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Choosing Platform for Mobile App: Differences Between iOS and Android

This is an Android vs iOS match to see which one is better for application development. Once you’re in, let’s examine the differences between the most popular platforms.

Market Share

The battle for market share is currently going on between iOS and Android. Overall, Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS account for more than 99 percent of the worldwide market. Android continues to lead the mobile operating system market globally, with approximately 73 percent market share as of September 2021. In contrast, iOS has a market share of 27%.

If you’re comfortable with market share by region, these figures may help:

  • US: 46.98% Android, 52.59% iOS;

  • Europe: 72.71% Android, 22.23% iOS;

  • Asia – 13.85% – iOS, 83.09% – Android;

Without doing any math, it is clear that Android is the best choice for mobile applications that want to reach a global user base.

A Quick Overview of Native Apps

The two categories of mobile applications are native and cross-platform.

Native mobile applications, such as those for iOS or Android, are designed for a particular mobile operating system and coded in programming languages specific to that platform. They must work quickly and with a high degree of dependability.

Although native apps can be used on any existing device—desktop, smart TV, etc., smartphones are the most popular platform for developers to create native mobile apps.

What Are The Benefits of Developing Native Mobile Apps?


Increased productivity. Native mobile apps do not require middleware to communicate with native APIs. For performance-critical apps like games and graphic-intensive programs, native mobile apps are faster and more responsive than cross-platform apps.


Constant attendance. Because the UIs were created using software development kits, they appear to be appropriate for their platform, resulting in a better user experience.

When a new feature becomes available, native apps get access to it immediately, while hybrid apps have to wait for a plugin that supports it.

Difference Between Android and iOS platforms

Develop

While sharing the fundamental ideas of software design for mobile app development, iOS and Android have different design philosophies regarding navigation and architectural organization.

Partitioning is used in the development of Android apps, dividing them into screens and fragments. The entire screen or specific areas of the screen are controlled by view controllers (page view, tab, split view, etc.) in the iOS application architecture. When it comes to errors, the iOS architecture is more reliable. 

Creating iOS apps is easy because of the system design. However, compared to the iOS language, the new Kotlin language is much easier to use when building Android apps. The release of Kotlin has made the process of creating Android apps much faster and simpler.


Designers can follow guidelines when creating user interfaces, which outline broad concepts and establish the overall tone of applications. Table sizes, icon spacing, suggested color schemes and other details are provided by Google’s Material Design guidelines for Android. Rather than providing specific information, Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines for iOS provide guidelines for achieving intuitive design.

We’ve outlined the main differences between Apple’s and Google’s design guidelines below.

  • Depth. Google promotes the flat design movement, while Apple embraces infinite depth in its apps.

  • Animation. From a functional standpoint, Apple views animation as something that should be used sparingly and only when necessary. In contrast, when Google creates animations, it tries to improve the user experience and bring the design to life with lights and vibrations.

  • Guidance. Since Google Material Design has fewer navigational barriers, it is more comfortable. As a result, designers have more creative freedom, but this may result in a less user-friendly UI. Apple creates an intuitive and comfortable design by limiting the number of navigation options.

App Development Cost

Even though Apple has a much smaller user base and fewer applications overall, the App Store makes more money. As a result, iOS apps generate more revenue. Because iOS was designed for standard devices, it is somewhat traditional. Conversely, because Android applications require more testing, Android development is more expensive. The lack of regulation has a negative cost impact on open-source platforms, due to increased complexity and rework.

Languages For Programming

Apps that are native are written in a language specific to the device and operating system. Since iOS requires knowledge of Objective-C or Swift, it is simple to create apps for it. In contrast, apps that are native to Android require some basic understanding of Kotlin or Java.

Most Mobile App Development Company agree that creating iOS apps is easier than creating Android apps. Since Swift is more readable than Java, coding takes less time. However, this may soon change as Kotlin continues to advance. It is predicted that a more modern, intuitive, and readable language will soon replace Java. The programming languages used in iOS development have a short learning curve, making them easier to master.

Environment For Development

Another notable difference between the development processes for iOS and Android is the integrated environment. Google released Android Studio in 2013, a proprietary tool used by Android developers. This integrated development environment is highly readable, supports multiple platforms, and has a large number of development and debugging features. iOS developers, on the other hand, use Apple’s proprietary XCode tool, which is user-friendly, supports the full range of iOS devices, and offers many bug-fixing tools.

Additionally, keep in mind that it is not possible to find developers with different expertise in iOS and Android development. Therefore, most developers do not need to compare integrated environments after choosing a platform. In short, platform selection should not be influenced by the differences between Android Studio and Xcode.

Time Table

When choosing which platform to use, it’s common to wonder how much time the project will take. This is something that needs to be considered. It usually takes three to four months for an app to be successfully developed and ready for public release. Due to Android’s longer release cycle compared to iOS, production for Android typically takes longer. As a result, both development and quality assurance expenses increase.

Compatibility

When it comes to interoperability, iOS has a huge advantage over Android. Sometimes it is necessary to create different versions of an app to make it compatible with different Android devices as these devices are not always compatible with each other. Since all Apple devices are interoperable, iOS has gone even further. Therefore compatibility issues are unlikely to arise when building an app.

Earn Revenue From The App

Therefore, it is essential to create a plan for app revenue generation even before the development phase begins. Read on to find out which is more financially profitable for iOS or Android development.

  • While Google Play users generally do not purchase its applications, the App Store makes money from these sales. However, the percentage of in-app purchases is quite low, especially when compared to iOS apps.

  • For Android, ads are a source of income. It’s unlikely that there will be many ads in iPhone apps in the interim.

  • Mobile app developers get excellent returns on investment from iOS users, who are very responsive when it comes to purchasing new apps or related services like removing ads. Despite having half the downloads as the Google Play Store, Apple generates twice the revenue.

  • Another way to make good money is hybrid app development, which helps create apps for two platforms—iOS and Android—more quickly and for less money.

How Do I Take Control of Both Platforms?

Interaction design is at the core of basic app design. Understanding your users’ problems and the solutions your app can offer will be essential to your success. The correct user flow and user journey map need to be created with a clear understanding of the tasks users want to complete in mind.

Hybrid app design also prioritizes the information architecture within the application. A well-designed app guarantees that users can find what they need quickly and with minimal effort.

Since native apps can fully utilize everything an operating system has to offer, they have long been preferred over hybrid apps. However, these adaptable apps are now much more competitive due to the evolution of cross-platform mobile app development.

It’s important to remember that not all apps can benefit from cross-platform development. There are many instances in which it is better to stick with local development. However, cross-platform development is always worth considering as it cuts down on project costs and schedules drastically.

Benefits of cross-platform apps:

  • rapid growth

  • reduced prices

  • a large audience

  • Consistency between platforms

  • variable code

Disadvantages of developing cross-platform mobile apps:

  • Reduction in Production

  • More Difficult Coding

  • Long Wait For Updated Features

To Sum Up

The following elements should be taken into account when deciding between developing for iOS or Android:

  • It’s time to create a mobile application

  • development cost

  • experts who form groups

  • Resources and facilities at hand

  • Risks that may arise throughout the development process


Selecting a platform for mobile app development should be difficult, as Android has the majority of the market share and iOS generates more revenue. Ultimately, the first decision you make regarding iOS vs. Android will depend on what is best for your company. Make your decision based on the features you want to add to the app, keeping in mind the specific needs of the app and the options provided by each platform.

Hire iOS Developer can help you accomplish strategic goals and grow your business. With Alcax Solutions all you need to do is think of an idea and the main features you want to have. We aim to guide you towards an efficient solution.

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