How Android and iOS In Mobile App Development Are Different?

Smartphones have come a long way from being a luxury to being a necessity in a very short time. We have seen many smartphone vendors coming up with something new to offer every year. Though there are many smartphone vendors working towards being the best, only a handful of them have managed to make a name for themselves. And, since smartphones are becoming popular the operating system they use has also become popular. Surprisingly, there are only 2 major smartphone operating systems namely: Android and iOS.

Since there are two competing operating systems, businesses want their presence on these two operating systems as well. Since the two operating systems are different the principles of mobile app development also differ from each other. We will walk you through these differences between those that most smartphone app development companies keep in mind.

Before we go ahead with the differences, it is important to understand the principles and ground rules that developers should keep in mind while creating an application for the respective operating systems.

Basics Principles of iOS App Development

Apple’s main goal is to keep all the code under its name and no one else is permitted to access the source code of any iOS apps. But is there any advantage of closed-source code for Apple developers in any way? One of the biggest advantages is that Apple has the ability to have total control over the results of full- and part-time programmers who are busy developing new products for the company.

Apple did put some really strong restrictions on the developers, but it was all for the good. However, by possessing an impeccable reputation and releasing software and hardware of the highest quality, Apple’s creator did not disappoint its dedicated consumers. This is the reason why Apple adopted the closed-source policy.

Basic Principles of Android Development

Android platform

is based on Linux core, and therefore, it is a complete implementation of open-source software. It means that you can create your own apps, and operating system, reuse the code of other similar apps, and so on. So, open-source looks good right. We have a little more about it that you should know.

You yourself might be reading this article on an android smartphone. The reason being, android smartphones are available in all price range. Also, known as the budget-friendly option by many. The open-source capability of android itself is the reason for its increased use of it. By the way, Android is also the world leader as per the sales number.

But it is not all roses, for android users. There is a huge disadvantage of using open-source software and that is, android apps are taken back with hacker attacks and viruses. This might harm your android smartphone and sometimes also the data in it.

Differences Between iOS and Android App Development

Now that we know the most fundamental difference between the principles of Android and iOS. We will now understand the technical differences between Android and iOS. These differences come into the picture when we take custom android app development into consideration:

1. Programming Language

Android and iOS use different programming languages for app 

development. And, that is one of the major differences between the two most-used smartphones OS in the world. Android apps run on Java, while iOS apps run on Objective C/ Swift.

2. Testing

Testing is an integral part of any app development process. It stands true for games and software. It tests the credibility and reliability of the app and also validates the proper working of the application. Android and iOS simulators are the best examples of this.

iOS simulator is faster than the android simulator. But android emulator has a competitive advantage of being an effective virtual machine including CPU, which makes it more realistic than the iOS equivalent. Therefore, it is best to test the application directly on the intended devices to detect possible bugs.

3. Interface

The visual difference is one of the important aspects of a smartphone OS when we discuss key differences. The look-and-feel of an OS makes it more appealing to its users. At a technical level, android developers embed XML files in the interface. These files are very much similar to iOS’ XIB files.

iOS customizations are much smoother and better than any android phone. Although, Google has tried to tackle this issue with material design. But still far behind iOS animations. Therefore, Google decided to focus on hardware instead of look-and-feel aspects.

4. Going “back”

The back buttons of Android and iOS both are different. Android has a back button and iOS does not have any back button. So, when you start the development of an application for corresponding operating systems, keep this one difference in mind. In Android, the back button is also used for navigation. Since there is no back button in iOS, the developer needs to mention any other way to complete this action.

5. Other difference

• Delegate vs Adapter: iOS uses delegates when using delegation pattern. In Android, such patterns are represented by Adapter. Although the names of these functionalities are different, the roles they perform are very similar.
• UIViewController vs Activity: The activity class is used in android app development to represent certain screen displays on mobile devices. In iOS, this job is performed by UIViewController. It manages the lifecycles of events, subviews, etc.
• Unlock: Android devices are unlocked using swipe-up finger gesture and iOS devices are unlocked by sliding the finger on the right.
• Preferences and access permissions: In Apple devices, access control and preferences are very well-organized. In Android, these settings are scattered under various headings and you can find them through a search.
• Maps: You can use Apple Maps or Google Maps for developing apps in Android or iOS. Although, Google maps are used when creating apps for Android.

6. Additional aspects

When it comes to creating apps, differences among operating systems are not only detected on a technical level. Design and marketing are clearly affected by them at a very basic level. Let’s see how to deal with these distinctions.

• Cost: iOS is much more expensive than android apps. There are two reasons for this. One is that the demand for iOS app is much lower than that of android apps. Plus, the requirements for launching an application in iOS are also higher.
• Design: The visual differences should be taken into consideration and it is very much associated with its development process. Therefore, it is advisable to have expert app developers for both the OS since they know exactly what is needed to develop apps for respective operating systems.
• App Store Optimization (ASO): You always want to use some extra techniques to launch your application and help them rank in the app store. The techniques used in iOS and Android are different.
• Monetization and ROI: The return on investment is generally not the same for an Android app as for an iOS app. Focusing on the revenue source, we can notice that iOS apps are more likely to charge users for downloading them. Android applications are usually free to download and get monetized through ads embedded in them.

7. Current market share

It will be a good practice to check the total market share of each smartphone OS before developing an application. This number will help you understand how much penetration of an application can be done in the market. Every android application development company uses these metrics to understand the market and demographics.

In December 2019, Android was at the top with a market share of 74%. And, the total market share of these two giants is 99% of the global market share.

8. Google Play Store vs App Store

There are nearly 2.6 million apps available in the Google Play Store and 1.8 million apps in the Apple App Store. One major difference between both of them is that the Apple app store tests every application without exception. The app has to meet the specified requirements and only then the application goes online. The verification process takes around 3-4 weeks.

Android does not have any such strict requirements and hence a lot of fake apps keep appearing on the play store from day to day.

If you’re planning on creating a viral app, consider building it for Android. Depending on your target audience and objectives, you might want to include iOS too. You can take help from custom android app development services. This way, you’ll cover the biggest part of potential users worldwide.