Android Or iOS: Which One to Use For Next Project? | Mobile App Development 2020

Two industry giants wholly dominate the mobile operating system market: Apple and Google. On paper, Google's Android dwarfs the iOS of Apple: its market share is about 88 percent, relative to the pitiful 12 percent of the Cupertino business. Even such figures do not say the tale as a whole.

Android is an open-source operating system that firms which are not affiliated with Google can use for free. This implies that Android runs hundreds and thousands of budget (and typically low-end) phones, tablets, and smartwatches focused on developing economies, giving it an excessively large market share with no respective profit share. To wit: Apple's App Store revenue was nearly double that of Google Play in the first half of 2018. In real terms, Apple's App Store's gross app revenue was about $22.6bn, with Google attempting to make some $11.8bn.

From these details, it is clear that the two platforms vary in several respects. Choosing the right one for your new application development project is a key decision – a decision we will try to help you make in the paragraphs below. Read on to see our rundown of the main decisions you need to create when first deciding which framework to develop your application.

Application development For iOS and Android

Development of iOS and Android applications: Key Differences

We've already noted that Mobile development is an open platform, whereas iOS is a closed platform (sometimes referred to as a "walled garden"), which Apple closely regulates. This influences a number of the following points, so when weighing your decision, keep this fact in mind.

Cost Of Setup

One aspect impacting the production costs for iOS is the reality that the developers require Apple hardware. Only macOS (the Apple desktop operating system), which is obviously available on Apple computers, is available for Xcode and other Apple developer tools. As you probably know, these do not come cheap, and when you want the kind of very well-specced machine that developers really need, the price gets even steeper. Ios is the reverse – Android Studio is usable on all devices (Windows, Linux, macOS), and you can use whatever hardware you want.

Level Of Difficulty

Unsurprisingly, the question of which system is easier to build for: iOS or Android isn't answered clearly? Both have a common time commitment, and all seasoned developers seem to agree that neither is obviously better than the other. One thing to remember is that the Android ecosystem is far more disorganized: in the wild, there seem to be dozens of devices running different system versions, different hardware and a huge variety of different screen sizes. This is less of a concern with Apple since both iPhones and iPads are managed by the same company.

Developer Availability

Android developers are typically paid less (about 10 per cent) than their iOS peers, according to market research. This also means that android app developers are easier to get by; mainly because you don't need an apple laptop to start playing around with the development of the Android app.

Project Duration

Which takes more time: Creating an Android or iOS custom app? The response is, it depends. As we have already mentioned, the Android ecosystem is more fragmented, and sometimes the devices out there use outdated versions of the OS. Unless you want the device to be compliant with all or a very significant majority of them (though you certainly don't), so it can take longer for Android to develop. With the exception of that, our research reveals that it takes almost the same period of time for iOS and Android app projects, with all things equal.

Cross-platform Frameworks

Developing an app for two devices twice is clearly far more costly and time-consuming than simply making it once. Luckily there are cross-platform platforms for creating smartphone applications. Many are actually available now, but we would suggest only two: Respond Native and Flutter, the former being our strong choice (Flutter is not yet fully mature).

Reaching A Final Decision

As you can see, on either platform, the app development itself isn't very dissimilar. The main distinction is the hardware's upfront cost: if you want them to work on an iOS app, you need to provide your devices with Apple gear. So how do you choose which platform you want to build your app first? Well, there's a couple of factors to consider:

➤Your Model of Monetisation. If the app is the outcome (you want to make money by selling the app through an app store), iOS seems to be the best choice, because iOS users are more wealthy on average and more willing to pay money on apps is a plus. If you don't want to sell the app itself, then Android may be the best option.

➤Your niche to strive for. If your app is targeted at people outside the US then Android is probably the best option you can make. If much of your demographic target lives in the US, where iOS has a far stronger presence than the rest of the world, then the better option would be to go with Apple's system.

➤Your Demographic Target. This is close to the preceding point but requires further analysis. Look into the statistics on the type of people that are most likely to get your application. Wealthy people or design enthusiasts, for example, might prefer iOS devices; gamers might be more likely to go for Android. Make sure your choice of platform is the one your demographic target prefers.

Synopsis

⬢Two operating systems dominate the smartphone market, with about a 9:1 ratio between Android and iOS devices. Deciding which one to first develop your app is a challenging decision which requires you to consider a range of factors. The main lesson is to ensure that the platform you are aiming for is popular with your target customers, taking into consideration both their profile online and geographical location. You may also suggest going cross-platform – this will slightly raise prices, but you'll get consumer coverage of 100 percent.

⬢Making the right choice about the platform for your app will make and break your concept for the product. For this reason, you should take into account all the technology and commercial aspects thoroughly before making up your mind. Whether you're looking to develop an iOS, Android or both app, we 're here to help. If you need any advise on native or cross-platform mobile development, please feel free to contact.