‘You’re Telling Me in 2023, You Still Have a ’Droid?’ Why Teens Hate Android Phones / A recent survey of teens found that 87% have iPhones, and don’t plan to switch::undefined
Because Apple did a dick move and targeted with paid influencers that segment of population because they are the most succeptible to fashion trends and easy to manipulate due to their natural tendency to buckle to peer pressure in order to integrate and feel accepted?
In this case, it really is the children who are wrong.
A important thing, that a lot of people here seem to forget: teenagers are more likely to be influenced by fashion trends, than reason, but they aren’t stupid.
I dunno, I’d call that one of the definitions of stupid. Not that they are necessarily overall stupid, but IMO being influenced by fashion trends without reasoning about it is a stupid trait (in kids or adults).
Gen Z here. Even if I could (somehow) afford an iPhone, I can’t imagine buying them because they’re just so locked-down… How can you use a phone you can’t even access file system on? Hell, even load apps the manufacturer doesn’t like? AND sell a kidney for this? Around me, iPhones are a minority but still prevalent, but I am living in a major, pretty wealthy city.
Stock android doesn’t want you to access the file system either. And the stock file manager on iOS/iPadOS is more than enough to do any kind of reasonable file management. And their are legitimate security and data privacy/protection reasons to want to use an abstracted file manager and give apps limited access to the underlying file system.
As far as sideloading, you can do it with a developer account or you can use web apps to fill in the gaps for a big chunk of those use cases. But if you need better performance from sideloaded emulators or virtualization host or programs of those sorts which apple doesn’t allow on the App Store, you will have better luck on android.
iPhone makes a design choice to be more restrictive by default than android but it’s for good reason. If full control of your privacy is something you value then you should definitely consider running an open source ROM on an android phone but you should also consider why you are doing something and consider if it is something that is secure and if there isn’t a better workflow to accomplish the same task.
For instance, on device ad blocking. Do you really trust that ad block developer with permission to inspect network traffic on your device and potentially modify ui elements to block ads (but maybe more). Or is that something that is better left on the edge of your network on a device running pihole.
Sorry to get so wordy on you, but I always getting slightly amused when someone criticizes an iPhone for being locked down and then runs stock pixel ROM with like a couple pirated apps and a shady web blocker on it
And the stock file manager on iOS/iPadOS is more than enough to do any kind of reasonable file management.
My mom was given an iPhone as a gift years ago, so I remember my reaction to this. When you connect it to a computer, you can only see the photos folder. So you can’t even drag-and-drop music there. How is this “more than enough”? Maybe something has changed, I don’t know.
But if you need better performance from sideloaded emulators or virtualization host or programs of those sorts which apple doesn’t allow on the App Store…
You just spoke in favor of not being so strict, lol. But also there are far more common cases where this can impact regular people, such as bank apps being deleted due to sanctions. I personally don’t use mobile banking, but that’s pretty important for a lot of people, isn’t it?
Do you really trust that ad block developer with permission to inspect network traffic on your device and potentially modify ui elements to block ads (but maybe more)
If its code is open to be inspected by anyone - why not?
and then runs stock pixel ROM
That’s not the only alternative. I personally don’t yet use a smartphone properly so haven’t tried, but there are options for custom, more private OSs. Also pixels are pretty expensive so not the best comparison for “common” user.
I really can’t agree when you say Pixel phones are expensive. Just look at the value proposition for the 7a. It is currently $444 on the Google store with all the features of the 7 except for a slightly smaller screen and just slightly worse water resistant (we’re talking literally one step down). The closest competition would probably be the Zenfone 10 in terms of value,
$444 is pretty expensive for me. More than half a price of my LAPTOP. Most people I know cannot really dish out this much cash for a phone. Maybe it’s different in the West.
When you connect it to a computer, you can only see the photos folder. So you can’t even drag-and-drop music there. How is this “more than enough”? Maybe something has changed
I don’t remember when it changed, but it was quite a few ears ago. The solution is iCloud. Your phone has iCloud files enabled, and seems to prefer it (at least for me), and your Windows laptop can be configured with iCloud, similar to how you might use OneDrive or Google Drive. Once you have it setup, you don’t have to think about it. It just works.
That’s not access to the file system lol. That’s just apple’s cloud storage/transfer solution that requires an account and Internet. I mean you can do the exact same thing on Android with Google drive or whatever storage/sync cloud service you prefer.
You can transfer music via iTunes and it doesn’t have to be music with DRM from their store. You can rip MP3’s from any source and transfer them via iTunes. You don’t need direct file access and prevents a third party device from potentially transferring malware to it.
On device, the files app gives you access to the “on my iphone” directory (basically the users home directory) as well as app data directories, and extensions for browsing installed cloud storage. You can create directories, move and copy files, rename and change extensions, or whatever else you might need to do to the files on the device. That’s more than enough for managing files on device.
Android is better for certain workloads and use cases. I’m not advocating that anyone replace android. I’ve used both operating systems and I don’t think either are better than the other. As for banking apps, banks block root on android as well, and they ought too. In the US, by regulation, banks have to reimburse customers for fraud losses from any unauthorized transaction. And the CFPB is very liberal in their definition of unauthorized. So even if you download an app called “Definitely Malware, This app will steal your banking info”, you can get your money back when the hacker logs into your account and drains all your funds. So it’s better for banks to block devices that have root or are jailbroken. As for trusting ad blockers, unless you are downloading and building each update yourself. You are still susceptible to a supply chain attack or bad actor even by using open source. Just because it’s on GitHub doesn’t mean it’s secure. If you are putting your trust in a project just because it’s open source without verification you may as well put your trust in Apple or Google.
I’d recommend everyone look into running an open source, degoogled ROM on android. Whether that’s AOSP or GrapheneOS or something else. I’m just trying to make the argument that iPhone isn’t inferior to android and vice versa
You don’t need direct file access and prevents a third party device from potentially transferring malware to it.
What malware lol. ClickForFreeMoney.apk? Even then, the applications are sandboxed pretty well. Even if you install “malware” it won’t be able to do much unless you also grant it permissions to access personal data.
As for trusting ad blockers, unless you are downloading and building each update yourself. You are still susceptible to a supply chain attack or bad actor even by using open source.
Most adblockers (all the good ones) don’t require frequent updates. They frequently update filter lists, which don’t execute any code and therefore can’t do anything malicious. And what you said applies to every application ever. Anyone can have their credentials stolen and used to publish a modified application.
I’m just trying to make the argument that iPhone isn’t inferior to android and vice versa
I don’t disagree, Androids and iPhones are pretty much at feature and quality parity nowadays. But it sounds like you’re starting from a conclusion and working backwards, which is not a good way to think.
But if you need better performance from sideloaded emulators or virtualization host or programs of those sorts which apple doesn’t allow on the App Store, you will have better luck on android.
It seems like one of the differences is, is your phone a tool to run your life or is it your playground? Those are very different requirements that ought to be separate
My phone is a tool to run my life, so it is important to just work. Similarly, my laptop is pretty vanilla because I want it to just work, my router is out of the box because it’s critical for my network to just work, and my home automation is a default install on a physical box because it is a tool I need to just work. For playtime I have a lab network, and servers and a rPi cluster and VMs, and a bunch of old equipment I could resurrect to varying degrees. I can play all I want, without destabilizing my tools
I have no issue with iPhones, but I’ve never owned one, and have no intention of buying one in the foreseeable future. “It just works” has never appealed to me as a marketing tactic. I want to know how things work, and have access to get in and play around with things.
There’s a spectrum of answers here.
— As a tech guy I prefer to know how stuff works and to be able to play around with them. That’s critical for my servers and automation projects
— However as a person, I want my phone to just work, and to be secure and private by default, as far as those things go in current times. I also want a company that stands behind their products, even if I never need it, I want a tool that is well built, I want to count on security updates for several years, and there is quite a bit of built-in functionality that I like
— as a parent, I want to take advantage of secure family functionality on the iPhone, I want their phones to just work and to default to secure and private, as far as that goes. I want phones to be well built and well supported, to survive a teenager. And most of all, I don’t want to have to show my kids how to use a phone I don’t have, or to help them recover from their mischief.
After getting an iPhone for my mom, and running into multiple issues just setting up the account, including an apparently rare known UI bug*, I can’t say I am convinced by the “It just works” slogan.
I really don’t see the difference in experience for an average person buying any big brand android phone vs an iPhone.
*something about an old account re-setup not working on the phone and apparently some steps had to be done in the web interface. The phone UI was just giving an unspecified error and I had to dig deep into Google to find out wtf is wrong. A non-tech person would have no chance of solving it on their own.
My beef is with Apple playing the good guy when anyone with half a brain knows they are just as bad as everyone else. Their whole ecosystem lock in without caring about anything else is what really gets me. They are literally opening up their users to potential privacy issues because they would rather force people to use an iPhone than implement basic RCS capabilities.
I have an iPhone, but I’d probably prefer an Android just because you can install things from outside the App Store.
After disabling a million warnings, being constantly reminded you should not do it, and i wont be surprised if future versions will require rooting for doing so.
I have always been an android user, but honewtly, if libre android OSes didnt exist, i would have been an iphone user already.
With all my due respect, iOS is even worse. They don’t provide access to the file system of their phones/tablets, still refuse to open iMessage to rival OSes, they don’t even release their apps for other operating systems.
You can’t for example backup WhatsApp on Android and restore your backup on iOS.
They don’t support Bluetooth file transfer and they are/were requiring to develop their apps on macOS. Not to forget all those lawsuits they filed against Samsung and other Android manufacturers at the beginning of the smartphone revolution.
It’s literally just one toggle? It’s been the same for over a decade.
The constant reminders are untoggleable.
Reminders? Like the “this app can’t install unknown apps” notice for installation? Because those only happen for if you execute through a browser or app other than the file explorer for the first time.
Probably the same teens paying stupid money for trainers that someone scribbled on with sharpie!
I own both, a iphone X for work and a cheap Motorola G series phone (200 euro).
I prefer my Android phone, the customization, ease of use. With Android you feel more like an Admin, iphone you are just a user for overpriced stuff
Not really relevant. The majority of teens isn’t able to make an informed decision about which is better anyway, and in fact none of the 2 is recommended anyway unless you count in AOSP-based distributions (based off of the open source Android without Google apps), then Android wins of course. But when you compare iOS vs. proprietary Android, it’s like comparing 2 different forms of diseases.
So yeah while statistics are interesting it’s important not to interpret too much into some. Like, “majority of teens dislikes Jazz music”. Well, it doesn’t really matter whether they dislike it or not. Popularity doesn’t represent quality necessarily. Sometimes, but certainly not always.
In Germany the mobile landscape is more “diverse”, I’d say closer to 40%/60% iOS/Android from my own observations. And since we “care” “more” about privacy in schools or public institutions (we still care plenty little but I guess Germany is on average at least known for being a country that does more for data protection than others, so maybe that counts as something?), it’s also probably less iOS infested, although I do know that some schools and public institutions do use iOS devices. But I don’t think everyone does.
87% of teens are lazy fucks who don’t know how to download an app that isn’t TicTok, surprised?
It’s scary how tech illiterate most teens / young adults are. Despite the fact that they live their lives through digital interfaces, the majority do not know how to use a keyboard properly.
I wrongly had assumed that by being surrounded by so much tech, young people would just soak it in and strive to optimize it’s use through early mastery. It turns out that despite everyone using tech all the time now, it’s still the same thin slice of the pie that scratch the tech any deeper than the top surface.
But that kinda makes sense. They never had that period where tech sucked and you had to struggle through it. Even as a developer I’m noticing the junior developers amazed at the stuff i know how to do and they ask how i soaked it all up. It’s cuz i had to just to get basic shit to function.
I agree. It’s a stamina related issue too. I’ve noticed that I will search longer and wider for an answer to a problem because you used to have to do that all the time and wade through forums with different tidbits of information that would lead you to understanding how the technology underneath is working. The junior developers often don’t make it past the first search page and they have less of a sense of what related information might be useful and less patience to keep at the search.
I feel this so much. It’s so frustrating to spend 30 mins helping someone who basically gave up after 5 mins of trying. And it’s not easy to teach that ability to search and learn because it’s more of a mentality than a skill.
I think these days either being into PC gaming, streaming, video editing, etc is what provides the motivation to become tech literate with how lot of people these days may not own a device that runs a desktop OS and either uses a phone or console for gaming. Otherwise, being in an ecosystem that just hands people everything by design makes even folder navigation something that can be confusing for new generations as it was for boomers.
https://www.theverge.com/22684730/students-file-folder-directory-structure-education-gen-z
But even those motivations only get you surface deep. I’m glad technology has gotten better but what streamer today has bought a new camera only to find the drivers haven’t been updated and had to go into the system registry to add a new vendor id? Not that this individual task is important but it’s the mentality of being about to fix and manipulate their system when things don’t work…computers aren’t walled gardens. That’s totally lost on this generation.
Young gen Z here. I remember time when casual adults (not nerds interested in tech) considered kids the experts. From perspective of time I can guess it was because they didnt have any ‘digital sense’ and saw kids playing on mobile devices.
However these days… I everyday see peers using tech in ways we living in tech bubble consider inproper. They use proprietary software, charge battery to 100% and discharge it to full 0, dont care about privacy, accept bloatware instead of flashing rom/uninstalling with adb, they dont know what bootloader is, dont check repairability of devide before purchase, accept everything soldered into motherboard, they think LLM arent just large next-word suggester, they dont boycott companies shitting on them, they use trademarked words while meaning generic things like ‘googling’ and ‘ipad’, post their real profile photos on facebook, they accept predatory monetization models.
I dont want to say Im smarter than everyone, but Im just sad that this gen fell so low.
I agree with the first part, but knowing about bootloader and flashing rom to a new phone is hackerman level, not a regular tech-savvy user.
New generations having hacking skills is more like a cyberpunk novel, reality is lower attention spans, worst reading skills and over-simplified UIs. People gravitate to the simpler way.
I feel like we’re getting old. Is this our “kids these day can’t even change their own oil” moment?
I couldn’t imagine any of these kids having to deal with a dos prompt.
Then again the thought of having to be on instagram robs me of control over bodily functions.
They are the new boomers now. Like even basic folder navigation is something that is difficult for them.
https://www.theverge.com/22684730/students-file-folder-directory-structure-education-gen-z
Tbf, I don’t use prefer clicking thro a series of folders. I rather have a fuzzy finder that help me open any important documents regardless of its format.
Please tell me that I’m not the only person who immediately thought of this when reading “droid”
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A truly lost generation
I think Apple marketing has a role in it. Their commercials and packaging gives the iPhone an elitist aura. Kinda like a calone, jewelry, fancy watches, fancy cars.
87% of teens are mentally ill (speaking from experience)
About five years ago, non-tech folk would switch from Apple (which was paid for by family) to Android (which is what they could afford entering the job market). As a tech geek, I actively pursued Android offerings with the latest stuff (waterproofing! encryption!) and got good results from it. The general rule was to buy a phone from the manufacturer and use the base OS rather than the hobbled offerings from the telecommunications stores.