https://www.businessinsider.com/instagram-adam-mosseri-android-now-better-ios-iphone-2023-7
Instagram head Adam Mosseri's best tech "hot take"? He believes Google's Android platform has surpassed Apple's iOS.
Mosseri didn't get into why he felt Android to be superior
This is disappointing, because I'd really like to hear what he has to say on the subject.
As an Android user in the U.S., I feel the exact opposite.
As an IT sysadmin doing mobile device management with BYOD in the workplace, iOS has a clear edge if you're willing to pay for MDM products that handle it. The built-in options in Azure are...varied for both products. ( https://download.microsoft.com/download/e/6/2/e6233fdd-a956-4f77-93a5-1aa254ee2917/msft-intune-enrollment-options.pdf )
As a personal user, though, the sheer ridiculous amount of variety of the android kernel between different carriers and models on the current version alone is positively insane. It should be a beautiful bonus smorgasbord of consumer choice, but with all of the carriers rolling their own lockdowns, hobblings, and forced includes it's a buyer's nightmare of trying to find a device that doesn't lock out the things you want while also letting you remove the things you DON'T want (preferably without needing adb to do so).
Separate text notification sounds for each contact? Not always!
Advanced SMS options? Totally inconsistent.
MAC Address randomization? Roll a d20 against the number of flagship models and carriers in your area. You'll probably get it, but no guarantees.
Heaven forbid you want to do something that should be straightforward in today's day and age like download your SMS History? Voicemails as audio files? Custom Do Not Disturb settings? Good luck.
Apple users have been sending text messages interchangeably between their phones and computers/tablets for years. I still recall the shock and awe when my android phone was getting a barrage of text messages from my boss because he could send them with the full keyboard on his laptop while I was one-finger-punching the touchscreen on my phone to reply.
A lot of this isn't the direct fault of the android kernel itself, but it is a large portion of the default android user experience in the U.S. and as such it's what I have to base my judgement of the android kernel ON.
Android should be the superior option, but at this point in time, I don't think it is.
Apple users have been sending text messages interchangeably between their phones and computers/tablets for years.
As have Android users. Microsoft Phone Link/My Phone Companion and KDE Connect have supported this for years on their relevant PC platforms. The Phone Link Android app is even preinstalled on Samsung devices. There's a teensy bit of setup but nothing complicated. KDE Connect even supports stuff like using the phone as a touchpad, remote keyboard, or media/presentation controller.
If your PC is a Chromebook then you don't even need these. If you sign into the phone and Chromebook with the same Google account, the integration just works, much as it does on Apple devices.
Most of your arguments can be boiled down to "everything is really slick if you use an all-Apple ecosystem". Which is fine, but the same can be said about Android - if you use an all-Google ecosystem with Pixels, Chromebooks and Google Workspace then most, if not all of your complaints about Android go away. Pixel Android is more consistent and less buggy than most vendor versions of Android. Integration with Chromebooks works out of the box. Google Workspace MDM is simple and straightforward, and you don't really need to buy a separate MDM solution.
The difference is that Android at least makes a decent effort to cater for a heterogeneous ecosystem. With Apple, if you're not entirely onboard with an all-Apple ecosystem then it starts getting messy quickly.
Yea this guy seems ignorant of what is available. You can use messages on the web. It's easy. I don't know what anyone looks at texting as a good solution anyways. Messaging apps are far better to use and work across borders without added cost. RCS is cool but still border limiting. Apples ecosystem is cost prohibitive too. The prices they charge for storage and ram on their products is outright absurd.
Messaging apps are far better to use and work across borders without added cost.
Trying to get people to install and use them can be frustrating. Some are regionally popular, like WhatsApp in Europe, and most people I really want to talk to use Signal, but the most popular messaging app in the US is probably iMessage, and only because Apple integrated it and SMS in a default app. Google started to do the same thing with Hangouts, but dropped the ball.
Get a pixel and install GrapheneOS. Using a pixel and Linux machines, you can use KDE Connect to get basically every integration you get with iOS and macOS. Admittedly not everything is quite so seamless like Apple's products, but it's quite nice. Plus, no Google snooping on your stuff (unless you choose to install Google services, which you can do with one tap)
KDE Connect rocks. It's objectively better than Windows Phone Link because, somehow, it fucking works.
Why does it matter what he says about which is better? I really don't care to have an iPhone again, but it's good for the people it's intended for.
Because tribalism, I am on the side that says my product is worse so I must downvote it.
When in reality who cares which platform is better.
It would make sense that they'd say this. iOS blocked Meta from being able to advertise, and there is a lot more customization on Android.
His opinion is clearly biased in this matter.