iOS & Android: Which One Is Better for Developers?

Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS are the two platforms that have been dominating the world of mobile industry over the decades. It is also true that these platforms have been the biggest rivalry in tech with the amazing sales recorded every year. The leading manufacturer of Android smartphones, Samsung sold around 308 million units in the year 2016, which was further added by other players like Huawei, Xiaomi, etc. Though Apple came in second place with the sales of 215 million, the profit made by it was close enough to 80% of overall smartphone profits. The question is if the developers need to pick one platform among them for building apps, which one would they prefer and why.


Programming Language

The Apple OS uses Objective-C language, which means app developers that are only familiar with C & C++ languages will find it convenient to use. On the other hand, Android OS uses Java and it is quite commonly used by most of the developers. Developing Android apps can be easier than iOS apps.

Multi-Platform Apps

Developing an app for a single platform may not be enough, which is why many organizations are going for multi-platform apps. However, one cannot run Objective-C-based iOS apps on Android devices and vice versa. The only effective solution is to rewrite the app in device’s own native programming language.

Multitasking Support

The Android App Developers can create dynamic apps for different purposes due to its versatile OS. But this feature of multitasking may create problems as it takes lots of time to learn and master. While Apple provides the more stable platform for its developers with clearly specified tools and potentials.

Testing of App

Undoubtedly, Android supports a strong testing environment with the associated tools that are indexed properly and the ideal model of the source code provided by IDE. It enables developers to test the app & debug thoroughly before its launch. The Xcode toolset used by iOS App Developers lags far behind the standards of Android OS.

App Approval

The Apple App store usually takes around 4 weeks for the approval of app with many restrictions placed before finalizing. Though the open API of Apple helps developers in hosting the app on the site, it is not so effective as the app cannot get that exposure outside App store. Whereas for Android app there are no such strict restrictions making it convenient for developers.

Platform for App Development

The last important thing is the ability of Android developers to use open development platforms that give them freedom to make use of third-party tools for developing the app and adding features. Apple is quite strict with the guidelines of developers and it comes with only the fixed set of tools that the app developers can use.
As we can see, both the Android and iOS platforms have the positive as well as negative points. It is advised that one should go for a thorough research to understand the features supported by these top platforms before choosing one for building the app.