Android or IOS Apps: what to choose for your business?

The future of mobile apps is vast thanks to the growing adoption of app-friendly websites and IoT solutions. Mobile alone accounts for more than half of the internet traffic. In addition, online apps for making transactions, sharing work, hiring talent, and even storing data have added to mobile apps’ growing popularity.

Mobile apps are designed specifically for two types of operating systems – Android and iOS. Both contribute hugely to the mobile internet market, and their participation is immense. In short, for a new business, the tackiest thing to deal with is to choose either Android or iOS.

The success of a business relies on two major factors that are also interlinked – Revenue Margin and User base. Let us look at which operating system offers the best ecosystem for the growth of a business.

1. Revenue Margin:

The success of any business is majorly calculated in monetary terms. The revenue generated by Android apps is comparatively huge than the iOS apps despite their progressive growth over the time.

In the first half of 2019, the iOS app market reported a revenue of $14.3 billion, while the Android app market had reported $26.3 billion revenue. As a result, the popularity of both operating systems surged, but the difference between their respective revenue margins was sustained in the first half of 2020. The iOS market reported $17.3 billion of revenue, while the Android app market booked $32.8 billion in revenue.

Looking at the figures, as they appeared in their respective press releases, it can be summed Android app market is profitable. Therefore, any business trying to mark the market or industry should go for the Android app.

2. User Retention:

If the purpose of the business is to have a sustainable customer base, Android should be their choice. According to the Appinventiv report, Android has more user retention capabilities as compared to its counterpart. The success of any business heavily relies on the kind of experience their customer is having. The better experience the more would be retention. Android users are comparatively more loyal, for they are provided with a user-friendly interface. Apps of Google play are easy to navigate, find, use, and comprehend. They are simple, in short. The same cannot be said for iOS apps.

Now let us look at the Advantages and Disadvantages of Android and iOS apps:

Advantages of Android apps:

• Open Source: Android app developers have a plethora of options for formatting and designing an application.
• Compatibility: Most Android apps are compatible with IoT devices such as smart homes, wearable gadgets, and more.
• Easy to Release: Publishing Android apps is way easy. It takes a few hours to have the app published and running on Android.

Disadvantages of Android Apps:

• Fragmentation: Nowadays, Android devices come in different screen sizes, which has put a lot of pressure on developers to make the app compatible with each type of screen.
• Costly: Android app development is a costly affair. Some apps require a series of testing and rectification that may cost more.
• Testing: The QA specialist may take more time to test an app as the version of Android and device may vary.

Advantages of iOS Apps:

• More Purchase: According to market figures, iOS users spend more on the app than Android.
• UI design: Apple provides developers with a detailed style guide that makes app designing easier.

Disadvantages of iOS Apps:

• Compatibility: iOS apps are compatible only with Apple devices.
• Rigid: iOS apps are rigid in the sense they are hard to customize.
• App Release: Releasing or publishing an app on the iOS market is not that easy. Apple has strict guidelines that must be met to have the app live.

Which Operating System to Choose?

Well, looking at the aforementioned pros and cons of both Android and iOS, you will be able to make a choice. Android, no debatably, provides a convenient platform to develop and publish apps. iOS has its own ups, such as more purchases and UI design, making it a better choice for publishing an app. The final call, anyway, is yours.