Mobile Apps have become so ubiquitous that it is almost impossible to imagine our lives without fiddling with our smartphones. All credit goes to renowned android and ios app development companies who built feature-rich, robust mobile apps like Whatsapp, Facebook, Instagram, etc., that have dominated our world like never before.
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ios vs android development – key differences
1. iOS Vs Android Development – Key
Differences
Mobile Apps have become so ubiquitous that it is almost impossible
to imagine our lives without fiddling with our smartphones. All credit
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goes to renowned android and ios app development companies
who built feature-rich, robust mobile apps like Whatsapp, Facebook,
Instagram, etc., that have dominated our world like never before.
It’s no exaggeration that this dominance of smartphones and mobile
apps has brought unparalleled growth opportunities for a mobile app
development company. But for businesses to create an app aligned
with their business strategy, choosing between Android and iOS
platforms is among the most critical decisions.
According to Statista, there are currently around 3.5 billion
smartphone users in the world. Further, if we compare Android vs ios
global market share, Android stands strong with 72.2% market share
and iOS: 26.99% market share.
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Developing Android and iOS applications may seem similar to an
untrained eye, but the fact is that each of these two has its intricacies.
Catering to the dilemma of choosing the most suitable OS, this article
will delve into differentiating the two types of apps – Android and iOS,
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based on the perspective of businesses, i.e. the app owners and the
developers, i.e. the app creators.
Ready to read? Let’s Begin!
Android vs iOS: Business owner’s perspective
For any business owner, investing in building technology is
brainstorming. No business owner blindly follows tech trends without
evaluating the repercussions of the investment and results. Their
evaluation primarily focuses on market research, investment of time,
app development cost, and the end profit. So, without further ado, let’s
look at the difference between Android & iOS based on the parameters
of a business owner:
Target Audience
For any successful application, the buyer’s persona is the first thing
that needs consideration. If we compare both, the primary aspect is
that iOS users are brand loyal, and Android users are conscious about
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their end needs from their mobile device and look forward to a good
price/quality ratio.
Another aspect of determining the target audience is the
demographics. For example, iOS mobile app development is more
rewarding in the US, Canada, Australia, and a few other countries due
to their preferences. When it comes to Android application
development, citizens of Asia, South America, Central, and Eastern
Europe are the major clans that use Android.
However, considering the more significant market share of Android, if
a business is planning to target a global audience, Android application
development might be a suitable option.
App Development Cost & Timelines
Another essential business aspect of determining the most suitable
OS is the time and cost required to develop the mobile application. In
general, iOS and Android apps take a similar amount of time to create.
But, because of the different screen sizes and resolutions of Android
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devices, android application development can take up to 20% longer
than iOS mobile app development.
And as far as cost is concerned to publish an app on Android Play
Store, a one-time $25 fee is charged, while on the Apple App Store, a
fee of $99 annually is set.
Now to choose between the two, it’s essential to consider both
timelines and the app development cost. If we talk about timeline,
Android might take a more significant share of time to be developed.
Still, it’s beneficial on the financial side and takes comparatively less
time to get published. In contrast, for iOS, the development might not
take much time, but the publishing timeframe and the cost can be
deciding factors.
Monetization specifics
The way Android and iOS apps generate revenue majorly differs from
each other. While all Android apps are free to download, their
monetary income is collected through in-app purchases and ads
placed inside applications. While for iOS, the creators of apps usually
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charge for downloading their apps. In addition, iOS apps leverage
monetary benefits from in-app features, bonuses, ads, and premium
versions. Thus, despite the smaller share of the audience, iOS
applications typically make more money than Android apps.
To decide on whether to choose Android or iOS on revenue grounds,
both can be profitable as there are numerous ways to pull in revenue
right from ads, affiliate sales, sponsorships, or subscriptions.
Now that we have an idea of Android vs iOS from a business
perspective let’s look at developers’ opinions on Android or iOS
application development.
Android vs iOS: Application Developer’s perspective
Looking from a developer’s perspective, multiple factors come into
play when they delve into Android application development and iOS
application development. Understanding the technical aspects of the
application is an integral part of the process. It allows the prediction
of possible issues & helps in making beneficial tech decisions moving
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forward. With that said, here are the specific points between
Android application development & iPhone app development:
Development Tools
The primary difference between iOS and Android from app
development is the development tools and languages used.
As for development tools, earlier, all the android apps were developed
on Eclipse, but with the launch of Google’s Android Studio, the support
for Eclipse ended, and Android studio became the go-to environment
for the android application development. Whereas for iOS apps,
XCode is used.
Further, for app programming languages, For Android programming,
developers use Java, Kotlin, and C++. and iOS developers have two
languages to choose from Objective-C and Swift.
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The Complexity of Development
Indeed this is a bit subjective, as many things factor into the
complexity of building an app. In general, app development consists of
three stages – design, development, and testing. When it comes to the
development of Android, considering a large number of devices, each
with its screen size and aspect ratio, it’s comparatively more complex
than iOS. Meanwhile, iOS applications are intended to work on a set of
devices. Thus, iOS app development is much easier.
UI UX Differences
Android apps and iOS app both have different approaches to UI UX
design. Each OS has its design style, which is strongly influenced by
the two big companies that created them. Google’s Android app
design guidelines are Material Design, which caters to the hardware
part more than focusing on aesthetics. Apple’s iOS app design
guidelines are called Human Interface Design that focuses on clean
and intuitive design, providing users with a superior user experience.
However, both apps follow minimalistic & concise design concepts
that let the user enjoy an app with a visually appealing interface.
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Final Verdict
With all of that read and learned, it can be concluded that there are
apparent differences between the two OS – Android & iOS. To choose
between the two, one needs to analyze every aspect discussed above
and then opt for the model that best fits your resources and plans.
However, partnering with an acclaimed mobile app development
company can be the best choice to make when planning to develop a
successful app.