Around 2017 was the earliest time I would have recommended switching. Before that iOS was sorely lacking many standard features. Apple tends to be around 3-5 years late when it comes to adding features to iOS, and that has always made it feel like a toy instead of a mobile computer.

However, nowadays you can almost call it a proper operating system that actually gets the job done. Apple is getting closer and closer one millimeter at a time, but they’re getting there. Eventually iOS might actually be good. For the time being, it’s a little better that just barely acceptable, which is absolutely remarkable.

For a very very long time an infuriating number of standard features were missing and that meant that Android was the only viable option for me. Before 2017 iOS was so much behind that I absolutely would not have recommended an iPhone to anyone who might have technical requirements of any kind. For everyone else though, it’s not a problem that you can’t tweak stuff you don’t know even exists. You just use all the default settings and you’re happy with whatever Apple decided for you.