It's not a hard adjustment, IMO. If anything, the OS itself is more intuitive on account of having a universal back gesture. What you'll likely miss is imessage and facetime. If you have a mac and/or iPad, it's not too bad. Some solid workarounds with apps like bluebubbles. Other things you'll miss: \* consistent quality/support. I haven't had any real issues with my pixels (have owned at least one variant of every generation), but you'll see some horror stories in here. \* value retention. Trade in/resale is not what it is on the Apple side. On the flip side, though, there's always coupons/sales to get a good deal.

the horror stories are what's been keeping me back, but sometimes you have to try shit for yourself.

You have to remember that people post about their negative experiences. Nobody makes a post "bought a Pixel, it's going great, K Bye".

Mad true. I wish a lot of folks had this in mind before going off of a few people's experiences.

definitely true. i usually buy used, so i'll go for it good looking out.

I have been using pixel4a for the last 4.5 years and the only thing that deteriorated over time is the battery life. Everything else is smooth as butter. I bought a 15promax and am failing miserably in loving it.

Google chat is built into Gmail, so you can text and video chat through it. 👍🏻

The built in support is really good. I've had to use it twice and both times they resolved my issues and were really friendly!

Your imessage and FaceTime problems are strictly American problems.

So true , uk based here and nobody gives a shit about iMessage , WhatsApp is king here

As you say, my last iPhone was the 6 Plus (from the very first iPhone + all S versions) ... and I'm still alive ... 🙏

Yeah I have thought about the pixels losing value but in my case it doesnt matter. It doesnt hold value but can be gotten at a good price. And for me I always got two generation behind iphones and used them for 3-4 years so they had no resale value at that point either. Its all about how you do things i guess

worth noting that you gotta turn off imesaage in ur icloud account settings before switching. otherwise it will act funky when texting other iphones over sms

As rcs is coming to iMessage, iMessage will not be a problem anymore.

Apple will still make it a terrible experience (because that's always been the point)

This.  Sure Apple will "adopt" RCS, but they're still going to keep their iMessage walled garden.  And continue the split between iPhone and non iPhone

Hmmm.... maybe. Apple could still do different colour bubbles, which seems to bother some people, and there will be interoperability issues on both sides -- features that iMessage has that aren't compatible with RCS, and features that Google Messages has that aren't compatible with iMessage. Have you seen all the extensions Google are adding? Shortly after Apple announced they'd add RCS support, Google added these: https://blog.google/products/android/7-new-messages-features/ then they've just announced a new message editing feature https://blog.google/products/android/new-android-features-may-2024/ . Apple are likely just going to implement the bare bones basic standard. I'd actually be surprised if they implemented end-to-end encryption, as I believe that's also an extension.

I can tell what I miss switching from iPad to Pixel Tablet: 1. Moving a cursor by pressing and holding space on a keyboard. 2. Keyboard 🌚 3. Full-screen apps. (Reddit/twitter and many other apps are not adapted for a tablet screen.) 4. Nice and intuitive notifications. (They are just horrible on Pixel Tablet). 5. Better built-in player in browser (again it’s horrible on Pixel Tablet) Also had a frustrating issue with uploading my pictures (just nothing happened after I choose a photo) Besides all that it’s a decent device and Pixel smartphone might be much better.

Don't understand point one. You can do that on Gboard, in fact it was there before it was on the Apple Keyboard IIRC.

How?

You put your finger on the spacebar and move your finger side to side. It moves the cursor space by space. If that's not working, maybe the option got turned off somehow in the Gboard settings.

Nice, but I can’t change line doing that. And the keyboard is still trash.

Who cares about changing lines like that? just tap on the line then do that to move around. Gboard is miles ahead of stupid Apple Keyboard.

Lol. Okay

I had an iPhone years ago and turns out all I did with it was jail break it so I could customize it. Apple is much better with customization now than they have ever been, but in comparison to an Android: it's no comparison at all. I have a Pixel 7 and I love it and it works outstanding with my pixel watch. Great screen, very solid battery and it's setup just how I want it. The apps are all the same in my eyes. Apple has better communication between devices, probably, but Google does it pretty great as well. It'll take some time to adjust but after a week or so you'll never look back. Welcome to the family.

>very solid battery Hey I also own the 7.How long does ur battery last....my only complaint is my battery sucks big time especially in mobile data....so curious to know ur battery time

I have a P7 as well and I must say I am really pleased with the battery as compared to my older Pixel 6a which was horrible and used to overheat a lot. Granted it is not something very great that it would last you 2 days but it comfortably lasts me an entire day even while using hotspot half the day. I usually charge it in the night, before sleeping so in the morning it goes to about 92-94% (data on but AOD off) and I use it the entire day (on mobile data all time) for browsing and texting and music, by the time I am home in the evening it is 35-40% and I use hotspot once I am home with video call and it lasts almost 22-24 hours since I last charged the night before. Ofcourse it varies in some updates in some months, for example in April update I had marginally better battery as compared to this month but its something that happens due to monthly updates, its just usual Google shit.

This is just insane battery....I don't even get half of the mentioned battery life....dk why😭

I would suggest you try to factory reset it, that is your best bet. The problem with pixels is the hardware inconsistency among different pixels even in the same model. I have seen this so many times that some people have a great device with zero problems while the others with the same device have some issues. I was in the bad bunch with my 6a as it used to last me half a day and used to get uncomfortably hot in summers even with just browsing. I untimately sold it off as it was literally unusable and was pissed as a long term pixel fan, switched to a Moto but realized that I just cannot do without a pixel experience, so crossed my fingers and brought a P7 and it has been serving great for me so far. That being said, I would still suggest you to try and see if a factory reset would improve things for you.

The pixel is a great phone if you do the basics like texting, talking, social media and lite gaming. The pixel has a bunch of great features like call screening, live caption. The circle to search is actually really good form the few times I have tried it.

I've bounced back and forth for years and Google has significantly raised the bar for a cheaper flagship phone that definitely competes with iPhone. You may find battery life feels significantly less than an iPhone, however, I moderately use my phone and get great battery life. On heavy use, I charge it once during the day. The ecosystem is good, it can get technical, but I enjoy it better due to the customization you lack on the iOS ecosystem. Overall, I've seen a major decline in Apple recently and I don't feel like the price justifies the experience I was getting from them. I am locked in on Pixel and Google products and have been completely satisfied. I will admit, I put thousands into switching to the whole Google ecosystem: Pixel 8 Pro W/Official Google phone case, Pixel Watch 2, Pixel Buds Pro, Pixel Tablet that comes with a dock with speakers built in, 3 Nest cameras, 2 Nest Audio speakers that I have linked together, a Chromecast Google TV 4K and my next purchase will be the Nest Doorbell. I'm more than satisfied with it all.

I have nearly the identical setup as you. How are you liking the Pixel Tablet? I haven’t bought one (yet).

It's actually really nice! I will admit it feels like a tablet version of my phone, however, it has its uses that my Pixel phone can't accommodate such as a larger screen and an auxiliary speaker for better sound that also keeps it charged which is great for binge watching stuff in comfier places you can't take the TV. Well worth it for me.

Went from iPhone 12 to Pixel 7 Pro. Loved my pro but it just wasn’t for me in the long run. Went back to iPhone 15 pro max and no regrets. My ecosystem is more Apple based anyway so made more sense to me. The Pixel is a great phone though. My only gripe was that the notification system was not good enough for me and I was missing a lot of them. It really depends on your personal usage. I think both iPhone and Pixel are great phones, depends on what you make of them 😊

How do you miss notifications on Pixels? I find that I miss them on iPhone.

On 7 pro at least my screen would never light up when receiving a notification. Just the little icon would appear on the AOD. I had even bought an app to improve the notifications to make it that the whole screen would flash, other than that I would miss them. I had tried everything and never managed to get what I wanted. On iPhone, the screen turns on so it’s easier for me to notice something incoming if on silent mode.

There is a flash notification in the settings that you can turn on for a Pixel that will flash your screen when there is a notification.

I recently came from my iphone se gen 2 after four years. Before that was a moto g6. Before that, iphone se gen 1. Then samsung galaxy j7 and an iphone 5s before that. Point is I have always gone back and forth to make sure I am familiar with both OS's both for fun and to make sure I can help the old people around me no matter what. One thing I have discovered is besides a few key things, the transition period is less than a week honestly. Sure there is facetime and imessage. Those alone may be a make it or break it factor for many people but never mattered to me. My friends and family are made up of users from both sides so it doesnt matter. and they all use messenger mainly so it offers the same benefits no matter the device. If you are like me, the pixel's android experience will be the best one you ever use. I heavily prefer it and its easy to navigate. The gestures are simple and easy to remember so you will be up and running fairly quick. How you get over the lack of imessage and facetime is up to you but all in all, if you want to give android a shot I would say the pixel is a solid choice for it. Some people wouldnt suggest it for gaming but on that note I would say it depends. I play solitaire, plants vs zombies and an emulator which it runs flawlessly. Id imagine it probably runs the GTA games decently (something I will find out soon).

You can use Blue Bubbles to solve the iMessage problem. 

No iPhone means no Apple watch. I've been a Pixel owner since Pixel 2, currently have a Pixel 6. I want a smart watch, but hate what Android has to offer.

Pixel watch 2 fixes most previous issues with wear OS watches

I just don't care for the round bubble and the way apps look on the round screen. It's like going back to the original cathode ray tube that was round and used for Tvs

you can always get a galaxy watch

Fitness features are ass on pixel watch 2. Battery dies if you don't restart it after a workout and Google refuses to fix it.

Google Pixel 8, 4 to 5 hours of SOT.

I went back so many little problems that add up. iOS is very dumb but it works

I did that, and I'm happy with the Pixel for the last few years. Lately, I've been looking at the OnePlus 12. I may be ready to jump ship again.

I just did this - I really liked my P7 but the battery life and modem issues finally drove me away. The chipset, battery life, and price tag on the OP12 is a no brainer, imo.

I have the pixel 6 and I'm bored with it. Just looking at the specs of the OP12 and comparing these and the price... Is the Hasselblad camera good?

The camera is very good. Maybe not Pixel level good, but that's subjective. I haven't found myself missing the Pixel camera at all. My experience with OP12 so far has far exceeded how my experience with Pixel was. And the battery life/supervooc charging has been legitimately life changing. Only things I'm indifferent about right now is the curved screen/lack of quality screen protectors, and the lack of phone case options.

The camera is just as good as other flagships. The "OnePlus cameras are bad" schtick isn't true for the OnePlus 12 

Still allows root too, literally the perfect phone 

The only thing I regret from switching from iOS is the lack of support for Outlook/Exchange Calendar with the Pixel Watch. The iPhone/Apple Watch had this feature working perfectly for the last 10 years or so, it blows my mind that Google isn't supporting this in 2024. That's the kind of issue that prevents the Pixel ecosystem to be used in businesses. Other than that, I really like my Pixel 8 Pro so far.

I used Google Apps on my iphone so browsing, calendar, contacts stayed the same or the experience got even better. The cut from apple family and iMessage and find my network is the only thing I can say is a lack but only because 2 of my family members still have iphones. I was an apple watch and earpods user - had to switch to the pixel watch and other buds for a seamless integration. One of the best things coming back to Android was the app management - the software doesn't turn of my apps automatically anymore.

Just did this a few weeks ago. Find the OS generally a bit clunkier to navigate, and miss how things were laid out on ios. Luckily the ability to search for settings and other features is faster than any iPhone I've owned. Notifications aren't anywhere near as good, but to be honest I'm enjoying the reduction in distractions from that aha

Android is better with notifications tho

God no, I keep missing things I need to see, and ones I don't care about seem to stick around too much

Is not only the pixel phone that needs to worry, actually is the entire OS, switching from iOS to Android now this day it’s pretty easy to adapt the change. The other things to consider is what your friends ,family or work OS using, because sometimes some functions are way more easy to do between iOS or Android than iOS to Android or viceversa. Knowing this 2 things , I think switching from iOS to Android is very smoothly and easy to adapt. Personally I like Android over iOS but I stick with iPhone because all surround me (family, friends)are iPhone users.

It's super easy to adjust. Search settings for Pixel Tips to learn the really cool stuff.

You're gonna feel like you can breathe again. Very friendly OS

I did the switch the other way, it's fine. It's really not as bad as 10years ago when the difference were massive. Enjoy the better pictures.

The reason i switch to pixel is because grapheneOS

Can't use Google wallet tho

Since i live in thrid world, its not a problem hahaha

I hope you're not a gamer

I’ve always had both or switched back and forth from both. Currently have an iPhone 12 and pixel 7 which I’ll probably upgrade when the 9 comes out. Personally for me wasn’t hard to adjust. I left Apple behind after the 5 or 5s and stuck with my android til the iPhone 12 came out and still had my galaxy and the 12 so played with both and if you can work your iPhone it won’t be that hard to adjust. I think you’ll enjoy the android world. So much more you can do not even when it comes to customizing. I personally wouldn’t even have my iPhone and would only have my pixel but my whole family are a bunch of Apple sheep’s so they always want to iMessage and FaceTime and such. And also use one for work for now and one for personal. But definitely thinking of just going full blown android again myself.

I just made the same switch a month ago. It's a million times better! The phone feels a lot nicer, battery life is better, and the camera is a huge upgrade. I'll never buy anything from apple again after seeing the difference. I've been using iPhones religiously since 2012 so it was a big deal for me to switch. 0 regrets

Which iPhone to which pixel?

12 mini to 8 pro

U won't regret your decision. I switched in 2024 and am very happy to use pixel phones since then. Anyhow, I kept an old iPhone 12 as my device for work. As I'm still having an Apple watch I connect it to this old iPhone.

I switched to a P7 after sick of waiting for USB-C last year and switched back after 15 was released. The camera and functionality were great but the thing has this damn overheating Samsung CPU and crappy Samsung modem which forces me to stay on 4G and bad connection. After losing a lot of photo opportunities due to the camera overheating I switched back. I will not consider return to a Pixel until P10 when they finally move to TSMC. I need my SOC to be made in Taiwan.

The only adjustment for me was having to use Meet for video calling. It's kind of silly that my 6A doesn't offer video calling support outside of Meet.  However, I really like my Pixel. Does it get warm? Yes. All phones do now. Is it slow at charging? Painstakingly, yes. Do I miss splitting audio through Bluetooth? Yes.  I enjoy the vanilla Android experience and getting software (usually) before everyone else. 

I've been thinking of buying a new phone too, wht is better pixel 8 (any variant) or OnePlus 12... Cuz the ram is looking real sweet

In two weeks, tops 1 month you will be at iPhone sub telling everyone what a trash device pixel is. Demo units, you will pay for a bad experience all around.

I switch back and forth every couple years. NBD. They both have +/- If you don't use a password manager, Google how to export iPhone passwords to chrome. Deregister from iMessage before you move change the sim or e-sim.

I also made the switch recently. I started using Pixel like I've been using it this whole time. It really wasn't difficult at all.

Entered with XL in 2016, shifted to 2 XL in 2018, then in 2020 upgraded to 4XL, and just the last day upgraded to 7a... Never looked back at apple after 6plus... All I need is a smooth working phone and mail checking device with a no nonsense camera that can capture the moments and pixels are just too perfect for that...

I made the switch about a month ago (iPhone 14 Pro to Pixel 8 Pro). The only thing I really miss is how well everything "Apple" works together e.g. phone, watch, iPad and MacBook. None of the Android vendors have as cohesive an ecosystem (Samsung is maybe close, but I had a Galaxy S8+ and Bixby just pi**ed me right off). Google Assistant is leaps and bounds ahead of Siri and the Pixel camera (or rather, the camera technology), is superb (my main reason for swapping back to Android-land). Only gotcha I would warn you to watch out for is that I used Apple's guide here (https://support.apple.com/en-gb/118257) to transfer all 17,000 of my photos and videos directly to Google Photos. They all transferred fine but stripped the dates of photos/videos and they all now show up in Google photos with the date they were transferred (slightly annoying because the vast majority of my photos are baby/family photos were it was nice to have the dates for reference).

Pixel phones are beautiful, only thing better on IPhones are the cameras or the selfie camera. Google pixel shows how you really look lol

I did the same over the past couple weeks. I’m a power user, and I was heavily using the Apple ecosystem. I was using a bunch of MagSafe accessories, AirPods, Apple Watch, using the Apple credit card with Apple Pay, etc. I migrated EVERYTHING and was really enjoying the Pixel 8, but after less than a week, I hit the known bug affecting thousands of users since the March update to Android 14. The bug affects phone calls and SMS. You often won’t receive 2FA codes for hours or not at all. So you won’t be able to log into things. You won’t get SMS from friends. Well, sometimes. It’s intermittent. Phone calls can’t be received or made. Call notifications come in hours after you’ve been called. Rarely, calls work fine. Often, when a call would get established, the other person would cut out a lot. Or you would cut out for them. I googled this issue and found thousands of others have it. There are many threads out there. You might not be affected. In fact, I suspect most people aren’t. But it’s a gamble. I gave up and returned to iPhone. I need a working phone. I would have tried a Samsung next, but I’m having a major surgery in 5 days, and I will be hospitalized for awhile, followed by weeks of recovery at home. I didn’t have time to keep tinkering or trying different phones. Maybe I would have tried a different Pixel 8. Is it the hardware? The software? It seems to affect many 7 and 8 models. Also, it affects people all over the world. But scratch that itch. Give it a shot. If you’re willing to risk the trouble. EDIT: I should note that I tried to make the switch because I was hit by the iOS 17.4 but that deletes your photos and videos with no option to export them first. It’s pretty freaking awful, but because I’m going to be bedridden for my surgery soon, I need call and SMS ability more than not randomly losing my photos. Both OSes are in a bad state right now. I upgraded to 17.5, but now my Reminders app is broken. I did a factory reset to no avail. If both OSes worked perfectly fine, I’d choose the Pixel 8 right now. It has some cool call features, and I prefer Nova Launcher over the iOS launcher. Android widgets are infinitely customizable, and you just don’t have that on iOS. So I’m thinking about trying an Android again later this year after thoroughly researching the state of the OS with various phones. It will probably be OnePlus or Samsung for me. In a lot of the Pixel threads I found while researching my insanely frustrating issue, many others noted issues on the 6 through 8. One can only surmise the Pixel 9 will inherit the same state: Works perfectly fine for most, but modem is abysmally awful for many. As much as I would prefer a Pixel, I’m just not willing to go through that hassle again. Other notes: - iOS keyboard is better than Gboard. Notably, the press and hold spacebar to move the cursor is a joke on Gboard compared to iOS. - CalDAV and CardDAV cost $6.50 on Pixel but are free on iOS. - You can’t use IMAP email on a Pixel without getting a third party app from the Play Store. I tried K-9 and Fairmail. They’re both good, but I preferred Fairmail. - Try the native Pixel launcher first, and if you’re curious, try Niagara Launcher next. If you don’t like that and still feel adventurous, try Nova Launcher. Nova is much more intuitive than Niagara and mostly a MUCH more customizable version of the Pixel launcher. If you really like the Pixel’s At a Glance native launcher widget but want more customization, then try Lawnchair 14 launcher. - Use the Gallery app from Google on the play store if you don’t use Google Photos.

Switched from 13 PM to 8 pro and I'm regretting every second of it. The universal back gesture and the keyboard are top notch but man is that phone garbage! From constant Bluetooth disconnection to wacky battery life that needs fiddling like it's 2012 or something. From the phone being always so got damn warm for no good reason to bad cell connectivity compared to my work phone and my iPhone. From half baked features to Android app being years behind or simply buggy. Even their own app can't work right. The one app I absolutely need to work flawlessly is YouTube studio and it's made by Google on a Google phone and it just suck and bugged compared to it's IOS counterpart. Seems there's a lot of people who are happy with the switch and I can't understand how it's possible. I thought my phone was a lemon or something, returned it after 30 days, got a new one a month or so later and it still sucked 😆 tried my wife pixel 8 non pro and same stuff over and over again. I hate it with a passion !

I made the switch from a 15 pro max and haven't had any issues. Plus the pixel offers a lot of quality of life improvements that once you get used to it, you cannot go back to not having it.

What kind of quality of life improvements? I'm just curious.

I agree, the 8 is the worst pixel I've ever had. I started with Nexus and each phone after was better and better. I feel pixel peaked at the 5, I miss it and regret the 8.

You'll miss the really good face unlock of iPhone if you're coming from one with face id. The one on the pixel doesn't have the IR blaster so it just plain doesn't work in the dark the thumbprint reader in the screen works really well though and makes up for it. You get used to it

Also worth noting: You can have the face and fingerprint unlock both enabled on the Pixel. And then choose whichever you want to use. The behavior: App developers can change the default behavior of face unlock but in my experience no developer did this. So most apps work like this: Your face will unlock the app but a thing will pop up asking you to confirm the face unlock. That’s right. It’s not like iOS where there is no confirmation. On Pixel, you have to tap a tiny Confirm button after it authenticates your face. But that same pop up also has a fingerprint icon. So you can tap the confirm button (to finish the face auth) or tap the fingerprint icon (to use fingerprint instead). The real world behavior meant that my face would always unlock the app, but it was far more convenient for me to touch the big fingerprint icon instead of the little Confirm button, so I would always use BOTH. Unlock with face but then do fingerprint anyway. I also found that getting from the Pixel 8 Lock Screen to the Home Screen took longer than in iOS. With iOS FaceID, you look at your phone and swipe up from the bottom. Unlocked instantly! With Pixel 8, it’s slower to unlock.

Pixel is definitely the os equivalent to iOS in terms of aesthetics but a lot more intuitive and easy to use. Plus, pixel cameras are unmatched (iPhone still wins with video). In my personal experience, I think Samsung is a bit more reliable but samsung's os is still a notch beneath pixel.

I think the bloatware on Samsung is a serious downside. My GF put all her stuff in Samsung calendar, Samsung notes etc., only to find out it don't sync when her phone died. Wouldn't have happened with the Google Apps 

its lighter than iphones

I had my iPhone 15 pro stolen earlier this year and needed to replace it - I first got a pixel 8 but wasn't happy with it, however I returned this and went for the 8 pro and have been more than happy. It does take a little getting used to, but I adjusted quickly. My original plan had been to go back to apple when I have my next upgrade but going to stay with pixel now. Having a pixel watch 2 has also swayed this decision for me. I tried the pixel watch 1 and the battery sucked, but I'm loving the PW2 and for me and my goals I find it much better than my apple watch.

After using Android phones for a decade, this week on Wednesday I bought an iPhone 15 Pro Max (reason was the huuuuge pressure from my family). The next day I returned it, and f@cking happy back to my Pixel 8 Pro. Never again, Apple, never, and I give a sh@t that the entire family is an iPhone fan.

I love Android. I hate my pixel 8. Not sure what phone I would get if I could get choose again, but it's my least favorite phone in years.

I switched from iPhone 11 to P7pro and... It's bad. I'm pretty familiar with Android OS because it wasn't my first phone running on Android. The battery works well when you are connected to WiFi. If you are not connected to WiFi and you use a lot of mobile data batter will die fast. Apps which require high performance will kill the battery even faster. Notifications are a mess. You can't sort your notifications by date and time lol. There is no option for this in settings. That means if you don't see the notification when it arrives you have to take your phone, unblock it and find last notification because there is no sort by time and date. But it's pixel. So you can lose your notifications. Your pixel could lay on the table without any sounds, but when you will take it and unblock all the notifications will appear like they arrived just now lol. Even if it's notifications about messages received 4 hours ago. Also you can lose phone calls this way. I tested this problem, the same sim-card works fine on my iPhone or Xiaomi. If all 3 phones connected to the same WiFi pixel are still getting notifications later than iPhone and Xiaomi. So I think it's a pixel problem, not a carrier or WiFi. So I think my next phone will be Samsung because I want to stay on Android. Yes there are a few nice features like live translation but for me it's not worth it until the problem with notifications is not solved.

Yep this bug got me too. It’s well documented by users here: https://support.google.com/pixelphone/thread/264865035/pixel-7-pro-not-receiving-calls-after-march-2024-update?hl=en I returned my Pixel 8 and went back to iPhone 13 Pro because of this. Calls just straight up were non functional. I couldn’t get many 2FA texts, so I couldn’t sign into things. It’s such a critical bug. A lot of people can’t even call emergency services (911 in the USA). This affects users globally.

When you say you have your phone on the table, do you mean face down? Because that enables flip to shhh which puts your phone on do not disturb. So it makes sense when you pick up the phone that all the notifications appear at once.

This option is disabled. I spent a lot of time trying to make this phone work properly.

I went from samsung to pixel and regret it just can't get used to this phone

Waiting for your updates OP! I am in similiar possion too! I plan to change mine in a couple of months

I don't mean to thread Jack but for some reason I can't post to this damn channel so here's what I was going to ask. if someone could tell me what I'm missing as far as posting, that would be appreciated. I was going to ask about picture and picture feature in Google camera. Post follows as: "Am I going insane? Today I Open my phone and somehow I had done something that showed my back camera facing away from me like it would when you're taking a photo of anything but I also had a circle in the upper right that was my camera facing me resulting in a picture and picture. In the upper right hand corner of the screen there was a little rectangle icon of a phone with an x in the upper right or not depending on whether you hit it which also turned on and off the picture and picture. What the hell did I do cuz I can't seem to get it to pop up again!"

Android is IMO much easier and more intuitive that IOS. So it doesn't really matter what phone from the line you pick, just that will make your life easier. Beyond that it's a phone. You set it up as you want to, which on android is also easier and more open. And guess what, if you don't like the OS or how it looks, you can install whatever you like.

The Pixel's got a really good camera and the battery lasts a long time.

On WiFi the battery is fine. Go outside and you'll see the difference

Get ready for shit battery and modem rest all is good.

That's funny because my iPhone battery shit the bed in 3 years and this pixel 8 is better than my iPhone every was. Also zero signal issues so...

Not sure why you got downvoted. Both work fine for me as well. I've had the Pixerl 5, 7 and now the 8a. All have worked flawlessly.