source: androidcentral.com
Fire up an iPhone X beside a Galaxy Note 8 and you might not
think there’s all that much to choose between the two anymore. They offer the
same apps, in the same sorts of grids, with similar approaches to notifications
and quick settings, and at this stage in the game you’re probably happy with
your choice of mobile OS and sticking with it. Is there really any reason to
switch? Well, there might be.
Android and iOS might have borrowed enough features from
each other over the years to make the superficial differences not so great any
more (iOS even has widgets these days), but dig a little deeper and you’ve got
three main ways that Apple’s mobile platform differs from Google’s. This is
what you need to know about them, and why your pick of smartphone OS still
matters.
Privacy
source: appleers.com
For the last couple of years, Apple has been keen to talk up
the user privacy advantages of going with iOS. Less of your data gets sent to
the cloud, more of it gets stored securely on your device, and Apple doesn’t
want to collect as much data about you in the first place, according to Apple.
You can read Apple’s privacy policy in full here. A lot of
the data that gets sent back to Apple, including search queries and map
locations, is aggregated and anonymized, though not all of it—if you’re using
Find My iPhone, for example, Apple needs to know who you are and where your
phone is so it can help reunite you.
Google, in contrast, likes to suck up as much personal
information as it can on you to create much more personal services, and very
much sees specifics about you—you can read its privacy policy .Of course the
question of how much data gets collected—data that can be linked to you
personally—is a slightly separate one to how that data gets used. Google would
say it’s using all the information it collects in a responsible and helpful
way, something you may or may not be confident in accepting at face value.
There’s no doubt Apple is less interested in profiling its
users and serving up adverts to them, and more interested in making a stand for
user privacy. Google admits it collects more data, but promises to be careful
with it—so it ultimately comes down to how much you trust these companies as to
whether you’re more comfortable using iOS or Android on your phone.
Affordability
source: thewirecutter.com
For sheer scale and variety, nothing competes with Android.
You can spend a lot if you want to, for example, Google’s Pixel 2 phones and
Samsung’s Galaxy Note line almost match Apple’s iPhone pricing, but there’s
also a huge choice of low-cost handsets from a wide variety of different
manufacturers and the platform has been deliberately optimized to run on low-end
hardware. The fact that Android also leads the field in free apps makes it the
natural choice for the budget-conscious.
However, the affordable price often leads to issues with performance. While Apple's smartphones come with undeniable performance, this isn't always the case with Android. There are still some really great choices out there thought. Companies like OPPO and Huawei have been producing some really promising devices as of late.
Compatibility
source: digitalspy.com
We know Apple’s approach by now: It may half-heartedly
support iTunes for Windows and Apple Music for Android, but it really wants its
users to be running Apple hardware and software and nothing else. The HomePod
is just the most recent example of this, with no support for Spotify (unless
you use Airplay) or Android.
Compare the process of switching from Android to iOS with a
Google account, which basically involves downloading and signing into a few
Google apps, with the process of going in the other direction with an Apple
account—you can get your emails and calendars set up on Android, just about,
but there’s no support for iCloud, or Apple Photos, or your iTunes movies.
That said, the ubiquity and popularity of iPhones means
other manufacturers have to offer support for them, so your choice of
compatible devices actually ends up being bigger. Pick iOS and you can choose
an Apple Watch or an Android Wear device for your next smartwatch or beam
content to an Apple TV or a Chromecast, or send audio to a HomePod or an Amazon
Echo. Go for Android and those other Apple-made devices aren’t an option for
you.
As we’ve said, this is more about Apple’s and Google’s apps
and services rather than iOS and Android specifically, but if you’re on iOS and
think there’s even a chance you might one day jump the fence to Android, it’s a
good idea to use Google for your apps and services—or just stick to neutral
options like Netflix and Spotify that don’t care what mobile operating system
you’re running.
It also means if you’ve got a home with an Apple TV, a
MacBook, and a HomeKit-compatible light system, you’re going to find life much
easier with an iPhone—your choice of other gadgetry and cloud services goes a
long way towards your choice of smartphone OS.
Apps
source: androidpit.com
For better or for worse, Android apps still have the edge
over iOS apps when it comes to how deep they can get their claws into the
mobile operating system. It’s the reason why you can’t change your default SMS
app on an iPhone, or record a call on the phone itself, or open a link from an
email in anything other than Safari, or change the icon and wallpaper theme
with a couple of taps.
For example, changing
the look and layout of your phone. Admittedly not many people want to reskin
the look of their smartphone interface but those that do have to choose
Android. It’s the same for customizing the lock screen, or rearranging icons on
the home screen in anything other than a perfect grid.
While the majority of users won’t give a second thought to
wanting to use these kind of apps or functions, it’s something to bear in mind.
iOS has always excelled at just working, with Apple taking a stricter approach
to what apps can and can’t do in return for a slicker, more stable, and more
secure experience on mobile.
The next time you reach a crossroads in your phone life,
it’s maybe worth considering what life is like on the other side—there are
still key differences in the way Android and iOS work, important enough to make
the switch or to stick with what you know.
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