How important is switching to Apple OS?

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moparrob66

Pre-Flight
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Moparrob
Android guy here. I've always disliked Apple products because of their incompatibility with non-Apple stuff as well as their far left political contribution. I dont Facebook either. Yeah, one of THOSE guys. I'm getting back into aviation and my kids are just starting out, and it seems like Android apps are much less popular. Are my kids gonna be at a disadvantage by sticking with Android phones/tablets/apps or is it a non-issue?
 
Can't see criticism for your choice of platforms or not using FB; that's up to each user.
Yes, you might miss out on some stuff (I have FB set up so it's a tool for ME, not something for other people,...as far as possible {you can't avoid ads, but with zero friends and selection of Groups you like, its great)

Hard to answer about your kids - how old?
I know plenty of kids in the US have Android and seem quite e-fulfilled.
Also, how long are you going to restrain them from using a device of their choice? Won't be a few years before they are paying the bill and might choose Apple anyway. Plus the effect of Dad 'forcing' them into a particular platform could be bad for your relationship?

Apple or Android; all kids these days are completely useless at so many important things these days, I doubt there is much difference.
 
It's six of one, half dozen of the other at the end of the day, unless you are going the de-Googled route. It's a matter of pick your data aggregator / corporation of choice, and personally I don't see that Google is particularly more centrist than Apple. I currently use the device that is most compatible with the programs my employer wants me to use, but if I was concerned about my children's personal security, I'd probably go with a phone from here:

brax.me

Rob Braxman

Internet Privacy Evangelist, Cybersecurity Expert, Software Architect, and Jazz Pianist
brax.me brax.me

I think the best thing you can do is point them to what a phone is, who benefits from your use of it, and how it will affect their future, and how it can be exploited. They probably won't choose to go a different route than their peers, but at least they would be informed.
 
really, smh, those kids may get infected, stay far away.
honestly, it doesn't matter
 
Nonissue. The issues will arise when use of the tool is a crutch for not understanding the foundational knowledge.

I encourage you all to go to the FBO, pick out the correct sectional for your area, find the correct adjoining sectionals, and plan a flight using a pencil and straight edge that crosses a boundary and uses both sides of the chart.
 
iOS had a huge head start over Android in the aviation market space. That has had consequences for the level of development targeted at the two operating systems.

Personally, my phone has been Android almost as long as Android phones have been around. But, I’m not a zealot. I bought an iPad 13+ years ago because it was the only game in town.

Since then, I have tried most every EFB in both OSes available in the US market. While there are definitely adequate Android EFBs, a few that are excellent, and a few that were great but could not be sustained, overall, the most feature-rich are still iOS, mostly because of preexisting market share. To me, it’s about the app and its capability for my missions, not the OS (in my case, it’s also about 13 years of familiarity).

Story. I have a friend who hates Apple. Wouldn’t even consider an iOS EFB. Used the one that is, I think, the first Android EFB for several years and was quite happy with in. Then, he and a buddy, did a trip from the west coast to the east. The buddy used ForeFlight. My friend bought an iPad when they got back.
 
Pick the application that you want (need) to use (using whatever criteria are important to you). Only after doing that, pick the hardware/OS platform to run that application.
 
I’ve stayed in the fruit phone family mainly to run Foreflight. Also, my family was all fruit and back then FaceTime was a good way for everyone to stay in touch. The video calling in Whatsapp eliminates the need for FaceTime and works across both platforms.
 
I use Avare. It is free and android only. As a computer professional my stance is the same on these applications as it is on the IOS Android discussion. If you understand the concepts learning a specific OS or application is not that difficult. I work in multiple operating systems everyday.

Confession time. I intentionally bought my wife an iphone because that is what my kids (they are adults) have. When she needs help I tell her to ask the kids. :p
 
I run only Android and have had no issues since I started using EFB's in 2010ish. I used Naviator back then and mostly use Avare now, but Garmin Pilot is also available on Android. I've had no issues and even when a buddies iPad overheats mine never does (watched it happen more than once when both were right next to each other).
 
Non-issue. My workplace was a Google Workspace shop so it did not make sense to enter the Apple ecosystem. While ForeFlight has the largest share of the market, there are plenty of good Android EFBs, and I've used one or more of them from the time they became available. (Before that, I downloaded approach chart PDFs on an E-ink Kindle, which was actually pretty snazzy.)
 
Great input! Thanks! All 4 kids have android phones with screenshot capturing software so we can keep reasonably close eyes on what they do. Their laptops have the same software, and the phones and computers all have to stay downstairs. I like the android platform because there is some competition/selection that apple doesnt have. If motorola does something i dont like, i can buy a samsung, LG, or whatever is on sale at Best Buy. Wife and kids had iphones and watches for a while, but playing mother may I with our photos and data got old. Need help? You can only go to the apple store. Pay extra for support on an old device? No thanks. Forgot your apple id password because you never use it? Sorry, your phone is now bricked. That just doesnt happen with androids or pcs.
 
One of the things you will discover is that almost every Android tablet (except the Google Pixel tablet, go figure) has GPS built-in, even the more affordable tablets. With the iPads, you may have to buy a cellular-capable model to get GPS capability. Obviously, it is desirable to have on-board GPS for EFB operation.
 
chemgeek said:
Obviously, it is desirable to have on-board GPS for EFB operation.
Click to expand...
I have had four iPads and never bought the cellular model because I’ve always used an external GPS. Now that you get GPS and so much more info from ADSB-In it’s even less necessary to have built-in GPS.

I’m about due for a new iPad since mine is now 8 years old and with only 32 GB of memory, I often need to delete things to download all of the charts I need. New iPads start at 128 GB so space won’t be problem for a while.
 
Non-issue. I also dislike Apple. I also dislike Google. And Microsoft. And Comcast/Xfinity. And Verizon.

I use an iPad in the plane running a GPS app (MemoryMap) I use as part of my flight planning/tracking. I can download and use the FAA's free raster charts in this app.
I have an Android Samsung phone and am committed to Android phones.
I use a Windows laptop for all my preflight flight planning. This includes a Windows version of MemoryMap and of course Google earth and a number of DIY spreadsheets.
 
I use Android for my personal devices, because it's way less expensive, and Apple for work because that's what I'm issued. I'm old and it's no problem using both.
 
Not particularly important at this stage of the game. The most popular and well-developed apps live on the iOS platform, but frankly, an aspiring airman could just bypass this altogether and work through the certification arc without an EFB at all.
 
 
Half Fast said:
Like everyone did 30 years ago?
Click to expand...
Yes, but in my humble opinion, turning down a modern technological advantage like an tablet-based EFB probably wouldn't be advisable past the private pilot level of certification. From a sheer document/chart management perspective alone (parlaying directly into CRM in the single pilot GA flight deck) EFBs are a clear win. I remember fumbling around with approach plates, grabbing different binders as I crossed state lines, having stacks of paper... don't ever want to go back. It increased my workload and introduced many opportunities for errors. The debate was over years ago - the tools have great value and are here to stay. Paper has been leaving the airplane for a long time. I don't carry any, ever, in any airplane I fly, and haven't for years.

Getting back to the matter of the flavor of the device itself, I would simply look first at the available apps and make a decision based on that. Anyone on a professional track is likely to need proficiency with ForeFlight at some point, and that will keep you in iOS devices whether that's a preference or not. Most (nearly all) corporate flight departments use iOS devices, and to my limited knowledge, so do most charter operators and airlines. It extends further beyond the GA level with advanced apps like AFM/QRHs for business jets - Flight Deck (Bombardier) and Planebook (Gulfstream) only being available on iOS. But could Android-based (or similar) devices be used in GA effectively? Sure - it's just not very common, and in my somewhat biased opinion, not very practical given the aviation app landscape being so iOS-centric.

My little DMS tracker tells me I've conducted over 500 practical and administrative events as a pilot examiner. Out of those, rough estimate... iPad: 85%, paper/no EFB: 10-15%, Android: <2%. Aviation has overwhelmingly selected the iPad as its EFB platform of choice.
 
You guys are killin me! I agree that my kids should learn paper like I did, but so far I like iFly as a next step. My oldest and I will probably do instrument together and we can both figure it out then.
 
I've managing development of both iOS and Android apps since the original devices and almost always have at least one phone and tablet from both in the current generation for tesitng. iOS has always been a much better platform for consistent development that you know will work with all compatible devices and the iPad has always outshone any Android tablet. This is a big reason why the 'best' aviation apps are in iOS.

It's hugely expensive to develop and maintain apps and at least in the U.S. market on iOS you know you're going with the high end market leader and avoiding the nearly infinite device (and bug) space that is Android.
 
moparrob66 said:
You guys are killin me! I agree that my kids should learn paper like I did, but so far I like iFly as a next step. My oldest and I will probably do instrument together and we can both figure it out then.
Click to expand...

Ifly is a great EFB and works on both OS’s transparently. Why worry about the future? As soon as any of the kiddo’s start footing their own bills they’ll get whatever device they want and, honestly, you shouldn’t waste two shakes of a lamb’s tail over it.

But if you want to fly for somebody else, you fly the way they want you to and you use the tools they want you to use. Those are generally the basic conditions of employment.
 
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