Google's Android and Apple's iOS are operating systems used primarily in mobile technology, such as smartphones and tablets. Android, which is Linux-based and partly open source, is more PC-like than iOS, in that its interface and basic features are generally more customizable from top to bottom. However, iOS' uniform design elements are sometimes seen as being more user-friendly.
You should choose your smartphone and tablet systems carefully, as switching from iOS to Android or vice versa will require you to buy apps again in the Google Play or Apple App Store. Android is now the world’s most commonly used smartphone platform and is used by many different phone manufacturers. iOS is only used on Apple devices, such as the iPhone.
As we've noted, Google gives users and app developers more flexibility in terms of editing the way the OS works (default apps, lock screens, widgets and so on) - on iOS, you're pretty much stuck with the way Apple wants to do things (which for many users is just fine).
Visually, Android's Material Design offers a more colourful, well-defined visual interface than iOS, which hasn't had a major overhaul since 2013. Apple's OS is all translucent shades and thin lines, Google's is blocky card shapes and bold headings and fonts.
Both OSes handle multitasking in similar ways and iOS has also added a back button of its own in recent times. Both have battery saving features, mobile payments support, digital assistants, and the ability to back up all of your precious data to the cloud automatically.
Trying to compare all of these apps against Apple's equivalents is no easy job: it's likely you've already got used to one set of apps or the other. Hangouts vs iMessage, Gmail vs Mail, Google Maps vs Apple Maps... the features are similar and there are no clear winners.
iOS has long been the winner as far as third-party app support is concerned, though the gap has closed down the years: it's now rare to find a major app or game that doesn't eventually come to both Android and iOS, even though it might launch on one or the other first.
New, experimental apps usually appear on iOS before Android: due to the fragmentation issue mentioned above, it's easier for developers to code for iOS users (and they spend more money too). Apple's platform still has the edge as far as up and coming apps go.
Going forward the biggest innovations in smartphone development are likely to come in the super-intelligent digital assistants: Google Now and Siri. Both give you voice-controlled access to your phone as well as smart prompts for travel and events when you need them.
Traditionally, Google Now has been more about surfacing the right info when you need it, though Apple has recently started to make Siri more proactive too. Google Now is also available on iOS in limited form, but Siri is restricted to iOS and the new Apple TV.
You should choose your smartphone and tablet systems carefully, as switching from iOS to Android or vice versa will require you to buy apps again in the Google Play or Apple App Store. Android is now the world’s most commonly used smartphone platform and is used by many different phone manufacturers. iOS is only used on Apple devices, such as the iPhone.
Comparison chart
| Android | iOS | |
|---|---|---|
| Developer | Apple Inc. | |
| Initial release | September 23, 2008 | July 29, 2007 |
| Source model | Open source | Closed, with open source components. |
| Customizability | A lot. Can change almost anything. | Limited unless jailbroken |
| File transfer | Easier than iOS. Using USB port and Android File Transfer desktop app. Photos can be transferred via USB without apps. | More difficult. Media files can be transferred using iTunes desktop app. Photos can be transferred out via USB without apps. |
| Available on | Many phones and tablets. Major manufacturers are Samsung, Motorola, LG, HTC and Sony. Kindle Fire also uses a modified version of Android. Nexus line of devices is pure Android, others bundle manufacturer software. | iPod Touch, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV (2nd and 3rd generation) |
| Calls and messaging | Google Hangouts. 3rd party apps like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Google Duo and Skype all work on Android and iOS both. | iMessage, FaceTime (with other Apple devices only). 3rd party apps like Google Hangouts, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Google Duo and Skype all work on Android and iOS both. |
| App store , Affordability and interface | Google Play – 1,000,000+ apps. Other app stores like Amazon and Getjar also distribute Android apps. (unconfirmed ".APKs") | Apple app store – 1,000,000+ apps |
| Video chat | Google Hangouts and other 3rd party apps | FaceTime (Apple devices only) and other 3rd party apps |
| OS family | Linux | OS X, UNIX |
| Open source | Kernel, UI, and some standard apps | The iOS kernel is not open source but is based on the open-source Darwin OS. |
| Widgets | Yes | No, except in NotificationCenter |
| Internet browsing | Google Chrome (or Android Browser on older versions; other browsers are available) | Mobile Safari (Other browsers are available) |
| Voice commands | Google Now (on newer versions) | Siri |
| Maps | Google Maps | Apple Maps (Google Maps also available via a separate app download) |
| Available language(s) | 32 Languages | 34 Languages |
| Latest stable release and Updates | Android 6.0.1 (Marshmallow) (October 2015) | 9.3 (March 21, 2016) |
| Alternative app stores and side loading | Several alternative app stores other than the official Google Play Store. It's risky to download apps from other stores because they may be malware. | Apple blocks 3rd party app stores. The phone needs to be jailbroken if you want to download apps from other stores. |
| Battery life and management | Many Android phone manufacturers equip their devices with large batteries with a longer life. | Apple batteries are generally not as big as the largest Android batteries. However, Apple is able to squeeze decent battery life via hardware/software optimizations. |
| Rooting, bootloaders, and jailbreaking | Access and complete control over your device is available and you can unlock the bootloader. | Complete control over your device is not available. |
| File manager | Yes, available. | Not available |
| Cloud services | Native integration with Google cloud storage. 15GB free, $2/mo for 100GB, 1TB for $10. Apps available for Amazon Photos, OneDrive and Dropbox. | Native integration with iCloud. 5GB free, 50GB for $1/mo, 200GB for $3/mo, 1TB for $10/mo. Apps available for Google Drive and Google Photos, Amazon Photos, OneDrive and Dropbox. |
| Photos & Videos backup | Apps available for automatic backup of photos and videos. Google Photos allows unlimited backup of photos if you select the low-resolution option. OneDrive, Amazon Photos and Dropbox are other alternatives. | Up to 5 GB of photos and videos can be automatically back up with iCloud. All other vendors like Google, Amazon, Dropbox, Flickr and Microsoft have auto-backup apps for both iOS and Android. |
| Security | Android software patches are available soonest to Nexus device users. Manufacturers tend to lag behind in pushing out these updates. So at any given time a vast majority of Android devices are not running updated fully patched software. | Most people will never encounter a problem with malware because they don’t go outside the Play Store for apps. Apple's software updates support older iOS devices also. |
Features
Since Google decided to spin its main apps out of Android, the mobile OS itself is essentially just the app launcher and the Settings screen. In contrast, iOS updates still include updates to Mail, Maps, Safari, Notes, News and all the other apps you get with the software.As we've noted, Google gives users and app developers more flexibility in terms of editing the way the OS works (default apps, lock screens, widgets and so on) - on iOS, you're pretty much stuck with the way Apple wants to do things (which for many users is just fine).
Visually, Android's Material Design offers a more colourful, well-defined visual interface than iOS, which hasn't had a major overhaul since 2013. Apple's OS is all translucent shades and thin lines, Google's is blocky card shapes and bold headings and fonts.
Both OSes handle multitasking in similar ways and iOS has also added a back button of its own in recent times. Both have battery saving features, mobile payments support, digital assistants, and the ability to back up all of your precious data to the cloud automatically.
Native and third-party apps
As we've already said, Google's apps (Gmail, Google Maps, Google Keep and so on) are now updated independently from Android. These apps are all available on iOS too, though the versions for Google's own OS are usually slightly superior (and often updated first).Trying to compare all of these apps against Apple's equivalents is no easy job: it's likely you've already got used to one set of apps or the other. Hangouts vs iMessage, Gmail vs Mail, Google Maps vs Apple Maps... the features are similar and there are no clear winners.
iOS has long been the winner as far as third-party app support is concerned, though the gap has closed down the years: it's now rare to find a major app or game that doesn't eventually come to both Android and iOS, even though it might launch on one or the other first.
New, experimental apps usually appear on iOS before Android: due to the fragmentation issue mentioned above, it's easier for developers to code for iOS users (and they spend more money too). Apple's platform still has the edge as far as up and coming apps go.
Google Now vs Siri
Going forward the biggest innovations in smartphone development are likely to come in the super-intelligent digital assistants: Google Now and Siri. Both give you voice-controlled access to your phone as well as smart prompts for travel and events when you need them.
Traditionally, Google Now has been more about surfacing the right info when you need it, though Apple has recently started to make Siri more proactive too. Google Now is also available on iOS in limited form, but Siri is restricted to iOS and the new Apple TV.
iOS 11 vs Android O
Google took to the stage during Google I/O
2017 to announce more features of the company’s upcoming Android O, due
for release later this year. There were a range of new features
announced that look to improve the user experience, so what does Apple
need to offer with iOS 11 to compete?
We’ve outlined some of the key new additions to Android O, along with features that Apple should implement into iOS 11 to compete.
Google O’s implementation of picture-in-picture works much the same as it does on iOS; with a video playing, Android users need only tap the Home button and the video will pop into a small window that remains on-screen while you use other apps. You can slide the video around for the best placement or swipe it off-screen to end the video.
What is different to iOS is what you can do with it; as well as being able to tap on the app to open it and interact with the notification, you can also long-press the icon to get a short list of actions to perform. This includes the ability to view the notification without opening the app via a small on-screen pop-up that looks like the 3D Touch shortcut menu on iOS, but more notification-based.
Say, for example, you highlight a phone number – it’ll offer you a shortcut to dial the number. Similarly, highlighting an address will provide a shortcut to begin navigation using Google Maps. It’s not just smart suggestions either, as the highlighting process will also be more intelligent, selecting full phrases and addresses instead of single words.
For the most used apps on your Android device, Android O will help
you quickly log in. Although support needs to be manually added by
developers, once supported, Android O will remember usernames and
passwords to quickly log into apps on your device.
Google claims that the improvements have halved the boot time of the company’s Pixel smartphone, and that apps run faster too.
We’ve outlined some of the key new additions to Android O, along with features that Apple should implement into iOS 11 to compete.
What’s new in Android O?
So, what does Android O bring to the table? While none are ground-breaking features, Android O brings a handful of useful changes to Google’s operating system.Picture-in-Picture
One of the announcements made at Google I/O 2017 was the addition of picture-in-picture, a feature already used not only in Google’s YouTube app, but also in iOS. Picture-in-Picture was introduced for iPad users along with iOS 9, allowing users to minimise the video and perform other tasks while still being able to watch.Google O’s implementation of picture-in-picture works much the same as it does on iOS; with a video playing, Android users need only tap the Home button and the video will pop into a small window that remains on-screen while you use other apps. You can slide the video around for the best placement or swipe it off-screen to end the video.
Notification Dots
While users of custom Android launchers have had access to notification badges for years, Google has never officially offered it – until now. Much like with app badges on iOS, you’ll see a small ‘dot’ that appears on top of your app icon when you receive a notification on Android O.What is different to iOS is what you can do with it; as well as being able to tap on the app to open it and interact with the notification, you can also long-press the icon to get a short list of actions to perform. This includes the ability to view the notification without opening the app via a small on-screen pop-up that looks like the 3D Touch shortcut menu on iOS, but more notification-based.
Smart Text Selection
Basic text selection tools have been around for quite some time and have largely remained unchanged. More recent iterations of Android and iOS have introduced formatting to applicable text, but not much else. That was until Google announced Smart Text Selection, which uses Google’s AI to intelligently analyse what is being selected, and provides you with contextual shortcuts.Say, for example, you highlight a phone number – it’ll offer you a shortcut to dial the number. Similarly, highlighting an address will provide a shortcut to begin navigation using Google Maps. It’s not just smart suggestions either, as the highlighting process will also be more intelligent, selecting full phrases and addresses instead of single words.
Auto-Fill
Android O isn’t about one headline feature, instead it’s about addressing a number of smaller issues within the operating system. One such addition is Auto-Fill. It’s not going to bring iOS users over to the dark side, but it should make Android users lives a little bit easier.Vitals
Vitals isn’t one feature, but is instead a suite of tools that helps to improve the performance and security of your Android device. It includes Google Play Protect, which acts similarly to a virus scanner for Android apps and scans your apps for malicious content. It also includes Wise Limits, which prevents apps from running in the background for too long and helps to make your battery last longer.Google claims that the improvements have halved the boot time of the company’s Pixel smartphone, and that apps run faster too.
