Should You Build For Android Or iOS? When To Opt For Both?

Are you ready to take your business to the next level? Then you’re probably thinking about investing in mobile app development services. Before you go down this road, however, you should know which platform to build for – Android or iOS. You can also build your app to work on both platforms based on specific factors that you’ll learn about in this write-up.

Do you think it’s time to take your business to the next level? Then you’re probably planning to invest in building an app for mobile devices for your business. Before you go down this road, however, there are a few decisions you need to make and learn a few things too.

One of those decisions revolves around selecting a mobile device operating system. Currently, Android and iOS are at the top of the food chain. Therefore, you have to choose between the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.

The choice isn’t going to be easy. Do you want to know why? Well, for instance, an Android user behaves differently from an iOS user and vice versa. Naturally, if you hire dedicated developers for the wrong platform, your venture will go down the drain. You would end up overlooking your main target audience.

When faced with a situation like this, business owners hope to find a middle-ground where they won’t have to select one option from two. Fortunately, this so-called “middle-ground” exists. You can build an app that’ll work on both Android and iOS devices.

This topic will get into it later. For now, it’ll simply assume that you’re going to create a native application. As a result, you have to choose between iOS and Android. However, multiple differences separate Android app development from iOS app development.

For starters, the code written by developers for a native application would work on the platform for which they wrote it. It won’t work on another platform. The process is also quite time-consuming and expensive.

Then again, experience brings knowledge with it. That’s why some of the best developers contribute their thoughts regarding Android and iOS app development here. You should utilize the information provided here to hire dedicated developers accordingly.

1. The collection of features

The features added to an app will dictate its fundamental functionalities. So, what exactly do you hope to achieve with your application? What purposes will it serve? The code written by developers will dictate the answers to these two questions.

Developing for iOS

Unlike Android, Apple is a somewhat restricted OS. It keeps its ecosystem closed at all times. In other words, Apple regulates app entrance. Every app and every piece of content remains restricted to a specific collection of iOS devices supported by the ecosystem.

Therefore an app developer has to resort to the features of Apple only, and there are numerous features to tinker with. One advantage of building an app on Apple is that you’ll have more stability and control because of the closed ecosystem.

On the other hand, your choice will impose several restrictions upon the developer. From the viewpoint of a user, using a device that functions on a restricted ecosystem means it’ll be costly. That’s why Apple’s devices have a higher price tag compared to Android gadgets.

Developing for Android

Android isn’t anything like iOS. It works on an ecosystem of the open-source kind. Understandably, Android developers build apps for Android-powered devices with relative ease.

The open-source nature of Android allows an Android app development company to include as many features and functionalities in the app as you want to. In terms of security, however, open-source platforms tend to lag behind.

That’s why the operators of mobile networks block updates from time to time. Nevertheless, the open-source approach of Android facilitates developers to build innovative digital products. You can easily get your hands on the source code of Android for free and port the same to the hardware of your application.

2. Making money

Why would a business owner consider making an investment in mobile app development services? They would because they know that an app has the power to earn money. Of course, if increasing your profit margin isn’t your reason to create an app, you need to rethink the matter.

What can you do to make an app earn money? Here are a few business models worth exploring.

• In-app purchases
• Subscriptions
• Pay to download
• In-app advertisements

The strategy of your choice will dictate your decision to develop the app on Android or Apple.

For Apple

If you opt for advanced iOS app development services, and if you’re going to establish a downloading fee, you should consider starting with Apple. Here’s a pictorial representation of the distribution of paid vs. free applications between Android and Apple.

This graph clearly displays the differences separating both platforms. Naturally, if you want to charge money for downloads, the Apple App Store is the best choice for you. After all, users of Apple are more familiar with paid apps compared to free ones.

Android users, on the other hand, don’t have to pay for most of the applications they use. It’s crucial for you to know that charging users to download an app for an iOS device is a costly business strategy. Your customer acquisition expense will be higher compared to offering an app for free.

Conversely, you’ll earn more money than other businesses and earn more engagement too.

For Android

If you’re planning to monetize your application through in-app advertisements and in-app purchases, Android should be your choice. However, you shouldn’t expect to earn too much from in-app purchases.

You won’t get a lot of money against purchases, but it extends to numerous individuals. Android is still more popular than Apple. It holds a greater section of the market share.

The perk of launching an app on Android for free is that you’ll get innumerable downloads. On the flip side, engagement levels won’t be as high as Apple’s because users won’t pay to download the application. Instead, you should charge for premium services and app upgrades.

3. Cycles of release

The release cycle is a factor most developers overlook or neglect entirely while attempting to pick a platform suitable for the client’s business. You have to make sure your development team doesn’t forget about it.

You must think about the specific software version your users rely on within the platform they use. Your developers must write the app using compatible code so that it remains up to date with every version of the OS.

For Apple

Most of the users of iOS devices run their gadgets on the most recent version of the OS. In reality, almost 95% of all Apple users possess one of the two newest operating systems installed on their gadgets.

This system of Apple makes the task of the developers easier because you’ll be able to determine what your app will be capable of doing.

You only need to be ready to conjure more updates that you’ll utilize as a method of user experience optimization depending on the version of the OS your users have on their devices.

For Android

The users of Android don’t always use the latest version of the operating system. As these users exist in all four corners of the world, you may have to ask your Android app development company to fabricate your app for an obsolete version of the OS.

The two latest versions of Android are Nougat and Oreo, and only 20% of all Android users have one of these two operating systems on their devices.

As you can probably guess, the task of development will get a bit more difficult as you have to build apps for a massive range of OS versions.

4. Tablets

Whenever someone thinks of building an application for mobile devices, they consider only mobile phones. You shouldn’t forget that the list of mobile devices includes tablets too. Here’s another pictorial representation disclosing the trends associated with tablet ownership.

Within just five years in the USA, tablet usage increased by 42%. This value is much higher right now. Therefore, no matter what you do, you mustn’t neglect tablets when building an application.

For Apple

According to the providers of advanced iOS app development services from Moon Technolabs, Apple’s customers love the brand’s tablets because they’re user-friendly. They’re sleek and surprisingly easy to handle. They’re popular among kids and older individuals alike.

Those who use a tablet manufactured by Apple do so to play games, watch films, or indulge in other fun-filled activities.

For Android

The users of tablets running on Android are usually more technical compared to Apple. They rely on their tablets to manage a project or complete specific job-related tasks. Nonetheless, Apple’s tablets are more famous than Android.

You may even encounter a couple of individuals using an Android-powered phone, along with a tablet of Apple – the iPad. Users of iPhones also tend to be profoundly more loyal to the tablets and every other device of Apple.

That’s why you’ll never notice an iPhone user using an Android-powered tablet, but you may run into someone who uses an iPad and an Android phone.

5. Adopting for an enterprise

Everyone knows how BlackBerry ruled the market, particularly business professionals when it came out. Those days are long gone.

For Apple

When it comes to security, opting for advanced iOS app development services is much more sensible as there isn’t a mobile device manufacturer that prioritizes security more than Apple.

You’re probably aware of this fact if you’ve been going through this write-up from the beginning. It’s one of the main reasons why world-renowned brands like IBM partner with Apple to build their business devices.

The only problem with excessively high levels of security is that it restricts feature inclusions.

For Android

Due to the open-source nature of Android, it isn’t as secure as Apple. Then again, you’ll find innumerable Android-powered gadgets in the market with incredible features. It may seem like an Android app development company like Moon Technolabs is the better choice here.

Apple’s users have to get their hands on an Android device to use your application, though. While Apple also has various devices and multiple iOS versions, the company isn’t comparable to the gadgets running on Android.

Also Read: How To Make Your iOS And Android Apps More Secure With SSL Pinning?

6. Choose Apple before Android

You should prioritize Apple before Android only if you manage to find something connecting your customers with the way Apple users behave.

To that end, you have to conduct research. For instance, men tend to buy more products from Apple compared to women.

Then again, you shouldn’t choose Apple as your platform of development just because your business targets men. Research data may appear interesting, but it doesn’t always change to a worthwhile marketing tactic.

Research information may point to the fact that a man spends more money on Apple’s devices than a woman. The truth, however, is the exact opposite. The possibility of a woman owning an iPhone is more than a man.

The difference is just 5%, though. It won’t make much of a difference to your marketing strategy. This information doesn’t include tablets, either.

You also need to think about the annual income of your user base. According to market researchers, Apple users earn 40% more money every year compared to Android users.

Here’s another point you must consider. About 95% of all users of Apple run their gadgets on the latest versions of iOS. Naturally, you have to ensure that your app runs smoothly and perfectly on those devices.

7. Choose Android before Apple

Just as there are a few circumstances where iOS stands out on top, there are situations where Android will work better.

Consider this fact – Apple users earn more money and they’re usually more educated, but Android users control the worldwide web traffic generated by mobile gadgets.

Therefore, you have a higher chance of finding your target audience in this group. Of course, it doesn’t mean your app will succeed. In the USA, at least, Apple controls half of the entire market, while Android owns the other half.

If your app targets Americans, you have a 50-50 chance of succeeding or failing. You can, however, engage Android users by utilizing the power of push notifications. Almost 3.48% of all Android users click on push notifications. In that regard, Apple lags behind with just 1.77%.

Here’s another opposing argument for you – Apple apps record more in-app purchases compared to Android. So, if you create an e-commerce app, it won’t be able to accumulate profits.

At times, it may turn out to be extremely costly in the long run to build a powerful relationship with customers on Android.

While your expenses will increase, your chance of acquiring long-term customers will increase simultaneously.

8. The third choice

What’s the point of dealing with all these uncertainties when you can hire dedicated developers to build an app that’ll work on both Android and iOS devices?

Hybrid app development is the magic word here. Developers create such apps using various platforms available right now, but it’s also possible to build them using JavaScript and HTML5.

Hybrid applications don’t incorporate complicated coding, either. Almost every app developer should be able to create one. In fact, it’s possible for business owners to build one without hiring professional developers, but it’s a risky move. You need enough time to be able to build the app and cater to the requirements of your business at the same time.

If you don’t want to deal with the complications of selecting between Android and iOS, cross-platform development or hybrid development is perfect for you. The overall cost of development is much lower than native app development.

Conclusive statements

So, what do you think? Which one is the better OS for app development? Unfortunately, it isn’t possible to come up with a straightforward answer to this question. It depends on several factors. Specific scenarios prove that Apple is better. Another group of scenarios compels people to select Android.

As long as you’re perfectly aware of what to do and have a massive amount of money to spend, you can resort to native app development. Otherwise, hybrid app development should be your choice.