Apple's First Android App, Move To iOS, Is Getting Killed With One-Star Reviews

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Apple's First Android App, Move To iOS, Is Getting Killed With One-Star Reviews

Posted by timothy on Thursday September 17, 2015 @05:39AM from the predictable-really dept.

An anonymous reader writes: Apple today launched Move to iOS, the company's first Android app built in-house. As we noted earlier, "It should surprise no one that the first app Apple built for Android helps you ditch the platform." The fact that the app is getting flooded with one-star reviews is not particularly surprising, either. At the time of publication, the app has an average rating of 1.8. The larger majority (almost 79 percent) are one-star reviews, followed by five-star reviews (almost 19 percent).

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Dupe by halivar · 2015-09-17 05:54 · Score: 1

This app, and the Android-fan 1-star reviews, is discussed ad nauseum already.
1. Re:Dupe by Captain+Splendid · 2015-09-17 06:11 · Score: 0, Flamebait
  
  It's the old slashdot tune: Crusty nerds who'll trumpet how different and superior they are to the sheeplike masses are baffled that those masses don't act just like them.
  
  I suppose it's comforting that cognitive dissonance isn't just limited to those with 2 digit IQs.
  
  --
  Linux, you magnificent bastard, I read the fucking manual!
2. Re: Dupe by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 06:30 · Score: 0
  
  I don't get the hate, love both the iPhone and nice Android phones. Both awesome compared to what was available previously.
3. Re: Dupe by MobileTatsu-NJG · 2015-09-17 06:36 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  The competition has certainly been good. The features iOS has ripped off of Android are great. I can't believe it's been 8 years and we FINALLY have back button and a keyboard that shows us which case we're typing in.
  It's a pity we can't discuss that without the word 'invent' being thrown around by everybody except Apple.
  
  --
  
  "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)
4. Re:Dupe by ceoyoyo · 2015-09-17 06:39 · Score: 1
  
  Wait... you're saying crusty nerds are just hipsters? A clever disguise, the overgrown beards and body odour....
5. Re: Dupe by guises · 2015-09-17 06:57 · Score: 1
  
  I've read the posts you replied to and the summary, and even went so far as to consider reading the story, but I still don't know what you're talking about. I see no one in this comment thread using the word 'invent' except you (and now me).
6. Re: Dupe by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 07:11 · Score: 0
  
  > I see no one in this comment thread using the word 'invent' except you (and now me).
  That's because you're failing to find the conversation that was predicted to not exist.
7. Re:Dupe by xantonin · 2015-09-17 07:27 · Score: 1
  
  Are Fandroids like Fapples?
8. Re: Dupe by MobileTatsu-NJG · 2015-09-17 07:31 · Score: 2
  
  No. Fapples love their phones. Fandroids are openly hostile to everyone else's phones.
  
  --
  
  "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)
9. Re: Dupe by BronsCon · 2015-09-17 08:36 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  I've seen both on both sides of the fence. One of my Apple-loving friends is hostile toward my Android phone despite never having used one as a primary device, while my Apple-loving wife switched to Android for a little over a year before going back to the iPhone; she doesn't dislike Android, she just wanted to go back to using the apps she had already gotten used to (and paid for) on iOS. Meanwhile, I only ever hear my Android-using friends and colleagues poke fun at Apple users in a joking manner; most of us are also Apple users, just not when it comes to our phones. Personally, that means an iPad (original), iPad Air, Apple TV, iPod Classic, iPod Nano, and two MacBook Pros; for my best friend that means two MacBook Pros, an iPad Air, and an iPod Touch; almost every one of my friends and colleagues has at least one Apple device that they use regularly, though, for most, that device is not their phone.
  
  Poking fun at a group of people of which you are a member is not a form of hostility. Grow up.
  
  --
  APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
10. Re: Dupe by MobileTatsu-NJG · 2015-09-17 09:25 · Score: 0
  
  > Poking fun at a group of people of which you are a member is not a form of hostility.
  No but calling them sheeple, implying they below-average in intelligence, and making remarks intended to be insulting about their sexual orientation *is*.
  > Grow up.
  Oh the irony.
  
  --
  
  "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)
11. Re: Dupe by BronsCon · 2015-09-17 09:31 · Score: 1
  
  Oh the irony.
  Indeed.
  
  --
  APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
12. Re: Dupe by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 09:39 · Score: 0
  
  Paying $600 for a phone CLEARLY shows below-average intelligence.
  But thats ok.
  Be proud you're an idiot. You're a valuable resource for the economy.
13. Re: Dupe by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 09:41 · Score: 0
  
  Doing those kinds of things, more often than not, is simply friendly banter.
  Now... stop being so gay, grow a pair of balls and develop some thick skin so you stop crying when someone says something you disagree with.
14. Re: Dupe by MobileTatsu-NJG · 2015-09-17 09:49 · Score: 1
  
  That's just wimpy. If you really want to annoy an Apple fan try bringing up that the first iPhone they purchased was obsolete. The odds are pretty good that they purchased their first iPhone only a few months before the release of the next new whiz-bang model. Certainly soon enough to start hearing about how woopy and hooray it is but so soon that they'll have to wait more than a year to have their new shiny. Then, no matter what they paid (most paid $200 on contract, which is why your insult won't typically work) you can play on their feelings of envy for the latest and greatest.
  You can also mention that the Lightning cables break too easily. There's a decent chance they've had to visit an Apple Store (or paid $30...) to rectify it.
  
  --
  
  "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)
15. Re: Dupe by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 10:10 · Score: 0
  
  And don't forget the other amazing new iOS 9 feature, public transit directions for a whole five cities! Plus a favorite open source feature from the past arrives with iOS 9 too: an improperly kerned system font used everywhere!
16. Re:Dupe by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 10:23 · Score: 0
  
  The crust grows thickest at the water's edge... embrace the dissonance between air and water.
17. Re: Dupe by freeze128 · 2015-09-17 10:34 · Score: 1
  
  Is that what we're doing now? Putting an 'F' in front of the phone platform? It doesn't work so well with Fwindows or Fblackberries.
18. Re: Dupe by MobileTatsu-NJG · 2015-09-17 10:39 · Score: 1
  
  When you get home from work go look up what 'fap' means.
  
  --
  
  "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)
19. Re:Dupe by LifesABeach · 2015-09-17 11:12 · Score: 1
  
  I RTFA, being a software type, my curiosity was peaked at maybe learning some new aspect of Android vs. Apple. Yawn, Apple's program is a simple interface that allows copying data from one phone type to another phone type. This is a nice project one would give to a third world intern so that they can't screw up to badly, and feel horrible.
20. Re:Dupe by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 15:26 · Score: 0
  
  It's widely known that Apple users are the biggest fanboys around. So much so that they are used as an example in the actual definition
  "Apple fanboys lined up to buy the new phone."
21. Re:Dupe by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 16:08 · Score: 0
  
  "Apple fanboys lined up to buy the new phone." .. uttered over and over and over and over and over again by Fandroids.
22. Re:Dupe by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 16:31 · Score: 0
  
  Except I don't use an Android phone.
23. Re: Dupe by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 18:01 · Score: 0
  
  But it's true. They target below average tech users to make it simple and lock out everything, have terrible user-facing business practices (price gouging, price fixing, choice restriction) and generally rely on user ignorance.
24. Re: Dupe by TheRaven64 · 2015-09-17 20:14 · Score: 1
  
  Better than what was available previously? That's a pretty low bar (though I'll note that my pre-Android, pre-iOS Nokia N80 supported SIP out of the box for cheap calls over WiFi and integrated nicely with the system without third-party apps and could sync over Bluetooth without requiring cloudy things). All of the modern phone offerings suck. Microsoft is the only company that has a UI that feels as if they've actually done some competent user studies and their platform is going to remain a niche as long as there's no useful software for it.
  
  --
  I am TheRaven on Soylent News
25. Re:Dupe by Maritz · 2015-09-17 21:03 · Score: 1
  
  Needs more "and over".
  
  --
  I do not want your cheap brainburning drugs. They are useless for work. And I am a working man today.
26. Re: Dupe by gsslay · 2015-09-17 21:27 · Score: 1
  
  You are seriously out of touch. You must either love Android, or you love iPhone, and you must hate the other with a passion. You must pick a side for the forthcoming religious Smartphone Wars, that will lay waste to the internet.
  People like you will be shunned by both sides as contemptuous cowards. Your execution will be streamed for all to see, right after the shooting of the heretical Windows Phone users.
27. Re: Dupe by jellomizer · 2015-09-17 22:10 · Score: 1
  
  The big fear is your choice will be irrelevant so all your investment financial and emotional in the product could be loss of the product is a dud. Like Zune, Apple Newton, BeOS, OS2 Warp...
  If you got one of these dead end product you somehow feel embarrassed for jumping into the camp that didn't stay.
  The fact that even these dead end product may have still been valuable to you.
  
  --
  If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
28. Re: Dupe by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-18 02:19 · Score: 0
  
  Well yeah, after using Android any font that's not Roboto is badly kerned ;)
29. Re: Dupe by macs4all · 2015-09-18 04:56 · Score: 1
  
  But it's true. They target below average tech users to make it simple and lock out everything, have terrible user-facing business practices (price gouging, price fixing, choice restriction) and generally rely on user ignorance.
  Wrong.
  
  They "target" average people, who, for the most part, are not particularly "technical".
  
  They tend to not provide GUI controls for things that are more "dangerous" than useful for most people; but you can almost always still get to those features through the Command-Line
  
  As far as the rest of your baseless rant; it doesn't even rate a response.
30. Re:Dupe by doccus · 2015-09-18 06:53 · Score: 1
  
  It's a little unclear to me why they would even make an app like this.. It's not like it's just switching OS's.. you have to actually replace your phone, too. It's just, essentially, then, nothing more than nagware.
31. Re: Dupe by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-18 13:53 · Score: 0
  
  yes we are very superior indeed.and very happy with our 3 figure iq
Haters gonna hate. by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 05:57 · Score: 0

gonna hate.
1. Re:Haters gonna hate. by Falos · 2015-09-17 07:01 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  I'm IT in the local school district, which has plentiful amount of mac. I looked up the current power cable for macbook airs on a whim; I was morbidly curious about how much apple charges for one.
  
  I'm not sure why Apple put a rating system into their own site's products. Especially when it ends up like this.
  
  Pages of people with appleIDs, and pages of their handwritten, one-star reviews.
I wonder by thaylin · 2015-09-17 06:00 · Score: 3, Insightful

How many of the 5 star reviews are coming from users who already use IOS over andriod.

--
When you cant win, ad hominem.
1. Re:I wonder by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 06:05 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  I presume that all the 5-star reviews are from people happy about how easy this app made switching away from Android, and it will be their last Android app review.
  Similarly, the 1-star reviews are from people who have not used the app, will not use the app, and have an odd desire to murder anyone who does use it.
2. Re:I wonder by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 06:09 · Score: 1
  
  I wonder how many of the 1-star reviews are from users who do not own an iOS device.
3. Re:I wonder by NatasRevol · 2015-09-17 06:15 · Score: 2
  
  Rounded to the nearest 1 percent? 100 percent.
  
  --
  There are two types of people in the world: Those who crave closure
4. Re:I wonder by thaylin · 2015-09-17 06:16 · Score: 1
  
  Yea, because IOS users would never troll Andriod users, it is always the other way around.
  
  --
  When you cant win, ad hominem.
5. Re:I wonder by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 06:30 · Score: 0
  
  Let's think about this for a second (more time than you've spent thinking all day, I know).
  To review an app, you need to have downloaded it.
  To download an Android app, you need to have something that behaves sufficiently like an Android device.
  iThingies do not behave much like an Android device.
  Therefore, the overwhelming majority of people reviewing this app have access to an Android device or Android-like emulation.
  Yes, I can see clearly why you believe that it's the iFans trolling your beloved mobile OS.
6. Re:I wonder by Flavianoep · 2015-09-17 06:39 · Score: 1
  
  All of them. There is no point in installing that app if one does not already use iOS and finally got an easier way to move all that stuff from the old Android phone.
  
  --
  Linux is for people who don't mind RTFM.
7. Re:I wonder by Anubis+IV · 2015-09-17 07:05 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  In just skimming the top reviews, it looks like:
  the 5 stars are mostly Apple fanboys who have never used Android but have invaded Google Play so that they can stick up for their platform of choice, despite having no device on which to actually use the app to see whether it works as described.
  the 1 stars are mostly Android fanboys who have never used iOS but are posting reviews anyway so that they can stick up for their platform of choice, despite having no intention to switch platforms or use the app to see whether it works as described.
  In a perfect world, app reviews would tell you whether the app does what it's supposed to do and how well it does it, then leave it up to other users to decide if that's something they want. In the real world, that actually useful information gets buried under thousands of pages of useless drivel between fanboys for each side.
8. Re: I wonder by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 07:12 · Score: 0
  
  The social 'review' system has always been a farce in terms of reliability. It's as useless as Google's requirement that that Apps list the permissions they require or corporations declare some temporary 'Privacy Policy'.
  This ain't news, it's just evidence of the status quo in Neverland.
9. Re:I wonder by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 07:14 · Score: 0
  
  all of them. the percentages are pretty close to the actual marketshare of each platform.
10. Re:I wonder by Feral+Nerd · 2015-09-17 07:22 · Score: 2
  
  How many of the 5 star reviews are coming from users who already use IOS over andriod.
  And how many of the 1 star reviews come from Android users who hate iOS despite never having used it? ...welcome to the computer operating system holy wars.
11. Re: I wonder by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 07:27 · Score: 0
  
  How do you review on the play store without an android device?
12. Re:I wonder by rsmith-mac · 2015-09-17 07:34 · Score: 1
  
  You have to use the app to rate it, which means you need to own an Android device. Which doesn't entirely prevent stuffing, but iOS users aren't likely as a whole to have an Android device sitting around.
13. Re: I wonder by slaker · 2015-09-17 07:41 · Score: 1
  
  I believe the only requirement to review an app on the Play Store is a Google account. I say that because I don't have a Google+ account and Google keeps telling me (as recently as last week, in fact) I have to have one to leave developer feedback.
  
  --
  -- I wanna decide who lives and who dies - Crow T. Robot, MST3K
14. Re:I wonder by slaker · 2015-09-17 07:47 · Score: 0
  
  It's a perfectly rational proposition to hate iOS from having to actually use it. Missing filesystem access, not having lower case keys on the keyboard (until today, actually), being unable to download arbitrary content using a web browser, being forced to use a media player for system management tasks etc. It's pretty bad when your OS compares unfavorably to Windows RT.
  
  --
  -- I wanna decide who lives and who dies - Crow T. Robot, MST3K
15. Re: I wonder by Anubis+IV · 2015-09-17 08:01 · Score: 1
  
  I went to the Google Play page from a desktop PC and saw the "Write a Review" button available. I didn't click it, but given that it was presented to me and that I don't have an Android device, I'd assume anyone at all would be able to write a review.
16. Re:I wonder by MrNaz · 2015-09-17 08:02 · Score: 2
  
  Obligatory:
  https://xkcd.com/937/
  
  --
  I hate printers.
17. Re:I wonder by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 08:14 · Score: 0
  
  You do not have to use the app to rate it. You have to have a google account to rate it.
18. Re:I wonder by mark-t · 2015-09-17 08:19 · Score: 2
  
  In other words, this app has been flooded with fake reviews.
  I'd suggest that's immature on both android users and iphone users' parts for misrepresenting their experience with the app.
  That one may be able to extract an estimate of average maturity of android users compared to that of iphone users based on the fact that their complaints about the app so vastly outnumber the 5-star reviews and cross referencing that imbalance with the ratio of android users to iphone users in general is left as an exercise for the reader.
  
  --
  File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
19. Re:I wonder by mark-t · 2015-09-17 08:22 · Score: 1
  
  Actually. IOS users are *more* likely to have access to an android device than android users, because android emulators exist that can be run in Windows, while ios emulation is currently only possible on a mac.
  
  --
  File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
20. Re:I wonder by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 08:40 · Score: 0
  
  That certainly does seem to be the case. I click the "Write a Review" button on Google Play from my Windows PC, and literally nothing happens. At least nothing visible, which is enough for me to qualify it as literally.
21. Re:I wonder by Anonymous+Cow+Ward · 2015-09-17 08:43 · Score: 1
  
  You actually only need a Google account to review an app.
  
  --
  Examine even your most deeply held beliefs. Nobody is always right.
22. Re:I wonder by CptChipJew · 2015-09-17 09:33 · Score: 1
  
  Incorrect. You need to have downloaded the app as well. And I know this because I just tried.
  
  --
  Vonal Declosion
23. Re:I wonder by k3vlar · 2015-09-17 09:35 · Score: 1
  
  > Missing filesystem access
  Why the F*** do you even want filesystem access? Wouldn't it be nice to not have to deal with all of that BS?
  
  > being unable to download arbitrary content using a web browser
  You've been able to do that since iOS 5 or 6, as long as you have an App that will handle the content you want to download, or a storage app that will let you manage and browse arbitrary content (See Dropbox, Documents, etc.)
  
  > being forced to use a media player for system management tasks etc
  Last time I checked, you don't need to use iTunes for anything other than transferring music & movies. You don't even need it to activate the device...
  
  --
  Unlike porn, which yada yada rimshot hey-ooh!
24. Re:I wonder by damnitalready · 2015-09-17 09:53 · Score: 1
  
  Really? What twit needed an app to switch phones? Did anyone really consider this a barrier to changing their phone OS?
25. Re:I wonder by tomhath · 2015-09-17 09:57 · Score: 2
  
  I presume that all the 5-star reviews are from people happy about how easy this app made switching away from Android
  Why would you presume that? Astroturfing is far more likely.
26. Re:I wonder by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 09:59 · Score: 0
  
  Kinda obvious it would happen this way, those Aptards should have seen this coming from that high horse they're on all the time.
  All joking aside, I mean who didn't think this wouldn't happen with an app like this?
27. Re: I wonder by drinkypoo · 2015-09-17 12:09 · Score: 1
  
  ISTR the play store requiring you to have an app installed, or at least to have had it installed, before you can review it. But you could always just install to the emulator and then write a review.
  
  --
  "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
28. Re:I wonder by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 12:27 · Score: 0
  
  > Missing filesystem access
  Why the F*** do you even want filesystem access? Wouldn't it be nice to not have to deal with all of that BS?
  The everything is a file so everything is potentially under control BS?
  Yeah I recall that, pretty horrible. We are lucky the new telescreens do not feature that.
  (Prove yourself captcha: "expert")
29. Re:I wonder by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 13:12 · Score: 0
  
  > Missing filesystem access
  Why the F*** do you even want filesystem access? Wouldn't it be nice to not have to deal with all of that BS?
  Who cares why? You might not know ahead of time that you'll want to be able to pop the hood of your car and check the oil if it starts acting funny and you think changing the oil might help. If that happens you probably would prefer the hood not to be welded shut.
  
  > being unable to download arbitrary content using a web browser
  You've been able to do that since iOS 5 or 6, as long as you have an App that will handle the content you want to download, or a storage app that will let you manage and browse arbitrary content (See Dropbox, Documents, etc.)
  So for a web browser to fulfil a basic task of web browsing you need external apps?
  
  > being forced to use a media player for system management tasks etc
  Last time I checked, you don't need to use iTunes for anything other than transferring music & movies. You don't even need it to activate the device...
  I don't expect to be forced to use acrobat reader to move pdf files around, or photoshop to move jpgs. That is completely backwards.
30. Re:I wonder by slaker · 2015-09-17 13:42 · Score: 1
  
  > Why the F**** o you even want filesystem access? Wouldn't it be nice to not have to deal with all of that BS?
  My organization has a couple VIPs who want to use iOS as primary computing devices, which required an almost complete change in the way some data is handled, all for want of the ability to store some data they'd be able to download with a web browser on any other platform.
  I also think it's nice to be able to segregate personal and business data instead of lumping
  everything together. In addition to missing the concept of end-user access to directories, it also still doesn't have multi-user support. iOS treats data as an undifferentiated lump, which is particularly awesome when you get to see somebody's Hedonism II vacation memories mixed in with photos of in-process construction projects or something (fortunately, that wasn't someone who worked for my company, but it sure did liven up that particular meeting).
  > You've been able to do that since iOS 5 or 6, as long as you have an App that will handle the content you want to download, or a storage app that will let you manage and browse arbitrary content (See Dropbox, Documents, etc.)
  The keyword here is arbitrary. Dropbox supports a lot of data formats but arbitrary it is not.
  Dropbox for iOS won't handle arbitrary content, only content for which it and/or the device has a viewer. Why would you want to copy arbitrary content to an iOS device? Because it has multiple gigabytes of potentially encrypted flash storage, maybe? To keep something that doesn't belong in cloud storage out of cloud storage and on a thing that users are unlikely to lose, break, wash or allow to leave their grubby hands for even a single moment.
  > Last time I checked, you don't need to use iTunes for anything other than transferring music & movies. You don't even need it to activate the device...
  You CAN need it to copy data on and off the device and assign it to apps, particularly if that data is not directly accessible from the web somehow. This is particularly obnoxious if you have apps that handle the same sorts of data but won't talk to each other. Maybe they both support Dropbox. Maybe.
  
  --
  -- I wanna decide who lives and who dies - Crow T. Robot, MST3K
31. Re: I wonder by Karlt1 · 2015-09-17 14:23 · Score: 1
  
  You can drop arbitrary content onto iOS without using iTunes. You can copy files to DropBox, Google Drive, iCloud Drive, Box, etc. from your computer and have full access to those files. You can download any file from Safari into one of those services. With iOS 9 you can attach a file from any of the cloud storage providers into an email. You only need an app to view files that are not natively supported by iOS. Yes iCloud Drive is a separate app in iOS 9 that works like DropBox
32. Re: I wonder by slaker · 2015-09-17 17:29 · Score: 1
  
  Safari isn't downloading the file to the device if it's being put into Dropbox et al, is it? And if that data doesn't belong in the cloud? If the device doesn't immediately have a viewer, the device can't interact with it, however useful it might be to have on local storage.
  I think you misunderstand the definition of the word "arbitrary."
  
  --
  -- I wanna decide who lives and who dies - Crow T. Robot, MST3K
33. Re:I wonder by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 18:04 · Score: 0
  
  I'll bet if there was an app that did things the other way around, it would get equally trashed.
  Oh wait.... HAHAHAHA, who are we kidding? You can't have one because your app would get banned for mentioning Android.
  And Microsoft and Google gets crap for uncompetitive practices lol
34. Re:I wonder by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 18:06 · Score: 0
  
  lol, if we're talking maturity...
  Android users don't line up for hours to get a phone which is readily available.
  A lot of Android users care that you can't even HAVE a similar app on the i store because of APL's super-anti-competitive practices.
  When brought up, most i fans just shrug it off saying "but it's pretty" and "nobody gives a software experience like them".
35. Re:I wonder by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 18:24 · Score: 0
  
  I tried to take a picture of a document, then convert to PDF and upload to a website on an i device. I need to do this for the CRM system my company uses. They explicitly require PDF format.
  Please tell me how to do this without pre-loading the PDF. I want to do this exclusively with just one device / phone / computer.
  I can do this on any device - I've tried on Windows Phone and Android... No problem.
  Point 2: If you're on a metered connection or a bad connection (say, in another country), and you just want to quickly download a file where you don't have a handler, how can I download it NOW (say, it's a limited time offer) without downloading another 50MB+ handler?
36. Re: I wonder by topologicalanomaly47 · 2015-09-17 21:03 · Score: 1
  
  You assume wrong. I have more than one Android device, never installed this app and trying to review gives: "You must install this app before submitting a review."
37. Re:I wonder by topologicalanomaly47 · 2015-09-17 21:08 · Score: 1
  
  Wrong
38. Re:I wonder by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 21:55 · Score: 0
  
  It's a phone. If you want a computer, buy a computer.
39. Re:I wonder by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-18 01:37 · Score: 0
  
  If maturity was everything in life, comedians would stop existing, suicide rates would jump to a species exterminating level, and i couldn't get moments like these to laugh at a kid who doesn't know that having a superiority complex based on maturity is in itself the definition of immaturity.
  So it's all good.
40. Re:I wonder by Anubis+IV · 2015-09-18 02:32 · Score: 2
  
  lol, if we're talking maturity...
  Android users don't line up for hours to get a phone which is readily available.
  Yes they do, though not to the extent Apple fans/fanboys do, of course. In fact, in several cases, Samsung has hired paid actors to line up on launch day, just so that they could generate launch day buzz in the news.
  
  A lot of Android users care that you can't even HAVE a similar app on the i store because of APL's super-anti-competitive practices.
  And that's a perfectly valid and reasonable concern to have. It should definitely be taken into account when choosing your platform of choice. But there are equally valid concerns on the other side as well (e.g. privacy, security, support lifetime, resaleability, etc.), plus others that favor Android that you didn't mention either (e.g. ease of rooting, more hardware options, more expansion/ports). If the apps affected by "APL's super-anti-competitive practices" aren't ones that you want or care about (i.e. Apple's policies allow for all of the apps you want), then that concern won't matter to you. Likewise, if you're okay with carriers and manufacturers having more control over whether and when you receive updates, then the concern over support lifetimes won't affect you either.
  Pick which concerns you care about and then pick the ecosystem that best aligns with your interests. That's all there is to it. In the meantime, be honest about the benefits and drawbacks for both sides and about the shady practices that both sides are engaging in. Neither side has clean hands in this, neither side is flawless, and neither side is a perfect fit for everyone, since each differentiating factor for the sides comes with it its share of drawbacks.
41. Re: I wonder by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-18 03:44 · Score: 0
  
  You didn't try to leave a review and just assumed that it would work? How stupid are you?
  In order to post reviews on Google Play you must have a Google+ account and you must have the app installed.
42. Re:I wonder by macs4all · 2015-09-18 04:59 · Score: 1
  
  Yea, because IOS users would never troll Andriod users, it is always the other way around.
  Actually, by and large, most iOS users don't even acknowledge Android users. But the other way around...?
43. Re:I wonder by macs4all · 2015-09-18 05:22 · Score: 1
  
  Because it's my FUCKING computing device that I paid my FUCKING hard-earned cash for and I don't buy a computing device just so I can be FUCKING locked out of it.
  By your definition, assuming you own them, your Microwave oven is a computer; your DVR is a computer, your set-top box is a computer, your TV is likely a computer, your A/V receiver is likely a computer, your dishwasher is a computer, your washing machine and dryer may be a computer, your car has a computer, your car's stereo is a computer, your personal music player is a computer, your blood pressure monitor is a computer, your blood glucose monitor is a computer, your computer monitor is a computer, et FUCKING cetera!
  
  So, why aren't you all butthurt and posting all over the internet that you will never buy a Panasonic Microwave because you are locked-out of "rooting" it?
  
  It's just that some people's attitudes are actually BEHIND the times: Just because a thing is an embedded system, doesn't mean that it automatically is transformed into a GENERAL-PURPOSE computing device, FFS! And just because it has SOME attributes in common WITH General-Purpose computing devices does NOT mean it has to go all the way. For example, if I purchase a high-end audio mixing console, and it allows the installation of software "plug-ins" for audio-processing, does that mean you have to be able to install Linux on it and expect it to run ERP software, or the manufacturer is "locking you out"?
  
  Grow up! Get into the 21st century. "Computers" are EVERYWHERE; but they don't ALL have to be the same, just because they might share SOME (or even most) of the features of a General Purpose Computing Device.
44. Re:I wonder by macs4all · 2015-09-18 05:58 · Score: 1
  
  I tried to take a picture of a document, then convert to PDF and upload to a website on an i device. I need to do this for the CRM system my company uses. They explicitly require PDF format.
  
  Please tell me how to do this without pre-loading the PDF. I want to do this exclusively with just one device / phone / computer.
  You're a TROLL, and/or a MORON.
  
  A quick look at the iOS App Store (ya know, the one loaded on EVERY "iDevice") turned up a metric ton (I stopped counting at FIFTY) of Apps, some even FREE, to do EXACTLY that thing.
  
  Point 2: If you're on a metered connection or a bad connection (say, in another country), and you just want to quickly download a file where you don't have a handler, how can I download it NOW (say, it's a limited time offer) without downloading another 50MB+ handler?
  You haven't given enough information; but I would suggest one of the MANY ftp clients, or use something like GoodReader, which not only can down/up load from USB, peer-peer WiFI (from within the App!), and from/to FTP/SFTP, WebDAV, HTTP, AFP, SMB, DropBox, SkyDrive, GoogleDrive, SugarSync, POP/IMAP Servers. Plus, it has intrinsic "Viewers" for MANY file types, including, but not limited to, PDF and all "MS Office" types, media files, plus you can Open any downloaded files in any App that can handle that file type. It can handle ZIP and RAR archives, and maybe even others. Heck, it will even let you encrypt and decrypt files. And I think the newer versions can even do some cool stuff like PDF Annotations. Pretty cool for 5 dollars US.
  
  ] So, what was your objection again?
45. Re: I wonder by Karlt1 · 2015-09-18 09:32 · Score: 1
  
  All of those services let you keep a copy of the file on your device and in the cloud (ughhh I hate I just said that). How do you "interact" with a file if you don't have anything that can read it? All you can do with it is send it somewhere else and store it. You can do both with iOS without a viewer for the file? You don't have to have an Internet connection to use a file in DropBox if it's on your device. I can open a word file that's in DropBox with Word on the iPhone without an Internet connection.
46. Re: I wonder by Zeroko · 2015-09-18 10:38 · Score: 1
  
  Suppose someone wants to take some blob of data from one location to another without having to upload & later download it (say, the connection at one or both ends is significantly slower than the flash storage on their phone, or the data is sensitive (but no so sensitive that it warrants a dedicated storage device...perhaps this case is rather unlikely)). They are not going to use it on the phone, so no need for a viewer, but they still want a way to transfer it (without having to find & keep track of a memory card, since they are already carrying their phone).
  Well, I suppose one answer is to convince the device it is some supported file type & then fix that at the other end. But that seems silly.
47. Re: I wonder by Karlt1 · 2015-09-18 13:12 · Score: 1
  
  You don't have to "convince" the device of anything. If you just want to store a file and transfer it, iOS doesn't need to know what kind of file it is. But really how often are you really without Internet access where you need to transfer a file to someone else? If I need a file on my device to use without Internet access, I would load it into one of the shared folder solutions (iCloud Drive, Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.) and make sure it's on my phone.
  If I just had to get the file off of of my phone to a computer with a wired connection. I would have to install iTunes or a third party file browser.
48. Re:I wonder by Zontar+The+Mindless · 2015-09-18 13:23 · Score: 1
  
  My microwave is not a general-purpose computing device and doesn't contain things like my address book, call records, email, browsing history, location, etc.
  My phone certainly is and does.
  
  --
  Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
49. Re:I wonder by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-18 13:42 · Score: 0
  
  I think you are absolutely right... Android users would never ever wish to switch to the Apple's iOS.... i am using Android since last 5 years and is happy with it.. I even tried Windows Phone but felt like i wasted money in just 1 month.. and about Apple they don't offer much for such huge price... So, i personally would not prefer to go with them....
50. Re:I wonder by RockDoctor · 2015-09-18 21:33 · Score: 1
  
  Did anyone really consider this a barrier to changing their phone OS?
  The Marketing Department of Apple ^H^H^H^H^H^H the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation (a " bunch of mindless jerks who'll be the first against the wall when the revolution comes.")
  Actually, since DNA was well known as an Apple Fan-boy (and wasn't afraid to parody himself over it), it's moderately amusing to watch Apple's slavish following of the Sirius Cybernetics model from the outside.
  
  --
  Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"
Apple should charge for it by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 06:03 · Score: 1

then only people that actually want to change platforms would download it.
Would get rid of all the negative review from people that don't have or want Apple products.
I have a feeling that by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 06:03 · Score: 1

If someone made an app to make it easy to move stuff from IOS back to Android, Apple would ban it from being released onto IOS and the only way you could get it would be with a Jailbreak.
So, as many apply fanboys wish to bash the reviews on this, it is still better for them than what would happen if it had been the reverse.
Personally, I have used both and I prefer the freedom of Android and would only go the IOS route again if I needed to and would require a jailbreak before I would even bother.
1. Re:I have a feeling that by knightghost · 2015-09-17 06:29 · Score: 1, Flamebait
  
  Apple is about toys and status. Android is about work. Most people avoid work.
2. Re:I have a feeling that by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 06:50 · Score: 1
  
  I disagree completely. I have been using Apple phones for quite some time and for me, they "just work".
  I don't have to worry about vendor installed apps and intrusive branding, I just get a device that works and thats that.
  I dont buy the phone because of status, I buy it because in my opinion its the best designed piece of equipment I can get to do the job i need it to do.
3. Re:I have a feeling that by Coren22 · 2015-09-17 07:03 · Score: 0
  
  So how much work are you able to do on the phone? Did you apply to McDonalds on your iPhone?
  knightghost was typing about how Android does actual work related things, Apple devices are toys to play on. Who cares of the device works or not, can you do work on it? Can you edit a Powerpoint presentation and forward it on to your boss's laptop for him to use at the next sales meeting?
  
  --
  APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
4. Re:I have a feeling that by Guy+Smiley · 2015-09-17 08:27 · Score: 2
  
  Who cares of the device works or not, can you do work on it? Can you edit a Powerpoint presentation and forward it on to your boss's laptop for him to use at the next sales meeting?
  Yes, you _can_ edit a Powerpoint presentation on your iPhone/iPad. All of the Microsoft Office apps are available for iOS for free:
  https://itunes.apple.com/us/de...
5. Re:I have a feeling that by BronsCon · 2015-09-17 08:45 · Score: 1
  
  I don't have to worry about vendor installed apps and intrusive branding, I just get a device that works and thats that.
  Like a Nexus device?
  
  --
  APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
6. Re:I have a feeling that by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 08:48 · Score: 1
  
  So how much work are you able to do on the phone? Did you apply to McDonalds on your iPhone?
  No, but I've easily VPN'ed into my work network, connected to our host provisioning system, spun up 7 new virtual machines and provisioned them, then logged into each to validate they're properly working, tweaking settings as needed over a terminal system, then emailed my coworkers a status report saying "I'm walking around downtown with my girl right now, so my connection is spotty, but ping me if you need my help with anything else."
  Oh, and then I updated an excel spreadsheet with the relevant server info, sent it to my team to keep them in the loop, and followed up with a skype call to a client to make sure he was happy with the scale-out work.
  Yep, can't do "real work" on an iPhone or an iPad at all. You're clearly right.
  
  Can you edit a Powerpoint presentation and forward it on to your boss's laptop for him to use at the next sales meeting?
  Yes, actually, I can. But if that's what you call "work," then maybe you should go back to school.
7. Re:I have a feeling that by slaker · 2015-09-17 09:11 · Score: 1
  
  To be fair, you also weren't using any special capabilities of your fruit to do that, either. It was a dumb terminal from the moment the VPN connection was negotiated. I can exactly the same tasks you just described on anything with a reasonably high resolution screen and a functional 3G or 802.11 connection, even a Palm or WinCE device.
  Where does the "just works" part come in?
  
  --
  -- I wanna decide who lives and who dies - Crow T. Robot, MST3K
8. Re: I have a feeling that by IANAAC · 2015-09-17 10:04 · Score: 1
  
  I have an honest question that you, as an iOS user maybe can answer: Is there a decent database app available? Something similar to Memento for android? I use that app heavily and would have a hard time finding a replacement for it, even on android. Some of my friends that use iOS have liked what they've seen in the app and would like to use something like it, but I have no idea what to recommend.
9. Re:I have a feeling that by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 10:09 · Score: 0
  
  so what part of itunes does work now?
10. Re:I have a feeling that by LynnwoodRooster · 2015-09-17 12:21 · Score: 1
  
  No, he means the iPhone with the pre-installed iMessage, iTunes, and other vendor-installed apps. And the big Apple logo branding on it. That device that's free of vendor-installed apps and intrusive branding.
  
  --
  Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
11. Re:I have a feeling that by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 18:30 · Score: 0
  
  So how's the Stocks by YAHOO! treating you? I've tried to remove it because I never use it for my work, but it's a built in app and I can't disable it.
  No, you buy it because you're blind to your devices faults.
12. Re:I have a feeling that by BronsCon · 2015-09-18 03:49 · Score: 1
  
  I see you've brought your sense of humor with you today.
  
  --
  APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
13. Re:I have a feeling that by macs4all · 2015-09-18 07:23 · Score: 1
  
  Can you edit a Powerpoint presentation and forward it on to your boss's laptop for him to use at the next sales meeting?
  Yes. I counted about NINETEEN Apps (some even FREE), including, shock, Microsoft PowerPoint that purport to do EXACTLY that.
  
  But you should really clue your boss in to Keynote. It obliterates that toy, PowerPoint.
  
  Next?
14. Re: I have a feeling that by macs4all · 2015-09-18 07:42 · Score: 1
  
  I have an honest question that you, as an iOS user maybe can answer: Is there a decent database app available? Something similar to Memento for android? I use that app heavily and would have a hard time finding a replacement for it, even on android. Some of my friends that use iOS have liked what they've seen in the app and would like to use something like it, but I have no idea what to recommend.
  Besides a plethora of specialized databases, I saw no less that a dozen standalone databases (some even FREE. Tap Forms LITE looks pretty cool) some fairly simple, others pretty full-featured, plus mobile clients for MS SQL, Access, Oracle, Sybase and others, a complete SQL Database manager, and more.
  
  Just search for "Database" in the iOS App Store.
slashdot beta got 1 star reviews, too by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 06:04 · Score: 0

and now dice is trying to dump slashdot. Apple should take a page from dice's playbook and get rid of iOS.
How come Google approved this app by Spy+Handler · 2015-09-17 06:06 · Score: 5, Funny

but Apple rejected the "Ditch Apple and switch to Android" app in iTunes?
1. Re:How come Google approved this app by thaylin · 2015-09-17 06:18 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  Google does not reject aps. They may ban them if they are discovered to have maleware, but if you get the developer license then you can post your apps.
  
  --
  When you cant win, ad hominem.
2. Re:How come Google approved this app by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 06:26 · Score: 0
  
  Consider this your whoosh moment.
3. Re:How come Google approved this app by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 06:33 · Score: 0
  
  Evidence? Do you even work for Goople?
4. Re:How come Google approved this app by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 06:43 · Score: 2, Interesting
  
  Didn't Google ban ad blockers from the Play Store?
5. Re:How come Google approved this app by cdrudge · 2015-09-17 06:52 · Score: 2
  
  They were deemed malicious to Google's bottom line.
6. Re:How come Google approved this app by amicusNYCL · 2015-09-17 06:55 · Score: 1
  
  Check section 3.1 of the Apple app store review guidelines:
  
  Apps or metadata that mentions the name of any other mobile platform will be rejected
  So maybe you could publish an app that transfers your data from iOS to Android, you just can't use the word "Android".
  What's the reason why Apple would simply ban apps that mention Android in the title? What's the point? Anyone have a good answer for that?
  
  --
  "Our two-party system is like a bowl of shit looking at itself in a mirror." - Lewis Black
7. Re:How come Google approved this app by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 07:37 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  Speaking as someone who has apps rejected, Google does indeed reject apps. In fact, if you get 3 policy strikes you lose you developer account and they close any associate Google accounts (GMail, AdMob, AdSense) and you are dead to the world.
8. Re:How come Google approved this app by njnnja · 2015-09-17 08:01 · Score: 1
  
  I don't work for Apple but my guess is that it would be attractive for a scammy app to give itself a name like "Android mail" or something that could fool unsophisticated users into downloading it, just because their friend has mail on their android phone. So it is much more likely that a label like "android" will be abused so it is easier to just make developers of legitimate apps use a different name.
9. Re:How come Google approved this app by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 08:11 · Score: 0
  
  Obviously any mention of another mobile platform may help lure customers away from the Apple ecosphere, but it also complicates matters. It's in Apple's interest to keep things simple, too, not just profitable and growing. (Furthermore, if some information about another platform was incorrect, why should Apple share even an inkling of responsibility for that?) Tangentially, if you've ever visited the Apple Campus (Cupertino), contrary to what one might expect, it's a liberating and empowering feeling that everyone there is "on the same page". Yes, platforms like Android and Windows are more open, but relatively speaking, they're also a mess. (And I was more than happy to dump Windows when Apple moved to Intel.)
10. Re:How come Google approved this app by phayes · 2015-09-17 10:04 · Score: 1
  
  and now that iOS9 makes it possible to ad ad blockers to safari, they are rising to the top of the app store sales in days.
  
  --
  Democracy is a sheep and two wolves deciding what to have for lunch. Freedom is a well armed sheep contesting the issue
11. Re:How come Google approved this app by amicusNYCL · 2015-09-17 10:19 · Score: 1
  
  Seriously? You seriously think that's the reason why Apple flat-out rejects apps with names that include Android? So Apple's way to help get rid of "scammy" apps is to restrict the naming conventions? Not by actually curating the apps and determining whether or not they are "scammy", but by restricting the words that people can use in the app names. That's the explanation you're going with. Why did they single out only other mobile platforms as banned names?
  
  I don't work for Apple
  With that explanation, you could have fooled me.
  
  --
  "Our two-party system is like a bowl of shit looking at itself in a mirror." - Lewis Black
12. Re:How come Google approved this app by freeze128 · 2015-09-17 10:37 · Score: 1
  
  What do they do if the apps have femaleware in them?
13. Re:How come Google approved this app by mjwx · 2015-09-17 12:44 · Score: 1
  
  Google does not reject aps. They may ban them if they are discovered to have maleware, but if you get the developer license then you can post your apps.
  Not strictly true,
  
  They reject applications that are illegal or harmful. But Google do not reject applications out of whimsy, blind ideology or because they're afraid they'll be better than the stock apps.
  
  Beyond this being rejected from Google Play isn't the end for an application. This is a bit of a double edged sword, but it's still the reason I like Android and the way Android does things, the benefits outweigh the flaws and it gives me, the owner of the device, the power to choose how I want to use it.
  
  --
  Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
14. Re:How come Google approved this app by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 13:20 · Score: 0
  
  Depends if its hot or not.
15. Re:How come Google approved this app by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-18 01:32 · Score: 0
  
  Scrap all the AI and robotics programs and start piling weapons because that's the sign of Skynet rising.
16. Re:How come Google approved this app by macs4all · 2015-09-18 08:24 · Score: 1
  
  Check section 3.1 of the Apple app store review guidelines:
  
  Apps or metadata that mentions the name of any other mobile platform will be rejected
  So maybe you could publish an app that transfers your data from iOS to Android, you just can't use the word "Android".
  What's the reason why Apple would simply ban apps that mention Android in the title? What's the point? Anyone have a good answer for that?
  FIrst, is there any evidence that they would, or have; or is it just Apple Hate?
17. Re:How come Google approved this app by amicusNYCL · 2015-09-18 09:28 · Score: 1
  
  Any evidence that they would reject apps with "Android" in the title? I think there's some evidence, let me try to find the app store review guidelines somewhere and I'll get back to you with some rule about how they will reject apps that mention the name of any other mobile platform, if such a rule exists.
  
  --
  "Our two-party system is like a bowl of shit looking at itself in a mirror." - Lewis Black
Is there a MOVE at the App Store? by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 06:13 · Score: 0

To move from Apple to Android? Would it? Could it?
1. Re:Is there a MOVE at the App Store? by macs4all · 2015-09-18 08:55 · Score: 1
  
  To move from Apple to Android? Would it? Could it?
  One half second of search in the iOS App Store turned up the App "My Contacts Backup Tool" (FREE!), that purports to transfer at least your Contacts OUT of iOS into a .vcf file, to import wherever. There are others, too, some with useful stuff like Excel Support.
  
  However, all I see are "Contacts" exporting Apps. But it seems like iOS native Apps such as Mail and Photo already have some "Data Migration" features built-in, and every iOS App that has files has a "Share" button, so it seems like that covers it. because you can "share" (export) multiple data items (files) at once.
Biased results by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 06:14 · Score: 0, Interesting

If you actually look at the reviews, most of them aren't people who actually use the app and are clearly people just looking for reasons to flame off about Apple.
Re:Reddit by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 06:14 · Score: 2, Interesting

And for anyone that doesn't read the exact subreddits to which the story was posted? Or who don't follow reddit at all? Well, the fact that it was covered first at reddit is pretty moot then, isn't it?
How does it help you move? by jdavidb · 2015-09-17 06:20 · Score: 1

It would be nice if there were more of a specific description of what this app does. How does it help you move to iOS? I'm assuming it doesn't (couldn't) overwrite the existing operating system on your android device with iOS, so what does it do? Advertise?

--
Secession is the right of all sentient beings.
1. Re:How does it help you move? by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 06:27 · Score: 1
  
  Apparently it uses wifi to transfer things like contacts over to your new iOS device.
2. Re:How does it help you move? by nicholasjay · 2015-09-17 06:44 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  The app creates a secure wireless connection directly between your new iPhone and your old Android phone. It then moves over your contacts, pictures, and videos. Any app that's on the Android phone that's free in the App Store will get downloaded to the iPhone. Any app that requires a payment will be put in your Wish List in iTunes.
3. Re:How does it help you move? by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 06:58 · Score: 1
  
  OFFS! http://www.apple.com/iphone/sw... Heaven forbid you go look at an Apple web page and find out for yourself.
4. Re:How does it help you move? by Huge_UID · 2015-09-17 08:26 · Score: 1
  
  Your post is already +5, so "Thank You"
5. Re:How does it help you move? by RDW · 2015-09-17 08:51 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  It would be nice if there were more of a specific description of what this app does. How does it help you move to iOS?
  I can't tell you exactly what it does, but you might find my experience useful. After vaguely thinking that it might be interesting to get an iPhone for a change, I installed the app yesterday and ran it in the normal way. At first, nothing seemed to be happening, but then a faint rotating spiral appeared on the screen. As the beautifully designed pattern became gradually more intense, the phone began to play a strange pulsing harmony and the flash LED blinked softly in time to the music. At that point I began to feel strangely tired, and the next thing I knew it was half an hour later. I have no memory of what happened in that missing 30 minutes, but I see that a $949 transaction has been made on my credit card and a 128GB iPhone 6s Plus seems to be on pre-order from my brand new account at the Apple Store. I hope it comes quickly and my data has been transferred, as all my Android phone will now do is display random quotes in Helvetica like "Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower" and "Just avoid holding it in that way".
Move to Android by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 06:20 · Score: 0

Apple wouldn't allow the app in iTune if Google wrote an iOS app to do the opposite.
The only way this app would succeed by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 06:22 · Score: 0

is if it came with the extra $500 you need to buy an iPhone. Apple are so tied up in making money, they can't see the problem.
Play store review fail: reviews by non-owners by mveloso · 2015-09-17 06:24 · Score: 2, Interesting

Why can non-users review an app? That seems to be a play store fail.
1. Re:Play store review fail: reviews by non-owners by danbob999 · 2015-09-17 06:26 · Score: 2
  
  maybe they downloaded, rated 1-star, and then deleted it.
2. Re:Play store review fail: reviews by non-owners by Anomalyst · 2015-09-17 07:12 · Score: 1
  
  maybe they downloaded, rated 1-star, and then deleted it.
  a) skip step 1
  b) profit!
  
  --
  There is no right to feel safe thru security vaudeville at the expense of everyone's freedom, privacy and tax money.
3. Re:Play store review fail: reviews by non-owners by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 07:21 · Score: 0
  
  They can't. People actually hate the app so much they downloaded it just to leave the negative review. Hilarious !
4. Re:Play store review fail: reviews by non-owners by alvinrod · 2015-09-17 08:04 · Score: 2
  
  Then funny part is that even the people hating on it count as a download, which means Apple can claim that a huge number of people downloaded it within the first x days, which gives an impression that there was an even larger migration from Android to Apple.
5. Re:Play store review fail: reviews by non-owners by BronsCon · 2015-09-17 08:55 · Score: 2
  
  They can. Visit this page from your iPhone, sign in with your Google account, click "Write a Review".
  
  --
  APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
So many jokes.... by Mike+Van+Pelt · 2015-09-17 06:25 · Score: 1

Google does not reject aps. They may ban them if they are discovered to have maleware...
... But manfully deciding to post none of them.
Re:Same-day-dupe by halivar · 2015-09-17 06:25 · Score: 1

Not in the least. In fact, it gives me a bit of nostalgia for the old days, when you got to have every exact argument at least twice a week.
Why would Apple or switchers care about review? by perpenso · 2015-09-17 06:27 · Score: 1

Do you really think Apple or Android users looking to switch to iOS care about the reviews or ratings?
1. Re:Why would Apple or switchers care about review? by vux984 · 2015-09-17 06:47 · Score: 1
  
  Do you really think Apple or Android users looking to switch to iOS care about the reviews or ratings?
  Yes. If I thought it would move all my photos, contacts, videos, notes, whatever else...
  I'd probably consider a 5-star app, on the presumption that it's easy to use, efficient, and does what I'd expect it to do well.
  I wouldn't bother with a 1-star app, on the presumption that it would be a complete waste of time.
2. Re:Why would Apple or switchers care about review? by perpenso · 2015-09-17 09:42 · Score: 1
  
  Do you really think Apple or Android users looking to switch to iOS care about the reviews or ratings?
  Yes. If I thought it would move all my photos, contacts, videos, notes, whatever else... I'd probably consider a 5-star app, on the presumption that it's easy to use, efficient, and does what I'd expect it to do well. I wouldn't bother with a 1-star app, on the presumption that it would be a complete waste of time.
  I expect most Android users looking to switch to iOS would not make any such presumption regarding a 1-star review. This is an extremely "politically incorrect" app for an Android app store and obviously sets off the zealotry of platform fanboys. Reviews are surely going to be skewed as a result. Would be switchers would likely take that into consideration. The fact that it is an official Apple app and is important to Apple's Android to iOS switching efforts would probably far outweigh a bunch of likely bogus reviews.
3. Re:Why would Apple or switchers care about review? by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 09:57 · Score: 0
  
  I really want to see Google try to publish Move to Android in the Apple store
4. Re:Why would Apple or switchers care about review? by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 10:03 · Score: 0
  
  Or hey, I don't know... Don't be a huge Dick when you design your phones and fucking support a damn micro SD card.
  I just moved my mother from one droid to another, total time 10 minutes.
  Can someone call up apple and tell them it's not the 90s anymore?
  Or do they need another 200 billion before they give us some damn storage space options?
5. Re:Why would Apple or switchers care about review? by phayes · 2015-09-17 10:14 · Score: 1
  
  Yeah, you would ignore that the insincere 1 star reviews are from people who transparently want to bash apple & not people who wanted to migrate their contacts, pictures etc off android & to an iPhone. Better off keeping to Android than being accused of apostasy eh?
  
  --
  Democracy is a sheep and two wolves deciding what to have for lunch. Freedom is a well armed sheep contesting the issue
6. Re:Why would Apple or switchers care about review? by perpenso · 2015-09-17 12:52 · Score: 1
  
  I really want to see Google try to publish Move to Android in the Apple store
  You assume that Google could write such an app. Sandboxing would probably prevent direct access to the relevant data by a 3rd party app.
  
  My understanding is that the tools for such migrations actually work off of phone backup files on the computer.
7. Re:Why would Apple or switchers care about review? by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 21:57 · Score: 0
  
  Samsung just removed accessible batteries and micro-sd cards on their latest android device. Enjoy the future!
8. Re:Why would Apple or switchers care about review? by macs4all · 2015-09-18 07:10 · Score: 1
  
  I just moved my mother from one droid to another, total time 10 minutes.
  About the same time (maybe more) than it took to move from my previous iPhone to my new one.
Encrypts your media, adds DRM, and watermarks mp3s by raymorris · 2015-09-17 06:30 · Score: 5, Funny

I figure it prepares your data for use on an iOS device - encrypting videos you've shot and adding DRM, watermarks your mp3 with your email address/Apple ID, and converts any patent-free codecs like Ogg Theora to mov with an Apple-patented codec.
The cost of privacy and security by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 06:31 · Score: 0

Many of the 1-star reviews cite the high cost of iOS devices. But I happen to value my privacy and security, and iOS devices are not more expensive than Samsung flagship devices. Oh, sure, you can find deals here and there (like fire sales on Samsung devices that tanked in the marketplace) but they don't make a significant difference... and indicate Samsung is close to dropping support anyway.
Restrict the ability to review an app to only those users that have downloaded it.
1. Re:The cost of privacy and security by amicusNYCL · 2015-09-17 07:05 · Score: 1
  
  This just in: Android and Samsung are not the same thing.
  You can find your unlocked flagship Android phone here for less than $350:
  https://oneplus.net
  
  --
  "Our two-party system is like a bowl of shit looking at itself in a mirror." - Lewis Black
2. Re:The cost of privacy and security by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 07:49 · Score: 0
  
  Many of the 1-star reviews cite the high cost of iOS devices.
  Why can people who claim they'd never buy an Apple device to save their life review an app whose purpose it is to enable people to migrate to apple devices? I just went to the PlayStore website and found that it actually is possible for people who have never used an app, bought it or downloaded it, to review the app on the Play store. I don't really care whether you think that iOS is the best thing since sliced bread or the spawn of Lucifer, that's making life easy for anybody who wants to hire a bunch of Chines or Russian internet trolls to heap scorn on your app. You'd think the minimum requirement would be to at least buy/download the app. That is the requirement on iTunes and even Amazon distinguishes between reviews written by just anybody out there and people who actually bought the product on Amazon.
People like me by HideyoshiJP · 2015-09-17 06:40 · Score: 0

I wonder where people like me fall in the spectrum. I use all three major (or two major/one minor) platforms and generally don't care.
1. Re:People like me by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 06:48 · Score: 1
  
  I wonder where people like me fall in the spectrum. I use all three major (or two major/one minor) platforms and generally don't care.
  You fall in the sane human being category that would rather get work done than talk about what tools s/he prefers to do them.
2. Re:People like me by Coren22 · 2015-09-17 07:11 · Score: 1
  
  Emacs totally sucks, Vi is awesome! Only losers use Emacs.
  It is an argument as old as computers, likely Ugg argued with Ack about what size rock to use to crack a herbivore's skull.
  
  --
  APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
Are the reviews useful? by soft_guy · 2015-09-17 06:53 · Score: 4, Insightful

If I was planning to switch from Android to iOS, I would consider using an app like this. The question is, do the app itself work well for the use case it is advertised for? Does it actually move your data over to iOS? What data does it specifically move? What does it not move?

I don't care what kind of computers other people use. I write MacOS X software for a living. I chose MacOS X as a user and as a developer for a variety of reasons, but I recognize those reasons may no longer be current. I haven't used Windows since Vista - and my use of Vista was doing development on a cross platform Windows/Mac/Linux app I wrote. I have written software for iOS (before it was even called iOS) and some iPhone apps I've written have been commercially quite successful. I thought about writing software for Android, but I haven't because my understanding is that Android users don't (in general) spend money on apps. I don't like "freemium" apps. I prefer to charge up front or else have it free. These days, I'm really more interested in MacOS X software and Linux software.

That said, I don't care what phone you like. I am very glad there are multiple viable phone platforms. I think iOS is cool. I don't like having to ship software through the App Store. That said, I've certainly sold more through the App Store than I ever sold through other channels like Kagi.

Anyway, I'm disappointed that the conversation here isn't focused on whether the reviews are useful. That's what I would care about.

--
Avoid Missing Ball for High Score
1. Re:Are the reviews useful? by Coren22 · 2015-09-17 07:13 · Score: 2
  
  The reviews aren't useful. The app was released today, the 5 star reviews are ad agencies and the 1 star reviews are people trolling Apple, likely Slashdot and Reddit users.
  
  --
  APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
2. Re:Are the reviews useful? by Skater · 2015-09-17 07:44 · Score: 1
  
  Personally, I'm glad there's competition - it keeps both of them getting better. I missed the "back" button on Android on my iPhone, but I see iOS 9 is will have that functionality, so good. (I guess there's actually 4 competitors - Windows phone and Blackberry - but iOS and Android are the leaders.)
3. Re:Are the reviews useful? by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 07:51 · Score: 0, Interesting
  
  This is the best argument I've seen yet to choose Android over Apple. As a developer, you say that you are making lots of money writing apps for iOS. That you don't like "freemium" apps and like to "charge up front" for your apps. And this is a prime reason to move to Android - the plethora of free apps - and quite useful and usable apps at that. And if I find the app useful, I choose how much money to give to you for it. You've confirmed for me that iOS is still the old model - purchase the software up front and hope it does it what you want it to in a way that is useful and easy. Android is far closer to open source - indeed many of my Android apps ARE open source. Bottom line is that if you believe that the closed ecosystem represented by iOS is superior, hey, it's your money. Me? I'll take the open frontier of the Android ecosystem every day and twice on Sunday.
  Disclosure: I've always hated Apple, from the moment they sued MS for "look and feel", when in reality Jobs ripped the entire GUI interface off from Xerox PARC in the first place.
4. Re:Are the reviews useful? by Nemyst · 2015-09-17 09:34 · Score: 1
  
  From what I can tell, the app seems to do as it says and helps you move your data to iOS. I think the biggest reason for the criticism is that such an app would have a snowball's chance in hell of being approved on iOS for moving the other way around.
5. Re:Are the reviews useful? by david_thornley · 2015-09-17 10:03 · Score: 2
  
  At the price I pay for iPhone apps, I can buy a lot of duds and still wind up with apps I really like at a low price. The permissions system makes a lot more sense on iOS, so I don't feel like I have to be cautious.
  FWIW, Jobs traded some Apple stock for the rights to the PARC GUI components, and went ahead and made a far better UI with the components. I've seen shots of the PARC interface and it's far inferior to the original MacOS GUI. So, Jobs didn't rip off anything from PARC, and didn't rip off the entire GUI but rather had Apple make its own.
  
  --
  "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
6. Re:Are the reviews useful? by macs4all · 2015-09-18 10:14 · Score: 1
  
  And this is a prime reason to move to Android - the plethora of free apps - and quite useful and usable apps at that.
  There are a plethoraplex of Free Apps of all types on the iOS App Store, too. I can't seem to find a statistic for either the Apple App Store or Google Play; but suffice it to say that I have NEVER searched for an App in the Apple App Store that didn't pull up many results, both Free and Paid. And even most of the Paid Apps are $5 or less; which is essentially "free" for most people that can afford ANY smartphone.
Sadly... by dav1dc · 2015-09-17 06:53 · Score: 2

Sadly, after reading the article - this appears to be an indication of the level of "iOS Hate[rs]" in the Andriod community, rather than a cogent assessment of the application's quality or ease of use.
I'm almost certain most of the 1-star reviews come from people who recently made the jump in the other direction, from iOS -> Android.
1. Re:Sadly... by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 18:22 · Score: 0
  
  Are you new to Slashdot? Are you unfamiliar with fanboy-ism? Of course it's partisans in the Android v. iOS fanboy war, the modern version of IBM v. Mac fanboys.
  Also, why would people jump the other direction, and then write a review with no relation to their experience?
2. Re:Sadly... by thegarbz · 2015-09-17 20:47 · Score: 2
  
  I'm almost certain most of the 1-star reviews come from people who recently made the jump in the other direction, from iOS -> Android.
  I wouldn't assume rabid fanbois for either platform are recent converts.
Haters ever gonna hate hate? by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 07:04 · Score: 0

Symbiosis is so misunderestimated.
Reviews are mostly bogus by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 07:11 · Score: 0

It's clear by reading the reviews that none of the 1-star reviewers have actually used the app, nor do they intend to. There is also no requirement that you have actually even downloaded the app to write a review either.
1. Re:Reviews are mostly bogus by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 07:24 · Score: 0
  
  True, but that does not imply that the reviews are bogus. They are just reflecting the disgust people feel at seeing such an app at the Google shop, all the more so bearing in mind that Apple makes it impossible to have a counterpart app in the Apple shop. Whether this particular Apple app for Android is shoddy or a brilliant piece of software development is utterly irrelevant.
2. Re:Reviews are mostly bogus by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 09:19 · Score: 0
  
  True, but that does not imply that the reviews are bogus. They are just reflecting the disgust people feel at seeing such an app at the Google shop, all the more so bearing in mind that Apple makes it impossible to have a counterpart app in the Apple shop. Whether this particular Apple app for Android is shoddy or a brilliant piece of software development is utterly irrelevant.
  Of course they're bogus. They are not reviewing the actual quality or function of the app, which is what a review should be. They are just spouting venom towards Apple with no regard to the actual functionality or usefulness of the application.
Re:Encrypts your media, adds DRM, and watermarks m by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 07:11 · Score: 0

I figure it prepares your data for use on an iOS device - encrypting videos you've shot and adding DRM, watermarks your mp3 with your email address/Apple ID, and converts any patent-free codecs like Ogg Theora to mov with an Apple-patented codec.
The app is claims to hook up two phones with wifi to transfer contact info from one format to another and then copy files like pictures and videos. Maybe it does just that, no more and no less.
If you start to think about it, then what would Apple gain from adding DRM and watermarks in the files? Apple's plan appears to be quite simple in this case. They want to sell more phones. To do that, they need to deliver something better than Android and if Android is DRM free, then iOS needs to be DRM free. If Android handles pictures without watermarks, then iOS needs to avoid watermarks. If they fail on something as basic as this, then people would start moving away from iOS.
I think this app can be trusted to do just as it claims to do. If Apple is up to something sinister, they would do it at OS level, not app level. The question if you can trust iOS to be nice to you is a completely different issue. Asking if you can trust iOS brings up the issue if you can trust Android. I refuse to make a statement on that as fanbois will surely do that for me and totally disregarding facts while doing so.
IT'S A PHONE! by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 07:22 · Score: 0

Seriously. Why all the effort into the hatred? The whole "us against them" mentality is so counterproductive and childish.
1. Re:IT'S A PHONE! by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 11:44 · Score: 0
  
  You must be new here. Slashdot wouldn't exist without fanboys. Most of the comments on any article are pro / con ranting. I find it entertaining most of the time, but it's extremely rare to get a useful comment anymore.
  iOS vs. Android
  Windows vs Mac
  Linux vs everything
  BSD vs death
  X vs wayland .. etc.
Good for Apple in every possible way... by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 07:28 · Score: 0

It's almost like they feel threatened or something...

But at least they are downloading the app in order to be able to review it - no doubt Apple will be able to talk all about how many times the "Move to iOS" app has been downloaded by Android users...
I am going to put up a poster in a nearby church! by EmperorOfCanada · 2015-09-17 07:41 · Score: 1

I am going into my nearby church later today and I am going to put up a poster for a different church of a very different sect that is just down the road. I wonder how that is going to go?
Keynote is $10 by tepples · 2015-09-17 07:57 · Score: 1

can you do work on [an iOS device]? Can you edit a Powerpoint presentation and forward it on to your boss's laptop for him to use at the next sales meeting?
Keynote is $10 on the App Store. Is that close enough?
1. Re:Keynote is $10 by BronsCon · 2015-09-17 08:47 · Score: 0
  
  Keynote is $10 on the App Store. Is that close enough?
  Can Keynote on iOS edit PowerPoint presentations? There's your answer.
  
  --
  APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
2. Re:Keynote is $10 by laird · 2015-09-17 09:58 · Score: 1
  
  PowerPoint does a fine job of editing PowerPoint. MS supports iOS with surprisingly good versions of PowerPoint, Word, Excel, OneDrive, Outlook, etc.
  Assuming that "doing work" involves writing and sharing MS Office documents, then iOS is great at "doing work".
  
  --
  Enable 3D printed prosthetics!
3. Re:Keynote is $10 by BronsCon · 2015-09-17 10:22 · Score: 1
  
  I know this quite well, as I use the MS Office suite of applications on my iPad. But, the question that was asked was, with context, "Keynote is $10 on the App Store. Is that close enough?" If Keynote can edit PowerPoint presentations, the answer to that question is "yes"; if not, it is "no".
  
  --
  APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
Must be why Apple is near bankruptcy. by Brannon · 2015-09-17 07:57 · Score: 1

Finally that mystery is solved.
Absurd nonsense. by Brannon · 2015-09-17 07:59 · Score: 1

Lots of people use Apple devices for work.
Laugh by koan · 2015-09-17 07:59 · Score: 1

"The app can be used to move contacts, messages, photos and more to a new iPhone or iPad,"
Probably uploads it to the "cloud" too.

--
"If any question why we died, Tell them because our fathers lied."
How many of those reviewers actually tried the app by mark-t · 2015-09-17 08:08 · Score: 1

I mean, if the point of it is to move your content from an android phone to an ios phone, then that would require that you actually *have* an ios phone to move the content to.... and most of the reviews that I saw looked like they were from people that wouldn't touch an iphone with the metaphorical 10 foot pole, so I suspect they didn't actually try the app out, but are simply utilizing the review process to diss Apple.
Not that I'm suggesting that Apple isn't necessarily deserving of dissing, but if that were genuinely the case, then certainly one should be able to do so on legitimate grounds rather than representing oneself as having tried an app that they very obviously would not have ever actually wanted to bother with.

--
File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
Break Up Apple by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 08:18 · Score: 0

Apple should be broken into two or three companies. One should be iTunes. The other can be the hardware company. The third can be the software company.
Re:Reddit by BronsCon · 2015-09-17 08:44 · Score: 1

pretty moot
You're thinking of 4chan.

--
APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
Moral of the story by mrun4982 · 2015-09-17 09:37 · Score: 1

79% of the reviewers are simply Apple haters and didn't use the app (and probably never used an iPhone either for that matter).
Re:I am going to put up a poster in a nearby churc by david_thornley · 2015-09-17 10:04 · Score: 1

I don't know. Back when I was in Sunday School at a Congregationist church, they spent a year showing us all sorts of different Christian denominations.

--
"When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
Re:Same-day-dupe by Zontar+The+Mindless · 2015-09-17 10:21 · Score: 1

In the old days, we got to have the exact same argument at least twice a day.

--
Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
we know iOS does these things. Not secret by raymorris · 2015-09-17 10:29 · Score: 1

> Android is DRM free, then iOS needs to be DRM free.
We know iOS is not at all DRM free. No amount of logic about why they shouldn't use DRM will matters. It's no secret that Apple media is restricted.
> If Android handles pictures without watermarks, then iOS needs to avoid watermarks.
Again, iOS does in fact watermark your files. They may "need" to change that, but they haven't.
iOS markets to a different niche than Android, so they don't need to be "better" in terms of freedom, etc. For their market, they need quality physical construction, high quality displays, and ease of use for the most common tasks.
1. Re:we know iOS does these things. Not secret by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 10:54 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  What is really messed up is that I tried emailing my sister a link an mp3 on the web so she could download it to her iPhone.
  It is impossible. You have to download it to a pc/mac using itunes, and then sync it.
  Android... Save As..
  iPhone... no luck
2. Re:we know iOS does these things. Not secret by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-17 18:59 · Score: 0
  
  Please point to any evidence whatsoever that iOS 'watermarks' your files. You can't, because it doesn't.
3. Re:we know iOS does these things. Not secret by macs4all · 2015-09-18 08:58 · Score: 1
  
  What is really messed up is that I tried emailing my sister a link an mp3 on the web so she could download it to her iPhone.
  It is impossible. You have to download it to a pc/mac using itunes, and then sync it.
  Android... Save As..
  iPhone... no luck
  What are you smoking?
ps -that's the joke by raymorris · 2015-09-17 10:35 · Score: 1

> If Apple is up to something sinister, they would do it at OS level, not app level.
That's the joke. That's why my post is mod 5 funny. The OS DOES do that. So "preparing your files for iOS" would mean watermarking them, adding DRM, and using patented codecs - BECAUSE those are the types of files iOS uses.
Heads Up Apple! by LifesABeach · 2015-09-17 11:17 · Score: 1

You want to impress us with your collection of H1B slaves? Have them write an OpenGL app in iOS, and Android; then have them compare the respective sources. Then submit the results, and sources to SlashDot. Or was the Joker right about your reproductive systems?
Maleware? by antdude · 2015-09-17 20:57 · Score: 1

What is that?

--
Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
Today i eat kekeroni. by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-18 01:24 · Score: 0

Quite a stupid move from Apple.
If Android users wanted to use Apple products, they would move back to living with mommy and daddy to leech their money.
let me Google that for you by raymorris · 2015-09-18 01:28 · Score: 1

http://www.cnet.com/uk/news/it...
Re:Reddit by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-18 02:14 · Score: 0

Usually, those who cover something first cover it the worst.
So you are basically saying Reddit is GAWKER. Sure, i agree with you.
Partisanship and Ideology by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-18 16:35 · Score: 0

Knee-jerk partisanship and ideology, not actual reviews of features for the most part.
I have just one question: where is the Android migration tool on the iTunes Store? Is there one? If not these folks are just idiots (and lazy).
I'm just as enthusiastic as about iOS and they seem to be about Android but I have no problem with anyone moving to Android and trying it or even staying with it. The world is big for that. But these clowns get all defensive and offended. Why is that? What are they afraid of? Let people migrate for gosh sakes!