Why do Android users look forward to upgrading, but iOS intends to downgrade?

Around the dividing line between the old and new systems, some people want to get in, and some want to get out, which is a bit like a siege. The part of people who want to get in here refers to Android users, while the other part who want to get out is iOS users.

The origin of this article actually comes from a message from a netizen, "Android wants to upgrade, iOS wants to downgrade." This message can be divided into two parts, "Android users want to upgrade" and "iOS users want to downgrade."

Google cannot deny that Android and iOS have reached maturity. Nowadays, each major version upgrade rarely brings major functions and multiple styles. It is more about "polishing" details and writing articles around stricter privacy management. It seems that it has entered middle age and gradually become a Buddhist.

The current state of Android and iOS: Steady progress

There are many devices running the Android system, and the frequency of new devices being updated each year is steadily increasing. It is difficult and unrealistic to ask manufacturers to spare resources to adapt so that all of them have a 3-4 year update cycle, not to mention that a large part of the Android camp are high-volume models priced around 1,000 yuan.

Google launched the Project Treble plan before and after, and began to gradually work with chip manufacturers to reduce the burden on third-party manufacturers and reduce the difficulty of adaptation. But in fact, the initiative is still in the hands of third-party manufacturers, and the expected effect has not been achieved. Relatively speaking, "Android users want to upgrade" refers more to domestic customized systems, such as MIUI, ColorOS, OriginOS and other deeply customized systems. They understand our usage habits better than native Android, and they also know how to connect localized services to bring a better experience. In recent years, domestic Androids have not only competed in hardware parameters, but also worked hard on the system software experience. While Xiaomi's MIUI continues to lead, the blue and green manufacturers that were once criticized for their poor system experience have also come from behind with colorOS and OriginOS and gained a good reputation.

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On the other hand, the iOS system upgrade situation is much better. Each generation of products (iPhone, iPad) has a 5-year update cycle, which means that they can be used safely for 5 years. Recently, Apple pushed iOS 12.5.1 to the iPhone 6 series that could not upgrade to iOS 13, giving the iPhone 6 series a chance to upgrade. However, since iOS 11, iOS has become increasingly unstable, which is a bad trend.

Regardless of whether the system is closed or open, the key reason why the iPhone has a long enough update cycle is Apple's control over the underlying hardware. From chips to flash memory, from screens to cameras, almost all the underlying hardware is controlled by Apple, and compared to Android devices, there are fewer iOS devices, which is also an objective reason. Android and iOS, which have entered the "double digits", are becoming more and more unified in some features. In terms of system updates, it seems that there is no longer the previous "big strides", but gradually "goose-walking duck steps".

Android upgrades to a new system like Chinese New Year

In the initial stage, Android relied on open source to attract manufacturers such as HTC and Motorola to manufacture devices, and operators such as T-Mobile and Verizon to promote it. As it rose, Android also stood on the opposite side of iOS. From the perspective of time nodes, iOS was one step ahead of Android. Although the two had different directions, iOS (then iPhone OS) did give Android some inspiration and thinking. The subsequent success of Android is inseparable from the help of iOS.

As more and more manufacturers began to launch Android smartphones, Android also began a period of wild growth. The hardware and software were uneven, and the seeds of fragmentation were gradually planted at this time. At that time, iOS did a good job in sliding experience and transition animation, and became the target of Android. Therefore, Google introduced the "Project Butter" in Android Jelly Bean (4.0) to make Android as smooth as butter. During the wild growth period of Android, more attention was paid to improving the system itself, and localization design for different markets was not considered. This also brought opportunities to many domestic manufacturers. The emergence of MIUI and Flyme just made up for the lack of native Android localization. The emergence of these domestic customized systems makes us feel that Android can be so easy to use.

Later, Google began to work on the design language and vigorously promoted Material Design, not only the Android system, but also gradually expanded to App, Google's network and mobile product array, thereby providing a consistent user experience. Later, it was Project Treble and the cooperation with Qualcomm to reduce the burden on manufacturers and reduce the fragmentation of the Andorid system. Recently, the native Android system has begun to optimize around privacy management and more detailed permission management, moving towards a safer direction. Domestic deeply customized UIs (now called systems) gradually increase their localization and multi-function features while keeping the core consistent with Google. The best example is MIUI. At the beginning of its birth, MIUI was very un-Android in terms of interface, with deep customization, and some special features were deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. In addition, MIUI users can submit new feature applications on the forum. If the popularity is high enough, it will most likely be integrated into the next version of MIUI, which is also practicing the essence of Android open source.

The road to Android development is full of thorns. Every major version upgrade before will "abandon" the upgrade of some devices due to major changes in the underlying layer. It is not easy to upgrade Android major versions. Upgrading the old devices in your hand once is like celebrating the New Year. In fact, whether it is native Android or domestic deeply customized systems, they are moving forward steadily, with almost no "detours". In addition, the leap forward of major versions of domestic systems will bring sufficiently attractive functions, or earth-shaking interactive changes (such as ColorOS and OriginOS in recent years), which has raised the expectations of many people. In addition, the continuous iteration of hardware has allowed many people to complete the upgrade of the new system in the process of changing phones. And the new system is often pre-installed in the new machine first, with a certain period of exclusivity. The new machine with the new system is naturally better than the old machine with the old system. Old users naturally want to "try it" earlier.

Since iOS 11, every upgrade has been "unspeakable"

In the initial stage, iOS was known for its stability. In addition, it started from a higher point than Android, so iOS was stable and easy to use. However, there were a few points in the development of iOS that pushed iOS to the forefront. One was the big change in style of iOS 7, from the previous "skeuomorphism" to the very simple "flat"; another was the large number of bugs on iOS 11, which brought an unbearable experience; and another was the "throttling gate" that appeared during the iOS 11 period.

The flat-style iOS 7 concept was ahead of its time, and Google's Material Design the following year was actually also a flat design style. In terms of the system design language, Apple and Google seemed to have a tacit understanding. The flat and simple style of iOS 7 led the design style of Apple's four major systems and also set off a "flat" trend. But at that time, not everyone liked the "colorful" flat and simple style, so there were many supporters of skeuomorphism who were unwilling to embrace iOS 7. They were also willing to share the ingenuity hidden in "skeuomorphism". Interestingly, half a year after the launch of iOS 7, a question appeared on Zhihu: "Have those who thought its flat style was ugly changed their minds?" Many netizens who were not used to the flat style finally said "It's really good." The change in the design style of iOS 7 is only superficial, and it did not bring any inconvenience in use or lack of functions.

iOS 11 bug. Image from: reddit

Later, various system-level bugs hidden in iOS 11 brought shame to iOS, which is famous for its stability. iOS 11 was also nicknamed the "king of bugs."

iOS 11 system-level bug list (partial):

• Telugu character bug;
• After iOS 11, some iPhones cannot pair with AirPods;
• iOS 11.1.2 iPhone 6, iPhone 7 loops black screen and restarts;
• "Calculator" bug in iOS 11;
• iOS 11.2 iPhone 6 Touch ID failure issue.

At the same time, during the iOS 11 period, the iPhones were hit by the "throttling gate". iOS will automatically reduce the performance of the iPhone (that is, throttling) according to the battery performance, but this process is fully automatic and will not notify the user. Faced with accusations and even lawsuits, Apple finally issued an apology statement and added a battery status viewing function to the iOS 11.2.5 system update to facilitate users to view and manage the use of their mobile phone batteries, and reduced the price of battery repairs.

The iPhone 6 series is the most affected by the iOS 11 bug and "throttling gate", and the iPhone 6 is also the best-selling iPhone series in history, with a total of 220 million units. The iOS 11 bug has a large impact, and the influence is naturally extraordinary. Subsequently, Apple increased the number of new iPhone products, from one per year to the current four. The number of screen resolutions supported by existing iOS has also reached a new high. The workload of iOS adaptation is increasing, and new functions are also increasing, which objectively leads to an increase in iOS bugs. After iOS 11, until the latest iOS 14, you can clearly feel the increase in the minor version number of the system. In addition to continuous optimization, it is also rapidly iterating to fix some bugs. In recent years, Apple's Public Beta program is also intended to kill bugs in the beta version.

Simply put, starting from iOS 11, the stability of iOS is not as good as before, and subsequent iOS systems also have more or less system-level bugs. Although the scope of the bugs is not as wide as iOS 11, iOS still has not regained its former glory of "stability", and users are still a little "fearful" about upgrading.

Android and iOS are both increasing their focus on "security" and "privacy"

Google and Apple have always been eager to actively update their systems, on the one hand to reduce "fragmentation", and on the other hand to improve the security of their devices. Smartphones are playing an increasingly important role, carrying more and more things, such as mobile payments, biometric information, browsing preferences, usage habits, and other big data. The level of system security is naturally getting higher and higher. The system is constantly upgraded, not only to obtain new systems and new functions, but more importantly, for the security of personal information.

Pushing updates to old devices is actually to fix vulnerabilities. It is not out of kindness, but a normal behavior. In fact, it is similar to the security patches pushed by Google for the Android system. Both Andorid and iOS have temporarily entered a stable period and are moving towards a more stable and secure direction.

However, in terms of stability, iOS seems to be still affected by the aftermath of iOS 11. Every time the system is updated, a small bug still pops up from time to time, which makes users feel uneasy. However, even so, iOS still has the best ecological experience at present. Android, especially domestic customized systems, will bring many new features while improving stability. Coupled with several waves of publicity offensives, users are flocking to new systems and new features.

When the stable iOS is no longer stable and the chaotic Android is no longer chaotic, there is gradually a saying that "Android users are looking forward to upgrading, but iOS users are planning to downgrade." But it should be more accurate to say that Android has caught up in terms of system experience.