I’ve been growing more and more frustrated with Android’s app permission model. I don’t like being forced to give apps access to my contacts or sms messages just to use some other functionality of that app. Or give them blanket permission even though they promise to only use that permission after asking me. Some companies I just plain don’t trust, like Facebook (and by ownership instagram) who have been shown to upload all your text messages to their servers, or the debacle with Path uploading all your contacts when you first use it.

I’ve been using Android on my 2013 Moto-X for a year and other things have been bothering me too. Not being able to change the volume with a headphones buttons, or turn off an alarm with the same headphone control (I like to keep my phone safe in my bag while riding). Also sharing my mailing address with App Developers when I buy an App seems awful to me (more here and here. I’ve been told In App Purchases don’t share buyer’s mailing addresses.

My wife now had my old 64GB iPhone 5, but her old 16Gig iPhone 5 was just sitting in a closet and since I’d been living in the cramped 16 gig moto-x world for a year, I figured I’d give it a shot again.

It’s been a success, I much prefer going back to an iPhone, it really is a better experience. I updated my favorite iOS apps and also jailbroke it so that I could turn off the buzz when I plugged it in.

Android things I’ll miss:

• NFC dots to unlock phone and start Strava rides.
• Alarm Clock Plus with the ability to skip only next occurance of a recurring alarm.
• Ability to snooze/silent for 2 hours (and then come back out of snooze).
• Royal wave to open camera.
• Weather Underground widget.
• Google voice integration.

iPhone things I love:

• Sane pro-privacy/security app permissions model.
• Not sharing my contact info with the developer when I purchase an app.
• Volume control on my headphones.
• Reader mode in Safari.
• Remote control of iTunes.
• Flashlight from lock screen.
• Not having to press enter after entering my unlock code (20% faster!).
• 5 rows of icons on every page.
• Lightning connector.
• Ability to run permission greedy apps again (because I can deny them): Facebook, Instagram.
• iTunes syncing of playlists.
• Setting a timer for a nap from the lock screen
• Voice Control (not Siri): “play playlist ride bikes” “Shuffle on” “What time is it”
• Turning an alarm off using the button on my headphones.