Android telephones can do so much that iPhones cannot.
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The debate between Android and iPhone followers over which platform is best is one I by no means see coming to an finish. Both sides of the argument have their share of speaking factors, starting from safety and encryption for iPhone customers to customization and Google Assistant prowess on the Android aspect. And for essentially the most half, they’re all legitimate arguments. Right now, I wish to spotlight a few of Android’s strengths that the iPhone simply would not have but, from having the ability to set default apps and utilizing multiple app at a time to having the ability to change utterly customise the look of your cellphone.Here are my favourite issues your Android cellphone can do that folks with iPhones can solely dream of.
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Use the apps you need, not the apps Google desires you to make use ofThe capacity to set Gmail because the default e-mail app on an iPhone is one thing iOS customers have been asking Apple so as to add for years. Even although Apple added the choice to delete its personal apps from iOS, you continue to cannot set a default app. It’s tragic, actually.Finding the setting for default apps can take a bit of digging, however at the least it is there.
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For instance, Android enables you to set Firefox or Opera as your default browser, or set Google’s Messages app as your textual content messaging app of option to reap the benefits of RCS, Google’s not too long ago launched chat function that acts so much like Apple’s iMessage. Android customers, after all, have been in a position to set default apps from the very starting. It is not arduous to see which apps have been labeled as default and, if you wish to, change that default app. Start by opening the Settings app and go to Apps & notifications > Default apps. Google Assistant is at all times prepared for you.
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Google Assistant for the winiPhone customers have Siri, however Android provides you Google Assistant. Google’s digital voice sidekick is a way more subtle instrument than Apple’s Siri for a slew of causes, however an important one is that it builds off Google’s spectacular database. Google Assistant has an confirmed capacity to grasp widespread requests for companies and names, and it will get requests proper extra typically than unsuitable. It additionally returns prime quality responses, drawing from Google Search, a instrument that Siri would not have entry to.Google Assistant additionally tightly integrates with the cellphone’s different capabilities, to let you know when it is time to depart to your subsequent assembly and nudge you that visitors is further heavy occurring the way in which house. If you may have any Google Home or Nest Home sensible audio system, or different appropriate gadgets, you too can use Assistant in your cellphone to manage stuff round your home like lights, shops or your thermostat — even from afar.And it is constructed proper into your Android gadget. “OK, Google” and “Hey, Google” are the 2 wake phrases. If you need assistance understanding what to ask, you may ask Google Assistant for an inventory of instructions: “OK, Google, What can you do?” iPhone homeowners also can set up the Google app to make use of Assistant, nevertheless it’s not inbuilt and it isn’t the default private assistant. Split Screen is simple to make use of on an Android cellphone, and will increase the flexibility of a cellphone.
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Use two apps directly by means of split-screen modeEven although iPadOS 13 helps utilizing a number of apps on the identical time, iOS 13 and the iPhone don’t. Android customers, nonetheless, have had the flexibility to make use of split-screen apps since 2016 with the discharge of Android 7.0 Nougat.Using two apps is useful in the event you’re attempting to lookup a contact’s cellphone quantity to ship to somebody on Facebook Messenger, or if you might want to reference in info in a doc when composing an e-mail. It’s unclear why Apple hasn’t added this function to the iPhone but, however maybe it has one thing to do with the scale of home windows on the iPhone’s smaller show, in comparison with the iPad ($323 at Walmart). The easiest method to make use of split-screen mode is to open the multitasking view and faucet on the app’s icon on the high of its multitasking card — it is the identical icon you utilize to launch the app out of your homescreen. Select Split display from the listing of choices, then choose the second app you wish to have open on the identical time. (These steps would possibly range relying on which Android cellphone you utilize. For instance, Samsung telephones have their very own pores and skin.)You can regulate the scale of every app by dragging the small deal with between the 2 apps to develop or lower how a lot area an app takes up on the split-screen.Move icons round to rearrange them, or delete them and solely use the app drawer.
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Customize your homescreen simply the way you prefer itApple’s strategy to the homescreen is to put all put in apps in a inflexible grid throughout a number of pages. Most Android gadgets take a two-pronged strategy by supplying you with a homescreen and an app drawer. The homescreen would not observe a grid format, permitting you to put apps anyplace you would like. Both platforms allow you to make folders containing teams of apps.The advantage of Android’s strategy is which you can utterly customise the homescreen by arranging app icons in any sample of your selecting, and Android helps widgets of various sizes. Right now, Apple’s Today view is the one place you will discover a widget.The method your Android cellphone’s homescreen seems to be is due to its launcher. But you are not caught with what comes preinstalled.
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You can use launchers to completely customise your cellphoneLaunchers are the epitome of Android customization. These apps allow you to utterly change the way you work together with the homescreen, the app drawer and even the app icons in your cellphone. Using a launcher in your Android cellphone permits you to customise nearly each side of how your cellphone seems to be and behaves, making your cellphone much more private than it already is. Launchers like Nova Launcher, Microsoft’s Launcher, Apex Launcher or Action Launcher, all add their very own twists and options to your Android cellphone. For instance, one other fashionable Android launcher, Evie, emphasizes utilizing a search bar to rapidly discover and open apps, or anything in your Android cellphone for that matter. It’s minimalism at its best. I like to recommend taking a while to analysis the varied launchers, attempt a few them, and actually customise the feel and appear of your cellphone. Just be forewarned: The deeper you dive into the world of launchers, the extra time and power you are going to spend on tweaking your setup.It’s arduous to think about a world the place Apple ever lets one thing like this occur for the iPhone.The Wallpapers app is a should for any Android person.
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Never get uninterested in auto-changing wallpapersIf taking the time to seek out and customise a launcher seems like quite a lot of work, however there’s one other technique to make your Android cellphone continually really feel contemporary, and it is yet one more factor your iPhone buddies cannot do — use Google’s Wallpapers app. The Wallpapers app refreshes the wallpaper in your homescreen and lock display every day, with out you having to do a factor. There are a number of totally different classes of wallpaper kinds to select from. Pick your favourite, and let the app handle the remainder. Personally, I like to make use of the geometric shapes class. The wallpapers are distinctive and colourful. Watch a video and browse Twitter on the identical time? Go on, I’m listening.
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Watch a video and textual content on the identical time If you’ve got ever began navigating in Google Maps, solely to go away the app and reply a textual content message, you certainly have seen a small Google Maps window stay seen in a nook of the display. Android gained a system-wide picture-in-picture mode for extra than simply video apps with the discharge of Android Oreo in 2017.In addition to Google Maps and video apps, you too can use picture-in-picture for video calls with supported apps. My favourite use of picture-in-picture is to start streaming a YouTube video after which depart the app to browse Reddit or reply to a textual content message or e-mail whereas the YouTube video retains taking part in in a nook of the display. When I wish to return to watching the video full-screen, I simply faucet on the small thumbnail to maximise it. iPhones have no type of picture-in-picture mode. What you see on the display is what you get, and nothing extra.If you are prepared to modify to Android, or want to get extra from the Android cellphone you already personal, take a look at our listing of the most effective Android telephones of 2020. If you are new to Android, make sure that to alter these settings instantly. Then after that, we’ve got some useful tricks to get you began with Android 10.