If you have owned a smartphone, you probably have preferred one operating system over the other. Both iOS and Android have great strengths and pronounced weaknesses.
Despite what some might not tell you, one isn’t inherently better than the other. However, we tend to prefer what we are comfortable with, and many of us, whichever operating system we tried first became our choice.
The battle between the two is constant and hard-fought, with genuine fans on each side. If you have not found the right mobile platform for your needs yet, we’re sure our handy guide will help you. Of course, most popular games and apps cater to both iOS and Android users, but if you have to choose, consider these things:
- Quick PIN Unlock
In iOS, when you set up a new PIN, the operating system takes a note of whether you have used four or six digits. This means that when a PIN is entered to unlock a device, iOS can simply recognize if the user has entered the correct passcode, unlocking your phone immediately.
In Android, there aren’t any rules. When setting up your PIN, you can enter as many digits you like; however, the system accepts it as long as there are more than four numbers. As a result, Android has no idea of when you are done typing your PIN, owing to which you are forced to hit the check mark when you are done entering. Though it may not bother much, but when calculated, it equals to 25% more work every single time you unlock your device.
- Discoverability and Name Recognition
Though a bit abstract, it has real-world repercussions. Apple iOS is much better than Android at naming and marketing its services, which results in more users being aware of the features on iOS. Give it a thought – if you want to do a video chat with an iPhone, you know that you can do it with the app named FaceTime, as apparent with the name. However, with Android, it is obvious for you to drool down knowing that you can do it with Hangouts.
When people don’t know about your services, they won’t use them. When people don’t use your services, they become less valuable. So without the name recognition, services on Android are essentially less useful than their iOS equivalents.
- Easier App Switching
Phones are designed to be used primarily in portrait mode, which means that the screen is much taller than it is wide. Apple takes the benefit of this vertical facet by offering an application switcher that scrolls horizontally, allowing the user to see his ‘recently used apps’ nearly on a full-screen.
On Android, however, the recent apps list scrolls vertically, which means you can see just a small portion of each app. This becomes annoying, particularly when you consider that apps in this list continues through a reboot, so it can be quite difficult to find the app you are looking for.
- Firmware Updates
When Google reinforces a security loophole in Android, the manufacturers take months to layer all their tweaks back on the top of the newer, safer version. It is after which the carriers take a pew on the update for a few more months, before finally sending the update to the devices.
With iOS, Apple flicks the switch on the new firmware version, which then immediately starts hitting the devices worldwide. It is true, this is how Google handles updates with its own Nexus devices, but the kick here is that Apple continues to support the older iPhone models for as long as 5 years, whereas Google stops after just 3.
- Reachability
Undoubtedly, Android takes the credit for making accessibility with the back button. However, it doesn’t help much when one is trying to tap an image, link or an icon within the app he is using – especially with the bigger devices available today.
Apple introduced a simple feature called Reachability to solve this issue. Just a double touch/ tap on the home button, and the entire screen will shrink down, closer to your thumb. Android, per se, has no such feature, thus, you are stuck doing thumb movements to reach the upper portions of your screen.
- 3D Touch
Bearing in mind all the functions that our smartphones perform, we are inexplicably limited in the ways we can interact with our devices. This is why Apple’s 3D Touch feature is so important, as it gives us the several new methods for connecting physically with our games and apps.
Undeniably, this is a mere hardware feature, but it banks on iOS to provide all of its core functionality. Android, on the other hand, limits its usability to taps and long-presses, and while a 3D Touch alternative may be in the works already, it’s important to note that Apple was the one to push the envelope on this front.
- Motivated Developers
Developers are certainly quicker to publish apps on iOS than on Android. Let’s take an example of the Face Swap Live. When iOS launched this application, Android too got it in the making. Now, a year past, the fad has had its course, but the Android version is still in the works.
There are several different reasons for this, and nothing is likely to change. First, studies show that iOS users spend more on applications than Android, so there’s definitely a financial reason. Second, android devices come with thousands of unique display sizes, resulting in lots of extra work to ensure that the applications are compatible with every device. Lastly, iOS’s coding language is contemporary and flexible than that used in Android. Android has been in an enduring lawsuit of using Java, restricting its growth.
The Verdict:
Closing down on the iOS vs. Android debate – as compared to Apple’s quality experience in a closed environment, Android can be concluded as a flawed, fragmented openness. Remember to check iOS vs Android stats to read the latest.
When talking about the lifestyle or a political philosophy, Android is any day hard to beat. But then, it’s about Apple on the other end. So, if you are on the outlook of a safe, easy, enjoyable, reliable and a luxuriously designed operating system, then iOS is the only answer.
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