[R2D2]

Here we go again with another iPhone vs Android comparison that generally surfaces the day a new model of an iPhone or a new model high-end Android is released.

Well, I use both Android and IOS on a daily basis, an iPhone 7+, a Google Pixel XL and an OP5. And trust me, I am no fan boy of either OS or the any manufacturers.

They both have their advantages and disadvantages. What I like in an Apple is the fact that it just works, very stable, the drawback being it isn't as flexible as Android. iPhone has better battery life but has full LTE and feature compatibility with only 3 networks in India (Vodafone, Airtel & Jio). Read more here: https://www.apple.com/iphone/LTE/

An Apple product works beautifully with any other gadget in the Apple ecosystem..just as it should, given it is ring fenced. I HATE iTunes which IMO is one of the most bloated music management players/suites out there. A real POS. Sadly I cannot avail of my Apple Music subscription on a PC without it

Android is flexible and customisable, lots of 3rd party ROM choices albeit buggy, marginally lower battery life and in most cases costs are lower than equivalent Apple phones. Love Google Play since I can play music via a browser.

EDIT: Just thought I'd add a few words here. I don't intend upgrading either the IP7+ or GP XL to the 2017 models. These two handsets (and the OP5) will be retained for another 1.5-2 years at least. They are that good. No kidding! Neither the IP-X or IP8+ offer me convincing reasons to upgrade especially at their monstrous price points. And I assume neither will the upcoming GP 2 XL that's scheduled for a 4th Oct release.

[skchettry]

Friends, I need an advice for my iphone 5s (had bought it during its launch time and I am determined to keep using it till Apple continues to support it).
When I switch on my mobile data, more often than not, I don't get the 4G although mobile signal strength remains strong as I live in Mumbai. Then I need to switch my phone off and restart it and the data gets ON.
Is there anything that I could do with my phone to get rid of this issue? I don't want to put my money on another phone at this stage nor do I intend to keep my mobile data ON all the time.
Regards
Sravan

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by skchettry

When I switch on my mobile data, more often than not, I don't get the 4G although mobile signal strength remains strong as I live in Mumbai. Then I need to switch my phone off and restart it and the data gets ON. Is there anything that I could do with my phone to get rid of this issue?

I'm assuming your phone is a worldwide model and not one made for the US market.

For all its loudly trumpeted capabilities and smugness displayed during Apple's Launch Events, the iPhone is not without its wrinkles. It has full LTE and feature compatibility on only 3 networks in India. Shifting my IP7+ to 4G displays a pop-up message 'This mobile network has not been certified by the carrier on iPhone. Battery life, calls, text messages blah, blah, blah may be affected" In other words, Obviously Apple recommends you stick to 3G data unless you're on Airtel, Vodafone or Jio. The Androids work without such hassles.

So, try switching to 3G and check if performance improves. Also, have you updated the firmware?

[Chetan_Rao]

All LTE compatibility shenanigans aside, check what kinds of speeds you're getting over both 3G & 4G/LTE data connections.

I've had plenty of experiences of 3G working demonstrably better and I'm definitely not along in that experience. It's a relatively smaller battery hog too.

4G/LTE is just marketing hogwash in most Indian telecom circles, esp. congested urban areas.

[skchettry]

Originally Posted by R2D2

I'm assuming your phone is a worldwide model and not one made for the US market.

For all its loudly trumpeted capabilities and smugness displayed during Apple's Launch Events, the iPhone is not without its wrinkles. It has full LTE and feature compatibility on only 3 networks in India. Shifting my IP7+ to 4G displays a pop-up message 'This mobile network has not been certified by the carrier on iPhone. Battery life, calls, text messages blah, blah, blah may be affected" In other words, Obviously Apple recommends you stick to 3G data unless you're on Airtel, Vodafone or Jio. The Androids work without such hassles.

So, try switching to 3G and check if performance improves. Also, have you updated the firmware?

Thanks for the reply.
Yes mine is a worldwide one. I am subscribed to Vodafone; yet the problem exists even after the update.
Regards
Sravan

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by skchettry

Thanks for the reply. Yes mine is a worldwide one. I am subscribed to Vodafone; yet the problem exists even after the update.

Have you tried downgrading your connectivity to 3G?

[bhp_maniac]

Originally Posted by R2D2

Battery life, calls, text messages blah, blah, blah may be affected" In other words, Obviously Apple recommends you stick to 3G data unless you're on Airtel, Vodafone or Jio. The Androids work without such hassles.

So, try switching to 3G and check if performance improves. Also, have you updated the firmware?

It's just that Apple follows a network certification process. And Androids doesn't have this concept. Nevertheless, as long as the band is supported, you won't have any hassle in getting proper connectivity. I am on idea network which is not in the list of supported carriers, however I haven't faced any network issues on their LTE network.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by bhp_maniac

It's just that Apple follows a network certification process. And Androids doesn't have this concept. Nevertheless, as long as the band is supported, you won't have any hassle in getting proper connectivity. I am on idea network which is not in the list of supported carriers, however I haven't faced any network issues on their LTE network.

BTW, I too am on Idea Cellular in Pune and Idea's LTE service is on 1800 MHz that the iPhone 7/7+ are compatible with.

Frankly, that network certification bit doesn't impress me. At the end of the day, if Apple says their phones work optimally only on 3 networks in this country that could be considered a downside.

So far I'd rate my Apple experience as good but nowhere close to being the shout-from-the-rooftops experience some claim it to be.

[no1lives4ever]

Originally Posted by R2D2

For all its loudly trumpeted capabilities and smugness displayed during Apple's Launch Events, the iPhone is not without its wrinkles. It has full LTE and feature compatibility on only 3 networks in India. Shifting my IP7+ to 4G displays a pop-up message 'This mobile network has not been certified by the carrier on iPhone. Battery life, calls, text messages blah, blah, blah may be affected" In other words, Obviously Apple recommends you stick to 3G data unless you're on Airtel, Vodafone or Jio. The Androids work without such hassles.

Originally Posted by bhp_maniac

It's just that Apple follows a network certification process. And Androids doesn't have this concept. Nevertheless, as long as the band is supported, you won't have any hassle in getting proper connectivity. I am on idea network which is not in the list of supported carriers, however I haven't faced any network issues on their LTE network.

Originally Posted by R2D2

BTW, I too am on Idea Cellular in Pune and Idea's LTE service is on 1800 MHz that the iPhone 7/7+ are compatible with.

Frankly, that network certification bit doesn't impress me. At the end of the day, if Apple says their phones work optimally only on 3 networks in this country that could be considered a downside.

IMO the network certification is more like the career telling apple about what features they allow on the phones for the various bands. So while you get that not supported message, it would also mean that all features are available for that band. This certification also requires some cooperation from the carrier. Here Idea maybe to blame for the lack of certification of their 4G networks for the iphone.

Overall the message is more like a CYA statement for apple to say that "while the phone works on this band, we are not sure". I used to get this on airtel 4g when i got my 6s in 2015, then after a few carrier updates this changed. There was no issue with the network performance before and/or after the update. This message definitely does not mean that you need to switch to 3g on such networks.

Originally Posted by R2D2

Have you tried downgrading your connectivity to 3G?

I get decent 4G on my 6s from Airtel, but frequently I have to disable 4G and downgrade to 3G to get actual data. This is a real issue everywhere, but I face it a lot in my bedroom. One part gets decent 4G, in another part i have to manually switch to 3G while in some other parts the phone will auto switch between these modes. And all this in a room that is not much bigger than a queen sized bed plus some space to walk around the bed.

With the move to 4G, a lot of times 4G bandwidth maybe saturated or sub optimal while 3G bandwidth is available and actually better strength.

A friend frequently gets better download speeds on 3G than on 4G on his vodafone delhi connection.

All this is handset independent for most parts. Have seen the same situation with iphones and android phones for the same network at the same place.

Originally Posted by R2D2

So far I'd rate my Apple experience as good but nowhere close to being the shout-from-the-rooftops experience some claim it to be.

Modern android phones are pretty good. And on the surface they seem to work as well as iphones, but once you use some apps and use the phone for a bit of time, you start to notice all sorts of stupid issues with android phones.

For me the worst part about android phones is the proliferation of malware from ad systems installed as a part of "free apps" on the playstore. This leads to all sorts of issues. Plus you never know if your data is secure on a android, while Apple takes great care to keep data security. This is a major plus for me.

-- no1lives4ever

[saildrive]

Need help on 5S.

Two weeks back - my wife's iPhone 5 S got vertical lines on the screen and next day the icons on screen started flickering (something like the ghost shadows - that happened in B/W TV sets, at least in my childhood days)

I took the handset to the Apple Service and I got two options - 1) 16k for changing the display and 2) if there is something wrong with the internal hardware - it will cost 22k.

I really don't want to spend such a huge sum in getting it functional at least for another year or so. Can someone please suggest a reasonable price and a location where I can get this repaired in Mumbai.

Request urgent assistance on the same.

[no1lives4ever]

Originally Posted by saildrive

Need help on 5S.

Two weeks back - my wife's iPhone 5 S got vertical lines on the screen and next day the icons on screen started flickering (something like the ghost shadows - that happened in B/W TV sets, at least in my childhood days)

I took the handset to the Apple Service and I got two options - 1) 16k for changing the display and 2) if there is something wrong with the internal hardware - it will cost 22k.

I really don't want to spend such a huge sum in getting it functional at least for another year or so. Can someone please suggest a reasonable price and a location where I can get this repaired in Mumbai.

Request urgent assistance on the same.

Manish Market would be the obvious place to go and check out. I cant suggest any specific vendor there, but you need to ensure that whoever works on the phone agrees to do all the work in front of you.

I would also strongly advice that you take a backup of the phone and wipe it clean before taking it to any phone repair person. Most repairs will require the repairman to connect the phone to a computer and they can get to your personal data stored on the phone when they do that.

-- no1lives4ever

[riteshritesh]

Originally Posted by saildrive

Need help on 5S.


I really don't want to spend such a huge sum in getting it functional at least for another year or so. Can someone please suggest a reasonable price and a location where I can get this repaired in Mumbai.

Request urgent assistance on the same.

I can suggest 2 options: 1) iService at Mahim: 9987085470. They have been repairing my Macbook Pro. They do iPhones too.
2) For my out of warranty iPhones, I use Aftab at Matunga Market: 9702455708, 24160933, 24170933. Give him my reference ( ritesh Kulkarni). If he still has my old 5s with him, he can use that display. Remind him about it if you do go to him.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by no1lives4ever

I get decent 4G on my 6s from Airtel, but frequently I have to disable 4G and downgrade to 3G to get actual data. This is a real issue everywhere, but I face it a lot in my bedroom. One part gets decent 4G, in another part i have to manually switch to 3G while in some other parts the phone will auto switch between these modes. And all this in a room that is not much bigger than a queen sized bed plus some space to walk around the bed.

I get decent 4G too but network performance is more stable on 3G, hence it is now my preferred setting.

Mind you, I never have issues with calls, only data.

Modern android phones are pretty good. And on the surface they seem to work as well as iphones, but once you use some apps and use the phone for a bit of time, you start to notice all sorts of stupid issues with android phones.

For me the worst part about android phones is the proliferation of malware from ad systems installed as a part of "free apps" on the playstore. This leads to all sorts of issues. Plus you never know if your data is secure on a android, while Apple takes great care to keep data security. This is a major plus for me.

I think one should not get carried away and add rogue apps to your smartphone. Though Google isn't as strict as Apple and did screw up with their app listing security process they have tightened it up and rogue apps may exist but far fewer than what we used to see a few years ago.

If you jailbreak your iPhone or install Android apps from outside the Google Play Store you're obviously on your own.

[drive_angry]

Hey Guys - Any idea at what time iOS 11 will be officially available for download today in India?

drive_angry

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by drive_angry

Hey Guys - Any idea at what time iOS 11 will be officially available for download today in India?

Roll out begins 19th Sept.

There's no official time but I'd expect it to start at any time after 12 midnight PDT on 18 Sept i.e. 12:30 pm India on 19/9.

There may be a roll-out in batches so there is no saying when you'll actually be able to download. I just checked and there was no update.