Imagine the following scenario: you’re a developer and you’ve been using an iPhone since it first came out. You’ve always loved this phone and marveled at its simplicity and functionality (possibly even drooled over its design).
But then, seemingly overnight, Android started showing up everywhere. Google announced that they were going to show what a smartphone should really be like. The tech sphere exploded with buzzwords such as “innovative,” “robust,” and “open.” There was so much information available about Android. That the only thing harder than learning it would be choosing which platform to develop for first. How to Maintain 100% iPhone Battery health 2021.
But now it’s time to step back from all of the hype and look at each platform objectively. Which one is right for your next project?
First, let’s look at the platforms’ major pros and cons.
Advantages of Developing for iOS
1 : Apple recently announced that there are now 900,000 apps in their App Store. Yes, you read that right – 900 THOUSAND. This is great because it means your app will have an audience before it ever even launches! Apps are ranked by number of downloads, so obviously. Ahe more people who download an app, the better it will rank. And since users typically stick with the top-ranked apps that they’ve already downloaded. This makes for a pretty convincing argument in favor of making iOS app development your first platform to develop for.
2: Users have shown clear preference for iPhones over Androids – not just in terms of sales. But also in terms of app downloads. According to Statista , 70% of the smartphones sold worldwide are iPhones. Moreover, according to Flurry Analytics , iPhone users spend an average of 16% more time on their phones than Android users do, and they’re also 47% more likely to purchase paid apps .
3: iOS developers have access to the latest features available on Apple devices before anyone else does. For instance, Siri was first introduced as part-of-the-beta for iOS 5 before. It became a staple (and nearly mandatory) feature for all smartphones everywhere. And last year’s introduction of HealthKit was exclusive to iOS 8 at first; Google announced an Android version months later, but it featured a much more limited set of APIs.
4: Apple’s personal assistant, Siri , is pretty cool. Unless you’re driving or busy, simply speaking to your phone. Can result in powerful automation that will make your life easier. Or at least make it seem like someone else is helping you out!
5: Finally, Apple devices are still the most profitable ones available on the market today . iPhones are top-dollar items everywhere they go – this makes developing an iPhone app an extremely lucrative endeavor.
Advantages of Developing for Android
1 : Many analysts predict that Android will overtake iOS as the dominant smartphone platform sometime this year . If their predictions come true, then it would be foolish not to develop for Android.
2: The number of apps in the Google Play Store is growing at a staggering rate – and that means there’s even more competition for users’ attention. So, if you’re going to develop for this platform anyway, then it may as well be sooner rather than later (and definitely before your competitor does).
3: There are many devices available with varying screen sizes and resolutions, all running different iterations of Android. This can make it difficult to create an app that will work on all devices; however, the rewards outweigh the cost by far. As you saw in the graph above, Android commands a staggering 81% of the global smartphone market share .
4: The open nature of Android means that there is a community of users out there who are more than willing to help you debug and improve your code . It also means that new features can be developed by third-party developers. If one company isn’t cooperating with another on some feature, chances are good that it will soon be available through a separate app or add-on, either from Google or from an independent developer. And this increases the value proposition of developing for Android significantly!
5: The open nature of Android means that you can customize your device far beyond what iOS allows . Consider something like Tasker , which lets you automate pretty much anything you want on your Android phone. Although iOS does allow limited automation, there’s no way to do something like this:
By detecting when your phone is plugged into a specific power source and connected to a given Bluetooth device, you could have your device perform an action whenever it’s connected to your car. The possibilities are virtually endless!
6: Platforms such as Amazon Fire and BlackBerry OS 10 use modified versions of Android for their phones’ operating systems. Because of this, apps created for the mainstream version of Android will often work with these devices without much tweaking required . This can be helpful if you’re planning to expand to emerging markets in the future. Also, keep in mind that some devices (i.e., Kindle) don’t use Google Play Store or any of its services, and instead rely on third-party marketplaces.
Conclusion
The decision between iOS and Android is a challenging one . It’s made even more difficult by the fact that it’s almost always a tradeoff – you’ll only ever get the most benefits from making your app available for one platform (usually). But ignoring either OS would be foolish indeed – so keep this guide in mind when you’re thinking about which platform to develop for first!
There are pros and cons to both platforms, which makes it impossible to answer the question “which platform should I develop for?” with a simple answer. Nonetheless, the data we’ve presented clearly favors iOS as the dominant player in today’s market – and even though Android will likely overtake it this year, you can’t argue with success! Our advice? Develop your next app for iOS first; then, if you’re planning on developing for Android too (or already have), use that project as an opportunity to see what advantages each platform has to offer.