4 Reasons You'll Miss Your iPhone After Switching to Samsung

After years of using an iPhone every day, many people decide to switch to a Samsung phone for their next upgrade. And while they're quite happy with the experience, there are still a few things that leave them wanting.

4. App quality is much better on iOS

The first difference you'll notice after switching to a Samsung phone is that a lot of popular apps seem a little worse on Android, even Google apps . Many people think Android is the most stable platform to use, like YouTube , but have encountered random bugs like Picture-in-Picture errors or playback controls freezing. These are issues that never happened on an iPhone.

Even when it comes to gaming, iOS still has the upper hand. Many more demanding titles, like Genshin Impact , run at higher graphics settings and better resolutions by default on the iPhone. They even do that while maintaining better frame rates.

3. iPhones actually get timely software updates

This isn't true of every Android brand, but Samsung is clearly one of the worst when it comes to delivering timely software updates. There are some cool features in One UI 7 that I like, but the implementation is a bit messy.

Android 15 officially launched for Google Pixel phones in October 2024. Users won't get the Android 15-based One UI 7 update on the Galaxy S24 Ultra until June 2025. That's eight months later. By the time the update hits the phone, Google has already started beta testing Android 16.

On the other hand, updating on the iPhone is easy. When Apple releases a new version of iOS, every supported device gets it the same day.

2. Better Apple ecosystem

Samsung has done a great job of building its ecosystem; it has its own version of AirDrop that syncs seamlessly and works across laptops, tablets, and wearables. In theory, it works. But in practice, it's still clunky and inconsistent.

Even the Galaxy Buds, which are supposed to connect instantly to your phone, sometimes don't. You'll have to dig into Bluetooth settings more than once just to pair them, which is something you never have to think about when using AirPods on your iPhone.

When it comes to tablets, Samsung's ecosystem hits a different wall. Android tablets have certainly improved, but tablet apps are still very limited. Some apps scale properly, while others look like stretched phone screens. The only area where they used to have an advantage over the iPad was multitasking, but iPadOS 26 has a bunch of great features that address that.

1. iOS feels more cohesive

One of the things I appreciate most after using an iPhone for a long time is the feeling that everything feels cohesive. iOS is built as a single system with a clean design, so everything feels seamless. On Samsung phones, it feels like two different ideas mashed together. You have Google's version of Android, then Samsung adds its own layer on top, and the result doesn't always feel cohesive.

There's also the issue of app stores. You get both the Play Store and the Galaxy Store pre-installed. Most people stick with the Play Store, but Samsung keeps pushing out its own version with exclusive apps and updates. This feels unnecessary and adds to the clutter.

That's not to say that everyone will regret switching to Samsung. There are a lot of things you'll really like, especially the hardware, but Samsung still has a lot of work to do on the software side. Still, it's a good option for anyone considering ditching the iPhone.

Lesley Montoya

Update 21 July 2025