Thinking of buying a new phone? I am sure one of the first things that you might consider is the operating system. Should you go for Apple iOS or Google Android? Over the years, both have acquired a loyal set of users who have stuck by them religiously. However, with continuous innovation, integration of smart voice assistants, customization options, it’s becoming really difficult to choose between the two. Ultimately, it all comes down to a personal choice. Regardless, it’s good to know the two operating systems and their features, before choosing one. Let’s understand that the two operating systems are similar on many levels. They work with touchscreens, run apps and are highly customizable. It’s just the way of carrying out different functions that is different. When you choose a platform, you’re choosing the experience that it comes with. So, today we’re looking at how iOS and Android are different from one another.
Interface
iOS
iOS is known for its clean and simplified user interface. Even though iOS has evolved a lot, Apple has still managed to stick to the same homscreen layout, since the launch of its very first iPhone. Adding to that, you’re bound to get the same user experience and features, no matter what iPhone you buy. That’s one of the reasons users have stuck with iOS Apple Phonesover the last few years. The OS has an ecosystem that people are comfortable with. The app drawer is essentially the homescreen. All the apps on the phone can be found here. There is not a lot of room for customization, at least in terms of the look. Even so, many users still prefer the interface, because it’s well designed and simple to use.
Other elements of the OS have undergone plenty of changes over the last few years though. The drop down notifications drawer is one of them. Here you can access notifications from every app. Not just that, you can even reply to messages and take other actions in the app, right from the drawer. You can do this even without having to unlock the device.
There is another quick settings tab that can be accessed by swiping up. This is the Control Panel, which gives you quick access to settings like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Airplane mode, Night mode and others. Apple has also integrated a media tab here that gives you quick controls over media being played on the device. The latest version of the OS also carries app widgets. Widgets let you access features of the app, without having to open the actual app. All the widgets can be found on the left of the homescreen. You can quickly look at your calendar, get up to date with the latest news, read your emails and a lot more. You can customize widgets to your preference and need. You also get to access the latest apps you’ve used.
Android
Android by far is the most popular operating system. Almost 80 per cent of the smartphones today run Android OS. That is because Android is an open source operating system. Being open source also gives them the ability to tweak the OS however they feel necessary. This has led to a market full of Android smartphones that offer a diverse experience in terms of user interface.
Big smartphone brands usually layer the Android operating system with a custom UI that changes the look and experience of the OS. This also makes Android smartphones highly customizable. You can further change the OS by installing a third-party UI of your choice. Besides that, there are very few phones that come with a stock Android OS.
Most of the UIs on Android phones have a similar layout. The home screen and app drawers are generally separate. You can place icons for your favourite apps on the homescreen, while the app drawer gives you access to all your apps. The notification drawer comes embedded with the control centre for the quick settings. The latest version of the OS (Android 7) also allows you to take actions right from the notification drawer, much like iOS. However, the control panel on Android is very customizable while the one on iOS is not.
Widgets are a big feature on Android OS. Unlike iOS, Widgets can be placed anywhere on the homescreen. Android Widgets are also more intuitive. The ones I commonly use are the Clock, Calendar and Google Search. There are the most number of widgets available here. You’ll even find two or three different variants of widgets for the same app, which makes the experience even more customizable.
App Store
iOS
All iOS devices come with a set of proprietary apps. They include FaceTime, Calculator, Messages, Safari (web browser). Other essentials like Calendar, Notes, Reminders are also a part of it. Of course, the most interesting feature of an operating system is the ability to download and run third-party apps. To download apps and get access to other services from Apple, you first need to make an iTunes account. The iTunes account is an essential part of using an iOS device. iTunes syncs data from different apps and services and helps give the OS a personal touch. You can even use the same iTunes account across your other Apple devices. You can create an iTunes account from the iOS device.
On iOS, you can download and install apps from the Apple App store. There some two million or so apps across a wide variety of genres to choose from. When you open the app store, you’re greeted with the latest and the most popular apps. Apps are also recommended based on your preference. It’s important to point out that App Store also carries a separate list of apps that are specially designed for the iPad. Apps are generally reviewed by Apple before being made available for download on the App Store. Because of this, most apps are of decent quality. There is less clutter, and the apps are also safer. Some of the latest apps are usually introduced exclusive to iOS, but you may also notice that they are paid.
Android
Android phones also come with their own set of Google apps. They include Google Play, Hangouts, Google Maps, Google Chrome, Gmail and many others. These need to be synced together with a Google account. If you have a Gmail ID, or other Google owned services, you probably already have a Google account. Because people have used services like Gmail and Google Chrome for many years, it has become easy for Google to bring everything together in an Android smartphone. In a way, the ecosystem already existed, it’s just that an Android phone brings it together in one place. One of the advantages of this is that you can install app on Android smartphone remotely, using your PC or laptop. All you have to do is go to the Play Store (http://play.google.com) and push a request for the app on your device.
Google Play Store is home to about 2.2 million apps. You can find an app practically for every use here. Not just that, you’d generally find more variations of the same app made by different developers. This is not necessarily a good thing, because the number of options can lead to clutter. There is plenty of competition, so apps are generally free.
Features
iOS
iOS generally comes with little bloatware, but there are still some proprietary apps that most of us wouldn’t use. In the new iOS 10 now, you can delete these apps if you want to. This gives you more space on the device, and reduces clutter. iOS also features plenty of other features that make life easy on a daily basis. One of few we like is the Raise to wake. You can simply pick up your phone and the screen comes to life, showing you all your notifications, without having to press any buttons. There is also a split screen mode on iOS. iPads however take the most advantage of it. You can use two supported apps side-by-side. Not all apps support this feature though. Most of the apps are proprietary Apple apps and some third-party apps. The splitscreen on the iPhone works differently. You can’t use two apps simultaneously, but in landscape mode, the screen splits the app in order to give you more information.
The Camera app has certainly been the highlight of iOS for several years. It enables the front and rear camera to take great pictures in different scenarios. The camera app is easy to use and is quick to its feet. You can even open the camera right from the lock screen, so you don’t miss a single moment. Most of the features you need are already built into the camera app, so you don’t need to download another third-party camera app.
Besides that, the photo management on iOS has become really good. Through machine learning, the Photos app compiles all your photos in different categories beyond just locations and dates. For example you can search for photos based on what’s in them - you can search for a friend’s name, mention water or even the colour red and the app will show you all the relevant photos. Cloud storage is also an important element of iOS. The iPhone relies on the iCloud storage, after the internal storage on the phone. You can use it to automatically backup all your photos, videos and other files on the phone. You get 5GB of iCloud storage by default, with the iTunes account you create.
Android
As mentioned earlier, Android phones manufactured by different OEMs carry different UI layers that can change the experience of the OS. These UIs also come with their own set of apps, which may not be really useful but take up space. However, with some of the recent phones I’ve seen, the number of unwanted apps is reducing. Most of the manufacturers are just sticking with the stock Google apps.
Google Now is one of the features worth using on Android phones. It helps brings all of the Google services such as Gmail, Chrome, Google Maps and Play Store that I’ve spoken about, work together in order to get you customized and relevant information on-the-go. For example, you can use it to get updates of the scores of your favourite sports team. If you have booked a flight ticket, Google Now will sync with Google Maps and tell you when to leave for the airport, depending on the traffic on the route. You also get news and articles related to things you’ve searched for in the past.
Android also provides a built-in battery saver mode, which reduces battery consumption in dire situations and helps your phone battery last much longer. However, the battery saver feature depends on the phone’s manufacturer. Many manufactures load their own versions of the battery saver feature, some of which may work better in preserving the battery. One of the new features introduced on the latest Android 7 (Nougat) is the split-screen feature. This feature allows you to use two apps simultaneously, side-by-side. Not many apps apart from the Google Apps support this feature. This feature is now built-in the OS as well, and support for many third-party apps is expected soon.
Voice assistants
iOS - Siri
Siri is the voice assistant on iOS. Since its launch in 2011, we’ve seen it evolve from just carrying out basic tasks on the phone to getting you informations from the web. Siri has become more responsive in the last few years. In most scenarios, when asked a questions, Siri usually replies with a visual and text rather than taking you just to a web page.
Recently, Apple made Siri’s SDI available for third-party developers, which means now you can even use Siri to carry out functions in some third-party apps. Some of them are WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Skype and even Uber. Siri’s integrations with third-party apps means that you’re bound to use them more often, every day.
Android-Google Now/Google Assistant
Android’s voice assistant is called Google Now. Its integration with Google Search allows you to get relevant search results. Besides that, Google Now can also carry out certain functions on the device, but it’s not as responsive as Siri. For example, if you ask it to turn on Bluetooth, it will take you to the Bluetooth toggle screen where you need to turn on Bluetooth yourself. Google Now is available on the phones running Android Marshmallow and below.
Google Assistant is the next generation of the voice assistant on Android phones. It was introduced with Google Pixel phones and is currently available only on those phones. Google Assistant is not only powered by Google’s search engine, but it also designed to understand context better. Commands can be given in a very conversation style. Google Assistant also remembers your name and learns what you like based on what you search for. It even tells you jokes and lets you play games. However, it doesn’t have support for third-party apps like Siri does. Google Assistant will make its way to more phones this year.
Security
iOS
iOS is well-known for its security. Apple believes in strong encryption practices. They have even improved security by running all the apps’ data through encrypted HTTPs. They also manage the apps on the App store, with chances of getting malware on the phone being close to non-existent. Apple has time and time again focused on making it better. When it comes to theft or losing your phone, iOS has a solution for in place. It’s called ‘Find My iPhone’. You can track the locations of your iPhone by going to iCloud.com and logging in with the same iTunes account as the phone. There are other features as well that include locking the device and erasing the data on it.
Android
Android was thought of as the one that’s prone to malware. However, in the last few year, Google has made huge developments in the security department. Like Apple, Google has also started setting up stringent security checks for apps, before releasing them on the Play store. Phones running Android 6 (Marshmallow) and above can also choose the permission for an app individually. With Android 7, Google has also announced automatic security checks that scans the device for malware constantly. Besides that, some manufacturers have also been adding safety features by bundling anti-virus apps. Like Apple iPhones, even Android phones come with a tracking feature in place. It’s called Android Device manager. In the event of losing your phone, you can log on to Android Device manager website, using the same Google account and track your device. The option for displaying a message with your contact information, and even erasing data remotely is present here.
Updates
iOS
One of the best things about iOS is that you get an OS update soon after its launch. A new version of iOS is launched every year and within a few days, it’s rolled out to pretty much every iPhone. Most of the iPhone variants get the update. All the user has to do is download and install it on the phone. Throughout the year, Apple sends out software patches for bug fixes and minor improvements. It’s all fast, easy and simple.
Android
Because of the fragmented market, Android lags behind on updates. At the moment only two per cent of Android phones are running the latest Android 7 (Nougat). Most phones are still running the older Android Marshmallow update, some even older. Only a few select phones such as the Google Pixel and Nexus phones get the update immediately, for the first few years. Other manufacturers focus on releasing OS updates for their flagship phones and the frequency of latter updates isn’t certain. Android is slowly trying to change it, but because of the widely fragmented market, achieving it might take some time.
So there you have it; a look at the two popular operating systems for you. As far as I know, there are no wrong decisions here. No matter what you choose, you’re still going to enjoy the experience, whether it’s Android Phones' flexibility or iOS’ simplicity you choose. It comes down to your preference.
