Escaping Apple's Last Tentacles

Since switching over to an Android phone last Fall, I've continued to carry and sometimes use my iPhone 12 Pro for a few Apple exclusives. That lock-in is hard to fully escape; I was resigned to it. But months later, I've realized some things. Now it's time to make my journey to the non-Apple side complete.

It's nice to be able to utilize apps or services from both inside and outside the Apple tech-sphere. Having both an iPhone and an Android phone opens all avenues to me. There's basically nothing I can't access. This is convenient, but there's a cost. 

The main issue with a two-phone setup is the inconvenience of keeping up with twice as many phones as I need. I charge two phones, I carry two phones, and I switch between two phones. It's like when, so many years ago, I yearned to get my first smartphone so I would no longer need to carry both an iPod touch and a feature-phone. Combining them was awesome. This was a huge pitch to sell the first iPhone - a phone, an iPod, an internet communicator...are you getting it? ...These are one device. I like being simple.

Another issue is that, eventually, my iPhone 12 Pro will no longer be supported or its hardware (battery, likely) will fail. So at some point, if I still need to keep an iPhone for whatever reason(s), then I'll need to buy another one in addition to my Android phone. And folks, let me tell you, this thrifty tech dude does not want to buy another iPhone in addition to my Android. I like being frugal.

The complexity and cost of using two smartphones is not so smart. Maintaining both iPhone and Android isn't ideal. I must choose. And I choose...Android.

So what Apple tentacles are holding me back right now? 

Apple Card

This is an interesting sticky-point. I've used Apple's credit card for several years now. The titanium card is simply cool. The wallet app for making payments and tracking purchases is as handy as can be. And the Apple Cash Back rewards stack up nicely over time. It also integrates seamlessly with the Apple Cash card and Tap-to-pay. Of course, it's consistently reliable too. Instead of, "It just works," you could say, "It just pays." How convenient.

The inconvenient bit is - surprise - the Apple Card doesn't work on Android, my phone of choice. And I don't want to buy another iPhone just because a credit card says so. No thanks.

So I have begun to wean myself off the Apple Card. I changed the wallet app's default payments to my non-Apple card. And I began removing Apple Card from any online accounts where I had added it, replacing it with my other card, which works on any phone or computer. How's that for convenience?

Family Calendar

Years ago, I set up my family to use Apple's calendar service since it so easily works with Apple's Calendar app on iPhone. I was all-in with Apple and wanted my family likewise (where feasible). It reduces tech friction and is convenient. 

And now for the not-so-convenient part. I can view our Family calendar, via Apple's service, in my Google Calendar, but that's all - it's "view only." I've managed to get by since, on occasion, I can hot-spot my iPhone to my Android phone and add or edit Family events. But you can imagine that's kind of a hassle and gets old after a while.

So I set up a new Family calendar on Google's service, copied over 18 months worth of events, and started to change our calendar app settings. Mine worked. My kids' worked. But when I got to my wife's iPhone, it didn't just work. And I still haven't figured out how to fix it. Doh! That's disappointing if not frustrating, but I've already decided I won't keep an iPhone just because our shared calendar didn't migrate away from Apple. I'll cut it loose and we'll figure it out.

Other

There really isn't anything else locking me inside Apple's walled-garden anymore, but I have some mentions.

Apple Music

We share an Apple Music family plan. Thankfully, there is an Android app, a web app, and a Windows Store app for Apple Music. I use all of them across my PC laptop, Moto Razr flip phone, and my Chromebook with zero issues.

Apple TV

I like to use Apple TV since I have a big library of iTunes movie purchases. But it's connected to Movies Anywhere, so most of my digital flix appear in YouTube. Nice.

Find My

This one was tough at first, but I learned of a third-party app that does basically the same thing as Apple's Find My. It's called Life360. On the free tier, the app is ad-supported in some places. The service itself is totally accurate and reliable, letting my wife and I see exactly where each other are on a map in real-time, just like Apple's Find My.

My Android 14 phone also has Google's Find Device app, locating my bluetooth speaker, phone, and more. And it now has Find People in beta, so I'll be trying that out over time. It uses location sharing from Google Maps. So far, it's accurate but it's not in real-time, causing you to wait a moment to see an updated location icon, or you can manually refresh it.

Messages

iMessage lock-in? Not at all. My wife and I text each other back and forth reliably between Apple Messages and Google Messages. We see RCS used most of the time instead of SMS/MMS. Tap-backs, typing indicators, and high-res images seem to work normally most of the time. Bonus: Google Messages also works on the web, so I can type on my laptop with it. And my Windows PC gets notifications from the app right on the desktop. Lastly, full encryption is now supported in RCS by both Apple and Google.

Summary

It's taken me several months to migrate from Apple to Google. Most apps and services were fairly easy to switch over from iPhone to Android. The exclusive Apple Card and our shared Apple Family Calendar are the last two hold-outs, holding me back. But I'm slowly peeling off those sticky tentacles. It shouldn't be long until I fully escape the Apple ecosystem.