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There’s a whole Reddit group frothing at the mouth over QWERTY dumb phones. Unless you can use 3G there is absolutely nothing out there. Just a bunch of group funded projects in concept phase that will more than likely go nowhere.
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Mar 13, 2024 17:29
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after years of abuse and several major surgeries my S8 Active has decided to die and I think instead of resuscitating it I should probably let it go. The main selling point when I got it was the smaller size and the fact that my coworker dropped his 20 feet off a ladder onto a sidewalk and it lived. The Pixel looks like it might be what I want to go with but how sturdy are phones now? Can I grab one off the internet and just move the SIM or do I need to let AT&T know? I rarely use it for games anymore it's mostly for music and youtubes.
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Mar 16, 2024 21:32
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Maldraedior posted:after years of abuse and several major surgeries my S8 Active has decided to die and I think instead of resuscitating it I should probably let it go. The main selling point when I got it was the smaller size and the fact that my coworker dropped his 20 feet off a ladder onto a sidewalk and it lived. The Pixel looks like it might be what I want to go with but how sturdy are phones now? Can I grab one off the internet and just move the SIM or do I need to let AT&T know? I rarely use it for games anymore it's mostly for music and youtubes. The main thing that might require a new SIM card is 5G. AT&T is pretty obnoxious about maintaining a whitelist of phones, but something standard like a Pixel should be fine. Pixels are relatively sturdy, and finding a ruggedized phone in a smaller form factor is probably going to be difficult. My work phone is a Galaxy Xcover 6 Pro, which is mildly ruggedized, but it's also bigger than I would like - it is way bulkier than my personal Pixel 6. Swapping a SIM between phones isn't usually a big deal, but like I said above about AT&T and some of their obnoxious policies, I can't swear to that. Aside from the possible need for a 5G SIM, though, I doubt you'll see a hassle unless you somehow manage to get a phone they don't have on their whitelist.
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Mar 16, 2024 21:58
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Maldraedior posted:after years of abuse and several major surgeries my S8 Active has decided to die and I think instead of resuscitating it I should probably let it go. The main selling point when I got it was the smaller size and the fact that my coworker dropped his 20 feet off a ladder onto a sidewalk and it lived. The Pixel looks like it might be what I want to go with but how sturdy are phones now? Can I grab one off the internet and just move the SIM or do I need to let AT&T know? I rarely use it for games anymore it's mostly for music and youtubes. I am an enormous loving klutz and drop my Pixel phones all the goddamn time on all sorts of surfaces (concrete, tile, carpet, etc.). I've been using Spigen TPU cases for my last couple of phones, and run into no issues with them breaking.
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Mar 16, 2024 22:47
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Phone rec please. Ideally under ca$300 but I could grumble and go up to $400 if it meant a boost in how long I can expect the phone to last me. Canada. Need an unlocked android phone that's rogers network compatible because gently caress contracts. My priorities are that I hate bloatware, and I rarely use my phone for anything other than IM/texting, listening to podcasts over bluetooth or the phone's speaker, and having a web browser handy if I need it, with the camera as a secondary function. I have virtually no apps installed. I'd probably like something that has about 32gb of storage on top of OS just so I don't get annoyed with messages about running out of space if I queue up a bunch of stuff. I also value durability and battery life. Something that I can open up and repair would also be nice but I know not to hold my breath for that one anymore. About a year ago someone told me about OnePlus phones, and they sounded good, but since then I've heard that they're not as good as they once were. If there's another brand that fills that "is phone, does smart phone things, no other nonsense" slot, I'd be interested. Basically I want something that will run smoothly for a few years before I have to upgrade again.
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Mar 20, 2024 03:43
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CommonShore posted:Phone rec please. Ideally under ca$300 but I could grumble and go up to $400 if it meant a boost in how long I can expect the phone to last me. It looks like right now Best Buy Canada has the Pixel 7a on sale for $400. It's unlocked, and while I am not familiar with Rogers it would have to be fairly odd to not work with a Pixel.
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Mar 20, 2024 06:32
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I have a OnePlus 7T that I don't want to have to repair again so I'm starting to consider a replacement. The day-to-day, raw specs on that phone have been really good and I have fussed with myself over how little it seems stuff has advanced since I got it. The counterpoints to this are pretty simple: 1. The rear case panel is glass and cracks as soon as you sneeze at it. I had replaced it when doing other repairs (see below) and I don't think it survived two weeks before it was screwed up again. 2. The USB-C port is garbage and I've already had to replace it once. It was a really annoying repair that required pulling apart most of the phone for access. I think along the way, I made my pictures fuzzier (probably got the inside of the case by the camera sensor dirty with my goon hands). I don't want to have to do this again, but I have started to see it failing the charge when plugged in again so it's a matter of time. 3. The camera sensors on it were never particularly good. I want to say I don't take many pictures but it might just be a factor of that more than anything else. 4. I think it's been a bit goofy with Bluetooth pairing. Particularly with car Bluetooth systems, it's been on and off and the audio often gets screwed up on the first attempt and I have to restart Bluetooth to try again. I'd rather stay below $1000 in finding a new phone and am willing to wait through to the end of the year if there are obvious generation changes that will trigger sales. I mostly just browse and shitpost on it so it's probably not even worth considering CPU specs too much. I had pondered just getting the Pixel 8 that Google's slashing, but I don't have to jump on a new phone right away unless that's the best I'll see until, like, December. Perhaps the only other thing for quality-of-life is I think I'd prefer a more stock Android. I previously had an Essential PH-1 and had become accustomed to its interface over, say, Samsung. OnePlus did their own thing but it wasn't as divergent.
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Mar 21, 2024 16:23
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Hello thread. New Zealand is cutting off the 3G network later this year, and so I'll need to upgrade within the next few months. My current phone has done everything I ever needed it to, which is why I kinda ignored society's switch to smartphones. Behold, the Samsung GT-b2710:  My one's still going strong, still got memos to myself from 2013 on it. So! I'm after a dumbphone that will never, ever, touch the internet, not even to update. Brick form factor, compact, preferably water resistant. Must haves: calling, texting, customizable ring and text noises. Colour screen optional. Must not haves: a touchscreen, modern mobile OS's that will probably break. I have previously bitten the bullet and purchased a CAT B35, which looked like it fit the bill on paper, but the second I tried using it I found that its embedded OS (KaiOS) was a unusable disaster, even after updating it. So I'm looking for, how shall we say, hand-on experience? Anyone got a family member stuck in the stone age like myself whose phone they'd recommend? Yes, I know that the local mall will have a bunch of POS burner phones that I don't feel like buying a dozen of to find out how each is terrible in its own unique way.
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Mar 26, 2024 12:33
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Serephina posted:Hello thread. If you are able to buy the banana phone, buy it https://www.hmd.com/en_int/nokia-8110-4g If not any Nokia flip phone is fine https://www.hmd.com/en_us/feature-phones
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Mar 26, 2024 20:40
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Samuel Glompers posted:Is there a qwerty feature phone / dumb phone that will still function in 2024? Praying someone can say yes I've been using the Light Phone 2. It seems to check many of your boxes. Serephina posted:So! I'm after a dumbphone that will never, ever, touch the internet, not even to update. The Nokia 6300 might be for you! Also check the dumbphone finder at https://josebriones.org/ After recently switching from a Pixel 6 to a Nokia 2780 and then a Light Phone 2 (cruft jr took the nokia), I started a whole thread just for dumbphones, if either of you are interested. https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=4052229
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Mar 27, 2024 16:58
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Thanks for the tips. Nokia bricks aren't sold in NZ for some strange reason, might look into getting one shipped over. Or just buying a series of $30 cheapos and replacing them as they die, as apparently 'nice' dumbphones aren't a market locally =/
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Mar 28, 2024 03:37
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This thread is very helpful, but I'm still kind of a luddite when it comes to some things. Please help me understand. My Pixel 3 is getting old. It's time for a new phone. Usually my wife and I just get whatever is on sale and a 2GB plan with Verizon. We pretty much always use all our data by the end of the month. Is a prepaid phone just paying the entire price of the phone up front and you determine how much data you anticipate using that month? Is this generally cheaper? Is an unlocked phone a phone that isn't tied to a carrier like Verizon and doesn't come with all the preloaded Verizon apps on it? We would then have to bring it to Verizon to activate it (for a fee)? We really liked the Pixel 3 and were thinking about the 7, but we're not married to that idea. On consumer reports, the Pixel battery life scores lower. There is an unlocked Samsung on sale, which scores higher than the Pixel, but what we're primarily looking for is size (comparable to Pixel 3) and storage (more than 64GB).
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Apr 3, 2024 03:41
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zenguitarman posted:This thread is very helpful, but I'm still kind of a luddite when it comes to some things. Please help me understand. 1. Pretty much, although you will be unable to change carriers for some period of time until the prepaid carrier unlocks the phone. In the long run, yes, prepaid usually works out cheaper but depending on the carrier you can miss out on some features, like wifi calling or visual voicemail. Note that this varies from phone to phone on the same carrier, so one phone on Megacorp Prepaid might have wifi calling but another phone might not have the option. This is pretty arbitrary. 2. Yes, an unlocked phone doesn't come with any carrier apps. You don't generally need to do anything special to activate them aside from buying an appropriate SIM card and going through whatever process the carrier has set up. It also makes changing carriers easier, although getting your number ported can be a pain (I'm looking at you, AT&T Prepaid...). 3. I'd consider 128MB a good floor, especially since SD cards are becoming more and more rare on modern phones. The Pixel 8a should be coming out soon, so you might want to check it out, or the 7a, which I believe are going to smaller than the base models.
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Apr 3, 2024 04:40
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zenguitarman posted:This thread is very helpful, but I'm still kind of a luddite when it comes to some things. Please help me understand. Are you currently on the 2GB plan with Verizon? Is your plqn around $87 before tax, $99ish with tax ? Prepaid is just not credit based. Because it isn’t based on your SSN, you pay up front, and there aren’t normally discounts on phones since it’s hard to enforce a contract without access to credit. However, since there are no phone discounts , plans are cheaper. Verizon prepaid is $35 a line, so for 2 lines $70 before tax, probably $80 with tax. 15GB of data each. Prepaid does not get as high data priority as postpaid (what you are on now), but given you only have 2GB currently, i think it could work for you. Data priority means if the towers are busy, you could see slower speeds. I’d recommend the Pixels, although Samsung is also fine. There are very few small phones, most of all will be a bit bigger than your 3 at this point. Let me know what questions you have. Fyi, if you want to go from Verizon postpaid to prepaid, it’s a specific department that does that, feel free to PM me and I can help you get in touch with that department (only if you want to).
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Apr 3, 2024 12:30
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Recommend me a phone (Specially a Samsung Fold) I'm a bit trapped between the fold 4 and 5 for a few reasons and need some help, either from people who know more about phones or somebody who has one or the other. 1. I draw, so this is one of my main reasons for wanting a fold is the easy ability to draw wherever, whenever and be able to then transfer and work on that sketch elsewhere. Having it be my phone would be convenient. I'm also likely to game on it in some capacity. I like the look of the 4 s pen better than the 5 version which is pretty small and that concerns me. 2. The hinge, this is one that I lean toward the 5 on, because the 4 doesn't seem to close flar and is left on a slight angle. I haven't held either in person so I don't know how bad it is. 3. There are leaks of the fold 6 out there and I'm wondering if holding off would provide better sales. Since I don't follow phones at all, I have no idea how the marketplace reacts to new releases and if a substantial deal would be likely. (I'm looking at maybe $900 CND for the 4) For reference my current phone is a Pixel 6a, I would be very interested in the pixel fold, but it's not in Canada and apparently has no stylus support. The 4 and 5 seem to have only some minor differences with the hinge and a slightly better chip being the drivers. Any help would be appreciated from people.morw knowledgable than myself on this.
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Apr 4, 2024 04:22
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Syfe posted:Recommend me a phone (Specially a Samsung Fold) Yeah don’t buy the pixel fold, you are correct there. Fold phones come it in September, so I wouldn’t worry about a 6, not coming out anytime soon. For which fold, I would assume the most recent is best, but here’s the Verge review https://www.theverge.com/23826325/samsung-galaxy-z-fold-5-review-screen-hinge-battery-camera
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Apr 4, 2024 04:28
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Syfe posted:Recommend me a phone (Specially a Samsung Fold) I'm posting this from a fold 4 and all I can really comment on is that the hinge does indeed not close flat but unless I'm actually looking at it from the top or bottom it doesn't especially matter as far as my use of it goes. I absolutely would recommend handling one before buying one though, they're weighty things, very thick when folded, and there's nowhere to store the pen on or in the phone without adding a case that'll bulk it up even further. I like mine a lot and you sound like you've got a great use case for one, I just couldn't recommend one unconditionally.
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Apr 6, 2024 08:36
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Thanks for the responses! Indeed the fold 6 is probably too far off for me to consider it as a factor in one or the other. I'm actually going out today to see them in person in store and may make a decisions there. It's nice to hear from a fold 4 owner that the hinge angle isn't that bad. Yeah I was aware that the spen case makes it bulkier, I have been considering how to manage that.
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Apr 6, 2024 14:58
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Is this the place to ask about mobile hotspots? I travel extensively and hotel wifi sucks. I usually tether from my phone but it zaps its battery and gets throttled pretty fast. I'd need probably 20GB a month plus the hotspot.
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Apr 9, 2024 00:31
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Arson Daily posted:Is this the place to ask about mobile hotspots? I travel extensively and hotel wifi sucks. I usually tether from my phone but it zaps its battery and gets throttled pretty fast. I'd need probably 20GB a month plus the hotspot. What country are you in, what carrier and what is your plan?
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Apr 9, 2024 08:58
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Every fold phone I see someone using has the screen seemingly hosed up along the fold, like all crinkly. Is that just what's going to happen if you're using a fold, or are these people doing something wrong?
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Apr 9, 2024 22:52
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Ham Equity posted:Every fold phone I see someone using has the screen seemingly hosed up along the fold, like all crinkly. Is that just what's going to happen if you're using a fold, or are these people doing something wrong? That's the preinstalled screen protectors that manufacturers tell you that must not removed as the screen is a soft plastic. It's unfortunately inherent to the design. Dust and grit will get in where it can.
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Apr 9, 2024 22:58
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Duckman2008 posted:What country are you in, what carrier and what is your plan? Sorry. USA on ATT unlimited with 30gigs of hotspot data
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Apr 10, 2024 01:17
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Arson Daily posted:Sorry. USA on ATT unlimited with 30gigs of hotspot data I don’t know ATT, but they likely offer where you can purchase a separate mobile hotspot to add to your plan. For instance, the Verizon plan is $20ish to add the mobile hotspot for 50GB of data. So you just have to get a price quote from ATT. Equipment wise This dude for $200ish is probably fine. Don’t get the $80 one. https://www.att.com/buy/connected-devices-and-more/franklin-a50.html
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Apr 10, 2024 01:56
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What would be the best choice for a hotspot/similar for Verizon on a grandfathered post-paid $45-55 montly plan? I haven't looked REALLY closely because it looks like they'd be looking for every reason to bump me off of that, and put me on one of their "unlimited" plans instead.
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Apr 10, 2024 02:40
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Killer_B posted:What would be the best choice for a hotspot/similar for Verizon on a grandfathered post-paid $45-55 montly plan? Are you on the 2GB or 5GB plan? That said, yeah, you would have to go to the $80 plan and it won’t make sense.
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Apr 10, 2024 03:24
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Duckman2008 posted:Are you on the 2GB or 5GB plan? I am on the 5GB plan.
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Apr 10, 2024 10:33
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Killer_B posted:I am on the 5GB plan. lol yeah, it won’t make sense. You plan is $55 + $7 old plan sir charge (I know it’s dumb). So $62 Unlimited plan is $80 with 30GB phone mobile hotspot. If you want a separate mobile hotspot that’s $10-20 a month. If you are military, teacher, student, nurse or first responder you get $10 off the unlimited plan.
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Apr 10, 2024 12:48
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8-bit Miniboss posted:That's the preinstalled screen protectors that manufacturers tell you that must not removed as the screen is a soft plastic. It's unfortunately inherent to the design. Dust and grit will get in where it can. Yeah, it's worth an occasional replacement screen protector if it gets irritating. They're generally available for a reasonable price with applicator frame things that stop you from loving it up.
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Apr 10, 2024 14:04
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Duckman2008 posted:lol yeah, it won’t make sense. Would there be additional possibility if the plan were to go pre-paid instead? Looking over on their website, it's looking like possibly, though not necessarily anything that's better unfortunately.
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Apr 10, 2024 21:41
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Killer_B posted:Would there be additional possibility if the plan were to go pre-paid instead? Looking over on their website, it's looking like possibly, though not necessarily anything that's better unfortunately. Prepaid unlimited with hotspot is $70 a month last I checked.
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Apr 11, 2024 05:20
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Want to switch back to Android from my iPhone 14. From what I understand, the S24 seems a bit more reliable, and the Pixel 8 has a better camera/interface. How bad are the reliability issues on the Pixel 8, is it just overheating from gaming? I had an S22 previously that I liked well enough, only thing that drove me crazy was that the vibration was incredibly weak and I always missed calls. Don't do a ton on my phone, just typical music/social media/work apps, almost never game on it. I'm pretty deep in the Google ecosystem in terms of mail/photos/calendar if that sways the decision one way or another. Also open to older phones/other brands. It'd be nice to have a good camera but it's not a desperate need either.
reversefungi fucked around with this message at 21:50 on Apr 24, 2024 |
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Apr 24, 2024 21:44
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reversefungi posted:Want to switch back to Android from my iPhone 14. From what I understand, the S24 seems a bit more reliable, and the Pixel 8 has a better camera/interface. How bad are the reliability issues on the Pixel 8? I had an S22 previously that I liked well enough, only thing that drove me crazy was that the vibration was incredibly weak and I always missed calls. Don't do a ton on my phone, just typical music/social media/work apps. I'm pretty deep in the Google ecosystem in terms of mail/photos/calendar if that sways the decision one way or another. Also open to older phones/other brands. It'd be nice to have a good camera but it's not a desperate need either. Apple Pay, iMessage, and iTunes are all better than their Google equivalents. You can use Gmail from an iPhone, is there a particular reason why you want to switch? And I say this as someone who has been all-in on the Android ecosystem since the Galaxy S2.
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Apr 24, 2024 21:51
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Ham Equity posted:Apple Pay, iMessage, and iTunes are all better than their Google equivalents. You can use Gmail from an iPhone, is there a particular reason why you want to switch? I use neither ApplePay nor GooglePay. Most of my friends are on Android so iMessage is a wash, and I miss being able to send custom reactions beyond the 6 I can choose on iMessage. I don't have any other Apple devices besides tablets and miss being able to use my web browser on my PC to send texts (this is a HUGE one for me). I use Spotify and have been there forever so iTunes doesn't mean much either. I miss 3 button navigation. Microsoft Teams is noticeably worse on iPhone compared to android, things are slower/clunkier and this was annoying day 1 into having this iPhone 14. I still have an android auto wireless adapter that doesn't support carplay, would be nice to use it again and have been hesitant on buying a separate adapter since I already know I want out of ios. There are probably other things I'm forgetting. reversefungi fucked around with this message at 22:26 on Apr 24, 2024 |
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Apr 24, 2024 22:16
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