Yes, the apple theme was initially off-putting to be honest and I doubt most casual users take the time to check out the settings before looking elsewhere. First choice should always be (imo) the most familiar/comfortable for users.

Do you mean the “Device Mode” option in the Appearance settings? I’d say Android should be default on Android. It feels more at home/in line with other Android apps I’m used to.

I almost skipped over the app entirely because of the iOS skin, when I open an app that’s themed like iOS it makes me doubt the quality of experience I’ll have with the app because it feels like android must not be a priority. I saw enough people recommending it though and it’s a good app so I found the setting eventually lol.

While you’re reading I’d love an option to stretch the app content like post titles and comments to the full width on a foldable or tablet, it’s kinda weird it just sits there in the middle of my screen. It’s not a big deal though.

I use the Android skin, and am happy with it, despite it being marked as beta. I think that having the native feel is important, even if it’s not quite as polished.

The android theme needs some work. Especially, in regards to animations. They are abrupt compared to the Apple version.

Also, I noticed when using the quote feature. It is the same color as the theme background making it impossible to see. The apple version renders it as grey making it slightly more visible.

this is a quote

which was not obvious because the quote was rendered in a similar dark color as the theme background.

I’ve been using the Android theme for a while and wouldn’t go back. It makes no sense trying to make a Android app look like a iOS app.

Oh my god I had no idea there was a device selection and the Android one feels so much better. Please keep it as the default for new Android users.

TBH I didn’t even realize the app had themes til just now. Didn’t even occur to me to look.

I had been using Apple theme since start. Even though I tried android theme in between, I didn’t like it much because of unpolished feel.

I think it looks well now and also has nice animations. You may keep this as default

I prefer the IOS theme anyway, nice for a change, and feels more polished & intuitive…just my opinion though…

The android is the one for me.

I prefer the apple theme, because what originally attracted me to this app is that it looked like Apollo for Reddit. As for what should be the default, I don’t really have a preference as long as the Apple theme is kept available. If you’re going to add material theme I guess it makes sense to make Android the default.

Went to check again as it’s been so long since I altered the setting. I remember at the time when I changed it to Android, I immediately kept it that way and it feeling better. This time around I still feel like Apple mode on my device feels a little odd, but the feeling was less stark that it was a bit over a year ago. Regardless, after testing I am still in the camp of Android default for Android devices. Unfortunately as far as reasoning goes, it just seems to be a bunch of minor UI stuff which bubbles under the surface and is difficult to really put into words. The most prominent thing to me consciously is the typeface and the cards at the bottom changing in a way which I am less fond of than the Android setting, but I’m sure it’s more than just that.

I also think novice users will likely prefer an app scheme more consistent with their device of choice, even if it is less polished at the moment. I don’t believe the current state is particularly clunky, especially to the point where it would offput new users trying to do basic navigation, or exploring Lemmy in general.

I prefer the Apple theme, but I might switch to the Android theme when the Material 3 theme is ready. Right now the Android theme looks a little unpolished. I would wait for Material 3 before changing the default.

Apple theme looks super weird to me