Two years and four months ago, I wrote about how I was struggling to adapt to my new work iPhone 6s. Apart from the ability to make phone calls I found device applications to be lacking in rich features in email, texting, calendar, notes, photo storage, and others. Most annoying was the need to have an iCloud account to marry it all together.
I was even locked out of texting by iMessage by Apple - who if you weren't aware monitors your message volume. Some algorithm deemed that I was messaging too much for work and I had to bow to the beneficent Apple court to get a "second chance".
When the company made the move to doing business in the cloud and chose to migrate to G Suite I found the iPhone all but completely dysfunctional except for actual phone calls. I replace all the iApps with Google apps I could, but still found myself using my personal LG 4 and later Pixel 2 XL for everything except work calls and texts, and annoyed to carry both phones, and often chargers, everywhere.
When my device was up for renewal earlier this year, I made the case for an Android - and thankfully a Pixel 3 arrived a few days later!
I didn't hesitate to port my personal cell number from Verizon to Google Voice for $20 (one-time fee) and install the Google Voice app. I now have the convenience of business and personal numbers on the same phone. My personal calls and texts come through the Google Voice app. The call quality is generally excellent and voicemail is transcribed. This also resulted in personal saving of $840 per year by cancelling my Verizon account (I always have the option to port my personal number back to a carrier for $20).
The pure Android user experience of the Pixel without carrier or manufacturer apps and bloatware is straightforward and clean. Google apps work in concert and functionality is seamless. It's easy to toggle between multiple personal and work accounts to keep personal and work life as separate as can be in the age we live in. No longer do I suffer from the inability to text from my keyboard because of an iPhone and Windows based computer combo. That means no more work arounds with 3rd party apps are required because Google Messages for Web syncs with any Android device without a hitch.
Though my work is often conducted most comfortably at a desk with multiple screens open on multiple monitors, literally 100% of my communication and computational tools are now in one pocket instead of two and I can finally do whatever is needed whenever I need to with just one device. It's been about 6 months since I have implemented this solution and it serves me very well - my device frustration has been reduced to a big donut hole - zero. I'm finally device happy.
Do you have device challenges, or if you have in the past how have you solved them?
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