A lot of people who want to quit cigarettes switch to vaping first. It feels like a reasonable middle step, less harsh than cold turkey, still familiar enough to stick with.
Here is the part that gets missed. Vaping still delivers nicotine, and for many people, at a similar or even higher level than the cigarettes they switched from. That means the underlying dependence your body built up does not go away. It just changes shape.
This matters because the goal most people actually want is not a different way to take nicotine. It is freedom from needing it at all.
That does not mean vaping has no place in quitting. Some approved nicotine replacement products work on a similar principle to what people hope vaping will do, delivering nicotine without the combustion and chemicals produced by burning tobacco, which are responsible for much of smoking's harm. The difference is that products like patches, gum, and lozenges are designed with a clear step-down plan and a defined end point.
Vaping, for most people, does not come with that plan built in. Without one, it is easy to end up vaping indefinitely instead of using it as a bridge, which just trades one long-term nicotine habit for another.
If vaping is part of your plan, the thing that makes the difference is treating it the way you would treat any nicotine replacement: with a set nicotine strength that steps down on a schedule, and a real end date, not an open-ended switch.
If you are not sure whether vaping is the right step for you, a doctor or pharmacist can help you compare it honestly against other nicotine replacement options based on your own smoking history.
The real target was never a different device. It was not needing one.