Building your mobile up is something that requires you to answer a lot of questions and make certain decisions. The most important thing is to know what platform you will choose for the app you’ve been building. Of course, this is much easier to say than to make a proper decision.
There are two main platforms to choose from, Android and iOS. You need to be aware of all the features each platform can offer you with. Naturally, it is not impossible to decide what you want to build for both of these. However, we would recommend you choose one of them first, and then do another one if the need for it arises.
The main thing you should pay attention to is knowing all the differences between these two. Both of them have established themselves as reliable over the years, and you will see that a vast majority of apps are done for these two. Without further ado, let’s take a look at some of the key differences.
Programming Languages
The first, and the most important difference to understand is what programming languages each of these uses. iOS mainly uses Swift, and Android focuses on either Java or Kotlin. For hybrid app development, developers use Javascript or Dart depending on which platform they choose. Naturally, you need to understand what the needs for building your app are, and based on these needs, you will make a choice.
According to the experience of a high number of developers, we can see that building an iOS app is widely considered to be much simpler. Using Swift means that you will not need to invest as much time coding when compared to Java and Kotlin. The reason is that it is much more readable than these two.
However, it is worth knowing that Kotlin, as a programming language, is developed as we speak. So, it is not possible that this opinion will change in the future. When Kotlin becomes a more preferable PL, then the whole process may become much simpler for developing Android apps.
Know Your Audience
While it may not seem like that, knowing your audience can make all the difference when choosing one of these platforms. A lot of it depends on your client, right? If the client requires you to build an app that needs to meet certain wishes of its customer, then you need to compare these two platforms and see which one of these can offer you better features.
Besides that, demography can play a significant role. For instance, numerous surveys out there have shown that the younger generation in the US prefers to use iOS, while adults and seniors prefer Android mobile phones. Therefore, knowing what age group you want to focus on can help with this decision.
Another important thing we want to point out is that women usually prefer to use Apple more than Android. Among males, the situation is completely different. Plus, it is worth knowing that iOS users tend to spend more time on their devices, and if you want your app to be used frequently, this is the way to go.
Budget
Another major aspect for you to focus on is the budget, which needs to be decided upon before you even start making an app. While the mobile app development budget depends on a long string of different elements, it is not impossible to determine it. Be aware, some of them may be unexpected, which can surface when need them the least.
Based on your initial budget, and the time and resources you have invested in the production process, you should come up with the price for someone using your app. Have in mind that the average price for Android apps on Google play is around $20, while it can go as far as $89 on average on iOS mobile devices.
Development Tools
One of the key differences between these two platforms is the development tools you will have at your disposal. Android as a platform mainly focuses on using Ecplise. Back in the day, the most popular one was NetBeans. However, almost every developer will tell you that Ecplise is a much more flexible option.
In the last couple of years, a new name has appeared on the market, and most Android developers are using Android studio now. When it comes down to iOS, the situation is much simpler, pretty much all the developers have decided to use XCode, because of all the benefits it can provide them, mainly by making the procedure simpler.
These options exclude each other, so it is not possible to come across Java if you are interested in building an iOS app, and vice versa. We recommend you take a look at some tutorials about both of these sides online and see which one of these suits you better. That way, you can be sure that the decision you have made will fit all your needs and preferences.
Complexity
We’ve already mentioned that developing iOS apps is simpler than using Android. However, we want to discuss it in greater detail now. The first thing to know is that Apple doesn’t release as many devices and apps in a year, especially when you compare it to Android, which is found on countless devices.
As a result, there will be not as many screen dimensions at one time. Therefore, you don’t need to pay attention to a lot of problems that can occur for android apps. So, you will not need to invest as much time and resources to build one of these. With Android, the situation is much more difficult.
It is not unknown that Android apps require the developer to update the graphics constantly. As we’ve said, the app itself will be used much more, which results in the need to update it constantly. That doesn’t mean these updates will be costly, but they are there nevertheless, and you should know this.
Summary
Choosing between these two platforms for building your app is not an easy thing to do, especially if you are a beginner. Here, we’ve provided you with some of the most important differences you need to understand when it comes to these two.
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