Flipping Phones

Since I got a Moto Razr flip-phone for my birthday last week, I’ve wondered how to use it alongside my iPhone 12 Pro. I’m not supposed to switch away from Apple to Google or from iPhone to Android. I don’t have to choose a side; I get to use both.

But the Razr cut Apple’s garden walls wide open.

Hello, Moto

When I opened the gift, among many thoughts swirling my brain, one was, "I just bought an iPhone; how'm I supposed to use this new Android phone?" And on the other hand, "WOW, my family just bought me this awesome orange flip phone, no way am I gonna not use it."

One does not simply walk into Apple's walled-garden with an Android phone.

I had been finally settled — maybe even resolute — into an all-Apple ecosystem. For the past four years, my gear was iPhone, iPad, and MacBook, with a large serving of Apple Watch and AirPods. Though I quit using those last two accessories, when I switched from Android to iPhone in late 2020, it was a never-looking-back move.

So I thought.

Flipping Not Switching

I’m not switching though. In fact, I typed the draft of this post on the iPhone 12 Pro. But it’s in Google Keep instead of Apple Notes.

Never-mind that I’m not normal, using two phones back and forth against my meager minimalism practice. Figuring out how to best utilize each phone is a new challenge I accept. That said, it makes sense for one to be primary and the other supplementary.

More broadly, the fact I’m using both an Android and an iPhone reflects the overall smartphone tech-scape, being dominated by not one but two competing mobile device ecosystems for nearly two decades. There’s no single winner. So maybe I can be somewhat justified in wielding two phones. (I already use an iPad with my MacBook and own a gaming PC too. Take that, minimalism.)

Basically, I’m keeping my iPhone for several Apple-only things, like managing my Apple Card, using Find My, and sharing a family subscription to Apple Music and iCloud storage. There’s a high switching cost after you’ve invested yourself and others together in one tech-sphere. My family uses Apple — except my adult son who rocks both an iPhone and a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4. (My parents both use Samsung Galaxy phones too.)

My family knew I’d love the gorgeous Spritz Orange Moto Razr — and I absolutely do. They also know I’m a gadget geek and would have fun with a flip phone. Too true.

I knew these things as well and had been tempted by the 2024 Razr, but I resisted. Although I added it to my Amazon wishlist when it went on sale for a remarkably low $450, I said I wouldn’t and couldn’t switch to it. Because I was too entrenched in Apple.

So I thought.

Going Google

Now unstuck! With the Razr as my primary pocket computer, I’ve been migrating my personal data from Apple apps to Google apps. Yes, I’m switching again even though I’m not supposed to…but I’m also not. It’s a mix, mostly and mainly Google.

A practical fact: the Google ecosystem is web-based and thus cross-platform. So while I can only do Apple things on Apple hardware (except Apple Music on the web and on Android, surprisingly), I can do all the Google things everywhere. (I tried using iCloud web apps in Google Chrome on Android. Did. Not. Work.)

The Razr hasn’t just made it practical to rely on the Google-verse. It has also reinvigorated my fondness for frugal phones and thrifty tech.

Case in point: last night, I extracted my 5-year old Chromebook from my dresser drawer and set it up like new with the latest ChromeOS updates. It connected to my Razr with ease and all my Google data was ready at my fingertips. Most impressive.

The tech works really well; the UI is simple and has its own elegance. And note: I say that as one who relied on Apple for years. This cohesive setup of a new Android phone with a new-at-purchase Chromebook cost less than my refurbished MacBook by itself, and by a wide margin — love it!

I’m not switching from MacBook to Chromebook. But I’m also not-not switching. I have and can use both.

Google apps work on iPhone and on the Mac. So it makes sense to switch to and stick with Google (or even Microsoft really). I don’t plan to use a Chromebook for Cloud Gaming, so my Mac is there for some Steam games and Minecraft Java. I can also share it with my wife and kids for access to their iPhone pictures in Apple Photos.

So yeah, did I say No New Tech this year? Whoops.

Technically, I wasn’t all-in with Apple anyways, really. For gaming, I mostly use Nintendo Switch. For reading, I use Amazon Kindle. And for listening, I’m using JBL and Sony, not Apple. My Smart TV is an LG. And my dash-cam has a Chinese name I can’t pronounce.

All that to try and say, I’m flipping phones. Which is to say I’m kind of switching from iPhone to Android but I’m also not switching. But yeah, I’m liking Android and the Razr a lot. Think I’ll blog about it more.