Sara Lepley

Every time my brother downloaded a new song or app, it would appear on my iPhone. And every time we got an iOS update, I would start to receive his text messages. We tried everything, but the glitch wouldn't go away.

At the same time, I had been hearing praise for the Google Pixel's professional-grade camera. Many <a id="e303708b-4f46-356f-a68c-da8a5ab9a847" href="https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/android-vs-ios/"> tech reviewers </a> had also praised Android's superiority over iOS for qualities like customization, cloud services, and app selection.

Sure, the <a id="0abe64a3-0eab-32b5-a995-04ad22b5a693" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-iphone-x-sales-estimated-to-beat-all-smartphones-in-q1-2018-chart-2018-6?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> iPhone X </a> had been the most popular smartphone in the world in the first quarter of 2018, but popular didn't necessarily mean better, right?

So after five years with an iPhone, I decided to give the Google Pixel a go.

If you choose not to customize your Pixel, you'll notice it has a nearly identical user experience (UX) as the iPhone. Both smartphones sport a grid layout with rounded icons in bright colors. Getting used to the new system took no longer than getting used to the dashboard and brakes of a new car.

Where the Pixel in particular and Androids in general excel is in their vast capacity for customization.

Android's software is built on <a id="c9366e7f-8e1f-337e-a077-8ff15b4de5e9" href="https://source.android.com/"> an open-source platform </a> , which gives developer the ability to create apps that can do more. The potential for customization is basically limitless.

In theory, this is awesome. Tired of tapping calculator when you meant to open clock? Download a new family of icons. Play around with the widgets so they're always where you want them. Explore hundreds of themes on Google Play. If you're feeling cheeky, you could even give your Pixel an Apple interface.

Read more: <a id="30f9de2c-ed19-372d-aedb-adb464897873" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-im-never-buying-an-apple-computer-again-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> I've used Apple computers my entire life. Here's why I'm never buying one again. </a>

In reality, however, the only thing I've bothered to change is my wallpaper. Turns out that just because you can download a third-party app to customize your phone doesn't mean you want to. Storage is limited and not all third-party apps are trustworthy. And to be honest, many themes, such as <a id="f50674b0-46ed-3b38-a4ca-2d0f2d3e85d6" href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=theme.ice.wolf.thrones"> 3D Ice Wolf </a> and <a id="7146789e-b3f9-3be2-a151-ac37846a7b40" href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.paris.tower.eiffel.launcher.theme.pink"> Pink Paris </a> , look gaudy and bring back bad MySpace memories.

Hollis Johnson/Business Insider

While I never got a virus scare with iOS, using Android reminds me of surfing the web in the early 2000s. I've frequently had to exit out of apps like a maniac as pop-ups flooded my screen.

More than 80% of hackers target Android users, while less than 4% target iOS users, <a id="c6a92db0-082d-30bf-a449-94a387f3f734" href="https://www.networkworld.com/article/3185766/security/malware-infection-rate-of-smartphones-is-soaring-android-devices-often-the-target.html"> as reported in Nokia's Mobile Threat Intelligence Report </a> . Compared to iOS, Android's open source platform is reportedly <a id="543c8a7e-9bb3-35d8-a797-be5e222cbb29" href="https://us.norton.com/internetsecurity-mobile-android-vs-ios-which-is-more-secure.html"> easier to hack </a> .

Security and privacy go hand in hand, especially when you consider how much sensitive data we make available on your phone, sometimes unintentionally.

If I had fully understood Google's approach to protecting user privacy, I probably would have never switched.

This hit home for me earlier this year when an Ars Technica <a id="7ccdce71-6783-36be-a099-37c2ef4fa03e" href="https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2018/03/facebook-scraped-call-text-message-data-for-years-from-android-phones/"> report </a> revealed Facebook had been collecting SMS data and call history from users through its Messenger app. Though users technically opt in, the specifics of what Facebook was allowed to collect was hidden in the fine print. This breach of privacy only impacted Android users.

Apple distances itself from user information through its " <a id="5ea9dad8-314a-3d3a-a9e8-1e62fa410bf4" href="https://www.apple.com/privacy/docs/Differential_Privacy_Overview.pdf"> Differential Privacy </a> " policy. According to the policy, the company can add "statistical noise" to any data it collects so personal information can't be traced back to the individual user.

Read more: <a id="63f0cce7-c5ed-3469-a022-9484b687e694" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/things-hire-hacker-to-do-how-much-it-costs-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> 7 things you can hire a hacker to do and how much it will (generally) cost </a>

Google also uses a form of <a id="6883047e-2c32-3006-a196-c08ca6ad3bf1" href="https://policies.google.com/privacy#infocollect"> differential privacy </a> , but with <a id="79980d84-8551-3063-a029-c799c3363054" href="http://fortune.com/2017/06/28/gmail-google-account-ads-privacy-concerns-home-settings-policy/"> a "heavy-duty" approach </a> to data collection that has drawn criticism in op-eds like this <a id="3b4fdc7f-f962-3fe7-ac2c-4934fef5998b" href="http://fortune.com/2017/06/28/gmail-google-account-ads-privacy-concerns-home-settings-policy/"> Fortune column </a> from University of Pennsylvania communications professor Joseph Turow.

Though Google <a id="baa8765f-170e-3c2e-af5b-a0c338fb9125" href="https://policies.google.com/privacy#infocollect"> claims </a> this data collection improves the Pixel's user experience, I've found the personalized suggestions and reminders more creepy than helpful.

If you switch to the Google Pixel, expect to lose some of the amenities that come standard on most phones.

What I missed most was the ability to copy and paste from a text message. Google recently resolved this issue, but at the time it was a huge pain, especially when people sent addresses. You really get used to the ability to simply click an address and have it come up in your maps app.

I also missed being able to set my music to a sleep timer without having to install a new app. Even my <a id="e15f9bda-4113-36c7-a6ce-9817c410ac66" href="https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Juke-Phone-Verizon-Wireless/dp/B000XE9V44"> Samsung Juke </a> had that feature, and it was as wide as my thumb.

Hypothetically, you could find many of these functionalities on the <a id="79a597e5-bcbc-30f6-a2f7-a0fa6f46d050" href="https://play.google.com/store/apps?utm_source=na_Med&amp;utm_medium=hasem&amp;utm_content=Jan3017&amp;utm_campaign=Evergreen&amp;pcampaignid=MKT-DR-na-us-1000189-Med-hasem-ap-Evergreen-Jan3017-Text_Search_BKWS-id_100106_%7CEXA%7CONSEM_kwid_43700035946442901&amp;gclid=EAIaIQobChMInKe4uOGS3QIVA18NCh1zag3dEAAYASAAEgLZ4PD_BwE&amp;gclsrc=aw.ds&amp;dclid=CMfKv7nhkt0CFYS_swod7qULyA"> Google Play </a> store. But the effort of finding something and vetting its quality never seems worth it.

Ultimately, I wish I hadn't switched. I'm not a coder. I'm not a big gamer. I'm not even that inclined to change my font or background. For this reason, the freedom to customize simply doesn't outweigh the issues I've outlined. While the experience hasn't been bad enough to get me rummaging around for my old Juke, I definitely won't go for a Pixel the next time I'm in the market for a phone.

NOW WATCH: <a id="6d53ea52-50cb-3651-af81-ab1ece69fb98" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/review-google-pixel-3-better-than-iphone-xs-2018-10?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> Review: Google Pixel 3 and 3 XL are the best smartphones you can buy right now </a>

<ul><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-reassures-investors-about-iphone-sales-after-stopping-disclosure-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">Apple told investors not to worry about iPhone sales — but now it seems worried about them</a> </li><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-im-never-buying-an-apple-computer-again-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">I've used Apple computers my entire life. Here's why I'm never buying one again.</a> </li><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-homepod-apple-tv-how-to-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">I've been living with Apple's $350 HomePod speaker for 3 months, and I've officially found my new favorite use for it</a> </li></ul>

SEE ALSO: 8 things you loved as a kid that don’t exist anymore

A year after switching from the iPhone to the Google Pixel, I’m sad to admit it wasn’t worth it

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Sara Lepley

Articles written by the author

A year after switching from the iPhone to the Google Pixel, I’m sad to admit it wasn’t worth it