Android vs iOS: War of the Century

The most popular operating systems today are Android and iOS. The former is developed by Google and the latter is developed by Apple. But the biggest doubt everyone has is which of the following operating systems are better. So let's see that in this article. 

Before I proceed, I would like to tell you that everyone has their own opinion. It's not necessary that both of us would like the same thing. My role is not to declare a clear winner but to tell the pros and cons of both the operating systems. I hope you guys understand. 

ANDROID

So I would start with the advantages of Android. Android's latest version is Android 11. Its first developer preview was released on February 19. 2020. The first Beta Version was released on June 10, 2020. The beta release was quite delayed due to COVID-19 Pandemic and so the date for the stable release is still unknown. But I expect it to release in September. 

Android 11

FREEDOM

Freedom is the most important part of any OS. And with Android, you are free to do anything with your phone. I will divide it further into some parts. The maximum customization that iOS offers is changing the wallpaper and tweaking with the home screen layout. And that's a pretty basic function of Android. The major reason behind this is that Android is open-source. So anyone is free to do anything with the AOSP ROM. 

Variety in Operating System

Some might call it a con of Android, but for me, it is definitely a good thing. You can different types of Android. If you want to use what Google made for you, one can opt for a phone with Stock Android. For those who want stock experience with many features, Oxygen OS in OnePlus is for you. Samsung has its One UI and I just love it. There is MIUI, Color OS, Realme UI, Funtouch which are by Chinese OEMs and have their issues but they are feature-packed. If you didn't like one form of Android, you can always opt for some other modification of Android. 

With Android, all features come earlier than iOS because Android is based on Java. Like you got the widgets and App Drawer on iOS a whopping 12 years after Android. iOS still lacks features like Split-Screen, Heads-Up Notifications, Call Recording, and many more. I don't know when Apple will bring those features and so another advantage tp Android. BETTER FEATURES

Custom ROM Route and Rooting

If the variety wasn't enough, you can always opt for the Custom ROM route and upgrade your Android Phone to the latest version. There are a ton of developers working on Custom ROMs for most of the popular devices. Some custom ROMs include Lineage OS, Havoc OS, Pixel Experience ROM. And it is now very easy to do so. You just have to unlock the bootloader and install TWRP Recovery. That's it. Changing the OS of the phone is not at all possible with iOS. 

You can even root your Android phone to access even more things on your phone and basically change everything with your phone. You can even jailbreak your iOS phone so it is not a very big point. But I would talk more about jailbreaking in the end. 

Havoc OS 3.2

CUSTOMIZATION WITH EASE

Many people don't prefer to download Custom ROMs due to security concerns and I respect their opinion. Now here's where Android gets a big advantage. If you don't like the launcher in your phone, you have a big choice of launchers to download from the Play Store. Nova Launcher, Lawnchair, CPL are some of my favourite launchers. You can even change the icon pack of your phone using any custom launcher.

Nova Launcher

And if it wasn't enough, you can find apps on Play Store which allow you to change the notification shade, volume panel, status bar, and many more elements of your phone. Many phones have a Theme Store by which you can customize your phone even more. And guess what, you can use Substratum to change the theme of your phone too even though you need to buy an app to use it.

Another thing that I would like to tell is that iOS is customizable by jailbreaking and I agree. But the biggest problem is that it isn't safe to do just like rooting or installing a Custom ROM. In that case, you can even customize Android without doing this much.  

Freedom to change the default apps

Many users don't like the default apps on their phones and it's their choice. One might like to use change their calling app. One might want to replace Google Assistant with Alexa or maybe Cortana. One might want to change the default mailing app or the browser on their phone. With iOS, you basically have to use the default app set by iOS. You can download your favorite app from the App Store, but there is just no way to make it your default app.

So that's it for the customization part of Android. There are many more advantages to Android. So let's jump to the next point.

GOOGLE ASSISTANT

Now Google Assistant is way better than Siri. If you don't believe me, see any comparison between them. It is seen that Google Assistant can handle many more situations than Siri. Also Google Assistant has many more features. You can make Google Assistant take notes and make her remember things for you. Then you can ask her the same if it slips from your mind. 

Another problem with Siri that is a big deal for Indians is the Indian Accent and Indic Languages. I'll try to make you understand what I am talking about. Though Siri now supports Indian Accent and Indic Languages, Google Assistant is a lot superior to Siri in this case. Google Assistant is much better at catching the Indian accent. 

Hindi Speech sounds natural in Siri but with other Indic Languages, Siri's speech seems robotic. Whenever we talk to someone in a different language, we usually don't say the exact translation. In Google Assistant, the talking and the choice of words seem quite natural which is not the case with Siri. I won't say that the Google Assistant is perfect in this but it is much better than Siri. 

Though you can install Google Assistant on iOS, you cannot set it as the default voice assistant. With Android, it is the default voice assistant. So Android gets a clear advantage over here. 

APP SUPPORT

Android uses the Play Store while iOS uses its App Store. But are really good in their place but Android has an advantage over here. 

If you go to the Play Store, you would find a large variety of apps. You get hundreds of choices in every category. For some, it may be a con but most people, it is a nice addition in Android. When we use our phones, we always want to try something new. 

For example, you want to try some new camera app on your phone. With Android, there are many options and you can make them your default too. And we still have some apps that simply aren't available for iOS. With iOS, the choice is much less and some of them are even paid. So with this, let's get to the next point. 

Apps are Free

No one would like to pay for an app. If you go to the Play Store, there are paid apps but there are definitely a lot of free apps too. In iOS, you have to pay for many apps that are actually free on the Play Store. I agree that a lot of apps are specially designed for iOS and thus ae more stable on iOS but this just doesn't justify the point that you have to pay for it. 

Third-Party Apps

Many Android users know the famous .apk extension. It is used to sideload apps on Android. Again, it can be a security concern and I accept that but you always have the option not to sideload apps. And there is no issue if you download an APK from a certified source. By using APK files, it enables a lot of options on Android. You can use a modded version of any app with extra features. And the APK format really helps me with using Game MODS. 

In iOS, you have a format called (.ipa) that can be used to sideload apps but it has two problems. You need to jailbreak your iOS device to use it and with Android, you can use APK without rooting. Also, there are more APKs on the web than IPAs. So it is another advantage Android has. 

Apps are Ligther

If you are using an Android phone, you are lucky because the apps are might lighter on Android. According to a study, an average Android App in 15MB while an average iOS App is 38 MB. Another live example is WhatsApp. It is 29MB to download on Android while it is 134MB on iOS. It is a huge difference. Another example is Twitter. It is 18MB on Android while it is 127MB on iOS. 

It is a big con as all the iOS devices lack expandable storage while a lot of Android phones out there have expandable storage. So Android also gets this advantage. 

FILE TRANSFER

With Android, you can easily connect your phone to your computer using a data cable and easily transfer files. With iPhones, it is not the case. Even if you connect your iPhone to your Mac, you can't do simple file transfer and you have to use iTunes. The way Android does is much easier and convenient. 

OTG Support 

If you use Android, you must know that you can connect a pen drive, hard-disk, and a lot more things using an OTG Adaptor. It is available on even the Basic Android Phones and OTG Adaptors are very cheap. So another advantage to Android. 

EXPANDABLE STORAGE

The most popular way to expand storage on Android Phones is an SD Card. Not all phones have it but many of the Android Phones have that. Most phones have at least 256 GB SD Card Support and it is huge. Also, Google Drive is integrated with Android. So you get 15GB of cloud storage every Google Account signed into your phone. 

2TB SD Card

With iOS, you have the iCloud and you get 5GB free storage and if you want to upgrade, you get 50GB storage for ₹75/mo. With Google Drive, you get 15GB free storage and for 100GB storage, its price is ₹130/mo or ₹1300/yo. So Drive is definitely cheaper. Though you can use Drive on iOS. But it is integrated with Android. So another advantage to Android. 

GOOGLE'S DOMINANCE

If you are an iPhone user, you must be using a lot of Google services on it. Some popular apps are Google Search App, Gmail, Chrome, Maps, and Drive. Why? Because they are better than Apple's apps. But you get just two Apple Apps on Play Store. Apple Music and Move to iOS are the only Apple Apps on Play Store. So iOS users need Google Apps but Android Users don't need Apple Apps. Though it may not be a big deal for users, it proves the dominance of Android. 

VARIETY OF DEVICES

You get toa lot of Android Phones every year. You have Pixel for the beast camera, ROG Phone for the best gaming, affordable phones, Innovative Products like Galaxy Z Flip, and a lot more. With iOS devices, you just get a choice of iPhones. That's another place where Android gets the advantage. 

So guys, that what the benefits of Android are. It is a great operating system and there are points discussed above where Android is better than iOS. 

iOS

iOS 14 is the latest version of iOS that was launched on June 22 in WWDC 2020. It is still in the beta stage but its stable release will soon come. 

iOS 14 Logo

SECURITY

It is true that iOS is much more secure than Android because it is a packed environment. You can download an app from the App Store which has passed numerous security tests. But don't stay in the illusion that iPhones can never be hacked. There are several cases where iPhones were hacked. But yeah, hacking an iOS device is much more difficult. 

If you are a person prioritizing security, get an iPhone. That's the simple answer. I suggest MIUI to copy even the good things of iOS. 

Security Chain on iOS

SECURE APPS

As I said that all apps on iOS go through security checks. So the apps are mostly very secure which keeps it above Android when it comes to security. Also, you can't install any third-party app (jailbreaking is another story), the chance of malware entering is less. 

NO ADWARE 

iPhones have no adware, no matter what model you choose. It's a great thing as it provides a premium user experience. I mean no one wants a phone with ads after paying for it. 

iOS 14

MORE STABLE APPS

I had said that apps are specially made for iOS, that's why they are more stable on iOS than Android. And many times the features also come for iOS users before Android Users. So that's a good thing with iOS. It might become a reason for you to get an iPhone. 

BETTER OS FOR TABS

In a line, nothing can beat iPad OS when it comes to tablet OS. It is very optimized and has a lot of features like split-screen and stylus support. It easily makes iPads the best tablets. Android on a tablet seems too stretched and the apps don't seem that optimized. So a clear win for iOS when it comes to Tab Department. 

iPad OS

SNAPPIER

Though Android in its purest form is very snappy, iOS has an edge over here. The latest iPhones with 4GB RAM can compete with 8GB RAM Android Phones. And the cheaper iPhones have 3GB RAM and they are on par with 6GB RAM Androids. It is because Android is written in Java and Apple uses Swift. Java has its own pros but OS made with Swift is much lighter. And another reason is that developers make apps specially designed for the iPhone. So they are made to use less RAM. 

iOS carrying very basic functionality and so it is very lightweight. So it can perform as good as Android Flagships even with inferior hardware. But don't believe that iPhone never hangs. All phones start lagging after a couple of years of heavy use and the apps you use require more resources. 

EASIER TO USE

The basic functionality made iOS much easier to learn and use. It's not that you need to learn a special course to use Android. But if you need a couple of weeks to get used to Android, it would take a week to get used to iOS. 

NO MODIFICATIONS

The lack of any Custom OS based on iOS is both - a pro and a con. Since iOS cannot be used by anyone except Apple, there are no modifications. So iOS users get to use what Apple made for them. With Android, most OEMs use Custom UI and so you get to use pure Android in very few phones. This even allows iOS to remain snappy. And it helps in security. 

So guys, that what the benefits of iOS are. It is a great operating system and there are points discussed above where iOS is better than Android. So let's jump to the conclusion.

CONCLUSION

So as I had said in the starting, there is no clear winner. Both are great operating systems and carry their own set of pros and cons. The aim of this article was not to defame either of two because that will be an injustice to the developers who worked hard in making both the OS. But I would tell my pick among the two. 

So I would prefer Android over iOS any day. The thing is that all the benefits of iOS just revolve around security and speed. And I didn't find Android slow by any means. People around me using Android from years have never faced any major security issue. The people who need to keep more information confidential might want an iPhone. Apart from some Chinese ROMs, the security on Android is enough for a normal user. The extra layer of security just doesn't justify the lack of features in iOS. 

I have a poll down below where you can tell your choice. So that's it for today. Goodbye.  

[POLL] Which Operating System do you prefer?

Android

iOS