Full Stack Developer
Android is by far the world’s most popular operating system. It is a mobile operating system that has been around for nearly 15 years. You’ll primarily find it as the base operating system of phones and tablets around the world. Additionally, other operating systems natively support Android applications, including Chrome OS and Windows 11.
iOS is the operating system for iPhone, iPad, and other Apple mobile devices. Based on Mac OS, the operating system which runs Apple’s line of Mac desktop and laptop computers, Apple iOS is designed for easy, seamless networking between a range of Apple products. It is the second-most popular mobile operating system.
After reading articles on the internet, I have drawn up some differences between Android and iOS.
Developer
Various, mostly Google and Open Handset Alliance.
Initial release
September 23, 2008
Latest stable release and updates
Android 11
Customizability
A lot. Can change almost anything.
Source model
Open-source.
File transfer
Easier than iOS. Using USB port and Android File Transfer desktop app. Photos can be transferred via USB without apps.
Widgets
Yes, except on the lock screen.
Internet browsing
Google Chrome (other browsers are available). Any browser app can be set as default. Adblocking is supported with Firefox.
Web mapping service
Google Maps.
Available language(s)
100+ languages.
Video chat
Google Meet and other 3rd party apps.
Virtual assistant
Google Assistant.
Available on
Many phones and tablets. Major manufacturers such as Samsung, Oppo, OnePlus, Vivo, Honor, and Xiaomi. Android One devices are pure
Android. Pixel line of devices is made by Google using an almost pure version of Android.
Calls and Messaging
Google Messages. 3rd party apps like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Google Duo, Discord, and Skype all work on Android and fish.
App store, Affordability, and interface
Google Play Store – 2,000,000+ apps. Other app stores like Amazon and Aptoide also distribute Android apps. (".APKs"). Apps containing
virus rare, but existing.
Alternative app stores and side loading
Several alternative app stores are other than the official Google Play Store. (e.g. Aptoide, Galaxy Apps)
Battery life and management
Many but not all Android phone manufacturers equip their devices with large batteries with longer life.
Open-source
Kernel (Based on Linux), UI, and some standard apps.
File manager
Yes. (Stock Android File Manager included on devices running Android 7.1.1)
Photos & Videos backup
Apps are available for an automatic backup of photos and videos. Google Photos allows unlimited backup of photos at a compressed quality.
OneDrive, Amazon Photos, and Dropbox are other alternatives.
Security
Monthly security updates. Android software patches are available soonest to Pixel device users. Manufacturers tend to L pushing out these updates. Sort any given time a vast majority of
Android devices are running outdated OS software.
Rooting, bootloaders, and jailbreaking
Access and complete control over your devices are available and you can unlock the bootloader.
Cloud services
Native integration with Google Drive storage. 15GB free, $2/month for 100GB, 1TB for $10. Apps available for Amazon Photos, OneDrive and
Dropbox.
Interface
Touch Screen.
Biometric Authentication
Fingerprint and/or Face Authentication. Availability depends on the manufacturer's hardware.
OS family
Linux.
Headphone Jack
Some current Android smartphones and many don't.
Developer
Apple Inc.
Initial release
July 29, 2007
Latest stable release and Updates
iOS 14.1 and iPad OS 14.1
Customizability
Limited unless jailbroken.
Source model
Closed, with open source components.
File transfer
More difficult. Media files can be transferred using the iTunes desktop app. Photos can be transferred out via USB without apps.
Widgets
Yes, except on lock-screen.
Internet browsing
Safari. Any browser app can be set as default but they all use the same rendering engine (Safari/Webkit) behind the scenes. Adblocking is supported via content blockers like Firefox Focus.
Web mapping service
Apple Maps (default). Google Maps is also available via a separate app download, but not as default.
Available language(s)
40 languages.
Video chat
FaceTime (Apple devices only) and other 3rd party apps.
Virtual assistant
Siri.
Available on
iPod Touch, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV (2nd and 3rd generation).
Calls and messaging
iMessage, FaceTime (with other Apple devices only). 3rd party apps like Google Hangouts, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Google Duo, Discord, and Skype all work on Android and iOS.
App store, Affordability, and interface
Apple App Store – 1,000,000+ apps. Apps containing viruses are very rare or nonexistent.
Alternative app stores and side loading
Apple blocks 3rd party app stores. The phone needs to be jailbroken if you want to download apps from other stores.
Battery life and management
Apple batteries are generally not as big as the largest Android batteries. However, Apple can squeeze decent battery life via hardware/software optimizations.
Open-source
The iOS kernel is not open source but is based on the open-source Darwin OS.
File manager
Files app, limited and less useful (iOS 12).
Photos & Videos backup
Up to 5 GB of photos and videos can be automatically backed up with iCloud, more paid iCloud storage is available via subscription. All other vendors like Google, Amazon, Dropbox, Flickr, and
Microsoft have auto-backup apps for both iOS and
Android.
Security
Occasional security updates. Security threats are rare because iOS is locked and downloading apps out of the App Store is complicated.
Rooting, bootloaders, and jailbreaking
Complete control over your device is not available.
Cloud services
Native integration with iCloud. 5GB free, 50GB for $1/month, 200GB for $3/month, 1TB for $10/mo. Apps are available for Google Drive and Google Photos, Amazon Photos, OneDrive, and
Dropbox.
Interface
Touch Screen.
Biometric Authentication
Fingerprint or Face Authentication. Touch ID available on iPhone (5s and later) and iPad (Air 2 and later) but not on iPhone X or later. Face ID available on iPhone X and later, replacing Touch ID.
OS family
OS X, UNIX.
Headphone Jack
None on iPhone 7 and later, lighting to 3.5mm no longer comes with the phone after iPhone XS.
Android gets apps from Google Play, which currently has 600,000 apps available, most of which will run on tablets. However, some Android devices, such as the Kindle Fire, use separate app stores that have a smaller selection of apps available. Many originally iOS-only apps are now available for Android, including Instagram and Pinterest, and Google’s more open app-store means other exclusive apps are also available, including Adobe Flash Player and BitTorrent. Android also offers access to Google-based apps, such as Youtube and Google Docs.
The Apple app store currently offers over 1 million apps, about 30% of which are available for the iPad. Most developers prefer to develop games for iOS before they develop for Android.
The bottom line when comparing Google and Apple's app stores is that the most popular apps are available for both platforms. But for tablets, there are more apps designed specifically for the iPad while Android tablet apps are often scaled-up versions of Android smartphone apps. Developers at startups often focus on one platform (usually iOS) when they first launch their smartphone app because they do not have the resources to serve multiple platforms from the get-go. For example, Instagram started with iOS and their Android app came much later.
Android apps are programmed using C, C++, and Java. It is an open platform; anyone can download the Android source code and Android SDK for free. Anyone can create and distribute Android apps for free; users are free to download apps from outside of the official Google Play store. There is, however, a one-time $25 registration fee for developers who want to publish their apps (whether free or paid apps) on the official Google Play store. Apps published on Google Play undergo a review by Google. The Android SDK is available for all platforms - Mac, PC, and Linux.
iOS apps are programmed using Objective-C. Developers must pay $99 every year for access to the iOS SDK and the right to publish in Apple's app store. The iOS SDK is only available for the Mac platform.
Some app development platforms - such as Titanium Appcelerator and PhoneGap - offer a way to code once (say in Javascript and/or HTML) and have the platform convert it into native code for both Android and iOS platforms.
A large number of Android devices are available at various price points, with varying hardware capabilities, screen sizes, and features.
The home screen can be customized with not only just app icons but also widgets that allow the user to stay connected or informed. Other examples include SwiftKey, which modifies your Android smartphone’s keyboard, and apps that emulate older gaming consoles. Google has fewer restrictions than Apple on what kinds of apps it allows in its Play store. Moreover, you can choose to install Android apps from places other than the Google Play store.
A distinct advantage for tablet apps while on smartphones popular apps are usually available for both platforms.
It is easier to post updates and share on social networks using iOS than Android because of how deeply integrated these platforms are with iOS.
Passbook, FaceTime, and Mobile Payments app Square (available on iOS 3GS,4,4S,5 and up, nut only for limited Android phones).
Limited customization options for the home screens; only rows of app icons are allowed. No third-party apps are pre-installed by the wireless carrier. Users can only install apps from the App Store.
Apple offers software upgrades to all devices that have the hardware capable of handling the new software. This means devices stay current with software features for at least two to three years.
iOS offers better control over the access apps have to users' private information such as contacts and location.