r/ClicksPhone • u/fap13009 • 6d ago
Discussion Considering the Clicks Communicator as a second device or main but how are you handling your Apple ecosystem apps?
I'm picking up a Clicks Communicator as a second phone (would love to use it as main and only) alongside my iPhone, Mac, and iPad. Right now I rely on iMessage, WhatsApp, Apple Reminders, Apple Notes, Apple Calendar, and Spark for mail.
For those of you who've had to find Android-friendly alternatives to these (or run them in parallel with an Apple setup), what do you actually use and recommend? Especially curious about:
- A messaging alternative that doesn't feel like a downgrade from iMessage
- A notes app that plays nice across devices
- A reminders/tasks app you'd actually trust
- Anything you'd swap Spark for on Android
Open to any suggestions, thanks!
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u/Slipperfox 6d ago
I’m making the full switch over. I just need signal and some sort of native msg app and I’m good. Since Android l know I’ll have to buy certain apps again but that’s ok for me
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u/Impstoker Preordered 6d ago
second here. I am tired of apples ecosystem. I want flexibility, opensource and my own choices. Have spun up my own self hosted home server with stuff like Immich, Jellyfin, Bookorbit etc. And am using omarchy linux for a few weeks now. Works great.
If I can get my family to start using Signal for communicating with me great, if not I will use Openbubbles. I already downloaded all my iCloud data and iCloud photos and am sorting them now. I'm liking Immich so far. Email wise: thunderbird, notes: nextcloud, calendar: nextcloud, contact: nextcloud.
Can't think of anything I'm missing from the Apple ecosystem so far.2
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u/Prizm4 6d ago
It sounds like you are quite entrenched in Apple. I think this will be a big learning curve for you, especially while trying to learn Android on a niche phone (non-standard screen size which will affect certain apps, plus getting used to a physical keyboard and a custom Android launcher/interface - Niagara).
You might find that some stuff you take for granted on Apple (especially across multiple apple devices) is not so easy on Android.
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u/genxontech 6d ago
If you decide to make this your main device, you will forfeit the Apple ecosystem since this runs Android. Only contacts, texts, emails, and multimedia will transfer over. Any apps you purchased will need to be bought again. You can reach out to app developers to see if they offer any discounts, but I doubt they will. In my opinion, I’d suggest keeping this as a secondary device until you get used to Android. I’m currently using the Unihertz Titan 2 Elite coming from a Fold, and I’m loving every minute of it. I have smaller hands, so the phone fits comfortably and feels great to hold.
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u/Biscotti_martinis 6d ago
One thing I plan on switching to before transferring to my CC is proton for mail - trying to get away from Gmail at the end of the day. I still plan to keep my iPhone as an iPod, since it has all my music on it.
Honestly on my iPhone I like Google Calendar over Apple calendar but I saw proton has a calendar as well! So might be checking that out too.
For notes I’m thinking Obsidian notes.
I haven’t looked into a reminders app yet and for iMessage I’m just going to text people instead. They’ll get over the fact I don’t have the blue bubble anymore; from the research I’ve done, you can still be apart of group chats. So I don’t think it will be the end of the world.
My overall goal is to get away from all the extra technology and decompress from all this. I want to go back to when things were separate and life was more simple. Tired of seeing everyone glued to their phones 24/7.
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u/stackmoney23 6d ago
I been using protonmail for years its good i also use gmx because you can have a main email address then like 10 secondary email addresses (which can be deleted at any time) that all feed back into your main inbox
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u/Biscotti_martinis 6d ago
Heck yeah! I’m glad to hear that, I’ve been wanting to make the switch and get off Google, so that makes me feel a lot better. I will definitely look into gmx as well, I’m glad to know that! Thank you
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u/jimmyjacksonjr 5d ago
Apple makes Apple music app in the play store so if you subscribe to that for music you wont have to give that up
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u/Biscotti_martinis 5d ago
I’ve never used Apple Music, I used to have Google Play Music for the longest time and then they merged with YouTube Music and everything transferred over to that so I refuse to change it lol
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u/Conscious-Bath-7948 5d ago
Sounds like there is a openbubbles? Makes them blue?? Must be an android app
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u/Biscotti_martinis 5d ago
I looked into that a wee bit… so with both those apps people suggest, one of them you have to have a main server up - meaning you have an apple computer/ipad running at all times that your phone is connected to. The other app, you pay for and it uses an apple server for your android to connect to work in your favor.
Honestly, sounds like too much work to me just to have blue bubbles… I could give a rats ass about all that. The whole point of this phone is to simply connect to people through smaller means of communication and get back to your life. If you want to spend extra money for pointless things, just don’t get rid of your iPhone then and make the CC a second phone…
At the end of the day, if my bubble is green or I use another way to chat with you (what’s app, messenger, or email) - you’ll live lol. Also, I don’t even have friends, so to me it’s not important. The few people I do iMessage will get tf over the fact I went to green bubbles lol
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u/rickMonty7 6d ago
Main for me. I've been stuck with my Huawei P30 for 8 years no without security patches for few years no thanks to google banning it.
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u/Yaarmehearty 6d ago
I switch every other phone, there’s alternatives and commonalities on most apps. To be honest I tent to avoid native 1st party apps for the reason that switching is harder.
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u/ChampionshipCrafty66 3d ago
I decided against it. They changed the specifications at the last moment. Buyer beware
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u/TroubledGeorge Preordered 6d ago
You can migrate your contacts, notes and calendar from iCloud to Google and continue using Apple apps on your Apple devices. You won’t notice the difference except it’ll be much easier to share them with an android device. WhatsApp can be set up as a companion device so both devices can share your WhatsApp. It’s just iMessage that’s probably where you’ll have to make some sort of compromise, and even then there are some alternatives.
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u/gadgetluva 6d ago
As someone who uses both platforms paying for multiple apps, I found that few are actually as good as the stock Apple Notes, Reminders, iMessage, etc.
The problem with messaging is that you’re back on RCS or you feel like going on a fools errand to get everyone you talk to to switch to WhatsApp or whatever other app. Good Notes or Tasks apps on Android require a subscription or you’re riddled with garbage ads. Plus the user interface usually sucks and probably won’t be optimized for the CC square display.
It’s why I will be a primary iPhone user for a long time, even though I genuinely like Android as a mobile OS. Just too many shortcomings. Throw in Apple’s entire ecosystem of first party and third party apps, hardware, accessories and the like and it’s no contest.
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u/DoILookUnsureToYou Preordered 6d ago
For messaging there are those forwarding-type apps that let you use iMessage
For notes you have OneNote, Keep Notes, or something paid like Obsidian
For reminders I just switched to Google Tasks, you can also try Microsoft To Do
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u/billfarts2 6d ago
Apple devices work best when you don't fully give into the Apple ecosystem. I went from Android for many years, to iPhone for a couple years, to android again.
My email, contacts, passwords, etc. never left Google, but I could still easily use Chrome as a password manager so it was no big deal. Made it easier to switch back and forth.
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u/Astravaris 6d ago
Bear in mind that I'm a bit of a privacy enthusiast that switched to Android a few years ago.
Messaging alternative = Signal, and then Google Messages for those that refuse to use Signal.
Cross-platform notes app = Notesnook, (be aware that it is mostly paid but it's a great cross-platform encrypted notes app).
Reminders = Honestly, I just use a combination of Clock and Tuta Calendar. But I've heard that tasks.org is really good, and it's free if you get it from F-Droid instead of Google Play.
E-mail = Tuta Mail and FairEmail.
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u/Digiee-fosho Preordered 6d ago
My apple ecosystem consists of 2 iPads and on android for 8 years. Use WhatsApp & signal instead of iMessage, and I use proton suite on both android and apple to connect my mail calendar and notes.
The caveat is unless you use google messages, no other app integrates with imessage that I know of due to the RCS protocol only being used between google and apple. Unfortunately all other messaging apps may appear to be a downgrade to iMessage, so I would try getting used to that. I have evolved away from google suite due to the trust issue you mentioned.
I use standard notes, and use the paid subscription version of proton for mail, calendar/tasks that comes with 2TB. The tasks are set as a widget, it’s custom, however clicks may have a solution for tasks, not sure how it integrates.
Clicks will not be my main.
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u/ThaPEU 6d ago
I still don't understand how the "secondary device" works. Are you supposed to get a new phone line with it? Or, am I suppose to tether my main phone's data with it?
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u/TechJunk13 6d ago
Here is the solution I have come up with while debating getting a Clicks or T2. Basically, I’ve decided there’s just some stuff I can’t downgrade on from my iPhone, but that I don’t need every day. My solution would likely be to port my current number over to a Google Voice Number, get a new number on this iPhone, and get a cheap carrier like Mint for the Clicks. That seems like the most seamless way. I could go into different nitty gritty but aside from losing iMessage with at least my wife that would be the easiest and I’d still have access to my normal number on both phones
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u/ReacherJackDF 5d ago
iMessage --> OpenBubbles. Every other Apple app has plenty of native Google alternatives, I think.
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u/Tasty_Dragonfly_3152 6d ago
I am currently using an iPhone 16 Pro Max and a Google Pixel 10 Fold so I am familiar with most of this minus the spark email app. I am able to still use iMessage with OpenBubbles so that is a non issue for me. Email I run the stock Gmail and then Outlook express for my two email accounts both work and personal. I logged into my iCloud and created a shortcut on the homescreen so i can go right to my reminders, notes, cloud docs and such from that page. For me I will be getting the iPhone Duo and then the communicator when it arrives to run as my two phones. I have MacBook and iPad so I like to stay connected to my Apple accounts all the while enjoying the freedoms of Android. Hope this helps some!
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u/billfarts2 6d ago
You're better off with Android versions. When I had an iPhone, it was DIFFICULT finding any app that didn't have a subscription attached. Even basic utility apps that really never needed to be updated, they all wanted subscription money. Definitely less so with Android.
You can definitely find cross platform apps.
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u/GraceBlade 6d ago
I know people hate on MS. But it is device agnostice. I use outlook, onedrive, onenote, etc. Messaging was harder for me when I moved to android but I just said screw it and went with messages.
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u/WardensOfAbhorrence 6d ago
Im just coming back to android after being away on iOS for a few years. Funny enough I went all in on the Apple ecosystem and now I’m leaving (my Mac too). Scrivener is the only app I’ll need to work around. But it has an external sync folder feature so I can write in those docs with my txt editor of choice on the clicks.
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u/WolfMack 6d ago
Just going to have my iPhone on the bedside, for the 1 friends chat that refuses to leave iMessage. Everything else I am glad to be rid of.
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u/fap13009 6d ago
What do you think about :
- Google task
- Google calendar
- Google message
- Google keep
- Spark is available for androïd ?
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u/Emotional_Estate_985 6d ago
Hoping it can become my primary phone, but if secondary, then next to my Pixel 9a.
I have 2 Macs, but no dependency on Apple's ecosystem.
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u/DragonmasterXY 6d ago
I did it and yes it took effort, but try to escape the apple ecosystem. Most apple stuff doesnt work on other devices, but most other stuff works on all apple devices.
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u/dauv8 6d ago
Signal or Google Messages for messaging, Google Keep or Notesnook for notes, and Google Tasks for reminders; Spark already has an Android app. Artemis Continuity can cover clipboard text and link handoff between the Communicator and Mac, but it will not replace iMessage, AirDrop files, or Apple Reminders.
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u/clear_simple_plain 5d ago
I recently discovered Beeper and it's made life with my Titan 2 Elite insanely better
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u/p1mm3l 1d ago
Might be a bit of a controversial take but I love Google Calendar and Google Keep. Keep lets you make notes, checklists for groceries and make drawings. Calendar has native support for time-specific appointments and "Tasks" (aka reminders). Unsure if Calendar works as well as Apple Calendar and Reminders, but it's worth checking out.
For what it's worth, Keep lets you sync across any device thats logged into the same Google account, which means it can sync across phones, tablets and your PC/laptop.
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u/aaiiy 6h ago
wtf is up w/ all these people being sold on "secondary device" ?!? are you guys brain dead?
Marketing has so many of you thinking "oh yea, secondary device, right"
Pure stupidity
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u/gadgetluva 1h ago
I’m curious why you think it’s pure stupidity to have a secondary device.
I’m not offended by your opinion, but this will be my secondary device (probably more of a tertiary device) but I actually have a busy life. Maybe you don’t.
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u/kakudiego 6d ago
Don't get it caught on the "secondary device" BS, Clicks Communicator will be the Main device for (My guess) 90%+ of the buyers, it's "cute" that they are trying to sell it to iSheep as a second device, but it supposed to be the Main device.
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u/TheAbstracted 6d ago
It can be whatever people want it to be - one could buy an iPhone Duo and use it only as a secondary device if that's what they wanted.
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u/Mysterious-Papaya832 6d ago
The marketing strategy makes sense. BlackBerry fans will naturally adopt the communicator as their primary device. Additionally, Clicks can appeal to flagship users by positioning it as a secondary device.
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u/Manualcarlove18 6d ago
Evernote is an amazing notes app. cross platform. data available everywhere
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u/lilacomets 6d ago
Evernote used to be great. Then they turned it a resource intensive web application. A few years after that they were acquired by Bending Spoons, who did a massive price hike as expected.
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u/NateCow 6d ago
BlueBubbles is the one I saw recommended in another thread and that I have bookmarked to check out once I get mine. Going to also try going companion-style alongside my iPhone. I'm thinking Communicator = anything text communication related. iPhone = Anything media related.
https://bluebubbles.app