Features Lost After Switching From Android to iPhone

Some features are so basic that you just expect them to not appear on a brand new device or app. But after a decade of using Android, switching to an iPhone is both refreshing and frustrating—because despite its many advantages, iOS still lacks some incredibly basic features.

Table of Contents

• 7. Can't close all apps at once
• 6. Unable to force stop the application
• 5. There is no easy way to clear the app cache
• 4. No Clipboard History
• 3. Copying text is a nightmare
• 2. Apple hides app installation
• 1. No separate volume control button

7. Can't close all apps at once

Unlike computers, our phones rarely shut down. This usually only happens during an update or when the battery is unexpectedly low. Since neither is common, open apps just keep piling up. To keep things tidy, get in the habit of clearing out open apps periodically. On Android, this is as simple as swiping up to see recent apps, then tapping Clear all .

Note: On Android 15, you now have to press and hold then swipe up to close all open apps.

On iPhone, swiping up shows your open apps, but there's no Close All button. There's also no tap-and-hold trick. You have to close each app one by one.

Tip : The only "trick" to closing multiple apps on iOS is to swipe the apps... with multiple fingers.

6. Unable to force stop the application

On iPhone, you can never really close an app. On Android, if an app starts misbehaving, you can put it where it belongs—go straight to Settings and select Force stop . Problem solved.

There’s no such option on iOS. If your Instagram Story gets stuck uploading, you’re out of luck. You can pretend you closed it by swiping it away in the app switcher, but did you really? Reopen the app and it’ll be right where you left it, as if nothing happened.

5. There is no easy way to clear the app cache

After all that trouble, it turns out you can’t easily clear app caches on an iPhone. On Android, it’s simple: Go to the app’s settings, tap Clear cache , and the app will restart without the old cache clogging things up.

There's no way to clear an app's cache without completely deleting the app on iOS. If an app starts acting weird, the only way to get it back up and running is to uninstall it completely, go to the App Store, and reinstall it.

4. No Clipboard History

Both Windows and Android have built-in clipboard managers that let you access a history of copied text. You can use this feature continuously, copying multiple things at once without worrying about overwriting them.

On the iPhone, however, as soon as you copy something new, the last thing you copied is gone forever. Sure, third-party apps exist, but clipboard managers need to run in the background 24/7. With the iPhone’s fragile battery life, no one wants to risk that.

3. Copying text is a nightmare

Every day, you have to copy and paste a lot of information - confirmation codes, addresses, messages. You'd think this would be a seamless process, but on the iPhone, it's not.

On Android, copying a message will show a preview at the bottom of the screen, allowing you to easily select the exact part you need. It even automatically recognizes codes and numbers, so you can instantly paste them wherever you need them.

If iOS recognizes a number or code as important, it will underline it with a dotted line. Tap that and you can copy it. Otherwise, seeing the Select All option is pretty much luck.

If you need to copy part of a message, you have to copy everything, paste it somewhere else (like Notes), then select the part you actually want, copy that, and finally paste it where you need it. Too many unnecessary steps for such a simple task.

2. Apple hides app installation

If you need to change an app's settings, you can do it from within the app. That's how it works on Android, and it makes perfect sense. Need camera settings, open the camera app. Need browser settings, just open the browser.

Unfortunately, that’s not the case on the iPhone. For some reason, Apple decided that all app settings should be buried in the system-wide Settings app. If you want to change Safari settings, you have to go to Settings > Apps > Safari . There’s not even a shortcut inside the app to get you there.

1. No separate volume control button

You're waiting for an important call while studying in a quiet library. You want the ringer volume to be at its maximum so you don't miss the call, but you don't want your phone to constantly vibrate with notification sounds.

On Android, this is easy. There are separate sliders for ringtones, media, notifications, and alarms. You can mute notifications while keeping your ringtone at maximum volume.

On the iPhone, you're forced to turn up the volume all the way or mute it completely. You can't fine-tune individual sound levels without digging through confusing settings menus that offer little to no customization.

This isn't a complicated feature, and many consider it an Android feature that iOS should copy. It's a feature that should have become standard years ago.

Things would be more acceptable if you were using an iPhone 5S, but things are different with the iPhone 16 Pro - one of the most expensive and advanced smartphones on the market. At this point, there's no reason for Apple to fall behind on these basic features.

The iPhone has its strengths, but when it comes to basic quality of life features, Apple has a long way to go.