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A Comparative Study Between iOS and Android.

Over the years, a selection battle has ensued between two factions of electronic devices

namely iOS and Android. The two are operating systems used by electronic devices such as

smartphones, smartwatches, televisions, and tablets. They are however popular in smartphones

and have segmented the market significantly over the past few years. The iOS operating system

is used by Apple devices including iPhone and the android operating system was developed by

google but is used by gadgets from many other electronic device manufacturers including

Samsung and Xiaomi. Google’s android has been swarmed by uncountable devices from

hundreds of manufacturers per year, but Apple has incorporated the iOS into very few devices

per year, yet they manage to rival Android massively. The two operating systems are distinctively

different thereby segmenting the smartphone market into two large factions.

Among the perks of using mobile devices is the ability to connect while remaining

unimaginably mobile. With both operating systems involved in the transfer and storage of data

virtually, it is important to know how they are both designed to prevent data and privacy

breaches. On the one hand, while developing software, iOS uses closed-source coding which

blocks any user or developer from making changes in the code thus making it hard for hackers to

get through. Android on the other hand uses an open-source code which allows users and

developers to modify system settings (Kollnig, et al., 8). By doing this, android gets to have
community members analyze code used and help identify security loopholes thereby helping to

fix them.

The nature of both codes also makes a huge difference in software customization. iOS

users have little freedom to customize their interfaces and software. This is because the code

used is closed source, thus modifications are not allowed. The interface provided by Apple is

used across all their devices and this uniformity largely contributes to the popularity of iOS

(Abrokwa, et al., 23). Android users on the other hand can customize their interfaces and

software as much as they want. The code used is open source so any person willing and able to

make changes can do so. This has led to millions of interfaces that are developed by companies

and individuals based on the stock android versions.

iOS users are known to exist in a tech ecosystem of their own. iOS devices are

compatible with selected few devices. Accessories that are associated with iPhone are built in

such a way they are unique to the apple brand, e.g., the lightning charger. This selective

compatibility and unique product offering will force users to buy the devices that are compatible

with iOS and that makes up an effective customer retention strategy (Shakir, et al., 176). Android

devices however have an array of devices that change depending on the hardware manufacturer.

These devices use different types of connectors as opposed to iPhone’s single lightning

connector. This could change soon as lawmakers in the European Union agreed that all devices

sold after 2024 should have uniform type-c charging interfaces.

The quality of applications, software, and even hardware depends on the operating

system of the phones. iOS phones are known to have high quality software given that a lot is

invested in research and development of only a handful of gadgets per year (Kollnig, et al., 12).

Apple announced a lineup of 4 new phones in 2022 while in the same year, Samsung alone,
Apples large rival launched a total of 52 models. The production of such a narrow variety of

products by Apple in a year helps them invest in perfecting the applications, systems, and

associated software to appear as best as they possibly can. This is not the case with android

devices whose applications, software, and systems must be adjusted to fit thousands of form

factors and modified versions. This could result in the eventual loss of quality.

It is clear that Apple’s iOS operating system is worlds apart from Google’s Android.

Their ways of developing software, applications, and systems are different whereby iOS uses

closed source code while android uses open-source code. This makes a difference in the way

both systems navigate around security issues. The different types of code also make

customization of the android interface easier than iOS. This has led to the emergence of

thousands of models of android phones compared to models using iOS. The number of devices

also makes it easier and cheaper to find devices compatible with android as opposed to iOS. The

quality of systems, software, and hardware also varies significantly given the amount of work

and resources invested to develop a handful of gadgets by Apple as opposed to thousands of

android models.
 Works Cited

Abrokwa, Desiree, et al. "Comparing security and privacy attitudes between iOS and Android

users in the US." SOUPS 2021: USENIX Symposium on Usable Privacy and Security. 2021.

Kollnig, Konrad, et al. "Are iphones really better for privacy? a comparative study of ios and

android apps." Proceedings on Privacy Enhancing Technologies 2022.2 (2022): 6-24.

Shakir, Amer, Muhammad Hammad, and Muhammad Kamran. "Comparative Analysis & Study

of Android/iOS MobileForensics Tools." (2021).