If you are tired of the restrictions of Apple's iOS operating system and want to try better, before making the jump from iPhone to Android it is worth knowing what to expect, how to adjust, how to find all the functions, how to configure the phone and what differences there I'm. Let's start by saying immediately that the latest high-end phones from Samsung (Galaxy S4), HTC (HTC One), LG (LG G2) and the Nexus 5 have better screens, are faster, and have a much more intuitive interface than the iPhone 5 .
Although both operating systems have their pros and cons, iOS users are often frustrated by the unbearable blockades imposed by Apple that prevent you from using your mobile phone as you would a normal computer.
In this post, we see the main differences between Android and iOS and how to make the transition from iPhone to Android also following the indications of Eric Schmidt, former Google CEO.
READ ALSO: 20-point guide to Android to get started with your mobile phone or tablet
1) The main buttons
As a former iPhone user, you will be used to doing everything with the middle button that does not exist in Android phones.
In Android there are three touchscreen buttons at the bottom of the screen that work, starting from left to right, to: exit or go back, open the home screen, start multitasking or see which applications are open, to be able to reopen them quickly.
The Back button is perhaps the most difficult to understand because it works differently depending on the case.
In most apps, it goes back to the previous screen, but if it is the last one, it goes back to the home and exits the application.
2) The App Switcher
Like on an iPhone, Android can have many screens where you can add application icons.
On Android, however, there is a central button, generally located at the bottom, to open the list of all the apps so the primary screens can be organized by putting only your favorite apps and widgets.
You can add apps to the main screen by opening the application list, touching and dragging with your finger where you want.
You can also do the same by touching any empty space on the main screen by holding down for a moment until the menu appears asking which application to add.
On Android, you can create folders as you do on iOS by tapping, holding and dragging one application on another.
Organizing the Android home screen has several advantages, first of all because it is not necessary to view all the installed applications but only the preferred ones and then because you can add widgets, i.e. boxes that provide interactive information and functionality.
For example, the first widget to add is always the weather widget with a large digital clock such as Fancy Widget.
The primary screen can also be modified by downloading different launchers and graphic themes for Android.
3) Default applications
on an iPhone Apple forces us to use their applications as default and you can't change this.
In Android, on the other hand, you are free to choose the app you prefer and you can also change the app to read SMS, for emails, to surf the internet or make calls.
To change a default application just download the new one and open it.
The next time Android will ask which app to use to open an image or to read the mail and you can touch the Always button to make a final choice.
If you happen to want to undo this change, you can cancel the default choice by opening the Settings -> Applications menu and touching the app that you no longer want to use as the default, cancel the dafaults option.
4) Notifications
An Android smartphone, compared to the iPhone, offers a number of additional features in its notification area.
The notification area expands by dragging the black line at the top down and contains the messages of all events generated by the installed applications that are running in the background.
For example, new messages, emails, Facebook notifications and whatever you want will appear there.
The Android notification area also has a quick settings menu which you can view by tapping on the little man icon in the upper right corner.
5) Voice commands
On iPhone is Siri, the virtual assistant who answers all kinds of questions.
Although Siri isn't perfect, it's one of the best features of iOS, perhaps inimitable.
Voice commands are also available on Android and work well for searching, for driving directions from the Google Maps navigator, for sending messages.
Android's speech synthesizer is almost perfect and recognizes all the spoken words, but the voice assistant is less interactive and less fun than SIRI.
6) Google Now
On the new Android smartphones there is Google Now, a virtual assistant capable of giving us personalized information every day.
To open Google Now, simply swipe your finger from the bottom to the top of the screen.
Other articles explain how to use Google Now to activate OK Google
7) Operating system updates and why Android smartphones are different from each other
An iPhone is always the same and there are no other smartphones with the iOS operating system.
On the other hand, when you buy an Android phone, there may be aesthetic differences and also different functions between one model and another, because Android is freely customizable by the phone manufacturers.
Although Android is Google, it remains an open source system that can be adapted and installed on any smartphone.
For this reason, Samsung adds some proprietary apps that are different from those of HTC and LG.
If you want an original Android smartphone, you need to buy a Google Nexus (Nexus 4 or Nexus 5).
Even the updates are not the same for all Android phones: the Nexus are the first to update when a new version of the system comes out, then the others have to adapt Android with their personalizations and it can take some time.
8) Battery life
Theoretically, the battery life of an Android smartphone and that of an iPhone is equivalent.
In practice, however, on Android you can install some applications that will make the battery last much longer.
Another article lists 15 apps to optimize battery life on Android.
9) Applications
All the apps available for iPhone, there are also for Android in the Play Store which is the equivalent of Apple's iTunes Store.
To download or buy applications you must use a Google account instead of an Apple one and the installation takes place automatically, even if you press the Install button on the web page of the application open on your computer.
You don't need a program like iTunes for Android.
To buy apps you always use a Google account by registering your credit card in Google Play.
Some predefined apps change from iPhone to Android such as:
- The Safari browser does not exist on Android where there is instead Chrome or Firefox or even others (see the best browsers for Android).
- Find My iPhone, the anti-theft and location function is called device management on Android.
- Apple Maps obviously doesn't exist, but there is Google Maps and navigator.
- iMessage is not there, so if you want to read the SMS received on your Android smartphone from your computer there are other apps such as Mighty Text.
- The do not disturb feature on Android is similar to that of the iPhone.
To get started, see the list of the best free Android apps .
10) How to get started with Android if you had an iPhone
- Set up your Android phone
Turn it on, connect to a WiFi network, log in to your personal Gmail account and download from the Google Play Store all the applications you use regularly.
Update Android to the latest version (e.g. 4.3 or 4.4) by opening the notification if it appears at the top.
At this point you should see Gmail and be able to use any application.
Keep in mind that all Google apps like Youtube, Google Maps, Google Now, Google Drive, the Calendar use the same Gmail account,
- Transfer contacts from iPhone to Android
As written in a previous guide, you can transfer iPhone contacts to Gmail.
The transferred contacts of Gmail are the Android address book which, therefore, can be found intact with all the phone numbers.
READ ALSO: Transfer phonebook, photos and iPhone app to the new Android smartphone
- Back up iPhone data to Cloud services also available for Android such as Google+ or Skydrive for easy recovery.
With the Google Music Manager program on Mac or Windows you can transfer all the songs you listen to from iTunes to the online cloud.
Google Music is obviously an Android app.
In this guide all the steps to backup your iPhone.
At this point you have your Gmail, applications and contacts on the new phone. Also check this.
- An adapter (from nanoSIM to microSIM) may be required to insert the iPhone SIM on an Android smartphone.
If you switch from iPhone to Android remember that you can also install the Navigaweb app to follow this blog more closely from the new Android smartphone.
READ ALSO: Differences between Android and iPhone (iOS); which smartphone is better to buy?
