14 years using Samsung Galaxy S series, now trying iPhone… anyone else done this?

Hi everyone, I’ve used the Samsung Galaxy S series for 14 years and just got my first iPhone (16 Pro Max) last week.

I’ve been a big Samsung fan, having owned the S1, S2, S3, S6, S8 Plus, S10 Plus, S22 Ultra, and S24 Ultra. I wanted to share my thoughts on what I like and don’t like about the iPhone so far, plus I have a few questions.

What I like so far about iPhone:

  • FaceTime - makes video calls so simple.
  • Face ID - much faster and more accurate than I expected.
  • App performance - apps seem to run faster with smoother animations and fewer bugs compared to the Samsung S24 Ultra.
  • Apple Pay - it’s faster than Google Pay and has a clean design.
  • Translation - voice and screenshot translations feel faster and more user-friendly.

Things that annoy me on the iPhone:

  • System bugs - Friends said iOS 18 is still new and will have bugs, but my Samsung One UI was more stable, at least since the S22 Ultra. For example, when I first set up the iPhone, I accidentally exceeded the free iCloud accounts limit by clicking too many times because it wasn’t responding properly.

  • Book prices - I bought a few books for 3-4 euros each on the Google Play Store, but they cost 9.99 each on Apple. I might switch to Amazon Kindle to avoid this.

  • No dual WhatsApp - I’m using WhatsApp Business to get around this, but it feels like a workaround Apple should address.

  • Alarm App - not loving the alarm setup here.

Overall, I’m happy with the iPhone as my main phone but keeping the S24 Ultra as a backup.

Now my questions:

  • Can I safely use my 45W Samsung charger with the iPhone 16 Pro Max?
  • Are there any good alternatives to the built-in Alarm app?
  • Is there a way to see only regular calls in the call log and hide FaceTime or WhatsApp calls?

Thanks for any advice!

What’s wrong with the alarm app?

Riley said:
What’s wrong with the alarm app?

It’s mainly two things:

First, I can’t disable an alarm just for tomorrow if I have a day off or holiday. It looks like I have to turn it off entirely and remember to turn it back on, which seems annoying.

Second, I’d like a popup showing how many hours of sleep I’ll get based on my alarm. It would help make sure I set it right!

@Jessie
Try using the Sleep Focus with a shortcut to turn it on or off when you need it.

@Jessie
You could use the Sleep setting under Apple Health for this. You can set a schedule for each day and the Sleep Focus will turn on automatically when it’s time. You can also adjust it for just that night and keep your regular alarm schedule. Hope this helps!

@Luca
This is what I do. It even shows up as an option on my watch to change just that night’s alarm if I’m staying up late.

@Luca
That sounds good, thanks!

@Jessie
Actually, try going into the Health app and activating Sleep Schedule. It’ll give you options like ‘change just the next alarm’ or ‘change this schedule,’ so you can control the alarms without fully disabling them.

One thing I find frustrating about Apple is how hidden some features are. They have help guides, splash screens, and even a Tips app, but it’s rare to find everything you need. Like, did you know if you hold the spacebar, your keyboard acts like a trackpad? Or if you tap again, you can select text while moving the cursor. Apple doesn’t make a lot of this stuff obvious.

Anyway, this Sleep setup might be exactly what you need. Apple has features, but finding them can be a bit of a treasure hunt!

@Jessie
You can set a wake-up alarm in the Sleep section of the Health app. You can set different times for different days and even disable it just for tomorrow without changing the whole schedule.

I recently switched from a Pixel 7 Pro to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and I’m missing the Android notification style and gestures. It’s so much easier on Android. Having to swipe from the left or press in random places is frustrating, and I miss having a back button on the right side. People say iPhone is super intuitive, but I’ve had more app and system freezes than I expected. I think Android has caught up, if not surpassed iOS, in terms of performance.

@Drew
So. much. swiping.

I use both, but for me, having a 1TB SD card on my Samsung is unbeatable. It’s safe, fast, and I don’t have to pay for cloud storage. iOS is nice and polished, but it just feels too restrictive sometimes.

I’ve used both, and iOS is honestly more annoying than One UI for me.

Getting a new iPhone is exciting for a while, but it quickly gets repetitive. Each new model feels just like the last one. I was going to switch from the iPhone 13 Pro to the 16 Pro, but I felt underwhelmed. The AI stuff doesn’t even work in the EU, and the new camera button doesn’t make much sense for me since I mostly use portrait mode.

When you mentioned ‘system bugs,’ what did you mean? I was a die-hard Samsung fan until the iPhone XS, but since then, I’ve stuck with iPhones.

It’s true iOS isn’t as customizable as Android, but I think it’s a lot smoother overall.

I agree with you on WhatsApp. I’m also using the Business app for my second phone number. The Samsung screenshot feature that captures an entire webpage is something I miss.

@Lyle
On Safari, you can screenshot the full page by taking a screenshot and selecting ‘Full Page’ at the top. It’ll capture the whole webpage.

@Lyle
I didn’t have any system bugs on my S22 or S24 Ultra, but with iOS 18, I’m finding bugs like the iCloud sign-up glitch, where it didn’t disable the button after I pressed it. And sometimes the control icons randomly jump to the screen’s edge.

But yes, iPhone apps like WhatsApp, Instagram, and YouTube do feel more stable than on the Samsung.

Customization isn’t as important to me now, though.

@Jessie
I feel the same. Over time, Android updates and bugs got tiring. I miss Android’s widgets, but I’m managing.

You can’t change the call log history on iPhones. All calls, including FaceTime, show up in the history, and that’s probably my biggest issue after switching from Android.

Lex said:
You can’t change the call log history on iPhones. All calls, including FaceTime, show up in the history, and that’s probably my biggest issue after switching from Android.

You can swipe to delete a call from the log individually.