saint_louis_bagels said:

It's a huge deal in the US- 9 out of 10 teenagers own an iPhone.

It's been like 45 years since I gave a shit what teenagers think.