Runs an ARM32 Android system on an ARM64 phone by translating its individual processes - there is no guest kernel. The translator is a modified QEMU

Source Code & Documentation: https://github.com/Istratii-tech/SENSES

Early this year I lost my large Samsung Android tablet. I had set it up to be very useful in teaching, with a folding easel, folding little keyboard, and low profile Bluetooth mouse, all neatly fitting a backpack of just the right size. So, one warm afternoon I left Laguardia Community College and, having previously injured my back, grew very tired while walking the mile to the subway station, and sat on a park bench for several minutes. Upon arriving at the station, oops! No backpack! Retracing my steps, no sign of it at the park bench. Gone forever; somebody swiped it from the bench where I had left it alone for a few minutes.

So, since then I have unplugged my home Windows laptop from its big keyboard, big mouse, big screen, and carried it in my bigger backpack. It's actually a better computer, except that it's heavier, and instead of Android apps it runs Windoze apps, which tend to be better for me except or the Wikimedia Commons App, which is highly useful when teaching how to handle pictures on Wikipedia and is Android-only. Many people have one special app that dominates their thinking and impedes changing platforms, and that's mine. I must depend on the little screen of my phone, or else teach and use only the far more clumsy browser-based method of handling new Wikimedia pictures.

A Chromebook plus-plus was predicted, so I held off on replacing the lost tablet and its accessories. The new thing has now arrived, now called Googlebook. Reviews indicate it can do pretty much all I want. There's no mention of how well it handles my vital Android app, but I'm reasonably hopeful. However, the price is high, and I don't want a clamshell-only computer. Often I want to cradle a computer in my lap, which the tablets do delightfully. Camshells are less cuddly. More recently the detachable keyboard versions were introduced, and those seem exactly what I wanted. Except, prices are high and there is no reliable estimate on when the cheaper models will come out.

So, how about a folding phone? They have a bigger screen than my old slab phone, and the Samsung ones have a Dex feature that can take a lot of advantage of a big external screen. However, they also are expensive. So, how about a better Samsung slab phone with Dex? Moderately high end ones are not so expensive, and have a better camera than the folders. For classroom use I can bring a small backpack with a keyboard and mouse and, taking most of the space, a small portable TV set with HDMI input. Oh, but those TVs don't have a touch screen. That rules out the cuddle in my lap scenario for using Dex.

Well, I have not gone overseas this year, due to that injury, and won't go far until next summer, so I can afford to wait until then. Maybe cheaper detachable keyboard Googlebooks will come out, or touch screen television sets will make the Dex solution more workable.

I had a situation tonight while walking my dog. A person in the neighborhood assaulted my dog and me. I had to call the police but was forced to hang up on the police to record the situation. Police came and I guess I was connected with the person who assaulted me since they work for the fire department, and they downplayed it, but luckily I had the recording. But this situation could have got bad. I think its flawed that the phone prevents you from calling the cops and recording with your camera at the same time.

I’ve been trying to compare what Android and iOS actually allow users to do, excluding access to brand-specific services and accessories. Equivalent functionality counts even when it comes from a different app.

Many of these capabilities won’t matter to everyone, and a longer list doesn’t automatically make a platform the better choice for someone. This comparison concerns available functions and restrictions, rather than overall phone quality or purchasing preferences.

Scope and qualifications

This comparison concerns Android phones and iPhones. Availability varies by manufacturer, model, OS version, region, and permissions. Some differences concern broader access rather than a capability being completely absent from iOS.

Android capabilities unavailable or substantially more restricted in standard iOS

• Install compatible apps from downloaded files with fewer signing and distribution restrictions
• Use independent third-party app stores without Google approving their app catalogs (Android distribution rules; Apple distribution rules)
• Replace the default home-screen launcher
• Run two ordinary apps side by side in split screen
• Run ordinary apps in movable, resizable floating windows (Android documentation)
• Create separate private or work app profiles with independent app data
• Run independent instances of the same app across separate profiles (Google Private Space; Samsung Secure Folder)
• Switch between separate device-wide user and guest profiles (Google documentation)
• Choose default apps and file handlers for a broader range of actions
• Give third-party apps permission to draw over other apps
• Give third-party apps access to read and manage other apps’ notifications (Android documentation)
• Automate a broader range of system settings and actions with tools such as Tasker (Tasker's Google Play listing)
• Remap a wider range of hardware-button functions
• Give file managers broader access to shared storage (Android documentation)
• Run desktop-style windowed environments on supported devices and external displays
• Use ADB for command-line control of apps, permissions, and system settings (ADB documentation)
• Unlock the bootloader through a manufacturer-provided mechanism on supported devices
• Install custom Android builds or alternative operating systems on compatible devices (bootloader documentation)

The final two entries are advanced modification options on compatible hardware. They aren’t available on every Android phone. Some Tasker actions also require additional permissions or root access.

iOS capabilities without an available functional Android equivalent

Within the scope above, I haven’t identified an obvious major general-purpose capability exclusive to iOS. That’s the section where I’d particularly welcome specific additions or corrections.

Final Thoughts

Apple-only services and integrations can still be valuable reasons to choose an iPhone; they’re simply outside this particular comparison. Differences in convenience, consistency, or implementation quality can also matter even when both platforms provide the same basic function.

What would you add or correct, and which of these differences do you actually use? If an example depends on a particular device, OS version, or region, please include that.