Do you ever think of using a smartphone running an operating system other than Google’s Android or Apple’s iOS? Maybe not, because the debate between iOS vs Android is a decade old and they have been dominating the market since then.
However, there are other app stores like GetJar, Aptoide, Opera Mobile Store available in the marketplace. But still, when it comes to the selection process of App Stores, Google’s Android & Apple’s iOS have the duopoly in the mobile operating system choice.
Generally, these sorts of restricted policies are not good for any market, let alone the app domain. But the two-way competition of the Android vs iOS market share is ensuring feature-packed, polished, more technology potent, and focused software. In this case, both the operating systems are backed by one of the colossal IT giants, Google & Apple.
Market share of units sold
If we look into the market share, Android has been leading since 2016. Considering the year 2018 as a base year, iOS has 217.72 million subscribers, and Android has 1.3 billion subscribers in the same year.
Market share of apps
As per the data presented by Statista in December 2018, the Google Play store has 2.6 million apps accessible for download. On the other hand, Apple App Store has amassed about two million apps.
App Downloads (iOS vs Android Users)
As per the data presented by App Annie in 2018, both Play Store and App store got about 28.4 billion downloads. Alone Google Play downloads accounted for over 20 billion downloads throughout the decade.
Average App Revenues
When it involves app revenue, the major difference is despite having more reach of Android, iOS is more profitable in terms of revenue. If we take 2017 as a base year, Apple’s iOS apps got $40 billion in terms of revenue. On the other hand, Android got $21 billion through the Google Play Store and $20 billion from third-party stores.
Talking about gaming apps in the Android & iOS users, in particular, the average mobile app revenue per user was $1.99 for iOS vs $1.56 for Android. When it comes to shopping apps, iOS got $19.64 per user compared to $11.49 by Android. For the travel apps, iOS has a clear majority with $32.29 per user versus $20.47 for Android.
iOS vs Android Development – Technical Aspects
Development Complexity
According to iOS App Development Company, the App Development process for Android has more complexity than iOS. It simply happens because Apple has a limited number of devices to run the app like iPhone, iPad, and iPod. And with Android App Development, it has a variety of devices, smartphones, tablets. Furthermore, there are hundreds of brands selling phones based on Android and they all have different screen sizes, side ratios, and operating systems.
Development Time (Android vs iOS)
The complex factor of Android App Development makes the development process lengthy than that of an iOS app. Taking an average, the development of an Android App takes 30 to 40 percent more time than iOS.
Development Cost (Android vs iOS development)
Here Android has the advantage. Because the app development on Android requires Android Studio Application which only requires a regular laptop. On the other hand, iOS apps require Xcode, which works only on the MAC. That’s why the development for MAC requires more investment.
Programming languages used
Both the platforms have different requirements in terms of the programming language used. On one hand, iOS apps require Objective C or Swift for Native development. On the other hand, Android uses Java or Kotlin.
Publishing process
However, iOS apps are fast to develop because of the limited number of devices. But it has a very strict policy when it comes to publishing on the App Store. On the other hand, Android apps are easy to upload on Google Play Store by paying a meager amount of $25. Furthermore, any update or modifications to the app take longer on iOS as every change has to go through a long approval method.
For any android app, the app will be live after some hours, and a developer just has to perform beta testing or update the app simply and quickly.
iOS vs Android Security
Android OS
Popularity: In terms of popularity, Android is massively popular worldwide(thanks to the Asian Market). This clearly reflects that developers are making multiple apps to meet the demand of the large user base. But with these apps, many hackers develop apps that are designed to infect smart devices. This happens because the review method for apps is less tight than Apple’s App Store.
It paves the way for users to download some of these apps accidentally and likely to comprise their privacy. One of the most common issues with smart devices run on the Android platform support third-party download-or APK, or may be downloaded and installed from an internet site bypassing the Google Play store guidelines.
Fragmented: Unlike the iOS OS that only runs on limited Apple devices, Android OS runs on multiple devices manufactured by a no of organizations. Some of them provide hardware that is safer than others, but others always come with some sort of vulnerability.
Apple’s iOS
Here’s a viewpoint on Apple’s iOS.
More demanding controls: It is aforementioned that it is difficult for developers to induce apps into the App Store. As the app review system on the App Store is more strict, it is more difficult for a malicious app to breach the security of Apple’s store.
Less flexibility: Here Apple takes the absolute lead as it doesn’t permit the owners to change its iOS OS or custom ROM to be loaded on their system.
A less lucrative target: As you know Android amasses a wide user base so hackers aren’t likely to target the iOS platform. It makes absolute sense of hackers to target Android OS as they get more users and an easy platform to bypass security.
A quick overview on what to choose: Android vs iOS?
- If you looking forward to target a wider audience: Android
- If you are looking forward to earn more revenue per user: iOS
- If you are craving for fast development cycles: iOS
- Looking for a more cost-effective solution: Android
- The smaller time window to launch an app to the store: Android
- Looking for strict policies on Security and Privacy: iOS
- Looking for some serious social media engagement: iOS
A Road to Conclusion:
In the end, it is still a conundrum for Android App Development companies to choose between the Android & iOS platforms for your next application development platform. Both of them have their pros and cons, and target audiences. So you have to make a choice as per your budget, business model, target audiences & competition. Otherwise, you can go for both.
If you still feel yourself on the horns of a dilemma, contact us.
