From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

A long related thread posted last week with over 150 responses shows that probably this is the only useful functionality iOS has over Android.

From: Marion <marion@facts.com>
Newsgroups: misc.phone.mobile.iphone,comp.sys.mac.advocacy
Subject: Is there really only one thing that iOS can do that Android can't do?
Date: Sat, 2 Aug 2025 17:37:54 -0000 (UTC)
Message-ID: <106lidi$6h7$1@nnrp.usenet.blueworldhosting.com>

On Fri, 15 Aug 2025 00:43:20 -0000 (UTC), badgolferman wrote :

If so, are you ready to learn why?

Tell me why, but first tell me why iOS can do that one thing Android
can't.

Hi badgolferman,

I'm sure the Apple trolls will be happy to tell you that iOS can set up a server to bind to privileged ports WITHOUT needing to be root to do it.

On all other platforms, you need to be root, at least momentarily so, in
order to set up a server on privileged ports (Windows, Linux & Android).

Apparently iOS SMB-sharing apps appear to bind directly to TCP 445 because they're using Apple's built-in SMB server framework (which is part of iOS) which already has the privilege to bind to port 445.

The app itself isn't opening the socket but the app is apparently calling
into an iOS privileged system service that does it on its behalf.

On macOS, Windows, Linux & Android, you need to be root, at least
momentarily so, to allow an SMB server to bind to privileged ports.

Android (Linux) binding to ports below 1024 requires the capability CAP_NET_BIND_SERVICE. Regular apps don't have it, so non'rooted Android
apps can't bind 445.

iOS (Darwin + sandbox) doesn't uniformly enforce the classic "privileged
ports <1024 require root" rule for third-party apps. Instead, it relies on sandboxing, entitlements, and system daemons reserving ports they need. If
no system service claims 445 and the app has Local Network permission,
binding can succeed.

Proof of statements above using the iOS SMB LAN drive 3rd-party app:
<https://i.postimg.cc/8zk8s2mb/LANDRIVE-SMBSERVER01.jpg> Jan 24 2019
<https://i.postimg.cc/7hgvTDRK/LANDRIVE-SMBSERVER02.jpg> LAN Drive Server
<https://i.postimg.cc/g0TbCgRH/LANDRIVE-SMBSERVER03.jpg> Allow Bonjour
<https://i.postimg.cc/SsHqMgxx/LANDRIVE-SMBSERVER04.jpg> Server Settings
<https://i.postimg.cc/MpYWF0d9/LANDRIVE-SMBSERVER05.jpg> Network Ports
<https://i.postimg.cc/wvvnFLGR/LANDRIVE-SMBSERVER06.jpg> Privileged Ports
<https://i.postimg.cc/rp6r6Y24/LANDRIVE-01.jpg> Incessant Apple nag screen
<https://i.postimg.cc/RFd6HS61/LANDRIVE-02.jpg> Two shares by default
<https://i.postimg.cc/fykLSxhZ/LANDRIVE-03.jpg> Activate the SMB server
<https://i.postimg.cc/CKPdhvWJ/LANDRIVE-04.jpg> User is Anonymous
<https://i.postimg.cc/tRV7bNDt/LANDRIVE-05.jpg> iOS is now sharing
<https://i.postimg.cc/c4RHg1pv/LANDRIVE-06.jpg> net use X: \\iOS\share
<https://i.postimg.cc/d0xtPhyx/LANDRIVE-07.jpg> Allow iOS DCIM access
<https://i.postimg.cc/B6F3rMsj/LANDRIVE-08.jpg> Command-line access only
<https://i.postimg.cc/HsYGzpJc/LANDRIVE-09.jpg> Copy from iOS to WinPC
<https://i.postimg.cc/pdNq0Z0G/LANDRIVE-10.jpg> Copy from WinPC to iOS


As far as anyone can show in this thread, this is the only useful
capability that iOS has that Android (and all other OS's) lack.
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From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

Marion, 2025-08-15 05:16:

[...]> Proof of statements above using the iOS SMB LAN drive 3rd-party app: [...]

As far as anyone can show in this thread, this is the only useful
capability that iOS has that Android (and all other OS's) lack.

And the capability is not even "SMB" but just using ports below 1024 to
provide SMB as *sever*. Using SMB als *client* to access other servers
is no problem with Android.
--
Arno Welzel
https://arnowelzel.de
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From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

Marion <marion@facts.com> wrote:

A long related thread posted last week with over 150 responses shows that probably this is the only useful functionality iOS has over Android.

Brazen lie. A long list of other functionality was provided. Your choice to deny them, doesn't mean they don't exist.

--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

On Wed, 20 Aug 2025 15:36:04 +0200, Arno Welzel wrote :

[...]> Proof of statements above using the iOS SMB LAN drive 3rd-party app: [...]

As far as anyone can show in this thread, this is the only useful
capability that iOS has that Android (and all other OS's) lack.

And the capability is not even "SMB" but just using ports below 1024 to provide SMB as *sever*. Using SMB als *client* to access other servers
is no problem with Android.

Actually, nobody has found a single funcitohality on iOS that isn't on
Android (which plenty of functionality on Android isn't on iOS).

What the thought question was, specifically, was to teach people why.
But first people had to try for weeks to find something (anything).

And yet, after almost 200 posts, nobody has found more than port 445.

Hint:
a. Most computer functionality is written by developers.
b. Apple severely limits what developers can do.
c. Google can't.

The thread in question with hundreds of posts is this one:
From: Marion <marion@facts.com>
Newsgroups: misc.phone.mobile.iphone,comp.sys.mac.advocacy
Subject: Is there really only one thing that iOS can do that Android can't do?
Date: Sat, 2 Aug 2025 17:37:54 -0000 (UTC)
Message-ID: <106lidi$6h7$1@nnrp.usenet.blueworldhosting.com>

A whole bunch of people suggested the highly marketed tools that Apple promotes, but all of them, so far anyway, are already long ago on Android.

They're just not as well promoted as the Apple tools are.
But that Android sucks at marketing doesn't make functionality disappear.

It's good that people are trying to find something (anything!) else that
iOS can do that is useful that Android can't do - but nobody has found it.

Although I agree that iOS being able to bind to privileged ports is nice.

Personally, I'm shocked there's at least 1 thing iOS does that Android
can't do, so that's nice that iOS does one thing only that Android can't.
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