I converted over to an Android phone, about 2 years ago, when I was constantly saying to myself "I wish I could ________ on my phone". I decided that moving to a much more open platform like Android would rid me of the limitations imposed on the iPhone by it's original creators.
So, what are some of the things that my Android phone can do that my wife's iPhone 5 can't? Here goes:
1) Large screen: Firstly, I love the larger screens available on Android handsets. I agree that you don't necessarily need a larger screen if all you are doing is texting and taking calls. But if you plan on using your phone for any real work, then the larger screen certainly makes a difference. Even Apple "agrees" that a larger screen is beneficial, which is why the iPhone 5 has a larger screen than the 4. But to me, stretching it lengthwise wasn't enough. They needed to go wider. Which I'm sure they will do with the iPhone 7 or 8.
2) Alternate Keyboards: There are so many shapes and sizes of desktop keyboards, so would a phone not allow you to change the shape/size of the on-screen keyboard? Typing on a tiny phone keyboard isn't anyone's idea of fun, so it's great that Android provides so many options to make it as painless for people as possible and super easy to install. Personally, I love the Swiftkey Flow, which allows for swiping on the keyboard. It's a personal preference, but why not give users an option to enter data?
3) Control It All: I also love the ability to control "any" feature of the phone through apps. On my Android phone, I can automatically turn settings on or off for certain applications by location, time of day, and pretty much any other condition you can think of. For example, when I arrive at work, my phone can automatically flick on the Wifi and make sure I'm connected to the network, thereby saving precious airtime. Or I can have the phone automatically go into vibrate mode at 10:00 PM when I'm at home so it doesn't wake anyone up at home.
4) Removable Battery: I have had some very long days in the past and being away from my desk made it difficult to keep my phone on a dock charging. So I have the luxury of carrying around a spare batter that I can pop into my phone whenever I need it to keep me going.
5) Control Your Phone: This one is a little more out there, but I've gotten use to being able to control my phone from my computer. Why would you want to do that, you ask? Well sitting at my desk, if I get a text message or other message on my phone, instead of grabbing my phone to read it, the message comes up right on my desktop, and I can respond right from my desktop. What a convenience when you spend the bulk of your day in fron to of your desktop.
6) Micro-USB: If you're like me, you have a drawer full of USB cables, and if you can't find one, you can always buy another one at any street corner store. Using one cable that can charge my phone, my tablet or my Beats Pill portable speakers is extremely handy. I use the same cable to charge my Bluetooth earpiece. Unfortunately, the iPhone 5 uses a proprietary connector instead of the micro USB. So if you're at a party and don't have your proprietary cable with you and you run out of juice, better hope another guest has an iPhone 5 and has a cable handy. And an iPhone 4 won't cut it because that connector is also different than the iPhone 5.
7) Attaching Files: Apple doesn't gamble on immature technologies, so perhaps it's understandable that the company has yet to include this new-fangled thing called "email attachments" on its iPhone 5. It's so new and probably just a fad, right? Android allows you to attach any files you want to any email message. Whether you are using the Gmail app, its stock email app, or a different email client, there's always a prominent attachment option, and when you hit it, you're able to browse your gallery, your file system, or any other apps you have installed that organize files (Dropbox). If you plan on doing any work on your phone, then how can you live without this feature?
8) Share: With Android, every relevant app from the browser to the photo gallery includes a share button. When you tap share, you're given an extensive and universal list of apps you can share with. That list grows depending on what software and services you have installed. So if, for example, you join Pinterest and install its app, you can share directly from any app with a share button. With my wife's iPhone she can only share to those services that Apple wants her to share with. The iOS photo gallery can only be shared on Facebook, Twitter, Email, and messaging. So you can't post to Google+ or Pinterest.
9) Visible File System: Try plugging an Android phone into your PC and mounting it as a storage device. You'll have access to all the files and folders, just as you do when you browse through your Windows computer's C drive. So, if you want to copy a raft of MP3s or PowerPoint presentations to your Android handset, you can just drag and drop them. So what happens when you plug the iPhone 5 into your PC? You get access to the digital camera (DCIM) folder only so all you can do is drag and drop pictures.
10) True App Integration: On the Android, when you click to open a particular file you can choose what app to use with that file and optionally memorize that selection. For example, clicking on a picture you could choose to open it in a different program - perhaps you needed to edit the picture. With iOS, the only way to open a picture into a different program is to launch the program first, then browse to the picture you want to open. What a clumsy process.
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