What platform should I develop for?
App development, Android or iOS?
A lot of back and forth goes on in the early stages of product development, and a lot of questions arise. What is the best solution for development? What platform works best for this application? What is the most cost-effective process of getting everything built? A lot of these questions can be answered by first answering one big question…iOS or Android?
In this week’s blog, Poeta is going to talk about the key differences between these two platforms, the benefits of developing for each, and how to decide which is the better platform when building your next product. Let’s take a look!
First, what exactly do each of these two development processes entail
Android development:
The android operating system is an open-source platform developed by Google. It can be found across a variety of mobile devices, from Samsung and Google’s smartphones, to cheaper alternatives as well. Since it is open-source, it has the immediate benefit of being used at no cost, and can be tailored to other devices outside of smartphones and tablets. Apps developed for android originally had to be developed in Java, but in 2019 Google announced Kotlin, which has now become the preferred development language, since it interoperates fully with Java.
iOS development
iOS, on the other hand, is exclusive only to devices under the Apple banner. iOS is a much more private system, with standardized UI elements, and fewer customization options. This leads to slightly less flexibility, but a much more consistent end product. iOS's applications, at least all modern ones, are developed using the Swift programming language. In the mobile application space, Swift replaced Objective-C, Apple’s older preferred language.
XCODE vs Android Studio
So what are the biggest differences between developing for the two platforms? Well both environments require completely different languages, and both utilize a different IDE (integrated development environment). Android utilizes Java/Kotlin within the Android Studio. Android studio supports cross-platform support, high readability, and a wide range of debugging features. Apple development relies heavily on XCode. Xcode is backed by Apple, and supports an easy-to-navigate user interface, support for the entire range of iOS devices, and robust bug fixing tools.
Now, let’s take a closer look at some of the downsides of each, as well as the benefits.
Android Development |
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Benefits |
Downsides |
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Flexible: Android is less restricted, and apps can run on just about any device that's running the Android environment. Java as a language is also incredibly flexible. |
Cost: Developing for Android is often more time-consuming, both for development and the following quality assurance. |
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Resources: Google offers extensive training and knowledge bases for developers of all levels. |
QA: With so many hardware options available, it can be difficult to make sure the application runs smoothly across all the devices available, and to make sure updates are pushed regularly. |
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Publishing: Google has a much less strict review process than Apple, with a very low registration fee, |
Security: Android is open-source and has a higher chance of falling victim to cyberattacks than iOS. |
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More Platforms: Developing Android apps means building software for an entire ecosystem of devices. You can extend your app’s functionality so it runs on Daydream and Cardboard VR headsets, Wear OS devices, Android Auto, and several other platforms. |
Adoption Rates: Android users often tend to favour free apps, and spend much less time on apps than Apple users. |
iOS Development |
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Benefits |
Downsides |
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Performance: Applications in iOS are in high demand and typically perform very well. The platform is fast, reliable, and easy to use. |
App Release: Apple’s app store is quite demanding in its approval process, and can reject an application even if it's not breaking any rules. |
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Apple Ecosystem: Working within this family of operating systems allows developers to build for a whole ecosystem of devices, rather than for targeted phones only. |
Customization: iOS restricts the developer’s ability to adjust or customize the app’s interface, and can break some third-party software interactions. |
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Profits: Apple users on average spend more money on apps, as they trust the brand and applications that are available on the app store, because of Apple's stricter rules before hosting. |
Expensive: Xcode IDE can only be used on Mac hardware, leading to increased initial investment before development. |
So which platform to choose? Some more factors to keep in mind are things such as your target audience, post-launch maintenance, and even user locations!
According to Forbes, applications in medical and highly technical fields have a larger audience in the Android ecosystem, while iPhones and iOS are favoured by business professionals, managers, and sales experts – as well as some other external factors, such as higher household income, and being far more caught up in technology trends.
On average, Android users are slower to adopt new versions of their OS, with up to 50% of users running out-of-date versions. This leads to constant issues with crashing and bug fixing, leading to expensive post-launch maintenance. This issue is practically nonexistent within Apple's ecosystem, leading to a much cheaper maintenance road map.
Certain countries, and even continents, tend to favour one over the other. Countries such as Japan and the U.S., and soon the U.K highly favour iOS over Android, at least in terms of market share. Users in Latin America, Africa, and parts of Europe tend to favour Android, and areas such as Brazil, India, and China hold a higher market share in Android by quite a large margin.
We can help!
Hopefully we have answered some of your questions as to which platform to develop your application for. If there are still any lingering questions, feel free to reach out to us we are always happy to chat. You can also check out some of our blogs about app development and even full-stack development to have even more of your questions answered.