iOS Vs Android Mobile App 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 goes to
renowned android and
2
2 ios app development companies who built
feature-rich, robust mobile apps like Whatsapp,
Facebook, Instagram, etc., that have dominated
our world like never before.
Its 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.
3
3
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
4
4 Android and iOS, based on the perspective of
businesses, i.e. the app owners and the
developers, i.e. the app creators.
Ready to read? Lets Begin!
Android vs iOS Business owners 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, lets look at the difference between
Android iOS based on the parameters of
a business owner
Target Audience For any successful application,
the buyers persona is the first thing that needs
consideration. If we compare both, the primary
aspect is that iOS users are brand loyal,
5
5 and Android users are conscious about 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
6
6 resolutions of Android 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, its 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, its 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 charge for downloading their apps.
In addition, iOS apps leverage monetary benefits
from in-app features, bonuses, ads, and premium
versions. Thus,
7
7 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 lets look at developers
opinions on Android or iOS application
development.
Android vs iOS Application Developers
perspective Looking from a developers
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 forward. With
that said, here are the specific points between
Android application development iPhone app
development
8
8 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 Googles 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.
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, its comparatively more complex
9
9 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. Googles Android app design
guidelines are Material Design, which caters to
the hardware part more than focusing on
aesthetics. Apples 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.
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
10
10 development company can be the best choice to
make when planning to develop a successful app.