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Google's Android and Apple's iOS are the operating systems generally used in the mobile technology, like in smartphones and tablets. Android is Linux based and partly the source is open. However, iOS' uniform designed elements are seen sometimes to be more user friendly.
People must think about switching phones as after doing that, they will need to buy apps over again from the Google Play or Apple App Store. Android is the World's most commonly used smartphone platform. Even the maximum number of mobile phone manufacturers are using this platform.
Interface
iOS and Android both of the platforms use touch interfaces and this has a lot in common, like swiping, tapping and pinch and zoom options. Both of these operating systems generally boot to a home screen and this is similar to a desktop.
Android allows users to use widgets and it displays updated information like weather and email contents. On the other hand, iOS home screen only contains some rows of application icons. In the iOS, there is a dock where users are able to pin some of the applications, which they use frequently than others.
However, a status bar always runs across the top of these iOS and Android platforms along with offering information like Wi-Fi and battery life. In Android, the status bar also shows whether the number of newly received emails, messages and reminders.
These two platforms accounted for more than 99 percent of the entire smartphone market according to the 2016 statistics. Over the last year, this number has increased to 99.7 percent. Nowadays, Microsoft has also thrown a challenge with their Windows Phones, BlackBerry makes Android devices and there are only few options left to be considered.
It is a kind of consolation that both of these iOS and Android platforms are excellent and they have a lot in common except some of the features, which you will consider before switching to any of it.
Affordability
Apple has always been on the top of the end market in terms of pricing and the new versions of this platform has taken the things to a whole new level as the new iPhone X starting price is $1,000. The previous versions like the iPhone 8 Plus starting price is $800 and iPhone 8 from $700.
Most of the people choose not to spend that much on a gadget and they prefer purchasing 2-year-old iPhone 6S at $450 or the diminutive iPhone SE at $350. This is what you need to pay for a first-hand iPhone series, otherwise, you will have to look for the second-hand devices.
For Android, you can spend as much as you can because there is no limited boundary to follow. For instance, Google's Pixel 2 phones and Samsung's Galaxy Note series almost match Apple's iPhone pricing. Though, there is a very low-cost handsets that you can choose. Android market comes with a wide range of variety and it allows users to set their own budget for the phones.
Applications
In this section, we must start with the numbers of applications as Android applications are available more than 3.5 million and iOS apps are 2.2 million and all of these applications are available for the users from the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.
Honestly, numbers are not the best thing to consider before choosing any platform as there are handful of applications that we use. Traditionally, iOS has always been a lucrative platform for the developers comparing with the Android app development platform.
In iOS, there is a tendency to show the new apps on the top, but this is changing because the Android market share continues to grow. However, in the USA, iOS is still leading the way and developers are increasingly targeting Android first.
It is true that the higher percentage of free apps are available on Google Play Store than the App Store. But it is also true that the best mobile games are still landing first on the iOS and surprisingly, they do not always come to Android. In this case, quality beats the quantity and this is a narrow win for the iOS.
App Store
It is always difficult to organize millions of applications and both of the operating systems never do this perfectly. After overall analysis, it can be considered that Apple's redesigned App Store in iOS 11 provides a better experience in browsing than Android.
Most of the people like the fact that one can easily buy apps just using their fingerprint via the Touch ID available on the iPhones. This feature can be done on Android phones with fingerprint sensors but this requires a set up in beforehand.
Apple is very strict about blocking certain types of apps for users and this is a good thing in overall quality. This is feature you are not supposed to get with the Android platform as users have are free to choose their own apps whether that is good or not. Even in this segment, iOS bags another winning for the better plethora it follows.
Also Read, 6 Ways Social Media Can Hurt Your Business.
Safety and Security
In Android, the threat of malware has been exaggerated. Most people never go outside of the Google Play Store for installing an application. Specific manufacturers like Samsung has taken an extra effort in order to beef up the security for their enterprise market.
But, the nature of updates on most of Android devices can seriously delay some important security patches. Speedy updates the most important thing because security breaches are becoming more serious. Android is behind this update world. Those who use an Android device, it can be bad news that the security option for their devices are not that good.
The software they are using on their Android devices are years old, these can be vulnerable to some serious hacks like Heartbleed and stage fright. In this segment, it's a good win for iOS platform users. Apple is already firmly entrenched in the US and has worked on an improved security for the general consumers of the country.
Guest Author
Justin Kemp is working as a Jr. Content Writer and blogger with Ranking By SEO. He can be seen blogging about digital marketing, SEO, SMO, PPC, etc.