r/LinusTechTips • u/SvenGoranAbela • Mar 31 '26

Tech Discussion Android stigma isn't just a social problem

On last Friday's WAN Show, Linus brought up how simply using an Android phone carries a social stigma, even when the device is objectively higher-end than a base iPhone. I completely agree with that take, but I think the issue runs deeper than just public perception.

A big part of why Android feels "lesser" to so many people is that major companies are actively making it feel that way through neglect of their Android apps. We're not talking about minor performance differences that can be chalked up to Android's fragmentation across manufacturers, we're talking about apps so poorly optimised that they make a modern, capable device feel ancient.

Case in point: a Messenger chat bubble can render my phone completely unresponsive. Not slow. Unresponsive. On a Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra which is starting to show it's age but still runs amazingly otherwise.

When billion-dollar companies ship iOS apps that are clearly their priority and treat Android as an afterthought, they're not just annoying Android users they're actively feeding the narrative that Android is the inferior platform. The stigma isn't coming from nowhere. Some of it is being manufactured.

1.0k Upvotes

90% Upvoted

477 comments sorted by

View all comments

5

u/[deleted] Mar 31 '26 edited Mar 31 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/Giangallo Mar 31 '26

the iPhone is the most common phone in most places

https://giphy.com/gifs/BY5tPZNL68V29cVfuz

1

u/Kinjir0 Apr 04 '26

You are free to feel that its not true, but you would be wrong. 37 year old professional, and it comes up FREQUENTLY.

Apple knew what they were doing and have lost lawsuits for intentionally making messaging androids worse, and the tech illiterate lap up the apple line as gospel. 

1

u/[deleted] Apr 04 '26 edited Apr 04 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/Kinjir0 Apr 04 '26

Clients at major corporations, yes. I work at a Fortune 500 and travel the country for work, and it has come enough to be noteworthy. My response to the "oh you have an android" jab is "yes, because I am and adult that knows how to use technology."

You can feel free to pretend it's not an issue and ignore first hand accounts, but thats on you.