Chime in: Is Android or iOS better for Microsoft purists?

iPhone X
iPhone X (Image credit: Al Sacco | Windows Central)

It's an important question for any Microsoft purist; should you get an iPhone or Android? If you're all in on the Microsoft ecosystem, you're going to want to choose a platform that gives you the most Microsoft software, services, and features as possible.

iOS is a great platform, but it's very locked down compared to Android. On iOS, Microsoft doesn't have the ability to sync notifications across devices or replace Safari with Edge as your default web browser. Though admittedly, some of the Microsoft-made apps are better on iOS.

I try to stay in the Microsoft world as much as possible, but Win10Mobile has become unreliable (Spotify hardly ever works, Bluetooth is touch and go). I'm not sure i'm going to switch just yet, BUT if i did, which one keeps me as close to Microsoft as possible? Or does it really make any difference?

James Auman

With Android, Microsoft has the freedom to change up and integrate itself with your smartphone. You can set Cortana as your default voice assistant, sync notifications, set apps like Outlook and Edge as your defaults and even use the Microsoft Launcher for complete synergy between your PC and phone. Plus, there's plenty of hardware to choose from.

What works best for you will depend on what you prefer. Do you like the synergy between your PC and phone? Go Android. If you prefer a better standalone experience, go iOS. The choice is more complicated than that, of course, and we've got an entire thread going on in our forums right now discussing this very topic. Let us know what you think!

For a Microsoft eco-system purist, which is better: iPhone or Android?

CATEGORIES
Zac Bowden
Senior Editor

Zac Bowden is a Senior Editor at Windows Central. Bringing you exclusive coverage into the world of Windows on PCs, tablets, phones, and more. Also an avid collector of rare Microsoft prototype devices! Keep in touch on Twitter and Threads

Latest in Software Apps
Artificial intelligence mobile apps for DeepSeek, ChatGPT and Google Gemini arranged.
Google says its latest reasoning model is its "most intelligent" — but Microsoft's CEO claims Google already fumbled its AI opportunity
ChatGPT and Microsoft Logo
ChatGPT’s new image-generation tool is impressive; it can finally create a glass of wine filled to the brim — but it struggles with blank white images and appears to discriminate against 'sexy women'
Microsoft Edge Sidebar
My favorite Microsoft Edge feature just got an AI upgrade — is this the best way to use Copilot on Windows 11?
Professor Sir Roger Penrose, physicist, mathematician and cosmologist
Nobel laureate claims "AI will not be conscious" and shouldn't be considered intelligent — Until it develops its own ideas
In this photo illustration OpenAI ChatGPT icon is displayed on a mobile phone screen in Ankara, Turkiye on August 13, 2024.
OpenAI says an excessive dependency on ChatGPT can lead to loneliness and a "loss of confidence" in decision-making
Microsoft 365 app on Windows 11 with shortcuts to create documents in Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and other Microsoft 365 applictions.
This Microsoft 365 feature will nudge users to save files to OneDrive
Latest in News
Screenshot of one of the new flat world presets in Minecraft.
Minecraft testing new flat world presets and a better way to locate your friends in-game
Cover art for Heroes of the Storm.
Xbox Game Pass will give you more benefits in free-to-play games like Heroes of the Storm
Surface Pro 11
Microsoft’s smaller Surface Pro appears in certification database ahead of rumored launch this spring
Artificial intelligence mobile apps for DeepSeek, ChatGPT and Google Gemini arranged.
Google says its latest reasoning model is its "most intelligent" — but Microsoft's CEO claims Google already fumbled its AI opportunity
ChatGPT and Microsoft Logo
ChatGPT’s new image-generation tool is impressive; it can finally create a glass of wine filled to the brim — but it struggles with blank white images and appears to discriminate against 'sexy women'
Microsoft Edge Sidebar
My favorite Microsoft Edge feature just got an AI upgrade — is this the best way to use Copilot on Windows 11?