In the ever-evolving world of mobile app development, choosing between Android and iOS platforms remains a critical decision for software engineers. Each platform not only offers unique development environments but also distinctly different market opportunities and user demographics.
This article provides an in-depth analysis of both platforms, offering updated data and insights to help developers make an informed decision on which platform to prioritize in 2024.
The rapid increase of the smartphone users
The mobile user base continues to expand rapidly, with over 7.5 billion users globally as of 2024. People are spending an average of about three hours daily on their devices, highlighting the growing importance of mobile apps. Android and iOS have solidified their dominance in the operating system market, with Android holding approximately 71% of the global market share and iOS about 28%.
The choice of development platform can significantly influence an app's reach and profitability, making it essential to consider various factors before making a decision.
Differences in development
The biggest dissimilarities between Android development vs iOS development are the technical ones. Platforms have different programming languages, testing approaches, and so on. The most common differences in iOS and Android app development on the technical side go as follows:
Programming languages
iOS vs Android programming use different technology stacks. The first one has the Swift proprietary language designed for app development while the second one heavily relies on Java or Kotlin as an alternative.
Which stack is faster and easier to master? Most mobile app developers find an iOS app is easier to create than the Android one. Coding in Swift requires less time than getting around Java since this language has high readability.
Development environment
Another major difference between iOS and Android development lies in the integrated environment.
Android developers utilize Android Studio, a proprietary tool introduced by Google in 2013 and sporting an expanded range of available features. This integrated development environment has cross-platform support, high readability, a wide range of development and debugging features.
iOS developers, on the other hand, rely on the proprietary XCode tool. The Apple-backed solution provides a variety of bug fixing tools, supports the entire range of iOS devices, and is easy to get around.
Demographics
Android has the largest global platform share pocketing 80% of the global smartphone market share, with its presence towering in lower-income areas and developing nations. On the other hand, iOS users are deemed more valuable.
From in-app purchases to online retail to ads iOS users are known to historically convert at higher rates and have a higher average spend. And, in the U.S., Apple smartphones still hold a comfortable 42% market share. Looking solely at demographics, the Android platform seems like the obvious choice, but when you take in other factors that may not necessarily be the case.
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Revenue models
Android typically has a greater number of ad-supported apps; on the other hand, paying for apps is still more common on the iOS platform. As a rule of thumb, iOS users are generally more valuable even when taking Android's market share into account.
Development speed
On average, Android apps take 2-3 times longer to build than iOS. This is primarily due to the operating system release cycles and Android fragmentation. However, the Android fragmentation problem has slowly been dying down. The release of
Android 15 heralds a significant update for app developers, bringing a plethora of new features and API changes designed to streamline development and improve user experiences.
Release and approval times also hold significant weight. The biggest problem for app developers is to get their app approved on the iOS App store.
The Apple review process can take several days. Sometimes apps are rejected for the slightest errors which can prove to be very frustrating for the developer who knows exactly how they want the app to perform. The app submission process for the Google Play store is much less tedious than the iOS app store.
Unlike its iOS counterpart and Andriod app will usually get published within several hours. The app developer also enjoys more freedom as concerns the general editorial content of their apps.
App updates on the iOS app store are also limited to 3-4 times a month while in theory, an app on the Android platform can be updated at any time, an unlimited amount of times.
Building and designing UI
With things like Interface Builder built into Xcode, iOS tends to be much more UI/UX friendly than Android. Due to the ease of working with the frameworks on iOS, developers can further immerse themselves in the process of making their users' experience a great one.
If a wider range of possibilities pertaining to customization in building and design is important to you then Android is the way to go.
Though it should be kept in mind that all this freedom results in being much more time-intensive. Also, the end-user doesn't typically care about how cool the back end is, they just care about if it works, favorably in a simple and intuitive manner.
At the recent Google I/O 2024 event, Google Play demonstrated its commitment to advancing the app and game development ecosystem. The platform introduced several new tools and expanded services aimed at improving security, enhancing user engagement, and optimizing revenue opportunities for developers.
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Google I/O 2024: Key Developer Insights for Apps and Games on Google Play
Building an app for Android or iOS depends on your audience
According to data from early 2024, consumer spending on mobile devices continues to show a strong growth trend, with a nearly 10% increase year-over-year. This growth indicates that, despite economic and regulatory challenges, the demand in the mobile market remains robust.
Notably, consumer spending on iOS and Google Play platforms surpassed $35 billion for the first time in the first quarter, marking a 3.4% increase from the fourth quarter of 2023.
Platform Comparison
iOS Platform
Consumer spending on the iOS platform has shown significant growth, increasing by 11.5% year-over-year, which is more than double that of Google Play. The iOS platform performs strongly in both non-gaming and gaming applications, particularly with gaming applications now fully recovering to positive growth, up nearly 6% year-over-year.
Additionally, the number of downloads on the iOS platform reached a record high since 2020, totaling 8.4 million.
Google Play Platform
Although Google Play actually saw higher growth in non-gaming applications, the overall consumer spending growth rate was only 5.3%, with gaming spending remaining relatively flat.
Moreover, Google Play experienced a 5.2% decline in downloads in the first quarter of 2024, but it still remains the larger platform, accounting for 75% of total downloads.
Platform Recommendations
Target Market and Application Type
- For developers with larger budgets seeking high profitability: The iOS platform is the better choice. Although the development costs may be higher and the review process more stringent, iOS users have greater spending power, especially in the gaming and high-end application markets. iOS users have a higher willingness to pay, offering greater profit potential for developers looking to quickly recoup their investments.
- For developers seeking market coverage, startups, or those with limited budgets: The Google Play platform might be a more suitable choice. Although its per-user profitability may not match iOS, its large user base and diverse devices can help developers quickly establish a user base and market share. Additionally, the lower market entry barriers on Google Play are beneficial for startups and small developers.
By Application Type
- Game Developers: Given the strong recovery in gaming expenditures on iOS, choosing the iOS platform may be more beneficial for the profitability of games.
- Non-game Application Developers: Although iOS users spend more, Google Play actually experiences higher growth in non-gaming applications, indicating significant opportunities on this platform for such apps.
Overall, developers should consider their long-term strategy, target market, and type of application when choosing a platform. Additionally, by combining an understanding of user behavior and economic performance on each platform, developers can more effectively target the market and formulate corresponding development strategies.
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