Android is still more open, you can side load apps. For example I like newtube and revanced, it's easier to sync local files like when using syncthing.
AnkiDroid is a fantastic app.
I can use extensions in Firefox, and real alternatives browsers.
If android gets so locked down so it's almost as using an Apple phone, I'll use graphene or just stop using a smartphone altogether.
I tried switching to graphene after frustration with the latest direction of iOS.
Yes I could use Firefox and ublock to get around YouTube ads, but it actually worked worse than using Orion browser on iOS to do the equivalent. The Pixel 10 Pro couldn’t manage 2x without audio stuttering even at 360p. My iPhone can do it with 4K YouTube video, not that I need that.
iOS natively supports self-hosted contacts and calendars. No hoops. Android needs a separate app that may or may not work (my experience: it doesn’t work and doesn’t give useful feedback when it doesn’t work).
The app quality is so much worse on Android I had to go back. No forward gesture in apps and browsers - insane omission. There are literally only two calendar apps on Android that allow touch-based event editing - Business Calendar 2 Pro (paid subscription) and the Samsung exclusive calendar.
How does a modern smartphone not ship with a decent calendar?? Or touch friendly web navigation?
The rendering engine of the browser is far down the list of priorities compared to supporting basic daily workflows.
> No forward gesture in apps and browsers - insane omission.
Supposedly it's there, but it's up to the app to support that gesture.
> Samsung exclusive calendar
I am actually still wondering whether Samsung isn't the way to go, they do make sure to allow you the choice of not having to use Google apps, so they have their own calendar app, their own AI app, etc. I am currently on Nothing phone which is full-on Google. Might give Samsung a try before I move back to iOS.
No I’m comparing Apple Calendar to Google Calendar, Fossify Calendar, Simple Calendar, Etar calendar and literally every other calendar available in the Play and F-Droid stores.
There only two calendars in the entire Android ecosystem that support efficient use, one is a vendor lock in, the other is ugly as sin and requires a subscription.
As for web navigation, I’m comparing Safari to Vanadium and Firefox, neither are semi-abandoned.
Android is the OS for the rest of the world. The people who need a smartphone, but cannot in good conscience pay what Apple is asking. A phone for the poorest 10% of the planet. A phone for those who don’t really think about what phone they should have.
Put in that context, it is not strange at all that your specific need is not met. All those people with Android, they don’t use a calendar to manage their lives. Maybe work forces them to use a calendar but that’s it.
You're right, but if you're already thinking about spending $1.5k on a phone that's super locked down, you might as well get an iPhone. That's my point.
End of sideloading means end of 95% of site visits for me, just because of the ads flood. Only HN and the like will survive. And I don't want to pay 4 digit sum for a phone that wholesale costs 30.
For now. Google just waged war on sideloading. I think the current state of it is that adb will throw a warning with a cancellation timer before the sideload initiates. It's only a matter of time before we get an "update about sideloading in Android."
Though you're right in that Android will always have the upper hand in browser freedom. I definitely miss running real Firefox (with real extensions) on my phone. If only Snapdragon could provide anything close to A-series CPU performance.
What's annoying to me is that I have to use DavX for calendar synchronization and some apps still add events to the (apparently default) Google calendar even after I disabled Google Calendar app.
You get a general feeling that Android is half assed if you don't use a Google account. Adding tasks using Gemini voice assistant? Sure, but only if you use Google Tasks. And so on.
I moved to Android from iPhone and am actually considering going back for those very reasons. Super annoying to see these limitations, iOS was much more provider-agnostic.
I just tried to move to Android because it's more open. Was not prepared for the "open" OS to not have basic support for self-hosted calendars. Yes, contacts and calendar are a core OS level feature in 2026.
Yes DAVx5 exists, but Google Calendar was buggy with local calendars and DAVx5 actually didn't work reliably afaict.
Calendar.app is totally seamless with synology on iOS. Same with contacts.
Android was working overtime to make sure I use Google for everything. iOS isn't perfect but I don't have to jump through crazy hoops to be in control of my data.
I've been self-hosting it for several years, with the entire thing (ntfy / UnifiedPush for calendar event updates, Radicale for CalDav & CardDav) working perfectly once background "optimization" is disabled
iOS was actually much worse - it happily synced to an ip address and port on the LAN, then failed silently and without error messages when using a VPN away from home.
> tried to move to Android because it's more open
At least we agree on this - AOSP is more open, but that's not what's on offer any more. Hell, Android Beam was AOSP, and super nice for transferring files. It's now "Google Share", with all the proprietary bullshit that implies, and NFC's utility crippled if you don't use Google Services.
OK, but don't you have problems with apps that add events to calendar transparentny? These add events to Google calendar here, not my self-hosted synced with DavX. Something I can't fix at all.
Also, do you use Gemini for adding calendar events and tasks?
Exactly that. It's mind-blowing, to be honest, because I hear Android fanboys claim the system is so much more open, when it reality it's a mixed bag: iOS is more open in some areas, Android in other, but it's not a clear-cut case at all. There's some hope in EU making them be more open, at least on some fronts, e.g. https://www.heise.de/en/news/Google-EU-demands-Android-be-op...
I recently switched to iOS and found alternative for those. For YouTube without ads and background playback you can use Brave. For syncing files between devices AirDrop is easy and doesn't require internet. There is an official Anki app for iOS where AnkiDroid is a third party app. In regards to extensions Safari does support them, along with Orion, but I decided to forgo using them.
>real alternatives browsers
Using webkit as the underlying engine within the different browsers on the platform has provided enough customization. The parts I actually care about in regards to the browser are the parts actually handling the user experience and not the engine itself. Webkit has evolved enough that it is good enough for my needs at least.
