Android User's Journey Back to Apple - Interoperability
Using all of your Apple devices together is the real key to productivity
So you want to know what really got me and kept me in the Apple ecosystem after my brief experiment? Yes, it was the shortcuts, spotlight, software and more that I’ve already mentioned, but as I look back, the number 1 reason is how all the parts came together. In seven years with the Google platform using all Google had to offer, services, software, ChromeOS, and seven years of Pixel-branded Android, I did not experience the level of coherence and interoperability I saw almost immediately with Apple.
Coherence
Just start with something simple like settings. At first glance, settings on an Apple device looks like a mess. How are these things organized - or really, are they organized at all? Well after some time, and especially after starting to use settings first on MacOS, then on iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch, the organization started to make sense. Moreover, it was consistent! You heard that, what a novel concept. I look for software updates under the general setting, on MacOS, iOS, iPadOS and WatchOS, it’s all in the SAME place. All your networking settings (wifi, bluetooth, cellular, etc) are, you guessed it, all grouped together at the top of the Settings list, no matter what device you are using.
When receiving software updates since switching back to Apple earlier this year, they are all deployed at the same time. While the timeline for automatically pushing the updates is staggered, pulling the updates is not, unlike Google where every update involves a game of checking for updates and asking others if they’ve got it yet.
And the updates for all of Apple’s OSs seem to be pushed together as well, so it’s nice to get Mac, iPhone, iPad, Watch, and even Apple TV updated at the same time. When you have an update available for one, normally you have an update ready for all of them.
And another I’ve already discussed in a previous post, the consistent share sheet is a wonder, not only in its consistency, but also in its functionality.
Interoperability
With names like Airdrop, Handoff, Sidecar, Universal Clipboard and Continuity, your devices are enabled to share with one another like nothing I have ever seen before.
Airdrop - like Nearby Share in the Google world, Airdrop allows you to pass almost anything from one device to another, a photo, files, text, videos, links, etc. It’s as easy as right-clicking on the object, selecting Share, and choosing Airdrop. You will then see any of the devices you’ve enabled for the service, as well as any other person’s devices on the same network that have been enabled. Simply select the device desired and your item is transferred and ready for use on the receiving device.
Handoff - this unique feature I use all the time. Start a task with applications like Mail, Maps, Reminders, Calendar, Contacts, Pages, Numbers, Keynote, FaceTime, even Safari and many third-party apps, on one device, and you will see a special icon on the application shortcut on your other devices. Simply click the shortcut and continue with the task on the other device.
Sidecar - this is a very nice feature for those that have a MacBook and iPad but no external monitor. You simply enable the feature from Control Center by selecting a device on which to mirror or extend the monitor. I’ve even used this to add to two external monitors on a dock from my MacBook, so including my iPad, MacBook and two external monitors I have four screens running from a single MacBook Pro (note this does require Apple silicon - M1 or M2 as of this writing). This also works with Apple TV, really nice when you want to show something to others gathered around the family TV.
Universal Clipboard - another unbelievable thing you will not see on other platforms. When you copy something to the clipboard on one device, it is available in the clipboard ready for pasting on any other device, nothing to do, it just works.
Continuity - you can seamlessly use multiple devices at that same time. A couple examples that I use often are 1) while on my MacBook filling in a pdf form, when I get to the block for the signature, I can right click and pass the signing off to my iPad, use the Pencil to sign in the block that appears on iPad, and after signing, my signature appears in the block on MacBook, truly amazing. 2) another is that I can be looking at a folder in Finder on my MacBook and right click and select scan or take picture from my iPhone or iPad. The device selected immediately opens the camera and when you point and stabilize the image, it takes the scan or picture for you which immediately appears in MacBook in the folder selected. Understand that you do nothing with iPhone or iPad except pick it up and point at what you want to scan or capture. And you can even use your iPhone as a high resolution webcam for your MacBook.
And there’s more with iMessages and FaceTime being available on all of your devices, so switching between messaging and calling from one device to another is seamless.
Even Apple Pay is available from all your devices including your Mac, and uses the biometrics available on each device; Touch ID on Mac keyboard, Face ID on iPhone and iPad, or passcode with Apple Watch.
Yes, Apple is more expensive than other platforms, though in the case of hardware it could be argued that longevity and resale value may make up for some of the higher initial cost of entry. And yes, Apple has lots of lock in, both in hardware and services. But in my opinion, the way that everything works together, and saves so much valuable time, energy and frustration, it is well worth those drawbacks.
Thanks again for reading, hope to see you in the next post. J