Why do Android users expect to upgrade, but iOS intends to downgrade?

Around the dividing line of the old and new systems, some people want to go in, and some people want to come out. It feels a bit of a siege. Some people who want to go in here are Android users, and the other people who want to go out are iOS users.

The reason for this article is actually 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".

Undeniably, both Android and iOS are reaching maturity. Nowadays, every major version upgrade rarely has major functions and multi-style changes, and more of it is "polishing" details and articles surrounding stricter privacy management. It seems that there is a meaning of stepping into middle age and gradually becoming Buddhist.

The status quo of Android and iOS: moving forward steadily

There are many devices running the Android system, and the update frequency of new phones is steadily increasing every year. It is difficult and unrealistic to allow manufacturers to free up resources to adapt, so that they all have an update cycle of 3 to 4 years. Not to mention that a large part of the Android camp is priced at around 1,000 yuan. Quantity models.

Google launched the Project Treble plan before and after, and began to gradually work with chip manufacturers to reduce the burden of third-party manufacturers and reduce the difficulty of adaptation. But in fact, the initiative still lies with third-party manufacturers, which has not achieved the desired effect.

Relatively speaking, "Android users want to upgrade" refers to the domestic customized systems, such as MIUI, ColorOS, OriginOS, and other deep customization systems. They understand our usage habits better than native Android, and they also know how to get through localized services, so as to bring a better experience.

In recent years, domestic Androids have not only competed on hardware parameters, but have also worked hard on the soft experience of the system. While Xiaomi's MIUI continues to lead, the blue and green manufacturers that have been criticized for poor system experience have also come up with colorOS and OriginOS and have gained a good reputation.

On the other side, the iOS system upgrade situation is much better. Each generation of products (iPhone, iPad) has almost a 5-year update cycle, which means that it can be used for 5 years with peace of mind. Recently, Apple has released iOS 12.5.1 for the iPhone 6 series that cannot be upgraded to iOS 13, and has renewed it for the iPhone 6 series. However, since iOS 11, iOS has become more unstable, which is a bad trend.

Regardless of the closed and open system, the most important reason why the iPhone has a long enough update cycle is Apple's control of the underlying hardware. From the chip to the flash memory, from the screen to the camera, almost all the underlying hardware is controlled by Apple, and compared to Android devices, there are fewer iOS devices running is also an objective reason.

Android and iOS, which have entered the "double digits", have become more unified in some features. In terms of system updates, it seems that the previous "stride meteors" have disappeared, and they are gradually "goose and duck steps."

Android upgrade to the new system is like Chinese New Year

In the initial stage, Android relied on open source, which attracted HTC, Motorola and other manufacturers to manufacture equipment, as well as T-Mobile, Verizon operators to promote. The rise also allowed Android to stand on the opposite side of iOS.

From the time point of view, iOS is one step ahead of Android. Although the two have different directions, iOS (then the iPhone OS) did give Android some inspiration and thinking. The subsequent success of Android is inseparable from the assistance of iOS.

As more and more manufacturers begin to launch Android smart phones, Android has also begun a period of barbaric growth, with uneven hardware and software, and it is also at this time that the seeds of fragmentation are gradually planted.

At that time, iOS did a better job in sliding experience and transition animation, which became the goal of Android to catch up. Therefore, Google introduced the "Project Butter" in Android Jelly Bean (4.0) to make Android smooth as butter.

During Android's savage growth period, more is to improve the system itself, and has not considered localized design for different markets. This has also brought opportunities for many domestic manufacturers. The appearance of MIUI and Flyme just made up for the lack of native Android localization. The appearance of these domestic customized systems gives us the feeling that Android can also 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 the App, Google's network and mobile product arrays, thereby providing a consistent user experience. In the future, it is Project Treble and 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, and is developing in a more secure direction.

Deeply customized UIs in China (now called systems) have gradually increased their localization and multi-function features while keeping their core consistent with Google.

The best example is MIUI. At the beginning of its birth, MIUI was not Android in the interface. It comes with deep customization, and some features are deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. And MIUI users can submit new feature applications on the forum. If the popularity is high enough, it will likely be integrated into the next version of MIUI, which is also practicing the essence of Android open source.

The Android development road is full of thorns. Every previous major version upgrade will "give up" some device upgrades due to major changes in the underlying layer. It’s not easy to upgrade a major version of Android. You can upgrade your old device once, just like in the New Year.

In fact, both the native Android and the domestic deep customization system are moving forward steadily, and there is almost no "detour". Coupled with the leap forward of the major version of the domestic system, it will bring enough attractive functions, or earth-shaking interactive changes (such as ColorOS, 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 during the replacement process. In addition, new systems tend to be pre-installed in new machines first, and there is a certain period of exclusivity. The new machines cooperate with the new systems, and the experience is naturally better than the old machines plus the old system. Old users naturally want to "try fresh" earlier.

Beginning with iOS 11, every time I upgrade, there is "unexplainable suffering"

In the initial stage, iOS is known for its stability. Coupled with a higher starting point than the Android system, iOS is stable and easy to use. However, there are actually several nodes in the development process of iOS, which pushed iOS to the forefront.

One is the drastic change in the style of iOS 7, from the former "pseudo-materialization" to the very concise "flat"; the other is that iOS 11 has a large number of bugs, which brings an unspeakable experience; the other is The "frequency reduction gate" that appeared during iOS 11.

The flat-style iOS 7 concept is advanced, and the Material Design of Google in the next year is actually a flat design style. In the design language of the system, Apple and Google seem to have a tacit understanding. The flat and concise style of iOS 7 has led the design trends of Apple's four major systems, and has also created a "flat" trend.

But at that time, not everyone liked the flat and concise style of "flowers and greens", so there were many fans of pseudo-materialization, and they were unwilling to embrace iOS 7, and they were also willing to share the ingenuity of "quasi-materialization". think.

What’s interesting is that half a year after the launch of iOS 7, a question appeared on Zhihu, “Those who thought it was ugly at first, have they changed their views?” Many netizens who have never been used to the flat style ended up straight. Call "true fragrance." The changes in the design style of iOS 7 are only superficial, and have not brought about inconvenience and lack of functionality.

Later, the various system-level bugs hidden in iOS 11 swept the face of iOS, which is known for its stability, and iOS 11 was also dubbed the "king of bugs".

List of iOS 11 system-level bugs (partial):

• Telugu character bug;
• After iOS 11, some iPhones cannot be paired with AirPods;
• iOS 11.1.2 iPhone 6, iPhone 7 restarts with a black screen cycle;
• "Calculator" bug in iOS 11;
• iOS 11.2 iPhone 6 Touch ID is invalid.

At the same time, during iOS 11, the iPhone and the "frequency reduction gate" appeared. iOS will automatically reduce the iPhone's performance (that is, frequency reduction) based on battery performance, but this process is fully automatic and the user will not be notified. Faced with accusations and even accusations, Apple finally issued an apology and added a battery status check function to the iOS 11.2.5 system update to facilitate users to check and manage the battery usage of mobile phones and reduce the price of battery repair.

The iPhone 6 series is the most affected by the iOS 11 bugs and the "down-frequency gate", and the iPhone 6 is also the highest-selling iPhone series in history, with a total of 220 million units. iOS 11 bugs have a large scope and influence naturally. It's extraordinary.

Later, Apple increased the number of new iPhone products, from one each year to four now. The number of screen resolutions supported by the existing iOS has also reached a new high, the workload of iOS adaptation is increasing, and the new functions are also increasing, which objectively leads to the increase of iOS bugs.

After iOS 11, until the latest iOS 14, you can clearly feel the increase in system minor version numbers. In addition to continuous optimization, some bugs are also fixed in rapid iteration. In recent years, Apple's Public Beta program also wants to kill bugs in the beta.

Simply put, starting from iOS 11, the stability of iOS is not as good as before, and subsequent iOS systems have more or less system-level bugs. Although the spread is not as good as iOS 11, iOS still has not restored its former glory of "stable". The upgrade is still a bit "halting."

Both Android and iOS are adding "security" and "privacy"

For system updates, Google and Apple have always wanted to actively update, on the one hand to reduce "fragmentation", on the other hand, it is to improve the security of the device.

Smart phones are playing an increasingly important role and carrying more and more things. With big data such as mobile payment, biological information, browsing preferences, usage habits, etc., the level of system security is naturally higher and higher, and the system is constantly upgraded. , Not only for the new system and new functions, but also for the safety of personal information.

iOS pushes updates for old devices, but in fact it still fixes vulnerabilities. It is not a kindness, but a normal act. In fact, it is similar to the security patch that Google pushes for the Android system. Both Andorid and iOS have temporarily entered a stable period, and they are developing in a more stable and safer direction.

Only in terms of stability, iOS seems to be affected by the aftermath of iOS 11. Every time the system is updated, a small bug still pops up from time to time, leaving users with lingering fears. But even so, iOS still has the best ecological experience currently. And Android, especially domestic customized systems, will bring many new features while improving stability. Coupled with several waves of publicity offensive, users are eager for 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 look forward to upgrading, but iOS intends to downgrade." In fact, it is more accurate that Android has already caught up in the system experience.

Source of title picture: cnet

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